In 1834, John Wesley Davis, class of 1821, was elected to the U.S. Congress from Carlisle, Indiana. He served three additional terms and, during the 29th Congress, Davis was appointed U.S. Speaker of the House. He would serve as commissioner to China from 1848 to 1851, and in 1852 returned to Baltimore as president of the Democratic convention that nominated Franklin Pierce.

In 1894, Thomas C. Gilchrist, MD described the first case of Blastomycosis of the skin. His contribution was the identification and isolation of the double-contoured spore
Blastomyces dermatitidis, which he identified under the microscope and made accurate drawings. Gilchrist held dual appointments as clinical professor of dermatology at Maryland and Johns Hopkins.

In 1994, reforms were brought to the educational curriculum. Lecture time for the first-year class was reduced from eight hours per day to two. Instruction was presented in blocks—varying in length—with small-group teaching, problem-based learning, and increased time for self-study. Basic sciences became multi-disciplinary with emphasis on their clinical relevance. During the clinical years a stronger emphasis was placed on education in the ambulatory setting. Computer labs were built in Howard Hall, and each student was equipped with a laptop computer.