At A Glance

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine – which was founded in 1960 – provides innovative, high-quality education through its nationally recognized curriculum, emphasizing early clinical experiences, continuity as a guiding principle, integration of the basic and clinical sciences, and innovative teaching and learning methods such as problem-based learning, small-group tutorials, standardized patients, computer-assisted instruction, clinical training models, and interactive lectures and laboratory exercises.

The mission of the College of Medicine is to assume a leadership role in addressing the health care needs of the Commonwealth and to be preeminent among medical schools in selected areas of education, research and service.

Facts about the University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Education

Admission to the College is becoming increasingly competitive among potential students with applications increasing 112 percent over the last two years.

The College recruits high-caliber students from across the Commonwealth and around the nation. Our students continue to surpass the national pass-rate average on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).

Currently, 94 percent of all UK medical students receive some form of financial aid and 55 percent benefit from scholarship awards. In February 2007, the UK College of Medicine launched a tuition guarantee pilot program, becoming one of only a few medical schools in the nation to offer a tuition guarantee.

In 2007, UK medical students matched into 21 different specialties for residency. Thirty-six percent elected to stay at the UK Medical Center and UK Chandler Hospital, and an additional 7 percent elected to stay in Kentucky for residency. Graduates matched into 20 specialties in 2006 and 18 specialties in 2005.

The College has one of 10 Triple Board residency programs in the nation where residents can train in Adult Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Pediatrics.

UK is one of a few universities in the nation to have all six health science colleges (Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Public Health and Health Sciences) all on the same campus as the rest of the university.

The College has more than 3,900 alumni who practice in all 50 states and several countries around the world.

In 2004, Academic Medicine recognized UK College of Medicine as one of eight leading institutions in medical education research.

Research
In the last three years alone, health research and contacts in the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine has increased by nearly 20 percent – reaching $127.5 million in total budgeted grants and contacts in fiscal year 2007. With $62.8 million in National Institutes of Health funding, the College’s NIH ranking moved up to No. 30 among the 73 public medical schools.

UK is among the Top 20 institutions receiving research funding from the American Heart Association.

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is one of the 10 original Alzheimer’s disease research centers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

UK’s Morris K. Udall Parkinson’s Center of Excellence is one of only 13 in the nation.

In 2005, the College opened an 181,787 sq. ft. Biomedical Biological Science Research Building — the first of many research buildings the university plans to build within the next 15 years in order to double the research space for the health science colleges.

Clinical Services
UK HealthCare – the clinical enterprise of the University of Kentucky – encompasses UK Chandler Hospital, Kentucky Children’s Hospital, UK Good Samaritan Hospital, Markey Cancer Center, Gill Heart Institute, Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, Kentucky Clinic, and the clinical activities of all six health sciences colleges.

UK HealthCare offers:
• a team of more than 6,000 physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health care workers all dedicated to patient health;
• more than 140 inpatient and outpatient outreach clinics across Kentucky providing access to nearly 30 specialties;
• more than 80 specialty programs and services; and
• radiation treatment facilities throughout Kentucky, including Berea, Georgetown, Maysville and Morehead.

UK Chandler Hospital has been ranked by Thomson Healthcare (formerly Solucient) as one of the top 15 academic medical centers in the nation and among the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals. In July 2007, three of UK’s programs were ranked in U.S.News & World Report – a reflection of the breadth and depth of care delivered at the university. The programs ranked in the publication were gynecology (27); ear, nose and throat (41); and cancer (46). Only 173 U.S. hospitals made the list of 5,462 hospitals evaluated.

One hundred six UK HealthCare physicians were named to the 2007® list of Best Doctors in America. UK has more physicians on this list than any other hospital in Kentucky. The list is compiled from an independent survey of 31,000 doctors by Best Doctors, Inc.

UK was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Performance Improvement Leaders by Thomson Healthcare. UK is the only academic medical center in Kentucky to receive this ranking.

For the second time in two years, UK is ranked by Thomson Healthcare among the top 15 academic medical centers in the nation for having faster and more consistent organization-wide improvement than most other teaching hospitals.

One of the most significant improvements in breast cancer care in 25 years came out of a national study of the drug Herceptin headed up by UK oncologist Dr. Edward Romond. The trial proved so successful, it was halted early and now this potentially life-saving drug is being given nationwide to treat certain forms of breast cancer.

UK offers the largest free, institution-based ovarian cancer screening program in the United States.

The Kentucky Women’s Health Registry is the only statewide registry in the nation. The registry was developed to advance the medical knowledge of why diseases affect women differently than men.