University of Rochester Medical Center

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is one of the nation's leading academic medical centers, serving as the health sciences and research enterprise of the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. The medical center's clinical anchor is Strong Memorial Hospital, a 739-bed university-owned teaching hospital founded in 1925. Alongside Strong Memorial, URMC encompasses Golisano Children's Hospital — one of the region's premier pediatric facilities — and the Wilmot Cancer Institute, which provides comprehensive oncology services and conducts cancer research across the full spectrum of malignancies.

URMC is affiliated with the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and the University of Rochester School of Nursing, both of which are nationally ranked programs that attract top students and researchers from across the United States and internationally. The school of nursing consistently ranks among the top nursing schools in the country for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The broader URMC research enterprise generates well over $200 million in external research funding annually, placing it among the top quarter of US medical centers by research funding.

Strong Memorial Hospital's clinical programs consistently rank among America's Best Hospitals in the U.S. News and World Report annual survey, with particular recognition in neurology, cancer, and heart care. The medical center serves as the tertiary and quaternary referral center for a region encompassing western New York, parts of Pennsylvania, and beyond, providing complex specialty care unavailable at smaller community hospitals. URMC employs thousands of physicians, nurses, and researchers and trains hundreds of residents and fellows each year across its accredited graduate medical education programs.

URMC's neurology and neurosurgery programs are among its most nationally recognized, with particular strengths in movement disorders (including Parkinson's disease), epilepsy, neuromuscular disease, stroke, brain tumors, and complex spinal surgery. The del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester is one of the largest neuroscience research programs in the United States, and the clinical neurology programs benefit from close integration with this research enterprise.

Oncology services are delivered through the Wilmot Cancer Institute, URMC's comprehensive cancer program, which provides medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, hematologic malignancy programs including bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, and access to clinical trials. Wilmot is recognized as a regional leader in cancer care for western New York, with dedicated disease programs for breast cancer, lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, head and neck cancers, genitourinary cancers, and hematologic malignancies.

Cardiology and cardiac surgery at URMC include interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, structural heart procedures, advanced heart failure management, and open cardiac surgery. The cardiology research program at the University of Rochester has made landmark contributions to the understanding of cardiac ion channel disorders and sudden cardiac death. Pediatric medicine is delivered through Golisano Children's Hospital, which provides subspecialty pediatric care including pediatric cardiology, pediatric neurology, pediatric oncology, and neonatal intensive care.

Additional areas of clinical strength include psychiatry and behavioral health — URMC's psychiatry department has a distinguished research reputation and provides inpatient, outpatient, and community mental health services — as well as ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, urology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, and nephrology.

Strong Memorial Hospital, the flagship clinical facility of URMC, provides 739 licensed inpatient beds across multiple pavilions on the University of Rochester medical campus in Rochester, New York. The hospital campus includes Golisano Children's Hospital, which provides dedicated pediatric inpatient and outpatient facilities for children from newborns through young adults, with a full complement of pediatric subspecialties and a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for the most premature and critically ill newborns in the region.

Surgical suites at Strong Memorial include dedicated operating rooms for cardiac surgery, neurosurgery with intraoperative imaging capabilities, robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery across multiple specialties, orthopedic surgery, and transplant surgery. The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Electrophysiology Laboratory support the interventional cardiology and arrhythmia programs. Hybrid operating rooms allow combined surgical and imaging-guided procedures for complex cardiovascular and vascular cases.

Diagnostic imaging services include high-field MRI scanners, PET-CT, CT, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, and advanced cardiac imaging modalities. The radiation oncology department at the Wilmot Cancer Institute is equipped with linear accelerators for IMRT, SBRT, and SRS. Research laboratories integrated throughout the campus support translational science across neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular biology, and infectious disease. The University of Rochester Medical Center Campus totals millions of square feet of clinical and research space and is the largest single-site employer in the greater Rochester region.

The University of Rochester Medical Center welcomes patients from outside the Rochester region and from other countries who seek specialized care in neurology, cancer, cardiac medicine, pediatric subspecialties, and psychiatry. Rochester is accessible via the Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC), which offers connections through major US hubs including New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago, as well as ground transportation from nearby Buffalo Niagara International Airport, which serves additional international routes.

International patients traveling to the United States for medical care typically require a B-2 medical visa. URMC's patient services team can provide appropriate physician documentation to support visa applications and can assist with the coordination of medical records, specialist appointments, and logistical planning for travel and accommodation during treatment. Interpreter services are available for multiple languages through professional interpretation services, and Spanish-speaking staff are accessible in clinical areas across the medical center.

Patients visiting URMC from abroad particularly seek its expertise in neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and rare neuromuscular disorders; complex oncology cases including those requiring bone marrow transplantation; and pediatric subspecialty care at Golisano Children's Hospital. The Rochester area offers a range of accommodation options at moderate cost compared to major coastal cities, and the compact urban campus is easily navigable for patients and families.

The University of Rochester Medical Center, through Strong Memorial Hospital and its affiliated facilities, is fully accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC), the national hospital accreditation body in the United States, confirming adherence to rigorous standards for patient safety, clinical quality, and organizational management. Individual specialty programs hold additional certifications from their respective professional societies, including stroke center certification and cardiac care designations.

Strong Memorial Hospital is consistently recognized in the U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals annual rankings, with particular recognition in neurology and neurosurgery, cancer care, and heart care. The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry is a nationally ranked medical school, and the School of Nursing consistently places in the top tier for NIH research funding, reflecting the academic excellence that underpins the quality of clinical care delivered at URMC.

The Wilmot Cancer Institute, while not holding full NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation, operates as a recognized cancer program with active research programs and clinical trial capabilities across multiple cancer types. The del Monte Institute for Neuroscience is one of the largest and most productive neuroscience research programs in the United States, and its discoveries have contributed to advances in understanding and treating Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurological conditions. The medical center receives over $200 million annually in external research grants, placing it in the top quartile of US medical schools for research intensity.