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General Information

The College of Medicine of the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (SUNY Downstate) traces its roots to the founding in 1860 of the Long Island College Hospital, the first hospital-based medical school in the United States, and the prototype of many subsequent medical centers. In 1950, the College of Medicine joined the State University of New York system and developed into a major center for health sciences.

Located on a 13 acre urban campus in Brooklyn, SUNY Downstate includes a School of Graduate Studies, College of Nursing, College of Health Related Professions, School of Public Health and College of Medicine; for a total enrollment of approximately 1600 students, pursuing Certificate, Bachelor of Science, Masters, Doctorate, and M.D. degrees.  SUNY Downstate also includes University Hospital, a 376-bed teaching hospital.

During the third and fourth years of medical school, students complete their clinical education at University Hospital-Kings County Hospital Center and nearby affiliated hospitals. Kings County Hospital Center "is one of the largest urban trauma centers in the country and ranks among the largest acute care hospitals in New York City. Among the major affiliates used in the clinical years include: Brooklyn Veterans Administration Medical Center, Long Island College Hospital, Brookdale Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, Lenox Hill Hospital (Manhattan), Long Island Jewish Hospital (Queens), Lutheran Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital (Long Island), Brooklyn Hospital, Methodist Hospital, Kingsboro Psychiatric Center and Staten Island University Hospital. For a current listing of clinical sites, click here.