The UAB School of Medicine is a public medical school that was founded in 1859. The primary campus is in Birmingham, with branch campuses in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa. Residency programs are found in Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery. During 2010, 2,410 students applied for admission to the school and 265 were accepted, leading to an entering class of 176, of whom 151 are Alabama residents. Total enrollment is 747, with 1,163 full-time faculty. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:6.
"U.S. News & World Report" ranked the UAB School of Medicine the 26th-best medical school in the United States in 2010. The School of Medicine ranked 18th in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Over $217 million in NIH research funding and contracts was focused on UAB specialties including cardiology, AIDS, cancer and rheumatology. Total research funding at the medical school totals more than $400 million annually.
The University Hospital covers 2.1 million square feet and contains 900 beds, serving as the main clinical facility for the UAB School of Medicine. The hospital features a nationally ranked cardiovascular center, a comprehensive cancer center and the only adult Level 1 trauma center in Alabama. University Hospital is a thoroughly modern facility, using wireless, digital and video technology in surgery, to monitor patients, administer drugs and deliver care throughout the hospital.
The University of South Alabama College of Medicine is a public, state-sponsored medical school in Mobile. The school covers 1,200 acres, with 13 buildings, and enrolls 64 new students annually. The College of Medicine was ranked 107th among medical schools by the National Institutes of Health. The first two years of the curriculum are taught on the main campus, in the Medical Sciences building. During the second two years, students move to University of South Alabama Hospitals and Care Centers, or to the offices of local physicians.