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

Weill Cornell Medical College is divided into 24 basic science and patient care departments that focus on the sciences underlying clinical medicine and/or encompass the study, treatment, and prevention of human diseases. In addition to its affiliation with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College and the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences maintain major affiliations with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, the Hospital for Special Surgery, as well as with the metropolitan-area institutions that constitute NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare Network. Weill Cornell Medical College and the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences are accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education of the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges.