Student Life & Culture at Drexel's Legacy Medical Schools exhibit
now open on HSB's 9th floor!

We are grateful for the support of Dr. Robert Wenger, MCP 1983, who dedicates the exhibit to his mother, Dr. June Klinghoffer, WMCP 1945 and beloved WMCP faculty member (seen above in statue at right). 

The Legacy Center Archives & Special Collections, in partnership with the Drexel Founding Collection and representatives from the health sciences, are developing exhibits and galleries throughout the Health Sciences Building that represent the 175+ years of rich history of the College of Medicine including its significance for women in medicine and its role as the foundation for all the Drexel health science programs. These exhibits will replace the temporary murals currently installed.

See below for statuses on the additional exhibit locations.

Support

If you are interested in making a gift in support of this project, please reach out to Margaret Graham, Legacy Center director, Jill Rall, Institutional Advancement, or donate directly at this link for designated donations to the Legacy Center. 

Who is doing the work?

The HSB Advisory Group for Art and Historical Exhibits is guiding the process. In addition to Legacy Center and Drexel Founding Collections staff, the group is composed of staff, faculty, and students representing the three schools that occupy HSB (College of Medicine; College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP); and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences) as well as staff from the College of Medicine Communications and Marketing Department, Institutional Advancement, and Facilities and Real Estate. Interns and recent Drexel graduates are actively involved with curation, design, and exhibit production. A Drexel co-op student designed the existing temporary exhibits. An outside design firm will design the main exhibits.

Project status as of April 23, 2025

Permanent exhibits are planned for the following locations, most of which have temporary exhibits currently installed. In most cases the temporary exhibits will remain in place until the permanent plan is executed.

First floor

Content of the current mural exhibits will be updated with the amphitheater photograph backgrounds retained and the fabrication means will be upgraded. Content will be made accessible for all abilities through virtual content hosted at minimum on a website; possibly through an app. The virtual content will also showcase additional related content, deepening the user experience.

Second floor

The current mural exhibit will be replaced with a history gallery composed of portraiture, archival material and artifacts reflecting all three schools that occupy the building, centered around themes of innovation, service, and inclusivity. The exhibit will be designed by an external firm incorporating archival materials, art and artifacts from the collections.

A secondary small exhibit space will support the display of 2-dimensional contemporary content provided by the three schools who are residents of the building. 

Third floor

The tentative plan is to update the current College of Nursing and Health Professions mural exhibit with additional and/or different content.

Fifth floor

The tentative plan is to create a mural exhibit reflecting the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences with a possible second mural reflecting more about the College of Nursing and Health Professions.

Ninth floor

The Student Life & Culture at Drexel's Legacy Medical Schools exhibit is complete and on view in the alcove facing the elevator lobby.

The current wall mural reflecting inclusivity at the College of Medicine will be upgraded following the recommendations of the online surveys, the project's advisory group, and student listening sessions. With more content and improved design and materials, the new mural will be larger in scale and provide more context on the individuals portrayed.

Medical school portraiture

Fourteen portraits of medical school faculty and leadership have been installed in the first floor Klahr Classroom. Portraits will rotate periodically for exposure to more history and additional portraits will be hung as other feature locations are identified.

Timeline

Last updated April 23, 2025

• August 7, 2023: Installation of current temporary graphics throughout HSB 
• December 13, 2023: Kick-off meeting for permanent installations  
• April 24, 2024: Installation of Dr. June Klinghoffer sculpture on 9th floor 
• Fall 2024-Spring 2025: Design and content development for overall project 
• Spring 2025: Completion of Med Student Life exhibit
• Spring 2025: Initial selection of medical school portraits installed 
• Fall 2025: Fabrication and installation of 2nd floor history gallery 
• January 2026: Completion of 2nd floor history gallery
• Future: Completion of Art & Historic Exhibits in the Health Sciences Building in remaining locations