The Nobel Prize-winning discovery of restriction enzymes gave birth to the genetic engineering industry and can be compared, some say, to the first splitting of an atom. And the discovery of the brain's natural opiates has triggered an explosion of interest in neurotransmitter pathways and functions. Hopkins was the birthplace of many medical specialties, including pediatrics, endocrinology, neurosurgery and urology. While a heritage of excellence is important to The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, they do not cling to the past. The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins is a strong academic department with numerous formal and informal relationships with preeminent faculty in other disciplines.
Residents benefit from the daily interactions with recognized leaders in other medical specialties.
At the School of Public Health, emphasis has shifted from the infectious diseases of an earlier era to chronic diseases, health problems related to the environment, and improvement in the organization and delivery of health services. Although Hopkins draws patients and scholars from all over the globe, the Medical Institutions remain firmly committed to serving the health needs of Baltimore and the state of Maryland. Now registered as a national historic landmark, the Billings dome stands as a familiar symbol of The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, a symbol of the many people working daily to provide the best possible care to patients, to train tomorrow's specialists in health care and to challenge the frontiers of biomedical science through research.