Indiana University School of Medicine

The Indiana University School of Medicine is a leading medical school and medical research powerhouse connected to Indiana University. With several teaching campuses in the state, the School of Medicine has its predominant research and medical center at the Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis campus in Indianapolis. Established in 1903, it is Indiana's only medical school. The medical school awarded the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree to its first class in 1907. With over 1100 students in 2006, it is currently the second largest medical school in the United States (the largest is the University of Illinois College of Medicine). The School offers several joint-degree programs, including an MD/MBA, MD/MA, MD/MPH, and an NIH-designated Medical Scientist Training Program, a highly competitive subset of MD/PhD programs. For the 2010 entering class, there were 322 students enrolled in the MD program.

In research, Indiana University School of Medicine is a pioneer in cancer, immunology, alcohol, neuroscience, and diabetes (see section below). Notably, some of its recent research discoveries that have received international acclaim include a curative therapy in testicular cancer made famous by patient Lance Armstrong, the cardiac ultrasound technology, several genes linked to Alzheimer's, the link between mind and body health, the development of neuronal stem cells, and tautomycetin as a potentially new anti-cancer drug. The School of Medicine possesses an NCI—designated Clinical Cancer Center, the only NIH—funded viral vector production facility for clinical grade therapeutics, and one of three Centers of Excellence in Molecular Hematopoiesis in the nation.

Consistently ranked as one of the best medical schools in the United States by the U.S. News & World Report, the Indiana University School of Medicine ranked 17th in the nation for primary care and 44th for research out of about 150 medical schools polled for the ranking.

For 13 consecutive years, the IU Health system has been ranked among the country's top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. As of 2011, Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Health is home to 18 nationally ranked clinical programs, including Diabetes and Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Urology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Pulmonology, Gastroenterology and Orthopedics. The James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health ranked nationally in all ten designated specialities in the U.S. News & World Report.

The current dean of the medical school is Craig Brater, who succeeded Robert Holden on July 1, 2001.

Founding in Indianapolis
The story of the founding of Indiana School of Medicine begins in rivalry with Purdue University, who competed with Indiana University-based founders over the authority to operate a premier medical school in the state. In March 1903, William Lowe Bryan, the 10th president of Indiana University, proposed to the University trustees the establishment of a Department of Medicine. Approved, the new department was established in May of the same year. A doctor by the name of Burton D. Myers, previously at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, was hired to be the head of the Department of Anatomy in Bloomington; Myers would later serve as dean of the medical school from 1927 to 1940. May 1904 saw the induction of the School of Medicine into the American Association of American Medical Colleges (the AAMC). However, early founders wished to locate facilities in Indianapolis for a medical school as well. Eventually, the founders in Bloomington secured funds to acquire the title and building of the Central College of Physicians and Surgeons, previously part of the Purdue University's Medical Department. This building was renamed as part of the State College of Physicians and Surgeons. There continued to be rivalry between the Indianapolis medical school and the one at Purdue.

Finally, in April 1908, the founders of the medical school in Indianapolis reached a resolution with the faculty at the Purdue medical department to consolidate the Purdue Medical Department ith the State College of Physicians and the Bloomington Medical Department of Indiana University. Students would carry out the four years of a medical education in Indianapolis.

The separate medical schools in Indiana had now been consolidated, marking the "second founding" of the Indiana School of Medicine. Dr. Allison Maxwell was named as the first dean. He led the fledging school through a difficult time, as financial budgets were an issue and the number of faculty had had to be decreased. Dr. Maxwell served his position until 1911.

The Flexner Report
Abraham Flexner, renowned American educator whose work helped reform many medical schools, visited the School of Medicine in November 1909. He noted in his later-famous Flexner Report that, "The situation in the state [was], thanks to the intelligent attitude of the university, distinctly hopeful, though it will take time to work it fully." He made a recommendation for the progress of the school, noting, "In order to make the school attractive to highly qualified students, it will be necessary (1) to employ full-time men in the work of the first two years, (2) to strengthen the laboratory equipment, (3) greatly improve the organization and conduct of the clinical courses." The Indiana School of Medicine was one of a select number of medical schools in the nation at the time to receive a positive evaluation from Flexner.

Early Leaders
Several key leaders in the School of Medicine's history were drawn from Johns Hopkins. After Dr. Allison Maxwell, Charles P. Emerson from JHU was named the new dean. Then in 1912, Willis D. Gatch who received an MD from JHU began his career at Indiana. Gatch invented the Gatch adjustable hospital bed, which with the aid of a crank the patient's head and feet could be raised or lowered. One of IUSM's first faculty members, George Bond was initially employed at JHU. He became perhaps the first individual to operate an electrocardiograph in the nation.

