George Urdang Medal

The George Urdang Medal

Originally established in 1952, AIHP’s George Urdang Medal honors Professor George Urdang (1882-1960), a pioneering historian of pharmacy in Germany and the United States, and the founder of the first American graduate program in the history of pharmacy.

AIHP awards the George Urdang Medal to recognize the lifetime achievements of a person who, over a sustained period, has made important scholarly contributions to the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals. The George Urdang Medal is awarded without regard to citizenship or nationality.

A competition for the George Urdang Medal is conducted biennially, in odd-numbered years. The Institute typically issues a public call for nominations, and provides notice of the call to organizations and groups with an active interest in scholarship in the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals.

The George Urdang Medal typically is presented at the International Congress for the History of Pharmacy or such other event or location as the Institute may determine.

Nominations for the George Urdang Medal are evaluated and judged by a panel comprised of the Institute’s Historical Director and four other distinguished historians of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals selected by the Historical Director and confirmed by AIHP’s Board of Directors.

Nominations for the award are evaluated on the basis of (i) the significance or importance of the nominee’s scholarly contributions to the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals, (ii) the quality and quantity of the nominee’s published scholarly writings in the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals, (iii) the span of time over which the nominee has made contributions to the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals, and (iv) the nominee’s other contributions to the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals (such as exceptional service to professional organizations or publications or outstanding contributions to education).

Nominations for the Urdang Medal: Nominations for the George Urdang Medal must include at least one letter of nomination outlining the nominee’s scholarly contributions to the field. Nominations must also include the nominee’s curriculum vitae (or similar biographical information) and any documents or other supporting materials for the panel to consider. For the 2023 Urdang Medal competition, please email nominations to aihp@aihp.org by June 1, 2023.

History of the Urdang Medal: Prior to 2021, the George Urdang Medal was awarded for an original and scholarly publication, or a single series of interrelated publications, appearing anywhere in the world and pertaining primarily to historical or historico-social aspects of pharmacy (including the history of the material medica). Evaluation was based on the competence of the research and on the skill of interpretation and presentation. AIHP’s Board of Directors adopted the current protocol for the George Urdang Medal in August 2020.

Previous Winners of the Urdang Medal

Brief Biography of George Urdang

George Urdang (second from right) with three graduate students, including future AIHP Director Glenn Sonnnedecker (left), c. 1951


The founding Director of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy (1941-1957), George Urdang was instrumental in the establishment and the operation of the AIHP during its early years of existence. A pioneering historian of pharmacy in Germany and the United States, Urdang was responsible for the establishing the first American graduate program in the history of pharmacy after his appointment to the faculty at the University of Wisconsin in 1947. Writing in German and English, Urdang authored more than 20 books or pamphlets and hundreds of articles about the history of pharmacy.

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AIHP Wants to Document Your COVID-19 Stories and Experiences

AIHP COVID-19 ProjectThe American Institute of the History of Pharmacy is documenting and preserving pharmacy stories and experiences during the COVID-19 global pandemic for the benefit of future historians and scholars. We seek to record the effects of this public health emergency on all types of pharmacy experiences. We invite you to share your pharmacy stories, photos, videos, artifacts, and other documentation of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.


You can participate in the AIHP COVID-19 Pandemic Pharmacy Historical Documentation Project either (1) by immediately sharing your thoughts/experiences and/or submitting digital materials or (2) by signifying your to intention to submit materials in the future. Please comply with all applicable local or state stay-at-home orders while self-documenting.


Please click the link below to learn more about participating in the AIHP COVID-19 Pandemic Pharmacy Historical Documentation Project.

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All past issues of Pharmacy in History have been digitized and are text-searchable at JSTOR.


Note: Academic libraries seeking subscriptions to History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals should directly contact the University of Wisconsin Press.

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Calendar of Events


Upcoming events of interest to historians of pharmacy, pharmaceuticals, medicines, science, and related fields. (Event information current when posted. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, please double-check the status of all events):


May 9-12, 2024: Annual Meeting of the American Association of the History of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri.
June 27-30, 2024: ADHS Biennial Conference, Buffalo, NY.
July 7-11, 2024: International Social Pharmacy Workshop, Banff, Canada.
September 4-7, 2024: 46th International Congress for the History of Pharmacy, Belgrade Serbia.
January 3-6, 2025: Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association, New York City, NY.


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