Welcome!

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Medicine at Michigan. As we approach our 150th year of scholarship and service to the medical profession, we can reflect with pride on the accomplishments of the University of Michigan Medical School. We were already a scientifically based medical school by the turn of the century, a model upon which most other schools based their curriculum in the early 1900s. We were the first University to own and operate a hospital (in 1869), recognizing long ago that teaching and research cannot be separated from clinical care, and, furthermore, that high quality clinical care is augmented in a setting of teaching and research.

Over the years, Medical School faculty have conducted pioneering work in human genetics, including the identification and cloning of the genes for cystic fibrosis, Huntington's Disease, and neurofibromatosis. The Medical School also created the country's first department of pharmacology and department of human genetics and played a major role in the development of the electrocardiograph. You'll find additional information about the role of Michigan in the history of medical science in our Sesquicentennial timeline, beginning with the first 50 years of the Medical School in this issue.

But our greatest contribution to the world of medicine is the alumni/ae of the School. Numbering more than 16,000, it is your achievements, your dedication, and your influence that represent our enduring legacy. Among you are outstanding practitioners, clinical researchers, teachers, and basic scientists. Our alumni/ae are located in all 50 states and in countries all across the globe. Our former students and trainees critically influence the course of medical care. As a fellow alumnus, I salute you and acknowledge the fact that our Medical School is enhanced by the level of your accomplishments.

There are great things ahead for our School and this wonderful University. With new leadership in place, the new millennium will see our reputation grow and our influence increase. In these pages you, our alumni/ae and friends, will see the evidence to support that viewpoint. All of us hope you enjoy this new magazine and that you will continue to be proud of the heritage you share as part of the family of medicine at Michigan.

Allen S. Lichter, M.D.
Interim Dean