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History

1848

The Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania established and later renamed after Homeopathic medicine pioneer Samuel Hahnemann.

CNHP 1850 Female Medical College of PA
1850

The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, among the first medical schools for women, which later became Woman's Medical, then the Medical College of Pennsylvania, established by Quaker businessmen, clergy and physicians and headed by philanthropist William J. Mullen. It is among the first medical school for women.

1863

Nurse training begun at Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia, founded by individuals from the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, though a separate corporate entity from Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Considered by many to be the first state chartered school for nurses in the U.S.

CNHP 1890 Hahnemann Hospital School of Nursing
1890

Hospital-based nursing program at the Hahnemann Hospital Training School for Nurses opens. Twenty students initially register for the two-year program.

CNHP 1891 Anthony Drexel
1891

Drexel Institute of Technology established by Financier, Anthony J. Drexel. DIT, among the leaders in education throughout the early 20th century, among one of the first educational institutions to pioneer the Co-operative education model integrating periods of work and learning.

CNHP 1904 Woman's Medical College Hospital School of Nursing
1904

The Hospital of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania opened; the Woman's Medical College Hospital School of Nursing created.

1906
  • The Woman's Medical College Hospital School of Nursing graduates its first three nurses.

  • Hahnemann's student nurses' residence, women's building, and power house opened at 245 N. 15th Street (now New College Building).

CNHP 1920-X-ray-Tech
1920

Hahnemann established the first school of X-ray Technology in the U.S.

1963

Hahnemann's new $2,390,000 School of Nursing building housing 230 students, opened at 15th and Race Streets.

1967

Creative Art Therapy program begun at Hahnemann. This program serves as the first graduate level art therapy education program in the world.

1968

Hahnemann Medical College created the School of Allied Health Professions to accommodate the growing number of individuals entering emerging health services fields. Initial degree programs included: Medical Technology, Radiologic Technology and Mental Health Technology.

CNHP 1969
1969

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, previously a medical school for women, became coeducational and in 1970 changes its name to the Medical College of Pennsylvania.

CNHP 1971 Wilbur Oaks
1971

Wilbur W. Oaks, MD HU '55, and David A. Major, MD HU '64 establish the Physician Assistant program at Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital. The program, one of the nation's oldest and largest and the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, is steeped in history, committed to the future and continues to be mission driven.

CNHP 1974 Creative Arts Therapies
1974

Concentrations in Hahnemann's Department of Creative Arts Therapies included art therapy, started in 1978, and grew to include dance/movement therapy, and music therapy.

1975

Hahnemann transitions its Diploma Nursing Program to an Associate Degree Program and adds an RN--BSN Completion program within the new School of Allied Health Professions.

1976

Hahnemann introduces a Master's in Family Therapy that embraces a mission and educational philosophy emphasizing social justice and sensitivity to cultural diversity as fundamental to educating and training couple and family therapists. Dr. Ivan I. Boszormenyi-Nagy, internationally known for his theories and approach to family therapy, was a prime influence in the development of the Couple and Family Therapy programs.

CNHP 1978
1978

The Diploma Nursing Program at the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital phases out and the School of Nursing closes in 1980.

CNHP 1979 Hahnemann Physician Assistant Certificate Program
1979

Hahnemann introduces a Physical Therapy certificate program.

1981

Hahnemann is officially designated as a university by the Pennsylvania Department of Education with four schools: Medicine, the Graduate School, the School of Allied Health Professions and the School of Continuing Education.

CNHP 1981 Hahnemann Building Sign
1982

The former Hahnemann School of Allied Health Professions becomes the School of Health Sciences & Humanities.

1984

Hahnemann Physical Therapy programs develop a master's level program housed in the Department of Physical Therapy in the Hahnemann University Graduate School.

1987
  • The Medical College of Pennsylvania and its affiliate hospitals join Allegheny Health System.
  • Hahnemann admits students into its PhD program in Rehabilitation Sciences. Its faculty continue to include internationally recognized researchers in pediatric rehabilitation as well as rehabilitation for women and movement science.
1993
  • Hahnemann joins Allegheny Health System. The Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann merge in 1994 as MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine, the largest, private medical school in the country, under a parent organization, the Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation, or AHERF.
  • Emerging health professions are considered an integral part of the delivery of health care to patients. Founding Dean, Kathryn E. Fuscaldo, housed all allied health programs in the newly-named Hahnemann School of Allied Health Professions. Dr. Willard Green subsequently appointed Acting Dean of the School of Health Sciences & Humanities in 1993 then Dean in 1994.
1995

