The University of Maryland Medical Center Celebrates 200th Anniversary

January 27, 2023

This week, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) kicks off a year-long celebration marking its 200th year caring for Marylanders. In October 1823, UMMC was founded as the Baltimore Infirmary in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine. With just 60 beds, the modest hospital at the corner of Lombard and Greene streets in downtown Baltimore opened its doors not only as a place of healing for local residents, but as an institution for medical discovery and training becoming the nation’s first publicly established teaching hospital.

In the two centuries since, UMMC has significantly grown, today offering dozens of specialty services, ambulatory care centers and nearly 1,000 inpatient beds, and serving as the flagship academic medical center for the University of Maryland Medical System.

"UMMC has transformed the face of health care in the region and cemented its reputation as a national leader in academic medicine by holding steadfast to our mission, meeting the health care needs of our communities and blazing new trails through discovery-based medicine," said Bert W. O'Malley, MD, President and CEO of UMMC. "As we mark our bicentennial, I look forward to pausing throughout the year to reflect on our story, and to being inspired by the bright promise of chapters yet to come."

Throughout 2023, UMMC will host a series of celebrations for employees at its Downtown and Midtown campuses. To further honor this important milestone, prominent 200th anniversary banners have gone up at both campuses, along with a new bicentennial celebration webpage highlighting some of the medical center's most notable achievements and first-of-its-kind advancements. From its world-renowned Shock Trauma Center and the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, to its award-winning transplant, heart and vascular, neurology and neurosurgery programs, and its regional leadership in primary care, behavioral health and community health, UMMC's impact is vast and far-reaching.

Alison G. Brown, MPH, President of UMMC's Midtown Campus, said, "For the last two centuries and for years to come, the University of Maryland Medical Center will be defined by its profound and enduring tradition of excellence in patient care, innovation and educating tomorrow's physicians and health professionals. The core of what we do is to improve the health of the people and communities we serve.”

This year also marks the University of Maryland Children's Hospital's (UMCH) 75th year providing compassionate, family-centered care for kids. While UMCH's roots go back to UMMC's beginnings, it wasn't until 1948 that the dedicated pediatric hospital within the medical center was formed. It too has helped transform care for young Marylanders. UMCH is widely recognized for its distinct multidisciplinary approach and broad range of support services for children with critical and chronic illnesses from across Baltimore and the region.

For more on UMMC’s historic advancements, visit www.umm.edu/200years.