The Early Days

1880s The first medical school in Florida: The Tallahassee College of Medicine and Surgery opens in Tallahassee and moves to Lake City. It only remains open for a few years.

1945 Governor Caldwell's Citizens Committee on Education began a comprehensive study and survey of education in Florida.

1947 Medical's Committee Report calls for a medical school at University of Florida in Gainesville. Legislature asks for money for study to determine need for medical and dental college in Florida.

1948 Board of Control and State Board of Education appointed a Committee with Dr. Vernon Lippard as head. Cancer Research Laboratory established as an independent research unit.

1949 Lippard Report filed, authorizing a medical school, nursing school, and dental school, again supporting Gainesville as the site. The state legislature decides on Gainesville as the official site for the state medical and dentalschool.

The 1950s

1951 Legislature passed bill appropriating $100,000 for the purpose of creating plans.

1952 Medical Center Study, conceived of by J. Hillis Miller, begins, using money from the Commonwealth Fund rather than the $100,000 from the legislature. The study assesses all current and future health needs for the people of Florida and envisions a medical center with College of Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Health-related Professions. Darrel Mase, PhD (first Dean of the College of Public Health and Health Professions) and George T. Harrell, MD (first Dean of the College of Medicine) involved in the planning process. University of Miami opens its medical school.

1953 Dr. Harrell asked to accept post of founding Dean of the College of Medicine. J. Hillis Miller passed away.

1954 Medical Center Study completed and published in a five volume set over a two year period. Foundation poured for Medical Center. College of Pharmacy was made a unit of the Health Center and planning began for COP building in HSC.
Dr. George T. Harrell becomes first Dean of the College of Medicine.
Dr. Russell Poor becomes first Provost/VP of Health Affairs.

1956 Doors open for first class at COM.

1958 Plans developed to merge Cancer Research Laboratory with the College of Pharmacy to form the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Dr. Russell Poor is Acting Director of the Teaching Hospital.
The Hospital admits first patient.
UF desegregates.

1959 First open heart surgery is performed at Shands.
L. Russell Jordan became Director of Teaching Hospital. Teaching Hospital and Clinics are formally dedicated.

The 1960s

1960 First medical school class graduates and the first Asian, Latinos, and women to attend are in the graduating class. The first nursing class graduates.

1961 Veterans Administration Hospital in Gainesville is approved. Pharmacy moves into building and classes are held.
Dr. Samuel Martin is named Provost (this position is later renamed "Vice President for Health Affairs").

1962 New eye clinic, artificial kidney machine, Clinical Research Center opens. The College of Pharmacy completely relocates from campus and the new Pharmacy building is dedicated.
The UF Teaching Hospital receives one of state's four kidney dialysis machines.

1964 Dr. Emanuel Suter becomes Dean of the College of Medicine.
The ground breaking ceremony for the VA Hospital is held.

1965 The hospital is officially renamed the W. A. Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics after Gainesville's former Senator William A. Shands.
Gatorade is invented by College of Medicine faculty and fellows.

1966 Rural clinics opened in North Central Florida.

1967 The 100,000th patient is treated at Shands Hospital.
Phase I of the Human Development Center is dedicated.
The Veterans Administration Hospital is dedicated.

1969 Lafayette Cty Health Center opens, rural health care clinic staffed by Colleges of Medicine and Nursing.
The First Hippocratic award is given by students at the College of Medicine.
The first kidney transplant from a live donor is performed on UF law student at Shands Hospital.

The 1970s

1970 The College of Medicine graduates the first African American physicians, Dr. Earl Cotman and Dr. Reuben Brigety.

1971 Project I construction begins, and ground is broken for the Dental Tower, Communicore building, and 3 new patient floors.

1972 Dr. Herbert Kaufman becomes interim Dean of the College of Medicine.

1972 Chandler Stetson becomes Dean of the College of Medicine.
The 200,000th patient is treated at Shands Hospital.

1974 Communicore Building opens.
Homer Knizely is the first UF COM graduate to receive the Hippocratic Award.

1975 Dr. Chandler Stetson becomes Vice President of Health Affairs.

1976 J. Patrick O'Leary('67) is the second COM alumnus to receive Hippocratic award.

1977 Will Deal becomes interim Dean of the College of Medicine.
Dr. Kenneth Finger serves as interim Vice President of Health Affairs.

1978 Dr. Will Deal becomes Dean of the College of Medicine and Vice President of Health Affairs.

The 1980s

1980 Dr. Lee Dockery becomes interim Dean of the College of Medicine.

1980 Dr. Kenneth Finger serves as interim Vice President of Health Affairs.
UF's kidney transplantation program, founded by Dr. William Pfaff, who performed the first successful transplant in Florida, performs landmark 400th transplant.

1982 Dr. David Challoner is appointed Vice President of Health Affairs.
A Ronald McDonald House opens near Shands.

1985 First cochlear implant device to restore hearing impairment is performed at Shands; Bioglass implants also used by UF researchers to restore hearing in first human patients with damaged middle-ear bones, helping patients to hear again.

1985 UF's heart and liver transplant programs begin.

1986 Florida's first Hope Lodge for cancer patients opens near UF campus.

1988 Dr. Lee Dockery becomes interim Dean of the College of Medicine.

1989 Dr. Allen Neims appointed Dean of COM.

The 1990s

1990 Lab-grown skin grafts for burn victims developed by UF researcher Dr. Ammon Peck.
Academic Research Building opened. President George Bush declared the 1990s "Decade of the Brain" in support of basic research.

1992 UF College of Pharmacy's Drug Information Service celebrated 20th year of statewide service; UF receives $18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to build a neuroscience research center, the UF Brain Institute.

1994 PerioGlas, a bioactive glass developed at UF for restoring jaw bone, went on worldwide market.
First lung transplant in Florida performed at Shands.

1995 Southeast's first umbilical cord blood transplant on an infant and adult performed; state's first kidney/pancreas transplant occurs; first gene therapy treatment for brain cancer is done.
HIV saliva test, developed by UF veterinarian, is released to the marketplace in several foreign countries; 13-week-old Gary Weems of Pensacola, Fla., has a heart transplant performed at Shands, becoming first infant to undergo a heart transplant in Florida.

1996 Dr. Edward Copeland becomes interim Dean of the College of Medicine.

1997 Dr. Jerome Modell becomes interim Dean of the College of Medicine.

1997 Dr. Kenneth Berns becomes Dean of the College of Medicine.

1998 Dr. Kenneth Berns serves as interim Vice President of Health Affairs.
McKnight Brain Institute opens.

The 2000s

2000 Dr. Kenneth Berns appointed Vice President of Health Affairs.

2002 Dr. Douglas Barrett appointed Vice President of Health Affairs.
Dr. Craig Tisher becomes Dean of the College of Medicine.

2004 Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute opens.

2005 Level 1 Trauma center designation (July 1).

2007 Bruce Kone, Dean