Explore Stanford Medicine
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Virtual reality helps young patients cope
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford is one of the first hospitals in the country to begin implementing distraction-based VR therapy within every patient unit.
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Finding the immune clock of pregnancy
A woman’s immune system changes throughout a normal pregnancy in a highly orchestrated manner, Stanford researchers have found. The findings lay the groundwork for tests to predict preterm birth.
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New medical students have diverse backgrounds
Stanford's Office of MD Admissions looks for applicants with the potential to shine in the classroom and the clinic, as well as with the qualities of a future leader in health care.
Precision Health
Stanford Medicine is leading the biomedical revolution to improve health, defining and developing care that is proactive, predictive and precise
Diversity across Stanford Medicine
Innovative programs ensure diversity is reflected in our programs, culture and leadership.
A Legacy of Innovation
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First synthesis of biologically active DNA in test tube
Nobel laureate Arthur Kornberg creates a strand of biologically active DNA, paving the way for studies of genetics.
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First adult human heart transplant in the United States
Norman Shumway successfully transplants a heart into 54-year-old steelworker Mike Kasperak, who survives for 14 days.
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First expression of a foreign gene implanted in bacteria by recombinant DNA methods
Geneticist Stanely Cohen transfers a foreign gene into bacterial cells, which then express the gene.
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First successful human combined heart/lung transplant in the world (fourth attempted worldwide)
Mary Gohlke receives the world's first combined heart and lung transplant in a landmark operation led by surgeon Bruce Reitz.
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Isolation of a gene coding for part of the T-cell receptor, a key to the immune system’s function
Immunologist Mark Davis characterizes the T-cell receptor, believed to regulate the body's response to infectious agents and cancerous diseases.
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Isolation of pure hematopoietic stem cells from mice
Pathologist Irving Weissman isolates a rare mouse cell, known as the hematopoetic stem cell, which gives rise to all the cells of the blood and immune systems.
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First use of gene expression profiling to predict cancer outcomes
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Application and expansion of optogenetics, a technique to control brain cell activity with light
Bioengineer Karl Deisseroth and his team develop a technique known as optogenetics that allows them to genetically alter brain cell activity in mice with light.