[5] The Faculty of Medicine was established in 1950 in Vancouver, taking in 60 medical students under the leadership of its first dean, Myron Weaver.
The size of incoming medical classes grew to 288, with one-third of those students spending most of their four years at one of three distributed sites in northern British Columbia, the B.C.
In January 2021, Peter Berman, the head of the medical faculty's School of Population and Public Health apologized after taking an international vacation to Hawaii over the holiday season contrary to public health advice to avoid international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After his trip was reported on, Berman said that he regrets not having made the same sacrifices as everyone else and stated his support for public health authorities.
Two members of the Faculty have received the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award: James C. Hogg (2013) and Michael Hayden (2011).