The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy is committed to fostering the teaching of the history of pharmacy in schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States. We provide grants to help schools purchase needed resource and reference materials. Several Institute publications have become staples in history of pharmacy courses, and we are pleased to provide the following resources for teaching the history of pharmacy.
Meeting ACPE History Guidelines:
Explore the full AIHP Guidelines on Teaching History in Pharmacy Education to meet “Standards 2016” of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The AIHP Guidelines were developed by the Historical Studies Committee of the AIHP and approved by the AIHP Board of Directors, February 2017.
Download a .pdf of the AIHP Guidelines
AACP History of Pharmacy Special Interest Group model powerpoint presentations to meet the teaching requirements of the AIHP Guidelines on Teaching History in Pharmacy Education.
The six model powerpoint presentations (click to see the presentations), created by the Teaching History of Pharmacy Committee of the AACP History of Pharmacy Special Interest Group, contain example slides that comprehensively cover the topics outlined in AIHP’s Guidelines on Teaching History in Pharmacy Education. Instructors should choose to use the slides that cover the topics that are appropriate to their particular history of pharmacy class or module.
Ten slide talk presentations created by Prof. Robert McCarthy to accompany lectures for his “History of American Pharmacy” class at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in the Spring of 2016. All slide presentations are in .pdf format.
Read the Syllabus (.pdf) for Prof. McCarthy’s class
Slide talks shared with the permission of Prof. Robert McCarthy.
A selection of presentations to assist in teaching history in pharmacy education:
Presentations about Specific Topics in the History of Pharmacy:
AACP History of Pharmacy Special Interest Group
Founded in 2007, the History of Pharmacy Special Interest Group of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy brings together pharmacy educators interested in the history of pharmacy. The Mission of AACP’s History of Pharmacy SIG is to:
- Promote the teaching of pharmacy history at pharmacy schools throughout North America.
- Advance research and scholarship in the history of pharmacy.
- Disseminate historical information about the profession to members of the academy.
- Foster the collection and preservation of historical artifacts related to the pharmacy profession.
Read the AACP History of Pharmacy Special Interest Group Newsletters Newsletters.
Teaching the History of Pharmacy Today (Madison: AIHP, 1999)
The papers in this compilation were presented at the symposium, “Teaching the History of Pharmacy Today: An Exploratory Session” [pdf] sponsored by the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy during the 144th Annual Meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Los Angeles, California, March 11, 1997. The symposium was organized by AIHP Director Greg Higby.
“The history of pharmacy offers instructors a special approach to exploring the broad scope of the pharmaceutical field. It was my special pleasure to organize the symposium in Los Angeles and hear these fine presentations. There is much here that can benefit any pharmacy instructor and we hope that this booklet will inspire others to reach our students through history.”
-Gregory J. Higby, Ph.D. from the Introduction to Teaching the History of Pharmacy Today
Teaching the History & Social Aspects of Pharmacy Newsletters (New Series, Nos. 1-10)
From 2001 to 2007, AIHP published the newsletter, Teaching the History and Social Aspects of Pharmacy. The newsletter was delivered electronically and contained short articles about topics of interest, as well as tips for incorporating historical and other humanistic material into pharmacy education.
The full run of the Teaching newsletter has been digitized and issues #1-#10 (pdf) are available for download from the Teaching the History and Social Aspects of Pharmacy homepage. The homepage also contains the tables of contents from each issue to help readers explore the many topics covered in this publication.
Apothecary’s Cabinet
From 2000 to 2006, AIHP published Apothecary’s Cabinet, which featured shorter articles on pharmaco-historical topics for students and other non-specialists. Apothecary’s Cabinet contains introductory and explanatory articles by some of the leading historians of American pharmacy, including David Cowen, William Helfand, and many others.
The full run of Apothecary’s Cabinet has been digitized and issues #1-#10 (pdf) are available for download from the Apothecary’s Cabinet homepage. The homepage also contains the tables of contents from each issue to help readers explore the many topics covered in this publication.
Excerpts from AIHP Publications
Ethical Responsibility in Pharmacy Practice (Second edition, AIHP, 2002), by Robert A. Buerki and Louis D. Vottero (Table of Contents, Introduction, and Chapter 1, “Professional Values in Pharmacy Practice)
Foundations of Ethical Pharmacy Practice (AIHP, 2008), by Robert A. Buerki and Louis D. Vottero (Table of Contents and Chapter 2, “Foundations of Ethical Decision Making”)
American Pharmacy (1852-2002): A Collection of Historical Essays (AIHP, 2005), Gregory J. Higby and Elaine C. Stroud, editors (Preface and Introduction)
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.