Stanford Medicine’s Academic Advantage

We live in a time of unprecedented possibilities for human health. Bioinformatics, genomics, and other emerging disciplines promise to transform the very concept of medicine—from treating disease to predicting and preventing it altogether. Here at Stanford Medicine, we share a common aspiration to improve human health, fueled by our unparalleled work in education and innovation, inspired by and centered on the unique needs of every patient and family.

As an academic medical center, we are much more than a school, hospitals, and clinics, and more than the sum of our parts: Stanford Medicine includes the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and our growing clinical care networks. Our mission is three-fold: to promote fundamental, clinical, and translational discovery; to train the leaders of tomorrow; and to transform patient care.

Because their end results converge to improve health, we see research, education, and patient care as equal and integrated missions. To achieve the very best outcomes for patients, Stanford Medicine develops connections and collaborations across these mission areas and also across the many schools of Stanford University, propelling our care to a new level of impact. This interdisciplinary approach gives us the greatest agility to push the boundaries of discovery, mentor the next generation of leaders, and deliver care that helps patients with even the most challenging conditions reach their highest health potential.

Even as we work to improve health for patients locally and nationally, Stanford Medicine's rigorous determination to understand human biology through basic science is our most fundamental aspiration. Our curiosity-driven scientists work to unlock the deepest mysteries of the human body to discover knowledge that can improve human health worldwide.

Within our academic medical center, every clinician, scientist, educator, nurse, medical student, resident, fellow, and staff member plays a role in leading and advancing this biomedical revolution—and our patients and families do, too. By participating in clinical trials, for example, patients not only receive the most advanced, state-of-the-art care; they play an indispensible role in paving the way for others to receive that care. Feedback from patients and families helps us to better understand and continuously improve the way individuals experience their care, to ensure that the most advanced care is also the most accessible, convenient, and comforting.

With our primary campus in Silicon Valley, we are based at the epicenter of innovation. And that innovation is defined by our patients’ needs. In many cases, our faculty physicians-scientists have been the first to detect previously unknown or seemingly undiagnosable conditions, and to define vanguard treatments. Our rigorous academic environment makes such discoveries possible. Even for well-known conditions, Stanford physician-scientists take what they learn from caring for patients back to their labs to inform their research into new diagnostics and treatments. Research in the School of Medicine is an enthusiastic engine that drives the leading-edge clinical care provided by faculty and other clinicians at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

Across the many facets of Stanford Medicine, our highest measure of success is our patients’ health and wellbeing. By challenging the status quo, driving change and targeting difficult problems, we make a difference, and create a foundation for optimism and hope in a better future for all people.