Department of Medicine

The Department of Medicine is the largest academic department within the Stanford University School of Medicine. Serving as the clinical and scientific cornerstone of Stanford Medicine, the department is dedicated to transforming patient care, pioneering biological and clinical discoveries, and training the next generation of leaders in internal medicine.

With a footprint that spans Stanford Health Care, the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, and the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, the Department of Medicine comprises hundreds of faculty, clinical educators, residents, and fellows. The department’s work is characterized by an unwavering commitment to health equity, patient-centered clinical excellence, and high-impact translational research that moves seamlessly from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.

Academic and Clinical Training Pathways

The Department of Medicine offers some of the most prestigious and competitive clinical training and graduate degree programs in the nation, designed to foster compassionate clinicians, innovative educators, and leading physician-scientists:

• Graduate Degree Programs (Master of Science): The department offers highly specialized, interdisciplinary graduate training pathways that bridge laboratory science, clinical practice, and public health:

  • Master of Science (M.S.) in Community Health and Prevention Research opens in a new tab (CHPR): Housed within the department's Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC), this program trains students to design, implement, and evaluate research-driven solutions to chronic disease and advance health equity in diverse communities.

  • Master of Science (M.S.) in Physician Assistant (PA) Studies opens in a new tab: Housed within the department's Division of Primary Care and Population Health, this premier program trains PA clinicians to practice medicine collaboratively at the highest clinical standards.

• Internal Medicine Residency Program: A premier residency program that provides comprehensive, rigorous clinical training. The residency features specialized pathways, including the Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP), the Global Health Track, and the Health Equity Advanced Latino Medicine (HEALM) initiative, allowing residents to customize their training toward academic, research, or community leadership.

• Subspecialty Fellowship Programs: The department hosts dozens of highly sought-after, ACGME-accredited fellowships across all major subspecialties of internal medicine, preparing physicians for elite academic and clinical careers.

• Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education: Providing foundational lectures, clinical clerkships, and advanced subspecialty electives for Stanford medical students, alongside extensive clinical rotations for visiting trainees.

Clinical Divisions and Research Frontiers

The department’s scientific inquiry and clinical care are organized across more than a dozen highly specialized academic divisions, each leading groundbreaking clinical trials, basic science research, and health services evaluations:

• Cardiovascular Medicine: Advancing treatments for heart failure, arrhythmias, and coronary artery disease through clinical genomics, cellular therapies, and novel imaging technologies.

• Oncology and Hematology: Pioneering targeted cancer therapeutics, advanced immunotherapies, and clinical trials to conquer solid tumors and blood-based malignancies.

• Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine: Developing therapies for asthma, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension, while managing state-of-the-art intensive care units.

• Primary Care and Population Health (PCPH): Leading innovations in delivery science, chronic disease prevention, health services research, and community-based healthcare models.

• Infectious Diseases: Exploring global health challenges, immunology, viral pathogenesis, and antimicrobial resistance.

• Additional Elite Divisions: Including Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Nephrology, Immunology & Rheumatology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.