Welcome
Located on Virginia Commonwealth University’s MCV Campus in Richmond, and in partnership with the VCU Health System, VCU Health Sciences is comprised of five professional schools (Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy), the Massey Cancer Center, and numerous centers and institutes.
Under the leadership of Sheldon M. Retchin, M.D., M.S.P.H., VCU’s vice president for health sciences and CEO of VCU Health System, more than 4,200 students each year participate in more than 50 degree programs offered at the undergraduate, graduate and first-professional levels as well post-baccalaureate and post-master’s certificate programs.
As a growing academic health sciences center, VCU Health Sciences maintains an aggressive research portfolio. Total research awards amounted to approximately $120 million in fiscal year 2007, which represented approximately 54 percent of the university’s total research awards.
VCU Health Sciences is committed to providing the very best in education, research and practice for the expansion of science and health care for Virginians and our growing global community.
Thank you for taking a moment to explore our site and to learn more about VCU Health Sciences.
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History
VCU traces its roots back to Nov. 5, 1838, the founding date for the medical department of Hampden-Sydney. The first dean was Dr. Augustus Warner, who left the University of Virginia’s medical school to begin a new medical school because he did not agree with Thomas Jefferson’s philosophy that professors shouldn’t corrupt their teaching by making money caring for patients.
There were 46 students in the first class and tuition was $20 for each of the six courses. The term of medical study was four months. The Old Union Hotel was converted into medical classrooms.
The School of Medicine is the only medical school in the South still in existence today that graduated a class during all four years of the Civil War.
For more information about the history of the VCU Health Sciences schools and the MCV Campus, visit VCU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives.
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Quick Facts and Annual Reports
How many students were enrolled at VCU Health Sciences schools during the 2006-2007 academic year? How many employees are on the MCV Campus?
Click here for facts-at-a-glance and annual reports about VCU Health Sciences.
