At University of Missouri Health Care, we have a long-standing history of excellence in patient care and medical education. For many decades, we have cared for Missourians and their families. Everything we do is grounded in our mission, our vision and our values.
Here are some important dates in the early roots of MU Health Care:
- In 1845, the University of Missouri established the medical department.
- In 1846, the University awarded its first medical degrees.
- In 1872, the School of Medicine was established in Columbia.
- In 1901, our first clinical training facility – Parker Hospital – opened as one of the first teaching hospitals in the United States.
Accomplished Alumni
Some of our most notable alumni:
- Dr. Justus Ohage performed the first gallbladder removal in the Western Hemisphere in 1886.
- Dr. William Mayo (Class of 1854) went on to found the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
- Dr. Charles Guthrie (Class of 1902) participated in the Nobel Prize-winning research that established the early foundations of vascular surgery and organ transplantation.
- Dr. Walter Dandy (Class of 1907) invented the ventriculogram of the brain, a significant contribution to early brain surgery.
Historical Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1901 | Parker Memorial hospital opens. |
| 1923 | Noyes Hospital, the University's second facility, opens. |
| 1952 | University Hospital officially becomes an academic medical center and receives $13.6 million in funding for the construction of a new hospital. |
| 1953 | Construction starts on University Hospital. The seven-floor structure was designed to have a 441-bed outpatient and emergency care facility. |
| 1956 | — University Hospital opens on One Hospital Drive. Forty-nine patients are transferred from Parker Memorial and Noyes Hospital. — Hugh E. Stephenson Jr., MD, led the team that performed the first surgery at University Hospital. — September 17: The first baby is born at University Hospital. |
| 1957 | Twenty-one medical students receive four-year medical degrees from the University of Missouri. |
| 1958 | On Jan. 24, 1958, the first open-heart surgery is performed in the area lead by Hugh E. Stephenson Jr., MD, and cardiologist Jack Martt, MD. |
| 1964 | The first prosthetic heart valve is implanted at University Hospital. |
| 1966 | The research wing is added to the medical school portion of University Hospital. |
| 1968 | In June, ambulance service begins at University Hospital. |
| 1969 | Nutrition and food services starts tray service for patients. |
| 1972 | First kidney transplant procedure in the area takes place at University Hospital. |
| 1977 | George David Peak Memorial Burn Care Center is dedicated. |
| 1982 | University Hospital’s Level 1 Trauma Center is established, and the Staff for Life Helicopter Service begins. |
| 1986 | The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit opens; this was the only one at the time in central Missouri. |
| 1989 | — First heart transplant is performed in the area, led by Jack Curtis, MD. — In December, the first MRI is performed. |
| 1995 | Missouri Telehealth Network is established so patients in rural areas can receive care from University Hospital without having to drive to the clinic. |
| 1996 | An angioplasty is performed on a 13-ounce infant. |
| 1997 | Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City affiliated with MU Health Care, joining academic strength with local community care. |
| 1999 | The Critical Care Tower is dedicated. It is home to surgical, cardiac, nonsurgical and neonatal intensive care units. |
| 2001 | Patient Safety Net is created. The electronic event reporting system available online to health care staff, physicians and consumers is one of the first web-based systems in the country. |
| 2002 | The new Emergency Center opens at University Hospital. |
| 2009 | The Missouri Psychiatric Center opens in the facility previously occupied by the state’s Mid-Missouri Mental Health Center. |
| 2010 | — The Missouri Orthopaedic Institute opens as central Missouri's largest freestanding orthopaedic center. — Children's Hospital moves to Women's and Children's Hospital in the former Columbia Regional Hospital building on Keene Street. |
| 2013 | University Hospital expands, opening a new patient care tower. Ellis Fischel Cancer Center moves from Business Loop to the patient care tower, bringing outpatient and inpatient cancer care under one roof. |
| 2015 | Opening of South Providence Medical Park off South Providence Road in south Columbia. The ambulatory care clinic offers primary care, behavioral health and pediatrics along with ancillary services such as labs, imaging and pharmacy. |
| 2018 | Opening of 16,964-square-foot expansion and renovation of University Hospital’s emergency room. |
| 2020 | Opening of 28,000-square-foot Battle Avenue Medical Building in northeast Columbia. The multi-clinic facility will house family medicine, women’s health, pediatric and psychiatry services. |
| 2021 | — Groundbreaking for new Children's Hospital and Birth Center that will open in 2024 next to University Hospital. — Move of pediatric emergency room and pediatric inpatient services from Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Keene Street to University Hospital. |
| 2024 | After more than two decades of collaboration, on Jan. 1, 2024, Capital Region Medical Center officially integrated with MU Health Care to become a fully unified health system. |