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Minnesota
Mayo Clinic Commemorates 150th Anniversary in 2014
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Pioneering Mayo doctors created global medical icon and model for future of health care
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Jan. 24, 2014 — On Jan. 27, 1864, English-born Dr. William Worrall Mayo first notified the public about his medical practice in Rochester, Minn., planting the seeds of what would eventually become an international medical organization with more than 59,000 expert physicians, scientists and health care professionals, attracting millions of patients from across the globe.
This year marks 150 years of continuous service to patients, and Mayo Clinic is launching a yearlong recognition that will honor a legacy of medical accomplishments and a model for the future of health care.
Dr. Mayo’s sons, Drs. William and Charles Mayo, joined the practice in the late 1880’s and, with their father, created Mayo Clinic’s medical hallmark: The integrated care model that focuses a team of experts on one patient at a time and puts patients’ needs first.
“Mayo Clinic started with humble visionaries who wanted to help their patients by providing the best possible knowledge available, without regard to their own personal interests or success,” says John Noseworthy, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic. “Those values of respect, compassion, integrity, excellence and innovation continue to drive Mayo Clinic forward today as we seek to advance health care through education, research and clinical practice.”
Today, the nonprofit Mayo Clinic is among the world’s top health care providers, with medical facilities in six states, serving more than 1 million people annually. The organization also works with more than 25 hospitals in a dozen states to improve the delivery of care locally. With a digital practice that brings needed care to many others, Mayo Clinic has become a global leader in health care by improving the way that quality medical care is delivered.
Throughout the last 150 years, Mayo Clinic and its physicians and scientists have made medical history many times, including:
- Pioneering the first private, integrated and multispecialty practice of medicine.
- Creating the first anti-blackout or “G” suit for military pilots during World War II.
- Winning the 1950 Nobel Prize for the discovery of cortisone.
- Developing a DNA test that can detect anthrax in less than an hour.
- Maintaining a salaried physician staff, which is dedicated to putting patients’ needs first.
- Continuing a tradition of helping those in need, such as deploying medical teams to earthquake-stricken Haiti.
- Sending a medical team to Mount Everest in 2012 to learn more about the physiology of humans at high altitude to help patients with heart conditions and other ailments.
In 2014, Mayo Clinic continues its leadership role, paving the future for medicine with dozens of initiatives, including:
- The Center for Individualized Medicine, which integrates the latest genomic and clinical sciences to provide up-to-date knowledge of genes and the human genome for personalized care to each Mayo patient.
- Delivery of Health Care Knowledge, using its large data base to share the best knowledge broadly through e-consults, Telestroke, AskMayoExpert and dozens of other collaborative innovations.
- The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, applying quality and engineering principles to improve the way patients experience health care.
- The Center for Regenerative Medicine, which builds on Mayo’s extensive research resources and clinical practice, uses the body’s own healing abilities to create new therapies that will lead to innovation and definitive solutions for patients.
To commemorate its medical history and leadership role in health care, Mayo Clinic has created a mobile exhibit that will travel the country, outlining the Mayo Clinic story and forecasting what lies ahead for the future of health care. The exhibit will launch in Dallas on April 15 and travel throughout the United States.
Tom Brokaw, former NBC Nightly News anchor and a member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees, will host a signature sesquicentennial event on May 9 in Rochester. The evening event will honor Mayo’s past and look forward to its future through live performances and feature stories of people from the region, throughout the U.S. and around the globe whose lives were touched by Mayo. In addition, Mayo Clinic will conduct public open houses at its Rochester, Jacksonville and Scottsdale campuses this summer.
To learn more about Mayo Clinic’s history, the future of health care and anniversary events, go to 150years.MayoClinic.org.
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About Mayo Clinic
Recognizing 150 years of serving humanity in 2014, Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit 150years.mayoclinic.org, www.mayoclinic.org and newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu
