Our history

Our history

Pioneering medicine and health education for over 150 years

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We have been at the forefront of medicine and health in Australia since our inception. As healthcare changes, we will change with it, continuing our strong tradition of excellence into the future.

Early years

The Faculty of Medicine and Health traces its origins back to 1856, only four years after the University’s inception, when the University Senate formed the then-Faculty of Medicine.

Under the guidance of Anderson Stuart, classes began in 1883 with the Faculty. Stuart was a pioneer of University-based medical education in Australia, at a time when most English practitioners were still the product of apprenticeships and hospital-based medical schools.

The first medical class had only six candidates and further increased to nearly two hundred by the turn of the century. 

Anderson Stuart Building being constructed c.1983
The Anderson Stuart Building opened in 1889 to house the University of Sydney School of Medicine - the first medical school in Australia.

20th century

Sydney Dental Hospital c.1939
The flatiron-styled Sydney Dental Hospital opened in 1940 after the original building was damaged. It is home to the University of Sydney School of Dentistry.

Education expanded into the areas of pharmacy, dentistry, public health, nursing and health sciences throughout the century, with the formation of the Sydney Pharmacy School, the Sydney Dental School, the Sydney School of Public Health, Sydney Nursing School and the Sydney School of Health Sciences.

As new disciplines joined the University, we continued to pioneer education in medicine and health. Both the Sydney Dental School and the Sydney School of Public Health were the first schools of their kind in Australia, and our nursing staff were part of the movement that saw the shift of nursing education to the tertiary system - an instrumental step for the profession of nursing.

The future of medicine and health

Healthcare, both in Australia and overseas, is undergoing significant change.

To recognise this, the University of Sydney brought together the disciplines of dentistry, medicine, medical sciences, nursing, pharmacy, public health and health sciences together to become the Faculty of Medicine and Health. 

The Faculty of Medicine and Health, which also incorporates our 10 clinical schools spanning the Sydney metropolitan area and regional NSW, enables an integrated approach to health research and education.

Sydney Biomedical Accelerator
The multi-purpose Susan Wakil Health Building opened in 2019. It is home to both the University of Sydney Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the University of Sydney School of Health Sciences.

Timeline of medicine and health

19th century

1856: Sydney Medical School is formally established. It is the first medical school in Australia.

1883: Medicine teaching officially begins. Students undertake placements at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, in what will become the Central Clinical School.

1884: Sydney Hospital for Sick Children Glebe is recognised as a teaching hospital. It will later move to Westmead and form part of the Children's Hospital at Westmead Clinical School.

1889: The University begins educating pharmacists through the Materia Medica degree.

RPA c.1883
The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital has provided University of Sydney students with placements for over 140 years.
Edward Ford Building c.1930
The Edward Ford Building opened in 1930 and is home to the University of Sydney School of Public Health.

1900 - 1950

1901: Sydney Dental School opens at Chalmers Street with 17 students, offering a three-year curriculum leading to a Licence in Dentistry.

1930: The Sydney School of Public Health is established. It is the first school of public health in Australia.

1948: Northern Clinical School begins operation out of Royal North Shore Hospital.

1949: The NSW College of Nursing is established. The College offered post-graduate courses for registered nurses and lecturers from the University of Sydney taught some subjects for these courses.

1950 - 1999

1975: The Cumberland College of Health Sciences (previously the NSW College of Paramedical Studies) is established at Lidcombe and becomes the Faculty of Health Sciences. It teaches courses in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology and orthoptics. It also originally taught postgraduate courses for registered nurses, in the School of Nursing and was responsible for introducing the first three-year Diploma of Applied Science (Nursing) program leading to registration as a nurse in New South Wales.

1978: Westmead Clinical School at Westmead Hospital opens. It serves the largest area and population of any of the University's clinical schools.

1984: The Institute of Nursing Studies is established and offered courses for nurses.

1990: Nepean Clinical School opens at Nepean Hospital precinct in Penrith, at the foot of the Blue Mountains.

1991: The Institute of Nursing Studies becomes the Faculty of Nursing and offers courses for nurses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.

1994: The School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences is integrated into the Faculty of Nursing.

1997: Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health is created to support rural communities in far western NSW.

The Cumberland College of Health Sciences c.1975.
The University of Sydney Cumberland campus was established in 1975 and provided a suite of different health sciences courses.
Susan Wakil Health Building c.2019
The Faculty of Medicine and Health is home to seven schools and also incorporates 10 clinical schools spanning the Sydney metropolitan area and regional NSW.

21st century

2001: The School of Medical Sciences is formed.

2001: The University Centre for Rural Health is established in Lismore as a joint venture of the University of Sydney and the Southern Cross University.

2001: The School of Rural Health is established in rural NSW, with students in Orange and Dubbo.

2004: The Faculty of Nursing becomes the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery

2011: The Sydney Adventist Hospital Clinical School officially opens and is the first clinical school based in a private hospital in NSW, then the Sydney Nursing School, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery (2011) and then the Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery (2017).

2018: The Faculty of Medicine and Health is established, bringing the schools of dentistry, medicine, medical sciences, nursing, pharmacy and public health together.

2019: The Faculty of Health Sciences moved into the Faculty of Medicine and Health and became the Sydney School of Health Sciences.

2021: The new health precinct, including the Susan Wakil Health building opened, bringing together our disciplines into a single precinct for the first time.

2022: The University of Sydney announces a co-funded partnership project with the NSW Government (NSW Health) and Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) to build the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator Complex (SBA), a nation-leading biomedical precinct to fast track research and patient care in NSW.