Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a large teaching hospital and research center in Los Angeles, California. It has 919 beds and is part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, which includes other hospitals, local doctors' offices, and many research institutes.

The hospital is a Level I trauma center, meaning it can handle the most serious injuries. It works closely with the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), training doctors and nurses. With over 2,000 physicians, 10,000 employees, and many volunteers, it is a busy place that helps a lot of people.

Cedars-Sinai is also known for its important research. Its institutes study many areas of medicine, such as the heart, genes, the brain, and cancer. They are currently running more than 500 clinical trials and 900 research projects, led by 230 main researchers. This work helps doctors find new ways to treat and cure diseases.

History

Cedars of Lebanon Hospital

Kaspare Cohn Hospital started in 1902, named after a Jewish businessman who helped found it. It was created to help both the Jewish community and Jewish doctors, who were not allowed to work in other hospitals at that time because of unfair rules.

In 1930, the hospital moved to a new building in Hollywood and changed its name to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, inspired by trees mentioned in old stories that were thought to have healing powers.

Mount Sinai Hospital

The Bikur Cholim Society opened a small care home in 1923, which later became Mount Sinai Home for the Incurables. In 1926, it was renamed Mount Sinai Hospital and moved to a place with 50 beds in Los Angeles. In 1955, it moved again to Beverly Boulevard, where Cedars-Sinai is today.

Merger of Cedars of Lebanon Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital

In the 1960s, leaders decided to combine Cedars of Lebanon and Mount Sinai hospitals. This was because Los Angeles was growing, and they needed more space for patients, research, and teaching doctors.

Construction began in 1972 for a very large medical center. The new hospital opened in 1976. It kept traditions important to the Jewish community, like having special symbols on each room’s door and offering special meals.

In 1994, the Cedars-Sinai Health System was created, including research centers. In 2006, a new tower with special care rooms was added. In 2013, they opened a building for advanced health programs, including brain science and heart research.

Rankings

In 2025, Cedars-Sinai was ranked first in California and Los Angeles. It was also nationally ranked in 11 adult specialties and rated high-performing in 20 adult procedures and conditions. The hospital was recognized as 34th globally in the 2025 World’s Best Hospitals ranking by Newsweek and Statista.

Research

In 2021, Cedars-Sinai got $93 million from the National Institutes of Health to help with its research projects.

Cedars-Sinai Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

The Cedars-Sinai Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences began in 2008 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. It is a college for students who want to study science and health care in great detail. The school offers special studies called PhD and Master's programs.

Students can choose from different areas to study, such as Biomedical Sciences, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Health Delivery Science, and Regenerative Medicine. There are also training programs for those who have already finished their studies, like the Postdoctoral Scientist Program and the Clinical Scholars Program.

Notable staff

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has many talented doctors and researchers. Keith Black leads the neurosurgery department and has done over 4,000 brain surgeries. David Ho was a doctor there when he saw some of the first cases of a disease called AIDS. Verne Mason helped name the disease sickle cell anemia. David Rimoin did important research on dwarfism and skeletal dysplasia, and helped find a way to screen for Tay-Sachs disease, which saved many lives.

Other notable staff include George Berci, the oldest surgeon, Bruce Gewertz, who leads the surgery department, and Jason H. Moore, who works with artificial intelligence in medicine.

Investigations

In 2008, the twin daughters of actor Dennis Quaid were born early and treated at Cedars. They were accidentally given a stronger medicine than intended, but they survived. The news was shared online before the family knew, and the hospital promised to look into it.

From 2008 to 2009, some patients received too much radiation during certain scans. After one patient noticed a problem, investigations happened, and the hospital made changes to keep patients safer.

Art collection

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has a special collection of modern and contemporary art. It started in 1976 thanks to donors named Frederick and Marcia Weisman. The collection includes over 4,000 original paintings, sculptures, and other art pieces by famous artists like Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. Most of the art is displayed at any time, with some large works placed in open spaces around the hospital's large campus. The collection grows through gifts from donors, other institutions, and sometimes the artists themselves.

One special mural called "Jewish Contributions to Medicine" by Terry Schoonhoven can be viewed in the Harvey Morse Auditorium.