Geneva Medical College

Geneva Medical College

Geneva Medical College – 1910 Commemoration Sketch
Type	private
Active	1834–1872
Affiliation	(Episcopal Church (United States))
Dean	Edward Cutbush, MD
Students	596 (Total graduates)
Location	Geneva, New York, United States

Geneva Medical College was founded on September 15, 1834, in Geneva, New York, as a separate department (college) of Geneva College, currently known as Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In 1871, the medical school was transferred to Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. In 1950, the university sold the college to the State University of New York (SUNY) for $1, where it remains today.

For many years the college was known as "SUNY Upstate Medical Center," until 1986, when the name was changed to "SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse". The institution was renamed to SUNY Upstate Medical University in 1999.

The medical school was founded in 1834 by Edward Cutbush MD, a prominent physician and naval surgeon, who also served as the first dean for the college and Professor of Chemistry. He was an officer in the U.S. Navy for thirty years (from 1799 to 1829) and has been called the father of American naval medicine.

In addition, Cutbush was the founder and first President of the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences in Washington in 1816. John Quincy Adams was President of the institute by 1825. Cutbush attended a dinner, hosted by the institute in early January 1825, where he spoke about science and discussed his hope for the future of education in the United States; "May the resources and prosperity of our country be increased by its application to agriculture, commerce, the arts, and manufactures."

The medical school opened its doors on February 10, 1835, and later that year the first six physicians graduated.

The earliest roots of the college extend back to the establishment of Queens Medical College in 1792 in New Jersey which later became Rutgers Medical College, albeit, the importance of the relation to Geneva Medical College is disputed by some.

In 1826, Dr. David Hosack of New York City suggested an alliance with Rutgers College, located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, favored because of its proximity to New York. Hosack and Nicholas Romayne sought academic sponsorship for their medical schools. They were early proponents in the belief that medical education should be easily accessible.