50th Anniversary of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, WV is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1972. The institution was initially known as Greenbriar School of Osteopathic Medicine for four years. Visit the 50th Anniversary webpage for more information on planned activities.

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel also posted, "West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine marks 50th anniversary," with reporting by Douglass Huxley.

You can also read more about acquisition of the campus of the former Greenbriar Military School and the founding of the osteopathic school on the institutional history webpage.

50th Anniversary for the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2019

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1969.

UAB's traces its history back along two paths to the 1859 founding of the Medical College of Alabama and the 1936 opening of the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama. 

In 1945 the Medical College of Alabama was moved from Tuscaloosa and the University's Medical Center was founded in Birmingham. In 1954 the Extension Center was moved to a newly constructed facility adjacent to the Medical Center, bringing together for the first time the University's two academic components in Birmingham. 

Later, in November of 1966, the Extension Center and the Medical Center were administratively merged to form the "University of Alabama in Birmingham," an organizational component of the University of Alabama (in Tuscaloosa). In 1969 UAB became an independent institution, one of the autonomous universities within the newly created three-campus University of Alabama System.

UAB's Archives offer an extensive Chronological History of the institution that includes its predecessors. Archives collections also include university records, manuscripts, and photographs.

125th Anniversary: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

The HUB news website at Johns Hopkins University published a post, "The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine at 125: Exhibition traces more than a century of medical milestones," with details on an anniversary exhibit now on display through March 18, 2019 in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library on the university's Homewood campus.

You can also visit the 125th anniversary web pages for an array of other resources that include a timeline of milestones and discoveries, a short "125 Years of Innovations" video, a Female Faculty Timeline, and brief sketches of current faculty, staff or students.

You can also find a longer YouTube video of just under 9-minutes, "125 Years of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine."

Student Life for Women Studying to become Doctors

The Atlas Obscura web site offers a fascinating post by Anika Burgess from January 4, 2018, "Student Life at the First Medical College for Women: The pioneering women who faced jeers and discrimination to become doctors."  Burgess incorporates numerous historical photos and other items to both describe student life and also highlight some of the significant contributions of the women as they pursued their professional lives. 

The medical institution was founded in 1850 as the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania.  It was renamed as the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1867 and the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1970 when it became coed.  It then merged with merged with Hahnemann University to become McP Hahnemann University School of Medicine as part of Allegheny University of Health Sciences.  This university later declared bankruptcy in July 1998 and Drexel University took over management of MCP Hahnemann University of Health Sciences and ultimately integrated programs to become the Drexel University College of Medicine and Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions.

You can also visit the Legacy Center Archives of the Drexel University College of Medicine Archives and Special Collections for many other digital resources, a timeline on the history of women physicians, or other primary resource materials.

Kettering College Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Kettering College is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1967 as Kettering College of Medical Arts.  The institution is located in Kettering, OH, a suburb of Dayton, and enrolls roughly 800 students.  Kettering is owned by the Kettering Medical Center and is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  Academic programs include associate of science degrees, bachelor degrees, a Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies, and an Occupational Therapy Doctorate.

Government Medical College, Patiala Celebrates 60th Anniversary

The Tribune of Chandigarh in northern India reports that Government Medical College, Patiala is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its official opening in 1955.  The institution is the second oldest medical college in Punjab and enrolled its first students in 1953.

Review of Healing Touch: An Illustrated History of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

The Irish Times has a fascinating review by Des O'Neill of Alf McCreary's new book, Healing Touch: An Illustrated History of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.  The college was granted a charter in 1667 and continues to play an important role that extends beyond Ireland.  O'Neill's article also includes a short two minute video with the book's author.

Phantom Medical Schools Cited by More than 6,000 Doctors in Database

Sydney Lupkin reports for MedPage Today on July 30,2015 in "Phantom Med Schools Lurking in Medicare Data," that over 6,000 physicians in the Medicare database for reimbursements cite institutions that closed between 1864-1939.  Lupkin notes that anyone who really graduated from these school would likely have retired or died by now.  While it appears from the reporting that sloppy data entry may explain some of the errors, it is none the less a reminder that those involved in searches to fill vacancies or office of human resources need to slow down and actually verify that institutions claimed on resumes were open at the time of reported graduation.

Allianze University College of Medical Sciences Closes

University World News posted an article by Emilia Tan and Yojana Sharma reporting that Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS) closed.  AUCMS was a private institution founded in 2002 that also operated in Indonesia collaborating with Universitas Sumatera Utara and recently purchased a campus in London.  The closure impacts roughly 2,000 students and 500 staff members.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Priyanka Dayal McCluskey reports for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette that the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences changed its name this year to become Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University.

