Virginia Mason Medical Center history

1922: Virginia Mason's School of Nursing admits the first of hundreds of students educated in the program, which, 35 years later, became affiliated with the University of Washington.

Despite a sudden devastating illness due to arterial thrombosis, founder and clinic chairman James "Tate" Mason, MD, was inducted as president of the American Medical Association in 1936.

By 1937, the hospital had invited two interns to stay on the following year as medical residents.

The surgical residency, established in 1938, is the oldest active program in Seattle.

Surgeon Joel W. Baker, MD, was elected as the third Mason Clinic chairman following the death of founder John Blackford, MD, in 1945.

Marguerite Mansperger, RN, joined Virginia Mason Hospital staff in 1946 thinking she would only stay a year.

In 1954, having outgrown the building on Terry Avenue, the Mason Clinic constructed it's first separate expansion to 9th Avenue in what would eventually become known as Buck Pavilion.

1956: Research center opens and attracts talented researchers.

The first cobalt therapy for cancer treatment in the state of Washington was performed at Virginia Mason in 1957.

Robert P. Gibbons, MD, a urologist who joined the Mason Clinic in 1969, led the formation of the transplant program."

The machine debuted at the 1973 meeting of the International Society of Radiology, in Spain, which chairman John H. Walker, MD, was attending.

Roger C. Lindeman, MD, participated in the Northwest’s first cochlear implant in 1980.

1985: The region's first lithotripter, for treating kidney stones without surgery, is installed.

In 1995, an embryo conceived at Virginia Mason via Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) became the first such baby born in the Northwest.

1999: Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, a state-of-the-art facility, opens.

In the summer of 2002, Virginia Mason sent 30 executives to Japan to further train in their lean manufacturing methods, and the Virginia Mason Production System was officially established.

In 2004, Virginia Mason became the first nonprofit medical center to require that all team members receive influenza immunization, to help keep patients safe.

The Virginia Mason Institute (VMI) was organized in 2008 as a not-for-profit organization providing formal training courses in the Virginia Mason Production System to other providers and organizations, tailored to their specific needs.

In 2013, the satellite clinics became known as regional medical centers, acknowledging the expanded range of services available.