WHEREAS, Two physicians began lecturing at the nation's first medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 1765; and
WHEREAS, Before then, American physicians gained medical knowledge as apprentices under practicing physicians, limiting their knowledge and skills to those of their predecessor; and
WHEREAS, The models and strategies introduced by Pennsylvania remained influential and relevant in medical education throughout most of the nineteenth century; and
WHEREAS, In the late nineteenth century, when the University of Pennsylvania changed locations from downtown Philadelphia to its present campus, the medical faculty urged the trustees to build a teaching hospital - one to be owned by the University and staffed by the medical faculty. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was the first such teaching hospital built for a medical school; and
WHEREAS, For the 17th year in a row, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Perelman School of Medicine has over 2,000 full-time faculty members, 807 medical students, more than 1,100 residents and fellows, 621 PhD students, 184 MD-PhD students, 309 masters students, 768 post-doctoral fellows and 3,124 full-time Perelman School of Medicine employees; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is grateful for the work that the Perelman School of Medicine has accomplished, as it has made impactful changes to the health care community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the Nation's First Medical School, the Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, further evidencing the sincere admiration and gratitude of this legislative body.
End