University of Arizona Health Sciences Celebrates Anniversaries in 2017

This year, several institutions at the University of Arizona Health Sciences are celebrating milestone anniversaries and acknowledging the visionaries who worked tirelessly to lay the foundations for the establishment and success of these institutions at Arizona’s only academic health center.

The UA College of Pharmacy celebrates its 70th; UA College of Nursing, its 60th; UA College of Medicine – Tucson, its 50th; and UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, its 10th. In addition, the UA Health Sciences Library, the only facility of its kind in Arizona, celebrates its 50th anniversary; the UA Steele Children’s Research Center, its 25th; and the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health observes its 17th anniversary.

In 2016, the UA Sarver Heart Center celebrated its 30th anniversary, and the UA Cancer Center had its 40th anniversary. Both centers will continue their celebrations in 2017.

Historic milestones and photos from these institutions are presented on the anniversary website to illustrate the expertise, collaborations and innovative thinking that continue to move the UA Health Sciences forward. These histories are just the beginning.

Leigh Neumayer, MD, interim UA senior vice president for health sciences, said, “These milestone anniversaries provide a wonderful opportunity to realize the tremendous impact the UA Health Sciences already has had on our state and nation. We must always remember the dedicated efforts of the founders of the UA Health Sciences – the leadership, faculty, students, staff, community volunteers, supporters and others who made ‘Arizona’s academic health center’ a reality. This occasion also marks a time to look forward, as we continue our work to develop innovative new ways to improve health and wellness in our state, nation and beyond.”

Seventy years ago, in September 1947, the School of Pharmacy opened as the first health professions college at the University of Arizona. The school was part of the UA College of Liberal Arts and 83 students were enrolled. Today, the College of Pharmacy is one of the UA Health Sciences’ five colleges, and thousands of students are enrolled at the UA Health Sciences main campus location in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix.

The UA Health Sciences reaches across Arizona, the greater Southwest and beyond to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. In addition to the five colleges, the library and numerous centers and institutes, the UA Health Sciences includes Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, Banner – UMC South and Banner – UMC Phoenix, the UA Health Sciences’ teaching hospitals operated by Banner Health.

The UA Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training, with nearly 900 faculty members and more than 6,000 students. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs almost 4,000 people and garners more than $126 million in research grants and contracts annually.

Throughout 2017, the anniversary website will include a variety of events presented or hosted by the colleges, centers and library at UA Health Sciences. In addition, alumni from the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, along with current and former faculty and staff, are invited to share photos and memories on social media throughout the year.

For more information about the UA Health Sciences, please visit http://uahs.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn)

Release Date: 
03/01/2017 - 1:00am
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