Founded in 1898, and affiliated with what is now NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital since 1927, Weill Medical College of Cornell University is among the top-ranked clinical and medical research centers in the country. In addition to offering degrees in medicine, Cornell also has Ph.D. programs in biomedical research and education at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and with neighboring Rockefeller University and the Sloan-Kettering Institute, has established a joint MD-PhD program for students to intensify their pursuit of Cornell's triple mission of education, research, and patient care.

The Medical College is divided into 20 academic departments: seven focus on the sciences underlying clinical medicine; and thirteen encompass the study, treatment, and prevention of human diseases, and maternity care. In addition to its affiliation with New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College and Graduate School maintains major affiliations with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, as well as with the metropolitan-area institutions that constitute New York Presbyterian Healthcare Network. The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University are accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education of the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges.