Howard University Medical School History

The beginnings of the Howard University Medical School (HUMS) began as the Medical Department. As one of the departments established in the University’s charter, the Medical Department was meant to be comprehensive. The department included professorships in Physiology and Microscopy, Medical Jurisprudence and Hygiene, and Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children. Much like the university itself, the department was closely tied to the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands or Freedmen’s Bureau. Many of the professors and students of the department worked within the walls of the Freedmen’s Hospital. Although not owned by the University, the hospital was constructed on the grounds by order of General O.O. Howard, president of Howard University and head of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Together, they built a one of the best medical schools for the training of African Americans in the nation. Prominent members of the faculty have included Charles Drew, William Montague Cobb, Numa P.G. Adams and LeSalle Lefall.

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