Early Medical Education in Nebraska

Jim McKee authors an excellent article on early medical education in Nebraska for the May 26, 2013 Lincoln Journal Star.  McKee covers the period from the late 1800's through the early 1900's and institutions mentioned in the article include:  Omaha Medical College, Nebraska School of Medicine, Lincoln Medical College, Lincoln Dental College and the Nebraska College of Medicine.

History of Chiropractic

The Association for the History of Chiropractic offers a number of resources for anyone interested in chiropractic schools.  The Association published a journal, Chiropractic History, and a number of books that can be ordered through their website.  Several out-of-print issues of Chiropractic History are available for free download for members.  An article by Alana Ferguson and Glenda Wiese, "How Many Chiropractic Schools An Analysis of Institutions that Offered the D.C. Degree" from volume 8, number 1 issue in 1988 will be of particular interest for followers of the College History Garden.  The article includes a list of chiropractic schools, 1897-1985, sorted by state or province.

Reformed or Eclectic Medical Schools and Naturopathic Schools

Brian Altonen's web site offers a page analyzing the spread of Reformed Medicine, later known at Eclectic Medicine in the early 1800's.  The page includes lists of institutions and maps the diffusion of medical schools.  The final map depicts locations of schools associated with Botanic, Thomsonian, Homeopathy, Eclectic and Regular forms of medicine.

There also links to many other pages of interest to historians including reviews of catalogues and advertising materials at the National College of Natural Medicine Library for naturopathic schools in existence after 1956 and a history of naturopathic schools in the northwestern United States, 

American Medical Missionary College (MI & IL)

The Loma Linda University Digital Archives includes a number of images related to the American Medical Missionary College (AMMC), Battle Creek, MI, a co-educational medical school affiliated with Seventh-day Adventists from 1895 to 1906 in both Battle Creek and Chicago, IL.  AMMC offered a four year curriculum and conferred 194 MD degrees.  It later merged with Illinois State University in 1910.  

The web site of the Willard Library in Battle Creek offers the following image of AMMC. 

The Seventh-day Adventists founded the College of Medical Evangelists, now Loma Linda University, in Loma Linda, California in 1906.

Origins & History of Washington University School of Medicine

An impressive digitized version of an exhibit mounted at the Bernard Becker Medical Library in 1991 offers maps, illustrations, photographs, and faculty profiles beginning in the 1840's.  The original exhibit celebrated the centennial of the Washington University School of Medicine. 


While the education of physicians at Washington University began in 1891, the institution's medical department was the successor to St. Louis Medical College and Missouri Medical College. Images of both of these institutions, founded in the 1840s, are included.  St. Louis Medical College was also known as Pope’s College, after an early dean, Dr. Charles Alexander Pope.  Missouri Medical College was known as McDowell’s College in honor of its founder, Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell.


The relationships and interdependent ties of the Washington University School of Medicine with a number of area hospitals and other institutions is a particularly fascinating aspect of the exhibit.

Education of Nurses & Doctors in Houston and the State of Texas

The John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center of the Houston Academy of Medicine - Texas Medical Center Library offers links to a variety of other resources related to medical education.

Medical Schools in Indiana

The Ruth Lilly Medical Library at the Indiana University School of Medicine maintains a web page with a list of medical schools chartered in the state.  The page also includes a list of sources and a link to a database of biographies of 19th & 20th century Indiana physicians that is maintained by the Special Collections section of the library. 

History of Osteopathic Medicine

The American Osteopathic Association maintains a fascinating virtual museum for the history of osteopathic medicine.  There is also a page with a list of all known osteopathic colleges that includes information with dates of mergers and closing.

Woman's Medical College (PA)

The philly.com web site offers a May 31, 2011 article by Edward Calimore covering the discovery of a time capsule at a building of the former Woman's Medical College.

The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania was initially founded in 1850. The name was changed to the Woman's Medical College in 1867 and to the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1970. The institution then merged with Hahnemann University School of Medicine in 1993 and was known as MCP Hahnemann University School of Medicine. An affiliation with Drexel University began after 1998 and the name became Drexel University College of Medicine.

Medical Education for Women in St. Louis

The Benard Becker Medical Library Digital Collection with Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine maintains a web page focusing on medical education for women in St. Louis.

The Women's Medical College of St. Louis (opened in 1831) and the Woman's Medical College of St. Louis that was incorporated later in 1891 are noted. Links are also provided to historical sketches on the first women attending the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the Washington University School of Medicine.