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Strong Memorial Hospital marks 100 years as a cornerstone of URMC
Strong Memorial Hospital marks 100 years as a cornerstone of URMC
Listen to this articleStrong Memorial Hospital this week marked the 100th anniversary of its opening, highlighting a century of patient care grounded in research, education and clinical excellence as a founding institution of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).
The hospital officially opened on Jan. 4, 1926, and its centennial represents the third major 100-year milestone celebrated across URMC. The anniversaries follow the centennials of the School of Nursing on Sept. 15, 2025 and the School of Medicine & Dentistry on Sept. 17, 2025, commemorating the start of their first classes in 1925.
In a message to faculty and staff, Kathy Parrinello, CEO of Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals, emphasized the hospital’s founding vision.
“Strong Memorial Hospital opened its doors 100 years ago today, turning our founders’ belief—that discovery and learning could transform patient care—into reality,” Parrinello wrote.
She also highlighted the role of employees across generations, noting that while medicine and technology have evolved, the hospital’s people have remained its foundation.
URMC CEO and Dean David C. Linehan, MD, previously reflected on the broader vision behind URMC’s creation, describing it as a then-innovative model that integrated healthcare, biomedical research and education within a single institution—an approach that continues to define URMC today.
Strong Memorial’s early growth underscored its importance to the region. By the end of its first full fiscal year in 1927, the hospital operated 250 beds, treated more than 3,400 patients, performed over 2,000 surgeries and averaged a daily census of 105 patients.
Over the past century, Strong Memorial has trained generations of clinicians and researchers, supported medical innovation and delivered complex, high-acuity care.
As it enters its second century, URMC leadership says the focus remains on expanding clinical capacity, advancing research, educating the future healthcare workforce and improving health outcomes across the communities it serves.
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