When Stanford adopted Cooper Medical College in San Francisco as the Medical Department of Stanford University in 1908, the major role of the University’s medical school was to train physicians for general practice. In 1959, when the School moved to new buildings and laboratories on the Palo Alto campus, the changes went beyond location. The move gave birth to a new kind of medical school.

Envisioned by Stanford’s former president Wallace Sterling and Provost Frederick E. Terman, the reinvented medical school emphasized research, encompassing both clinical medicine and the basic sciences. The school today holds a respected place in the ranks of clinical education and scientific achievement.

The focus on research is what makes it attractive to many students. In 2003, a new curriculum was put into effect, which — according to the School’s Web site — frees up time for scholarly concentrations that permit students to pursue areas of interest.

Medical student Prasanna Ananth says she feels fortunate to have been part of the first class to benefit from the new curriculum.

“While this meant that we were often the guinea pigs, we had fewer class hours, far less redundancy in our courses, and a much more streamlined preclinical education,” Ananth says. “There is also a ton of flexibility during the third and fourth years to do away rotations, electives, etc.”

Ananth was able to spend a week working at a Katrina relief camp in Mississippi with her classmates, and another three weeks in Guatemala with a group of renowned pediatricians.

“All of this was possible through the med school,” she says.

Under this new curriculum, the School aligned with the school of Public Health at the UC-Berkeley allowing selected medical students to complete a dual MD-MPH degree. Ananth, who is currently doing rotations, says she is very appreciative of the newly established joint MD-MPH program. She is one of the selected students who will be at Berkeley pursuing a public health degree next year.

Ranking number one among U.S. medical schools in expenditures per faculty member conducting sponsored research, the school is involved in more than 1,600 research projects under the supervision of about 500 distinguished faculties. One such research initiative Future Fertility of Pediatric Cancer Patients, was designed and carried out by two medical students Tress Goodwin and Liz Oosterhuis. The project looked at knowledge and attitudes about the impact of cancer treatment on future fertility. The first part of the study surveyed the pediatric oncology providers (doctors and nurses), and a separate study of parents and cancer patients (more than 14) receiving care. They later designed an informative brochure that is now handed out to every family in the department and available on the web: www.lpch.org\pdf/fertilityOncBrochure.pdf. They are currently working on publishing two papers in medical journals.

Another medical student, Ruby Wang — with her classmates — is doing research on the SARS virus. The disease caused a global panic three years ago but the way the virus causes disease is still unknown. “We think that perhaps SARS is an autoimmune disease,” says Wang. Currently they have been purifying the spike protein of SARS (a possible target for vaccination). Next, she will stain lung tissue with antibodies against the carbohydrate target and to further implicate autoimmunity in SARS.

When asked about the role of the school in their research, Goodwin and Oosterhuis both agree on the amazing faculty including their advisor Michaela Kiernan. “She has been nothing short of incredible...very patient with us and guiding us through the maze of IRB approval, research methodologies, statistics, and more” Goodwin and Oosterhuis agree.

The school’s faculty includes Nobel Prize winners Arthur Kornberg, who synthesized DNA-like material in a test tube, and Paul Berg, who constructed the first molecule containing parts of DNA from different species. Alumni include Norman Shumway, the father of the heart transplant.

Aside from the emphasis on research, the grading system appeals to prospective medical students. The school grades on a pass-fail basis. Most students say the system is more like pass-pass.

Ananth says, “If we fail a test, we can retake it until we pass, so there is less pressure. People still work hard, but we have more leisure time than medical students across the country.”

Ananth believes that the small class size of 86 diverse students is School’s one of the greatest strengths. However, with the acceptance rate hovering around 3 to 4 percent, Stanford is nearly impossible to get in to.

The School attracts overachievers who tend not to have tasted failure or mediocrity. Ananth would like to see a more accessible support system to help students to address challenges without losing perspective.

“It’s a big adjustment to feel utterly clueless in the hospital, to have a research project flop, to get a sub-par board score,” she says, “The school needs to have mentors and confidantes who reach out to students.”