May 28, 2025

On May 21, 2025, faculty, alumni, students and guests gathered on the 9th floor of Drexel University College of Medicine’s Health Sciences Building to celebrate a new exhibit. The installation, titled “Medical Student Life & Culture: W/MCP, Hahnemann, Drexel,” offers a vivid window into the lived experiences of medical students from the 1850s to the 2000s, featuring photos, artifacts and personal items displayed on a timeline.

The exhibit was developed by the Legacy Center: Archives and Special Collections, the Drexel Founding Collection, and the Health Sciences Building advisory group for art and historical exhibits. It was created with input from students, faculty and professional staff of the College of Medicine, the College of Nursing and Health Professions, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies.

View the virtual exhibit pages on the Legacy Center website.

A central feature of the new installation is a statue of Dr. June F. Klinghoffer, a 1945 graduate of Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania and tenured faculty member. Dr. Klinghoffer spent more than 60 years teaching and mentoring students, and the College of Medicine annually presents the June Klinghoffer Clinical Educator Award to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in clinical skills education and innovative mentorship.

Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean and Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs Charles B. Cairns, MD, emphasized Dr. Klinghoffer’s impact. “As a faculty member and advisor, she truly had an unmatched and far-reaching influence on the education and lives of countless students, residents, colleagues, professional staff and patients. Her office door was always open to provide support to everyone. She served her rheumatology patients with the same devotion and care that she brought to her work with her students and trainees.”

Robert K. Wenger, MD, MCP ’83, and his family generously funded the new exhibit. He spoke at the event in honor of his mother, Dr. Klinghoffer, and reflected on her devotion to students. “What better place for my mother’s statue than here? She was guided by her love of medicine, her love for her school and her love of teaching her students,” he said. “My mother, I’m sure, would be thrilled to know that she now stands here, a permanent part of Drexel University College of Medicine, as a guardian to the history of women in medicine, diversity, and most of all, where she will be an inspiration to young physicians for years to come.”

The event also featured perspectives from students. Tanaisha Italia, MD ’27, noted, “I think [the exhibit] captures the whirlwind of experiences that are possible throughout training, with time in the classroom, clinics, hospitals, recreational activities and out in the community. Medicine doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and this exhibit reflects that.” This sentiment is echoed in the exhibit’s design, which blends photos, personal items and artifacts to tell the story of medical student life across generations.

The exhibit serves as a reminder of the College of Medicine’s robust history and the people who have shaped it. Visitors to the Health Sciences Building are reminded that the legacy of medical education is not just about institutions and accolades — it's about the importance of student life and mentorship.