Both an international an regional referral center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Massachusetts is a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. It was formed out of the 1996 merger of Beth Israel Hospital (founded in 1916) and New England Deaconess Hospital (founded in 1896). Among independent teaching hospitals, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is the third-largest recipient of biomedical research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Research funding totals nearly $150 million annually. BIDMC researchers run more than 1,000 active sponsored projects and 200 clinical trials. The Harvard-Thorndike General Clinical Research Center, the nation's oldest clinical research laboratory, has been located on this site since 1973. BIDMC is equally known for its outstanding, compassionate patient care, through a multidisciplinary effort from outstanding physicians, nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists and social workers. It is considered a national leader in multiple clinical and research areas, including cardiovascular, renal, liver, pancreas, gastric motility, infectious disease, women's health, diabetes, cancer and minimally invasive surgery. The information technology services are among the best in the nation, from the cutting edge emergency room electronic dashboard to the integrated Web Online Medical Record. The surgical and procedural simulation center is a national model of excellence.