Where Tradition Meets Innovation

Johns Hopkins Medicine has a rich history rooted in philanthropy, diversity, inclusion and a passion for innovation. Over more than 125 years since the founding of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the opening of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, we've made  significant advancements that helped set a standard for other institutions and shape the medical field into what it is today.

The History of Our Hospitals

Each of our hospitals comes with a rich history of fostering medical innovation and providing compassionate care to people in their communities.

A Storied History

  • Who Was Johns Hopkins?

    From grocer to philanthropist, a man named Johns Hopkins laid out a plan to use his wealth to establish a hospital that would provide care to anyone, regardless of sex, age or race.

    Portrait of Johns Hopkins
  • History of Medical Innovation

    Johns Hopkins counts many "firsts" among its achievements, including the first to use rubber gloves during surgery and the first to develop renal dialysis and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

    Halsted operating team
  • The Role of Women in Johns Hopkins History

    From the first Johns Hopkins’ medical school class to present day, women have grown to be an integral part of John Hopkins Medicine.

    Caroline Bedell Thomas

Values That Withstood the Test of Time

Nearly a century and a half ago, our founder, Mr. Johns Hopkins, wrote a letter in which he established his vision for and values of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Those values – respect, dignity, integrity, inclusion, excellence, and diversity – still ring true today. They continue to provide us with inspiration and direction.

Johns Hopkins Medicine: Then and Now

1900s Johns Hopkins Billings Building
Johns Hopkins Billings Administration Building
Johns Hopkins first medical school class 1897
Nancy Abu-Bonsrah
William H. Welch
Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Florence Sabin
Akila Viswanathan, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc.
Johns Hopkins chemistry lab 1910
Scientist working in a lab
Benjamin Carson and surgical team
Pediatric resident training session at The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children's Center
Hurd Hall in the 1950s
Hurd Hall in 2017
Edwards Park, M.D.
Tina Chen, M.D., M.P.H.
Johns Hopkins physical chemisty lecture, 1903
Medical students in a lecture hall.
Johns Hopkins bedside teaching early 1900s
Physician with a patient
William Halsted's All-Star Surgery in 1901
Johns Hopkins landmark first bilateral arm transplant
  • Then: The Johns Hopkins Billings Administration Building

    The Johns Hopkins Billings building in the early 1900s. It served as a residence to doctors in training until the 1950s. As a result, those trainees came to be referred to as residents.

  • Now: The Johns Hopkins Billings Administration Building

    Today, the Billings building houses administrative offices.

  • Then: Graduation

    The first medical school class graduated in 1897.

  • Now: Graduation

    The graduating class of 2017 was vastly more diverse than the first — both in terms of gender and ethnicity. Among the graduates was Nancy Abu-Bonsrah, the first black female resident in neurosurgery.

  • Then: Leadership

    William H. Welch, the first dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, also became the founding dean of the United States’ first school of public health, which today is called the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

  • Now: Leadership

    Paul B. Rothman, M.D. (served from 2012-2022) serves as dean of the medical faculty and vice president for medicine at The Johns Hopkins University and chief executive officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

  • Then: Female Faculty

    A graduate of the school of medicine, Florence Sabin was the first woman appointed full professor in the school of medicine, in 1917. A bronze statue of Sabin stands in the U.S. Capitol, honoring her many contributions to anatomy and histology.

  • Now: Female Faculty

    Today, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has more than 250 tenured female faculty members, including t recently named professor Akila Viswanathan, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc., professor of radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences.

  • Then: Research

    Students in chemistry lab, 1910

  • Now: Research

    The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is home to more than 160 basic science labs alone. More than 1,500 faculty members within the school of medicine have federal funding to support their basic, translational or clinical trials research.

  • Then: Surgical Practice and Training

    Using small mannequins, pediatric neurogureon Benjamin Carson and his surgical team rehearse for a 2006 operation to separate siamese twins joined at the head.

  • Now: Surgical Practice and Training

    The large single-patient rooms in The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center building allow enough space for pediatric residents to hold training sessions.

  • Then: Hurd Hall

    Grand rounds in the 1950s took place in Hurd Hall, named after Henry Mills Hurd, professor of psychiatry and the first director of The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

  • Now: Hurd Hall

    Hurd Hall is still a common venue for many of the school’s featured events, including the medical students’ white coat ceremonies.

  • Then: Pediatrician-in-Chief

    As pediatrician-in-chief at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Edwards Park, M.D., pioneered a holistic approach to the medical care of children, combining it with intense research, training and community outreach.

  • Now: Pediatrician-in-Chief

    Tina Cheng, M.D., M.P.H., became director of pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief of The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2016. Cheng was recognized for making community-integrated models of primary care to meet the needs of vulnerable individuals and families.

  • Then: Classroom Instruction

    Physical chemistry lecture in 1903

  • Now: Classroom Instruction

    Medical students engaged in a presentation

  • Then: Bedside Teaching

    Bedside teaching is one of the cornerstones of academic medicine, a concept that was pioneered by Hopkins’ own Sir William Osler, one of the four founding professors of The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

  • Now: Bedside Teaching

    In 2016, the school of medicine developed that concept even further by rolling out a Primary Care Leadership Track designed to bring medical students face to face with patients and community doctors.

  • Then: Landmark Surgery

    In 1901, surgeon-in-chief William Halsted, an early champion of the newly discovered antiseptic techniques, invited senior members of his surgical staff to participate in an “all-star operation” as a dedication of the newly erected building bearing his name.

  • Now: Landmark Surgery

    A surgical team led by Johns Hopkins doctors W. P. Lee, M.D., Jaimie Shores, M.D., and Gerald Brandacher, M.D., performed The Johns Hopkins Hospital’s first bilateral arm transplant using a treatment to prevent rejection of the limbs.