Stanford University School of Medicine is affiliated with Stanford University and is located at Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, California, adjacent to Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Originally based in San Francisco, California as Cooper Medical College, it is the oldest continuously running medical school in the western United States. The medical school moved to the Stanford Campus in 1959. Stanford is now well known for its small class size and pass/fail grading system. The school has one of the best student-faculty ratios, with more than 200 basic science faculty as well as 400 in clinical disciplines. In 2006, 88.1% of graduates were admitted to one of their top three choices in residency programs, and 75.0% to their first-choice. Stanford faculty members also have among the highest per capita funding in the country. Students also boasted the highest average scores in the country on the Step 1 medical licensing exam (stanford average: 237).

Rotations occur at several hospital sites. In addition to the Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard's Children hospital, Stanford has formal affiliatons with Kaiser, Santa Clara Valley Hospital and the Palo Alto VA. Stanford medical students also manage two free clinics: Arbor Free Clinic in Menlo Park and Pacific Free Clinic in San Jose. Stanford is a cutting-edge center for translational and biomedical research (both basic science and clinical) and this emphasis on novel methods, discoveries and interventions is brought into its curriculum.