The Department of Nursing in the School of Health Sciences & Humanities becomes a new School of Nursing that includes undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. The new School of Nursing co-exists with the Schools of Medicine and the School of Health Sciences & Humanities, eventually becoming the School of Health Professions. The Nurse Anesthesia program at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, moves into the School of Nursing and offered a Master's of Science in Nursing along with certification as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

CNHP 1996 Dr. Gerrity
1996
  • Facilitated by Patricia Gerrity, PhD, RN, FAAN, the newly appointed Associate Dean for Community Programs, the School of Nursing at MCP Hahnemann University entered into an agreement with the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) to address health issues of residents in Philadelphia's 11th Street Corridor in North Philadelphia The first services offered through the School of Nursing efforts focused on health promotion and disease prevention. Temporary space for primary care health services was later arranged with the assistance of community leaders at the Harrison Plaza Community Center.
  • After an extensive national search, Gloria F. Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, was appointed the first Dean of the new School of Nursing in July 1996. She was the founding Dean of the School of Nursing at LaSalle University and a psychiatric nurse with a Master's Degree in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing and a developmental psychologist with a PhD from Bryn Mawr College.
  • MCP Hahnemann University, owned by the Pittsburgh based Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation (AHERF), changes the name of MCPHU to Allegheny University of the Health Sciences.
1998
  • Couple and Family Therapy adds a PhD program.
  • The School of Nursing secures a $3 million grant from the federal agency, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in partnership with the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA), to build a freestanding, 17,000 square foot state-of-the-art health center within PHA's Richard Allen Homes, centrally located and accessible to four of the public housing developments in the 11th Street Corridor and to be operated by the School of Nursing under the leadership of Dr. Patricia Gerrity.
  • Allegheny University of the Health Sciences and its associated AHERF hospitals in the Philadelphia area declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 1998.
  • Tenet Healthcare, a national for-profit health care company, purchases AHERF's eight hospitals: Allegheny Bucks; City Avenue; Elkins Park; Graduate; Hahnemann; Medical College of Pennsylvania, Parkview; and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.
  • In November, the University and remaining hospitals emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and revert to the former name, MCP Hahnemann University.  Drexel University's Board of Trustees agrees to the arrangement whereby Drexel University manages the MCP Hahnemann University enterprise with an eye to full merger into Drexel with achievement of financial stability.
CNHP 2006 Health Services Administartion Program
1999
  • The School of Nursing offers its first hybrid course, with online content and monthly face-to-face meetings.
  • The Health Services Administration program initiates a bachelor's degree to meet the need for professional managers in health care settings.
2000
  • Drexel University’s senior administrators decide to merge the MCPHU School of Nursing and the School of Health Professions into one organizational unit, the College of Nursing and Health Professions.  Dr. Gloria Donnelly was appointed its first Dean.
  • The Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 5 year, Co-op Program, designed after the unique learn and work model of co-operative education, received approval from the PA Board of Nursing and accepted its first class in Fall 2002.  The Nursing Co-op Program, one of only two in the country, formally integrates work and learning through three, six-month periods of full-time employment during the five-year program or one, six-month period during the four-year program. Drexel now produces more bachelor's prepared nursing graduates than any other private American university.   This program remains as only one of two co-op nursing programs in the U.S.
  • The Physical Therapy Master’s Program transitions to a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree graduating its first class in 2003.
  • As demand for online courses increase, the College of Nursing and Health Professions signs a contract with Blackboard.com, a learning management system, and migrates the growing number of online courses to this system.
CNHP 2001 ACE Program
2001
  • In response to the nurse shortage of 2000, the CNHP's nursing division designs one of the most accelerated nursing programs in the U.S. The Accelerated Career Entry Program (ACE) is an 11-month program for career changers possessing a bachelor's degree in another field. The ACE Program remains one of the highest enrollment demand programs in the College.
  • The merger transition team of Drexel University recommends that the MCPHU College of Nursing and Health Professions and the School of Public Health be fully merged into Drexel, becoming two of the University’s eleven colleges and schools. At the time, the College was home to 153 faculty and staff and 1,250 students. Gloria F. Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, FCPP was named inaugural dean.
  • The medical school, renamed Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM), remained a separate nonprofit corporation, though wholly-owned by the University finally merging into Drexel University proper in 2014.
2002
11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University, a comprehensive, nurse-led healthcare center opened its new, federally funded building. The Center entered into a "linkage" agreement with the Family Practice and Counseling Network, which gave the Center access to cost-based reimbursement and grant funds for the uninsured through their Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status.
CNHP 2004 BAYADA Awards
2004
  • The Saturday Scholars degree completion option is established offering all-day Saturday classes for working students. Its format is successfully used in bachelor’s programs in Behavioral Health Counseling and Health Services Administration.
  • BAYADA Home Health Care establishes The BAYADA Awards for Technological Innovation in Health Care Education and Practice to recognize healthcare providers making significant contributions to education or practice through the development or adoption of new technologies.

