Editing Temple Health (section)

== History ==

Temple University Hospital originated from the university's founding mission to serve working-class Philadelphians. Russell Conwell, Temple's founder, emphasized education and service for those excluded from elite institutions, a mission that extended to healthcare. The hospital developed alongside the Lewis Katz School of Medicine (formerly Temple University School of Medicine), with clinical operations supporting medical education and research.<ref name="temple"/>

The hospital grew through the twentieth century as an urban teaching hospital serving North Philadelphia, a community experiencing deindustrialization, population loss, and concentrated poverty. Temple's commitment to serving this community—rather than following patients and resources to suburbs—distinguished its mission while creating financial challenges. The hospital treats high proportions of Medicaid and uninsured patients whose care is reimbursed below cost.<ref name="temple"/>

Major program developments included Temple's nationally recognized lung transplant program, established by pioneering surgeon Dr. Yoshiya Toyoda, which has performed hundreds of transplants and attracted patients from across the country. Other centers of excellence in cardiac surgery, neurosciences, and emergency medicine have built Temple's reputation while serving the community.<ref name="temple"/>