Our History

As the flagship hospital for its parent institution, the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), Strong Memorial Hospital’s origins are closely aligned with those of URMC. In 1910, Abraham Flexner, under the auspices of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, published a report on medical schools that led to a major transformation in how medicine was taught across the country. URMC and Strong Memorial Hospital were developed from the concept of establishing a medical school at a university that would utilize Flexner’s revolutionary ideals in medical education.

The medical school opened its doors in 1925, and less than a year later, Strong Memorial Hospital followed suit. Strong began as a 250-bed community teaching hospital. Since its beginnings over 95 years ago, Strong has expanded to include a wide array of facilities allowing for the delivery of a broad spectrum of high-quality, advanced medical care in a compassionate patient and family-focused environment. Strong has integrated the Golisano Children’s Hospital into its site while additional new and expanded facilities include Ambulatory Care, the Emergency Department, the URMC Ambulatory Surgery Center, and the Wilmot Cancer Institute, among many others.

Today, Strong is an award-winning hospital accommodating approximately 886 acute inpatients and over 39,000 annual admissions. Strong serves patients’ needs as both a community hospital delivering traditional and established medical care services along with highly specialized and advanced medical treatments. True to its heritage, Strong continues to strive for innovative, transformational care that defines Medicine of the Highest Order.