On Sept. 10, 1874, The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was established by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond as the nation’s first teaching hospital, built specifically by a medical school for teaching purposes. It was the first hospital in the United States founded by a university.

Pennsylvania Hospital has earned national recognition for programs such as orthopaedics, cardiac care, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, otorhinolaryngology (ENT), urology, obstetrics and high-risk maternal and fetal services, neonatology, and behavioral health. The campus also includes specialty treatment centers such as the Joan Karnell Cancer Center, the Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery, and the Penn Neurological Institute.

As a National Historic Landmark, Pennsylvania Hospital’s original Pine Building is home to America’s first surgical amphitheater and first medical library. Though today’s patients are cared for in modern, state-of-the-art facilities, the hospital’s historic roots have been carefully preserved as a celebration of our rich history. Today, it is part of Penn Medicine, a premier academic medical center that later merged with the historic Pennsylvania Hospital in 1997.