UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Motto	Fiat lux Let there be light
Type	Public
Established	1951
Parent institution	University of California, Los Angeles
Dean	Kelsey Martin
Location	Los Angeles, California
Campus	Urban
Mascot	Bruins
Website	dgsom.healthsciences.ucla.edu

The University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine — known as the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM) — is an accredited medical school located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The School was renamed in 2001 in honor of media mogul David Geffen who donated $200 million in unrestricted funds.

UC Board of Regents voted to establish a medical school affiliated with UCLA in 1945. In 1947, Stafford L. Warren was appointed as the first dean. Dr. Warren had served on the Manhattan Project while on leave from his post at University of Rochester School of Medicine. As the founding dean of medical school, he proved to be a capable administrator and fundraiser. His choice of core faculty consisted of his former associates at Rochester in Andrew Dowdy as the first professor of radiology, John Lawrence as the first professor of medicine, and Charles Carpenter as the first professor of infectious diseases. Along with William Longmire Jr., a promising 34-year-old surgeon from Johns Hopkins, the group was called the Founding Five.

Building of the medical center and the School of Medicine began in 1949. The 1951 charter class consisted of 26 men and 2 women. Initially there were 15 faculty members, although that number had increased to 43 by 1955 when the charter class graduated. The first classes were conducted in the reception lounge of the old Religious Conference Building on Le Conte Avenue.

In July 1955, the UCLA Medical Center was opened.

Sherman Mellinkoff succeeded Stafford Warren as dean in 1962 and served for the next 24 years. Under Dr. Mellinkoff, the school experienced unprecedented growth. The Neuropsychiatric Institute, the Brain Research Institute, and the Marion Davies Children's Center were founded. The Jules Stein Eye Institute and the Reed Neurological Research Center were established as well. By decade's end UCLA had doubled the size of the medical school and the hospital. School of Dentistry and School of Public Health as well as School of Nursing were formed as well. The medical school grew to nearly 400 medical students, more than 700 interns and residents, and almost 200 Masters and doctorate candidates.