Boston University School of Meicine (BUSM) is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school holds the unique distinction as the first institution in the world to formally educate female physicians and award the M.D. degree. Originally known as the New England Female Medical College, it was subsequently renamed BUSM in 1873. It is notably also the first medical school in the United States to award an M.D. degree to an African-American and African-American woman in 1864.