Call for Nominations for the 2021 George Urdang Medal
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The George Urdang Medal
The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy is now accepting nominations for the 2021 George Urdang Medal. The deadline for receipt of nominations is June 1, 2021.
The George Urdang Medal recognizes 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.
The award honors Professor George Urdang (1882-1960), a pioneering historian of pharmacy in Germany and the United States, the founding Director of AIHP, and the founder of the first American graduate program in the history of pharmacy.
A panel of historians will evaluate nominations on the basis of the nature and significance of the nominee’s scholarly contributions to the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals and the span of time over which those contributions were made. Contributions to the field may include (without limitation) scholarly publications, exceptional service to professional organizations, dedicated work for scholarly or popular publications, outstanding contributions to education, and/or significant achievements in the collection and preservation of historical sources or collections.
Nominations 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 other documents or supporting materials for the panel to consider. Please email nominations to aihp@aihp.org by June 1, 2021.
AIHP expects to announce the recipient of the 2021 George Urdang Medal in the fall. Further information about the George Urdang Medal is available on AIHP’s website.
George Urdang at his desk at the UW School of Pharmacy in 1951.
AIHP originally established the George Urdang Medal in 1952. Prior to this year’s competition, the Urdang Medal recognized a scholarly publication in the field of pharmacy history that exhibited superior quality and distinctive significance. Click here for a listing of prior recipients of the George Urdang Medal.
A 2020 task force of AIHP members, headed by Historical Director Lucas Richert, recommended significant change to several Institute awards, including the George Urdang Medal and the Edward Kremers Award. The task force decided that the two awards had largely overlapping purposes and recommended changing the Urdang Medal to a lifetime achievement award for recognizing a sustained record of scholarly contributions to the field of pharmacy history.
The Edward Kremers Award will now recognize the author(s) of a single outstanding scholarly publication in the field of pharmacy history. Each award will be conferred without regard for citizenship or nationality. The task force also recommended holding competitions for the George Urdang Medal and the Edward Kremers Award every other year. The Institute will conduct a competition for the Kremers award in 2022. AIHP’s Board of Directors approved revised protocols for the awards reflecting the task force’s recommendations.
Actively engaged in preserving the documents of pharmacy's past and developing materials for understanding the future.
AIHP Wants to Document Your COVID-19 Stories and Experiences
The 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.
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):
The 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.