WVU School of Pharmacy represented in national interactive pharmacy history project for America250

As America marks its 250th anniversary, the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy is recognizing the national milestone by reflecting on its place in pharmacy history through a digital map project hosted by the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy (AIHP).

The AIHP Atlas of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical History features more than 2,500 key events in America’s pharmacy heritage. The digital global map can be moved, zoomed in or out, searched, or filtered across 10 categories. Search functions also allow viewers to find pins by title or description, and each virtual map pin provides a short story.

The School of Pharmacy’s map pin is located at historic Woodburn Hall, where West Virginia’s first formal pharmacy education program was established in 1914. For the next 70 years, it remained the only formal pharmacy education program serving the needs of West Virginia. In 1958, the College of Pharmacy became the School of Pharmacy and moved to the newly constructed WVU Health Sciences Center, where it remains today.

Dean William Petros and Professor Emeritus Clarke Ridgway submitted the entry to AIHP. Ridgway, curator of the School’s Cook-Hayman Pharmacy Museum, said the WVU School of Pharmacy and its graduates have made meaningful contributions to the history of pharmacy.

“On the national scene, our graduates have made and impact across nearly every area of pharmacy practice,” Ridgway said. “They have served as presidents of national pharmacy organizations and worked as executive directors guiding important work behind the scenes. Some of them have found success in the pharmaceutical industry as CEOs of major corporations, while others have served in important roles in the U.S. military, founded many community pharmacies, and directed healthcare organizations. Indeed, West Virginia pharmacists led the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of getting the vaccine out to those patients who needed it most.”

Ridgway has severed on the AIHP Board of Directors in various positions, including president and treasurer. The Institute is headquartered at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy.

The AIHP Atlas of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical History, can be viewed at AIHP.org/Atlas. For more information, contact AIHP at aihp@aihp.org. John D. Gräbenstein, AIHP past president, serves as project director.