2005

The in-person Doctor of Nursing Practice (DrNP) program admits its first class.
CNHP 2004 Sim Lab
2006

With generous gifts from Woman’s Medical College Hospital School of Nursing alumna Dolores Kallinick Harris, RN ’53 and Tenet Healthcare Corporation/Hahnemann University Hospital, CNHP develops and equips an extensive “simulation learning lab” – 4,600 square feet of space that could be configured into any type of clinical environment such as an emergency room, patient room, labor and delivery room, and an environment to simulate home care. In addition, a simulated health assessment and primary care lab was designed with 10 examination and/or counseling rooms, dual camera digital technology, classroom space with split screen plasma viewing screens, a faculty observation room, a standardized patient lounge, comprehensive simulation evaluation software, and archiving capabilities to provide the opportunity for students and health professionals to experience complex clinical situations in a controlled environment without putting patients at risk. All clinical programs in the College integrate simulation into their curricula.

College of Nursing and Health Professions nutrition lab
2009
  • Nutrition programs based in the College of Arts and Sciences move into the CNHP in the newly named Nutrition Sciences Department, now offering Bachelor’s and Master’s Programs, and a variety of certificates. The Department’s PhD program began in 2014.
  • The 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University was recognized by the Institute of Medicine for initiating an integrated and transdisciplinary model of care created for seamless engagement by patients and caregivers of the full range of physical, psychological, social, preventative and therapeutic factors known to be effective and necessary for the achievement of optimal health throughout the lifespan.
The Creative Arts Therapies Department introduces its PhD in Creative Arts Therapies.
2010
  • The Creative Arts Therapies Department introduces its PhD in Creative Arts Therapies.
  • Drexel University acquires the land adjacent to the 11th Street Family Health Services allowing for increased eventual expansion through an addition to the existing building.
2011
  • Faculty and staff from the College of Nursing and Health Professions and the College of Medicine develop an interprofessional simulation program involving undergraduate and graduate nursing students including nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists, physician assistant students and OB-GYN medical students. Dr. Kymberlee Montgomery, CNHP, and Dr. Owen Montgomery, College of Medicine, lead this effort.
  • The DrNP now delivers classes online.
Nyree Dardarian, MS, RD, LDN
2012
  • Drexel University's online graduate nursing programs earn top honors in U.S. News and World Report. As 2nd in the nation, Drexel’s program ranked higher than peer schools such as George Washington University, Duke University and Thomas Jefferson's online nursing programs. The rankings mark the first time that the magazine has evaluated online higher education programs.
  • The CNHP Department of Nutrition Sciences opens the Drexel University Center for Integrated Nutrition and Performance (CINP), subsequently renamed the Center for Nutrition and Performance in 2016. Located in the Drexel Recreation Center, it serves students and staff interested in improving their health through nutrition, sports and exercise.
CNHP 2013 3020 Market Street Building
2013
  • Established in 1995 at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, the Center for Family Intervention Science moves to the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Dr. Guy Diamond, Professor and Director, is a noted researcher in youth suicide prevention. The Center's main focus is Attachment-Based Family Therapy for the treatment of adolescents struggling with depression, suicide, trauma, and substance use. Studies at FIS have focused on the Behavioral Health Screen (BHS), which is a validated screening tool developed and researched by FIS to address the need for comprehensive behavioral health screening in primary care, emergency rooms, schools and college campuses for the prevention of suicide.
  • The DNP, now fully offered online, admits its first online class.
CNHP 2014 Parkway Ribbon Cutting
2014
  • Drexel University breaks ground for a 17,000 square foot expansion of the Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services in North Philadelphia. The health center is renamed in recognition of the generous support of Stephen and Sandra Sheller MCAT ‘04, co-founders of the Sheller Family Foundation.
  • New programs implemented in fall 2014 include: PhD in Nutrition Sciences; Doctor of Health Science in Rehabilitation Sciences; Master of Health Administration (online); and the BSN accelerated career entry two-year hybrid.
  • Parkway Health & Wellness, CNHP’s new practice, opens in Center City to provide interprofessional physical and behavioral health services, create new experiential education opportunities for Drexel students and support translational research. Parkway Health & Wellness provides services and research in physical therapy and rehabilitation science, nutrition science, couple and family therapy and the creative arts therapies (art, dance/movement and music). The Running Performance & Research Center, located within Parkway Health & Wellness, conducts running assessments and metabolic testing. Clinical space is available for the Drexel faculty to practice what they teach while providing hands-on experiential education for students in the various clinical disciplines. There are specialty research lab spaces to promote and accommodate the growth of faculty-led human subject research while incorporating the College’s growing number of PhD students in ongoing research projects.
Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services ribbon cutting ceremony
2015
  • A November ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrates the expansion of the “Miracle on 11th Street.” The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University doubles in size to 34,000 square feet with a new, two-story wing. Community members can now participate in art, music and dance movement therapies, and exercise in a fitness center. They can receive nutritional support and education, dental services, physical therapy and primary care integrated with behavioral health services.
  • Philadelphia Magazine recognizes the Running Performance & Research Center at Parkway Health & Wellness of Drexel University as the 2015 Best Place to Fix Your Running Form.
  • The PhD in Nursing program admits its first class.
  • BAYADA Home Health Care establishes the BAYADA Home Health Care Speaker Series at the College with an inaugural lecture featuring Stella Lucia Volpe, PhD, chair and professor, Department of Nutrition Sciences, who presented: “Obesity and Diabetes Prevention: What Does the Research Say?”
  • Loretta Sweet Jemmott, RN, PhD, vice president for Health and Health Equity and professor of nursing, begins “We’re Here Because We Care: Building Healthy Communities Together.” This initiative aims to identify and address health and wellness concerns within the West Philadelphia Promise Zone and design evidence-based sustainable resources to meet the community’s needs, promote health and prevent diseases.
Dean Donnelly • Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions
2016
  • The first graduates of the Human Lactation Consultant program, housed in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, successfully pass the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) exam.
  • The Mother-Baby Connections program, co-designed by Bobbie Posmontier, PhD, is a multidisciplinary program emphasizing the mother’s relationship with her baby and partner for preventing post-partum depression. The program, located at Parkway Health and Wellness, encourages moms to participate in therapeutic activities with their infants.
  • After accomplishing her goal of consolidating all CNHP faculty, staff and operations into Three Parkway in February 2016, Dr. Gloria Donnelly, dean and professor, announces her exit from the deanship at the end of the 2015 – 16 academic year. Under her 20 years of leadership, the College grew to accommodate nearly 5,000 students, more than 50% of the University’s online enrollment and more than 20% of its graduate enrollment. Susan Smith, PT, PhD, an associate dean for research and health professions graduate education; chair of the Department of Health Systems & Sciences Research; and interim chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, is appointed as the interim dean.
Loretta Sweet Jemmott, PhD, FAAN Vice President, Health and Health Equity, Drexel University Professor, College of Nursing and Health Professions
2017
  • The Dornsife Community Wellness Hub of the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions opens with a Rally 4 Wellness Community Health Fair on April 8.  It offers screening services to all and health care to uninsured residents of the Mantua and Powelton Village communities.
  • The CNHP establishes its first research center.  Directed by Guy Diamond, PhD, The Center for Family Intervention Science (CFIS), fosters interprofessional collaborations among faculty interested in research that promotes family strengths and reduces barriers to child and family heath and wellbeing.  The Center commits to working with diverse populations throughout the life span in both university and community settings.  PhD students and post-doctoral fellows in the College with interest in family-centered interventions can engage in Center activities that support training, clinical, and policy-related activities related to family intervention science.
Laura N. Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, FAAN • Distinguished University Professor and Dean
2018
  • Dr. Laura N. Gitlin, distinguished university professor and Dean, begins her tenure on February 1. Dr. Gitlin is nationally and internationally recognized for her research on developing, evaluating and implementing novel home and community-based interventions that improve quality of life of persons with dementia and their family caregivers, enhance daily function of older adults with disability and address mental health disparities. She is a well-funded researcher, having received continuous research and training grants from federal agencies and private foundations for over 35 years. She will contribute her expertise and guidance to a steadily growing college that works to train the next generation of culturally competent and socially just nurses and health professionals.
  • In June, the College awards 1,634 degrees — 823 bachelor’s, 557 master’s, 93 doctoral degrees and 161 certificates.
  • By the end of the fall quarter, the College represents 20.1% of overall Drexel University’s student population, 34% of all graduate students, 14% of all undergraduate students and 48.4% of all online students and has a global network of more than 30,000 alumni.
  • The decision to concentrate the focus Parkway Health & Wellness on providing opportunities for experiential education opportunities for Drexel students and support translational research is made after assessing the efficacy of providing healthcare services to the general community.
  • College Factual rates the pre-licensure BSN programs as 3rd in the country and 1st in Pennsylvania out of 519 programs evaluated nationwide. US News & World Report ranks the online Graduate Nursing programs as 35th and the Nurse Anesthesia program as 43rd in the nation.
  • Fifteen new programs, degrees, minors and certificates are added.