Meet AIHP Intern Leo Ryan

At AIHP, we believe that our people are what make us truly special. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to one of the amazing individuals who shares their time and talent with the Institute: Leo Ryan, our newest intern.

Originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, Leo is a junior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he is pursuing a double major in neurobiology and history. At AIHP, Leo has been contributing to our website by writing short, digestable historical pieces. His first posts focus on the history of pharmaceutical advertising and regulation, offering readers engaging insights into how drug marketing has evolved over time.
Here are some of Leo’s recent posts:

• Drug Advertising Pre- and Post-Pure Food and Drug Act
  Leo’s first article explore how early drug advertising practises changed following the landmark 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act.
• Sulfanilamide and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
  This post examines the tragic sulfanilamide disaster of 1937 and its role in shaping modern drug regulation.
• Detailing and the Origins of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising
  Leo looks at the rise of pharmaceutical “detailing” and how it laid the groundwork for today’s direct-to-consumer advertising.
• A Brief History of Drug Advertising and Regulation
  This overview piece traces key moments in the history of drug advertising and the evolving regulatory landscape.

Get to Know Us: An Interview with Leo Ryan

What excites you about joining AIHP?

For me the most exciting thing about joining AIHP is being able to engage with the vast amount of information we have and deliver it in a form that is accessible to the average person. The history of pharmacy is an incredible vehicle to explore economic, social, and political changes. With the development of the internet and social media, it’s possible to present this information to people who wouldn’t seek it out. Being able to study topics that interest me while increasing the general public’s knowledge on these topics is an incredible opportunity!

What is special to you about our current collections projects?

The AIHP is home to an incredible diversity of documents, so it is cool to just explore the archives. You never know what you might find. Though it is certainly a daunting task, the digitization of the materials we have is exciting to me because it makes this experience open to anybody with a computer and internet access.

Have you encountered anything in the collections that you found particularly exciting to work with or want to share with the public?

The advertising collections are home to some very striking nineteenth century visuals, and the artwork on many of these artifacts is quite impressive. Additionally, many of these are already digitized, making them very easily accessible to the general public. Advertising is particularly interesting to me because it is a material reflection of how cultural attitudes, manufacturing processes, and governmental regulations have changed over time. They are also the main point of connection between the pharmaceutical industry and consumers, making them a useful tool to gauge the cultural impact of pharmacy throughout the years.

The AIHP is over eighty years old, and you can still see the traces of people who have contributed time and effort to its mission. What mark do you hope to leave on the Institute?

Above all, I hope to get more people interested in the history of pharmacy. I think it is an incredibly interesting and relevant field, and there is plenty more research to be done. I hope that providing short but thoroughly researched articles on social media helps get more people interested and involved in the AIHP’s mission.

Bonus: Any other fun facts you’d like to share?

I am the proud owner of an aquarium which is home to several neon tetras and shrimp. In my free time, I like to play guitar, listen to music, and read. Besides history, I like to read philosophy and fiction, when I have time. I am also a bit of an analog photography enthusiast, although my ability to actually take photos could use some work.