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.
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.
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.
Read MoreAccess the Pharmacy in History JSTOR Archive
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.
Read MoreUpcoming events of interest to pharmacists and historians of pharmacy, pharmaceuticals, medicines, science, and related fields. (Event information current when posted.):
December 8-12, 2024: 2024 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, New Orleans, LA.
January 3-6, 2025: Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association, New York City, NY.
May 1-4, 2025: Annual Meeting of the American Association of the History of Medicine, Boston, MA.
May 13-16, 2025: National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
July 19-22, 2025: American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.