University of Nevada School of Medicine Records

Interest in establishing a medical school in Nevada existed as early as 1938, with the United States facing a shortage of physicians. In 1967, a pledge of ongoing funding from industrialist Howard Hughes resulted in the Nevada Legislature's authorization of acquiring federal and private foundation funding. In 1969, the University of Nevada School of Medical Sciences was established as a two-year program, with academic instruction beginning in 1971. Medical students who completed the two years of basic science training then had to transfer to four-year medical schools outside of Nevada to complete their Doctor of Medicine degrees.

In April 1977, the Nevada Legislature authorized the conversion of the program to a four-year, degree-granting school. The name was changed to the University of Nevada School of Medicine. The first group of students began their third year of clinical studies in the Fall of 1978, graduating as the first School of Medicine Class in 1980.