Columbia University Medical Center is situated on a 20-acre campus in the Washington Heights community of northern Manhattan and comprising roughly half of Columbia University's nearly $3 billion annual budget, Columbia University's Medical Center provides world-class leadership in: scientific research health and medical education patient care Faculty members from its four schools (College of Physicians & Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing, and Mailman School of Public Health): Carry out the school's core mission of educating and training future generations of health care professionals. Conduct basic research with the ultimate goal of translating discoveries into new techniques for fighting disease and improving health Are responsible for a number of significant clinical breakthroughs - among them, the first blood test for cancer, the first medical use of the laser, and the first successful transfer of genes from one cell to another.