Rise of Buildings
Many campus buildings were built in this decade and the next. In February 1912, IUSM founders acquired property in the area on West Michigan Street; the Robert E. Long Hospital would eventually become the site of the IU Medical Center. Emerson hall was built in the fall of 1919. Riley Children's Hospital opened in 1924, built with $45,000 donated by a mass fundraising event by Indiana civilians. Myers Hall was built in 1937, and Fesler hall in 1939. 1947 saw the expansion of the medical research building using a five-year grant from the Riley Children's Foundation. The VanNuys Medical Sciences Building opened in 1958.

Curriculum
The Indiana University School of Medicine has received national and international recognition for its innovative curriculum. In 2003, it was one of ten medical schools nationwide chosen by the American Medical Association to develop new methods of teaching professionalism to doctors. In order to ensure that its educational process more accurately reflected its commitment to graduating caring and competent physicians, the Indiana University School of Medicine initiated a competency curriculum in 1999. The first class of students to enter under a four-year competency curriculum graduated in 2003.

The newly established curriculum consists of nine competencies: Effective Communication; Basic Clinical Skills; Using Science to Guide Diagnosis, Management, Therapeutics, and Prevention; Lifelong Learning; Self-Awareness, Self-Care, and Personal Growth; the Social and Community Contexts of Health Care; Moral Reasoning and Ethical Judgment; Problem-Solving; and Professionalism and Role Recognition. Assessment and certification of achievement of the nine competencies is sequentially integrated into each year of the curriculum culminating with a competency transcript upon graduation.

To model and support the moral, professional, and humane values expressed in the new formal competency-based curriculum, the IU School of Medicine simultaneously implemented a school-wide "relationship-centered care initiative" to address its informal curriculum.

Clinical Training
The School helps train interns and residents in 92 medical and surgical specialties. Students train under faculty and staff at:


 * Indiana University Hospital
 * James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children
 * Methodist Hospital
 * The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center
 * Wishard Memorial Hospital
 * Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital
 * The IU-Kenya Partnership program with Moi University School of Medicine, Kenya
 * and multiple other physician offices and hospitals throughout Indiana.

All of these hospitals are within walking distance of, or adjacent to the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, with the exception of Methodist Hospital and Larue Carter Hospital, which are located a few miles from the main campus. Methodist Hospital is connected to the main Indiana University Medical Center campus by means of the Indiana University Health People Mover, an elevated people mover system.

Campuses
The school's main facilities are located on the campus of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Additionally, the school maintains eight regional centers on college campuses throughout the state: Bloomington, Muncie, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Terre Haute, Evansville, West Lafayette, and Northwest (in Gary).

First- and second-year students attend classes at either the main Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus (approximately half of the class) or at one of the eight regional centers. Third- and fourth-year students spend the last two years of medical school at the IUPUI campus, although this model is anticipated to change with the expansion of the medical school enrollment at its regional campuses. It is anticipated in years future medical students will be given the option to complete three to four years of medical education at some of the centers, such as a four-year program with emphasis in rural health care at the Terre Haute center.

The VanNuys Medical Sciences Building at the IUPUI campus houses the famous DNA Tower sculpture by Dale Chihuly.

Students
Students at IUSM hark from both home state and out-of-state, at a ratio of 1,440 to 440. There were 3,636 applicants for the 2010-2011 cycle. The average GPA of that entering class was 3.72, and the average MCAT score was a 30.2/P.

The School is notable for its Tour the Life Student Blogs, in which medical students from all years write about their academic, clinical, and personal experiences at IUSM.

The School of Medicine offers several combined degree programs: the MD/PhD, MD/MBA, MD/MPH, and MD/MA. The MD/MBA is in conjunction with the Kelley School of Business. The MD/PhD program, which offers full-tuition and stipend to acceptees for all years of training, is one of 40 medical schools in the nation to be designated an MSTP by the NIH. Typically about five students a year are accepted into the MD/PhD program at IUSM. MD/PhD students can choose to conduct research with faculty at either the medical school or at Purdue University.

Discoveries at IUSM
With $265 million in research grants and contracts, including $133 million from the National Institutes of Health, the IU School of Medicine conducts a spectrum of basic, translational and clinical research. The School of Medicine possesses an NCI—designated Clinical Cancer Center, the only NIH—funded viral vector production facility for clinical grade therapeutics, and one of three Centers of Excellence in Molecular Hematopoiesis in the nation. Also notable is the range of research institutes and centers.

