He attended Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. At Lafayette, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1916. After that, he served in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army and the reserve corps to finish his medical training. He got a doctorate in medicine from the University of Pittsburgh in 1920. After getting his medical degree, Hench spent a year as an intern at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh. Next, he became a Fellow of the Mayo Foundation.