June 04, 2010 02:03am EST 

Few hospitals have the medical discoveries and firsts in as many fields as the University of Chicago Medical Center has. Since 1927, the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) has been at the forefront of medicine, providing superior healthcare in a compassionate manner, always mindful of each patient’s dignity and individuality. The Medical Center is more than just a hospital. In fact, it consists of three hospitals, a state-of-the art outpatient care facility, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and numerous regional doctors offices around Chicago. They have 596 beds, over 700 attending physicians, and approximately 9,500 employees that serve 26,933 patient admissions each year. Their Children’s Hospital, opened in 2004, has 155-beds and unites advanced technology with a family-centered, kid-friendly philosophy in providing quality care for all children.
Top medical facilities do not go unnoticed, and the Medical Center is no different. They were awarded Magnet Recognition in 2007 by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest level of recognition for excellence in nursing practice. Additionally, the Medical Center had 11 specialties rank among the top programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report, including top 30 placements in specialties such as cancer, digestive disorders, and endocrinology. The Pritzker School of Medicine was ranked 13th in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” issue.
The research facilities and medical professionals at the Medical Center have been at the forefront of many important medical discoveries in fields ranging from blood to transplantation. In the cancer field, Dr. Charles Huggins of the medical center came up with the pioneering procedure of hormonal treatment of cancer, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1966. In 1927, Dr. Walter L. Palmer of the University of Chicago established the first full-time academic gastroenterology section in the United States. Additionally, in 1934, Dr. Rudolph Schindler brought the first gastroscope to the United States from Nazi Germany. James W. Moulder of the Center pioneered the biology of large viruses infecting humans; he was also the first to discover drug resistance in large viruses.
These discoveries and breakthroughs are but a few examples of how the University of Chicago Medical Center stands in the forefront of medicine. The Medical Center is one of the best medical institutions in all of the nation, providing quality, compassionate health care to all of their patients using the skills and expertise of all who work together to advance medical innovation, serve the health needs of the community, and to teach future health care professionals.
To find more information about the University of Chicago Medical Center, visit their website.