For 50 years, the University of California, Irvine has been a national and regional leader in the health sciences. From its early days—when the medical school came to campus and a medical center was acquired—to today’s Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, with its world-class programs and facilities, we remain dedicated to training new generations of physicians and nurses, conducting breakthrough research and providing the finest patient care.
1967–69
UC Irvine is named the new home of the former California College of Medicine, moving from Los Angeles to Irvine. The school is located on a 122-acre site on the western edge of campus.
1976
UC Regents purchase the Orange County Medical Center for $5.5 million. The facility is renamed the UC Irvine Medical Center. It’s located about 12 miles from the UC Irvine campus in the city of Orange.
1986
The Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic opens as one of the world’s first facilities where laser plays a major role in clinical treatment and research.
1997
The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center becomes a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, the only one in Orange County and one of 57 in the U.S.
2001
With a $5.7 million gift from Henry and Susan Samueli, the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine is created.
2003
The H.H. Chao Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center is dedicated.
2004
Medical school professor of physiology & biophysics Irwin Rose is awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry, unlocking new cancer treatments.
2006
Programs in pharmaceutical sciences, nursing science and public health are launched.
2009
The flagship UC Irvine Douglas Hospital Opens – Orange County’s most advanced clinical training center and among the finest in the U.S.
2010
Sue & Bill Gross Hall: A CIRM Institute is dedicated. It’s one of the first stem cell research and training facilities in the U.S.
2013
The Gavin Herbert Eye Institute opens, giving patients access to advanced eye care from internationally renowned ophthalmologists.
2017
UC Regents approve a proposal to elevate the Program in Nursing Science to the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing. With a $200 million gift, the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health and Sciences is named.
2019
Dr. Steve Goldstein joins UC Irvine as the vice chancellor for health affairs.
2021
Construction begins on the new UCI – Health Irvine hospital. The site encompasses the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care; the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building; and a 144-bed acute care hospital with an emergency department.
2022
The new Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health and Sciences Building and the Sue & Bill Gross Nursing and Health Sciences Hall open to faculty, staff and students.
2023
Construction begins on the new Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building, the future home of frontier researchers and practitioners working together on some of healthcare’s most intractable problems.
