School of Medicine

Dean's Message

You probably know excellence when you see it, or realize when you don’t, but what exactly is it? Even more to the point, how can excellence be defined in terms of educating tomorrow’s physicians and investigating today’s diseases?

At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where excellence is an everyday pursuit (and a goal that is often attained), I believe that creativity and leadership are two of the characteristics of excellence that define it best. Why? Our mission, first and foremost, is to educate the finest clinicians and investigators, and to be successful in either—or, in some cases, both—of these ventures requires nothing less than outstanding creativity and leadership.

One needs to be creative as a clinician because, despite all of the advances we have made in medicine, it is still quite often a mystery; and diagnoses are not always obvious. One needs to be creative as an investigator because research, by its very nature, involves a quest for that which is hidden and, if discovered, constitutes one more bit of the vast, intricate puzzle we call life. Furthermore, one needs leadership skills if one hopes to address the extremely complicated problems that we face in the delivery and financing of our nation’s health care. Clearly, on this matter in particular, not to be part of the solution is to be part of the problem, which makes good leadership skills all the more essential.

You can be certain that anyone accepted to medical school at the University of Pittsburgh will be exceptionally bright and accomplished. That’s a given. However, creativity and leadership are the qualities that we seek most in prospective students. In fact, I also highly value these attributes in our faculty, our administrators, and everyone else who has a hand in making our medical school what it is today.

Arthur S. Levine, MD
Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences and Dean, School of Medicine

Overview

The goal of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is to educate physicians who are science-based, skilled and compassionate clinicians prepared to meet the challenges of practicing medicine in the 21st century as well as to educate investigators who are prepared to conduct cutting-edge biomedical research that is focused on bettering the human condition and advancing the fundamental understanding of medical science.

Founded in 1886 by a group of Pittsburgh physicians as the Western Pennsylvania Medical College in response to the increasing need for quality medical care and training, the college graduated its first physicians in 1887.  In 1919, Dean Higgins, initiated the creation of Pittsburgh’s first academic medical center: a University—based medical school with a group of specialty hospitals to provide unique educational opportunities.

Following WWII, the school turned its focus to faculty development.  Seeking full-time clinical faculty with interests in research, the school attracted aggressive young researchers such as Thaddeus Danowski, MD, an endocrinologist, and Jonas Salk, MD, a virologist.  Local philanthropists were essential in raising $50 million to build and furnish the current home of the medical school, Alan Magee Scaife Hall, which opened in 1955.

During his tenure as interim dean, Thomas Detre, MD, raised the national prominence of the school of the school by creating the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. 

In November 1998, Arthur Levine, MD, was selected as the 14th dean and as senior vice chancellor for the health sciences.  To continue the path of excellence, Dr. Levine’s priorities include developing and nurturing young physician-scientists, building scholarship resources and continuing support of basic science and translational research.  What began as a regional, middle of the pack medical school has evolved into one of the nation’s leading biomedical education and research institutions.  The success shared by the School of Medicine and the medical center has been notable and more far-reaching than ever, including Palermo, Italy; Waterford, Ireland; Dublin, Ireland; and an agreement to work with the emergency medical care system in Qatar.

Donor Profile

Henry Mankin

Henry Mankin (MED ’53) serves on the Board of Visitors and returns to Pittsburgh once a year from his home in Boston to review the current state of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Every time, he's struck by how much has changed since he started medical school in 1949.

In 1949, the School of Medicine's goal was to train western Pennsylvania residents to become general practitioners locally. Now, students come from all over the country and practice in every field all over the world. Teachers were physicians who volunteered part of their time to teaching. Today's faculty members are full-time educators and researchers. Students lived at home or in boarding houses and wore ties and coats to classes!

"In fact, almost nothing is the same as it was when we were in school," Henry said during an address to his classmates at their 50th reunion in May 2003. "Diseases are different. Diagnostic techniques are different. Treatment modalities are different. The amazing thing is that we, the Class of '53, have kept up with all of this. And that is a testament to the quality of education that we received here 50 years ago."

In appreciation of that education, Henry and his wife generously support the School of Medicine each year with a leadership annual gift. It's his way of ensuring that the changes won't stop. In addition, the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery named an endowed chair in Henry's honor, to recognize his dedication and service to the department and the school.

The one thing that will never change, Henry can say for sure, is his regard for the University.   "I love Pitt," he said. "I love everything about it."

Contact Us

Deborah A. Desjardins

Major Gifts Officer
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Forbes Tower, Suite 8084
3600 Forbes Avenue at Meyran Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA  15213
T: 412/647-3792
F: 412/647-8300
ddeb@pmhsf.org

Deborah Desjardins has been the major gifts officer for the School of Medicine since 2006.  Prior to that, she was director of leadership gifts at the University of Pittsburgh.  Her 20 years of experience in advancement include roles as director of development for the College of Arts & Sciences at Oklahoma State University, assistant director of development for the Duke University School of Law, and associate director of alumni relations for St. Michael’s College.  She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Vermont, a BA in English from Saint Michael’s College, and a certificate in non-profit management from Duke University.