Host Institution

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) is a multi-campus, state supported institution of higher education. Founded in 1903, it was originally a teachers’ college whose mission was the education of teachers for the island’s growing public school system.

In 1908, the institution became a land grant college pursuant to the Morrill-Nelson Act. From 1910 to1913, the University established the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Agriculture & Mechanical Arts, Pharmacy, and a School of Law.
In 1924, the University separated from the Department of Education, becoming the most comprehensive institution of higher education in the island. It is considered the premier Hispanic-Serving Institution in the United States, granting over 16% of all degrees awarded to Hispanics in the United States in the areas of science and technology. Today the UPR system consists of eleven campuses all accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, with nearly 70,000 students and 5,200 full time faculty members. The School of Medicine (SOM) is a part of the University’s Medical Sciences Campus (MSC.)

The University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine was established in 1950 in the facilities of the former School of Tropical Medicine, located in Old San Juan. The School of Tropical

Medicine was a renowned teaching and research institution operated jointly by the University of Puerto Rico and Columbia University from 1926 to 1948. The school graduated its first class in 1954, receiving the LCME accreditation that same year. In 1955, it began offering a Master of Public Health Program in the Department of Preventive Medicine. The program later obtained the corresponding accreditation in the field of public health. In 1960, the School established graduate programs in the biomedical sciences leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Anatomy, Biochemistry, Medical Zoology, Microbiology, and Physiology.

 

During the period of 1952-1960, the School’s teaching facilities included the old San Juan City Hospital, the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital, and several private institutions in the adjacent community. In 1960, after an agreement with the island’s Department of Health, the existing Tuberculosis Hospital was transformed into the University District Hospital. In this new facility and with the strong support of VA faculty, the School developed graduate medical education programs in all the major specialties and existing subspecialties. The faculty then became intensely involved in the delivery of medical services, not only at the University District Hospital, but also in the newly inaugurated (1965) Puerto Rico Medical Center (PRMC) as well.

 

In January 1966, the Puerto Rico Legislature approved a new University Law restructuring the university and creating the Medical Sciences Campus. The new campus comprised the School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, the Schools of Physical and Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology, and the Basic Sciences Graduate Programs. A chancellor was appointed while administrative services previously under the purview of the School of Medicine were centralized. A formal agreement was then established between the Chancellor and the Secretary of Health for the use of the University District Hospital and the facilities of the PRMC as the School’s clinical training and practice sites. In 1972, the School moved to new facilities located within the PRMC. Student enrollment increased from 50 students per year in 1950, to 60 in 1966, and to 150 in 1976, a growth made possible, in part, by the new facilities.

The School expanded its clinical teaching sites in response to the increased student enrollment and, in 1976, established the Educational Consortium of Hospitals. Hospitals throughout the island became major training sites for the medical students. Arrangements were made with the Regional Hospitals in Ponce (south) and Caguas (central), as well as with the Mayaguez Medical Center in the western part of the island. In 1983, the Carolina Area Hospital, which later became the Carolina University Hospital, also became a teaching facility for the School.

In 1980, the School established the Faculty Practice Plan (FPP), providing the faculty with ambulatory facilities to develop its clinical practice. During the past 25 years, the FPP has expanded to include all clinical sites where faculty members practice, including several hospitals that belong to the network of clinical training sites.

In the early 1990s, the School faced the challenge of adapting to a new health care model mandated by law which transformed the health care system from one in which the government provided care for the medically indigent in government owned facilities, to a managed care system based on capitation. This change affected the School by taking away clinical training sites previously owned by the government as they were privatized under the new system. The School adjusted to these changes, decreased its enrollment to 100, revised its agreements with some institutions and established new ones, including the acquisition of the Carolina Area Hospital.

In the late nineties, the School revised and reorganized its courses, enhanced technology, and further developed the teaching of clinical skills, thus adapting its curriculum to the latest trends in medical education. With the celebration of its 50th Anniversary in the year 2000, it embarked on new educational projects, further developed its research agenda and revised its mission and vision of the future.

For over 25 years, UPR’s School of Medicine was the only accredited medical school in the island. Today, as one of four accredited institutions, it has a strong educational program which integrates the latest in technology and medical education strategies. It is still considered the leader in medical education in the island and in providing the people of Puerto Rico with the medical care they need. Many school graduates also provide high-quality clinical services in other states and jurisdictions.

 

University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine

Department of Anesthesiology
A-989 Main Building
PO Box 365067
San Juan, PR 00936-5067