In research, IUSM holds a first in developing the use of echocardiography, a heart imaging technique using ultrasound. In the 1960s, Dr. Mori Aprison discovered the inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine. Another neuroscientist and faculty member at IUSM, Dr. Paul Stark, led the clinical team at Eli Lilly and Company in the development of Prozac, the most widely prescribed antidepressant. In 1984, IUSM established the first DNA "bank" in the world; blood samples from clients were used to extract DNA which could indicate the genetic risk for certain illnesses and conditions. IUSM researchers also discovered the use of cord blood as an alterative source of hematopoietic stem cells and pioneered their use in the clinic. In the early 1990s, the School of Medicine was one of the first institutions to study the use of computer systems in reducing the costs of healthcare management.

Recently, researchers IUSM have received national and international attention for their studies and discoveries in the genes linked to Alzheimer's, the link between mind and body health, the development of neuronal stem cells, and tautomycetin as a potentially new anti-cancer drug.

The Indiana University School of Medicine is also famous for establishing a curative therapy for testicular cancer. Patients from around the world, including Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, have traveled to the Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center for this therapy and comprehensive care. Also in the field of cancer, IUSM has been a pioneer in establishing a cure for Fanconi Anemia (a pre-cancerous condition in children), specific radiation therapy techniques, techniques in a type of nerve-sparing surgery for urologic cancers, the development of drugs to stimulate blood cell production, and novel drug therapies for breast cancer. Researchers at the medical school also discovered the cancer-fighting agent in Tamoxifen. In 2011, IUSM announced plans for the establishment of an institute specializing in personalized medicine, which would pursue an individualized and genomics-based approach to treating conditions such as cancer, pediatrics, and obstetrics.

Research Centers and Groups
The range of research centers focusing on specific medical issues at IUSM include:
 * Alzheimers Disease and Related Disorders Center
 * Amyloid Research Group
 * Automotive Safety Center for Children
 * Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
 * Center of Excellence in Computational Diagnostics
 * Center for Immunobiology
 * Center for Structural Biology
 * Center of Excellence in Women's Health
 * Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine
 * Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
 * Hypertension Research Center
 * Indiana AIDS Clinical Research Group
 * Indiana Alcohol Research Center
 * Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center
 * Indiana Center for Vascular Biology & Medicine
 * Indiana Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Center
 * Indiana University Breast Care and Research Center
 * Indiana University Cancer Center
 * Indiana University Center for Aging Research
 * Indiana University Center for AIDS Research
 * Indiana University Center for Bioethics
 * Indiana University Center for Sports Medicine
 * Indiana University Diabetes Center
 * Institute of Psychiatric Research
 * Interventional Radiology Research Laboratory
 * Krannert Institute of Cardiology
 * Multipurpose Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Center
 * O'Brien Research Center for Advanced Renal Microscopic Analysis
 * Regenstrief Institute, Inc. "The Regenstrief Institute conducts research to improve health care by optimizing the capture, analysis, content, and delivery of the information needed by patients, their providers and policy makers and conducts interventional studies designed to measure the effect of the application of this research on the efficiency and quality of health care."
 * Stark Neurosciences Research Institute
 * Walther Oncology Center
 * Wells Center for Pediatric Research

Famous Alumni and Faculty

 * Robert Gumbiner: Founder of FHP International Corporation, the first HMO
 * Harvey Feigenbaum: pioneer in the field of echocardiography
 * Lawrence Einhorn: pioneered the development of the medical treatment in 1974 for testicular cancer, increasing the survival rate from 10% to 95%
 * John Hayes: Eli Lilly executive
 * Adam M. Robinson: Surgeon General of the United States Navy
 * William S. Dalton: Current President and CEO of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.. Former Dean of the University of Arizona School of Medicine
 * H. Michael Shepard: Led the discovery and development of breast cancer drug Herceptin while at Genentech.
 * Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Fellow at Indiana University.
 * Jill Bolte Taylor: Famous neuroanatamist who at a TED talk shared her experiences of studying herself during a stroke and author of My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, a best-selling book which will be made into a major motion picture by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Imagine Entertainment
 * Henry Feffer: Famous American neurosurgeon
 * Tom Hayhurst: Doctor and politician
 * Jane E. Henney: Oncologist; First woman to serve as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
 * Chet Jastremski: Olympic swimmer and medalist
 * R. Ellen Magenis: Distinguished American pediatrician and geneticist
 * Joseph E. Robertson: President of Oregon Health & Science University since September 2006.
 * Jack Yang: Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Functional Informatics and Personalized Medicine (IJFIPM).
 * David L. Felten: Former professor at IUSM; MacArthur Fellow and famous neurobiologist whose research established a link between the immune and central nervous system