The Emory University School of Medicine is the graduate medical school of Emory University and a component of Emory’s Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center. Before it was established as the Emory School of Medicine in 1915, the school first began as the Atlanta Medical College. Founded in 1854 by a group of physicians led by Dr. John G. Westmoreland, the college began during unfavorable financial conditions along with competition of three other medical schools opening in the state, driving up competition for students. Despite these challenges, the Atlanta Medical College continued operation until August 1861 when classes were suspended due to the Civil War. Several years later, the College merged with the Southern Medical College, leading to the creation of the Atlanta College of Physi