Howard University College of Medicine
Encyclopedia
The Howard University College of Medicine (HUCM) is an academic division of Howard University
, and grants the Doctor of Medicine
(MD), Ph.D.
, MS
, and the MPH
. HUCM is located at the Howard University Health Sciences Center in Washington, D.C.
, and was founded in 1868 in response to the city's growing population.
. Howard and the other founders of the university understood the urgent need for a medical school in the nation's capitol. The civil war
had just ended, and freed African-American people were migrating to the nation's capital in large numbers. The first opening exercise for the newly created Medical Department was held at the First Congregational Church of Christ on November 5, 1868. One of the first five faculty members was Dr. Alexander Thomas Augusta
, reportedly the first African-American to serve on a medical school faculty in the United States.
degrees. These are anatomy
, genetics
& human genetics
, microbiology
, biochemistry
, pharmacology
, and physiology
& biophysics
.
The largest training program in the College of Medicine is their 4 year MD
program. HUCM is known for producing physicians who provide healthcare to under-served communities throughout the United States
. A major emphasis of HUCM is preparing physicians for under-served communities. Much of the experience these medical students gain with under-served communities is at Howard University Hospital, the primary teaching hospital for HUCM, but students also gain experience with other demographics by working at other hospitals in the DC Metropolitan Area including Washington Hospital Center
, St. Elizabeths Hospital
and Inova Fairfax Hospital
. Howard University Hospital's surrounding community is under-served and serves as an excellent teaching environment for HUCM's students.
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, and grants the Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(MD), Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, MS
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
, and the MPH
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....
. HUCM is located at the Howard University Health Sciences Center in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and was founded in 1868 in response to the city's growing population.
History
Howard University is named after Major General Oliver Otis HowardOliver O. Howard
Oliver Otis Howard was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War...
. Howard and the other founders of the university understood the urgent need for a medical school in the nation's capitol. The civil war
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
had just ended, and freed African-American people were migrating to the nation's capital in large numbers. The first opening exercise for the newly created Medical Department was held at the First Congregational Church of Christ on November 5, 1868. One of the first five faculty members was Dr. Alexander Thomas Augusta
Alexander Thomas Augusta
Alexander Thomas Augusta was a surgeon, professor of medicine, and veteran of the American Civil War. Augusta was born to free African American parents in Norfolk, Virginia. At that time he began to learn to read while working as a barber although it was illegal to do so in Virginia at that time....
, reportedly the first African-American to serve on a medical school faculty in the United States.
Graduate programs
Howard University College of Medicine has six training programs leading to the MS and/or Ph. D.Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degrees. These are anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
& human genetics
Human genetics
Human genetics describes the study of inheritance as it occurs in human beings. Human genetics encompasses a variety of overlapping fields including: classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, genomics, population genetics, developmental genetics, clinical genetics,...
, microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
, biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
, and physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
& biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
.
The largest training program in the College of Medicine is their 4 year MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
program. HUCM is known for producing physicians who provide healthcare to under-served communities throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A major emphasis of HUCM is preparing physicians for under-served communities. Much of the experience these medical students gain with under-served communities is at Howard University Hospital, the primary teaching hospital for HUCM, but students also gain experience with other demographics by working at other hospitals in the DC Metropolitan Area including Washington Hospital Center
Washington Hospital Center
Washington Hospital Center is the largest private hospital in Washington, D.C.. It serves as a teaching hospital for Georgetown University School of Medicine....
, St. Elizabeths Hospital
St. Elizabeths Hospital
St. Elizabeths Hospital is a psychiatric hospital operated by the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health. It was the first large-scale, federally-run psychiatric hospital in the United States. Housing several thousand patients at its peak, St. Elizabeths had a fully functioning...
and Inova Fairfax Hospital
Inova Fairfax Hospital
Inova Fairfax Hospital is the largest hospital in the Washington D.C. area. Located in Fairfax County, Virginia, Inova Fairfax Hospital is the flagship hospital of Inova Health System, one of the largest employers in Fairfax County...
. Howard University Hospital's surrounding community is under-served and serves as an excellent teaching environment for HUCM's students.