The history of medical colleges in Maryland goes back to 1807 when Dr. John Beale Davidge, a doctor living in Baltimore, established a school in a building behind his home. The Maryland legislature within a year passed a bill establishing a College of Medicine of Maryland. The first building, named the college building on Lombard Street, was built after a fund raising campaign. That building, later renamed Davidge Hall, continues to be used for medical education. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark and according to the University of Maryland's School of Medicine, it has been used continuously for medical education longer than other building in the northern hemisphere.
The University of Maryland School of Medicine educates approximately 1,200 students in medical, graduate and allied health programs. The school trains more than half of the practicing medical professionals in the State of Maryland. As part of the 11-campus University of Maryland system, the School of Medicine serves the residents of Maryland as well as the world through its extensive research programs.
A Baltimore merchant named Johns Hopkins left $7 million upon his death with directions to establish a hospital and university for medical treatment and education that would serve all people, no matter their economic, racial, gender or social status. The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine was established in 1893 and today has almost 2,489 full-time faculty and 500 students, with 85 percent receiving financial aid. The medical school offers a special program that attracts approximately 10 percent of its students. This program offers a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree and requires six to eight years of study. Graduates are prepared for careers in academic medicine and research, both government and private. Students can specialize in different areas of biomedical science. Graduates can be found at prominent hospitals and universities throughout the United States.
The F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine places special emphasis on military and public health medicine. Graduates of the school makes careers in the United States Armed Forces and in the United States Public Health Service. For members of the military, tuition and fees are free in return for a seven-year service commitment after graduation, internship and residency. Each entering class averages 165 students with approximately one-half commissioned officers.