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Exhibits

Archives & Special Collection's exhibits program includes both virtual and physical exhibits. Physical exhibits are primarily installed on campus in the Health Sciences Library, with special exhibits and displays being done at University Hospital and other select locations.

Elizabeth Blackwell Exhibit

Elizabeth Blackwell Exhibit

At the 1849 commencement of the Geneva College of Medicine, Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to complete a formal course of medical study, vowed "It shall be the effort of my life, with the help of the Most High, to shed honour on my diploma". Dr. Blackwell spent the remainder of her days working tirelessly to advance the role of women in medicine. She labored on two continents, and in multiple countries, to advance the cause of women, who she felt were naturally inclined to the role of physician. This exhibit, completed to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of her birth, examines her efforts; the triumphs, challenges, and sacrifices made by a pioneer in the history of medicine.

Elizabeth Blackwell Exhibit

History of SUNY Upstate Medical University

History of SUNY Upstate Medical University

At the time of its founding, the Medical Institution at Geneva College was the seventh medical school established in New York State. Today, the medical school lives on as the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, the second oldest surviving medical school in New York, behind Columbia University College of Medicine, and the sixteenth oldest surviving medical school in North America.

This exhibition is an abbreviated history of Upstate Medical University from its beginnings as Geneva Medical College through the present day. It tracks the various names assigned to the University over the years and features information on key events, new buildings, administration, and major curriculum and program changes.

History of SUNY Upstate Medical University

Portrait Collection Exhibition

Portrait Collection Exhibition

This virtual exhibition provides a look at the fine art portraits found in the SUNY Upstate Portrait Collection. The portraits are featured on the timeline according to the date the work was painted. Biographical information for the subjects is provided along with the name of the artist. The University’s Portrait Collection features individuals of prominence in the history of Upstate dating back to the days of the Syracuse University College of Medicine. The subjects of these portraits include administrators, faculty, and alumni whose lives serve as an inspiration to the Upstate Community. The portraits are indicative of the culture of the University over time and serve as vignettes of the University’s priorities throughout its history.

Portrait Collection Exhibition

Carlyle F. & Ellen Cook Jacobsen Timeline

Carlyle F. & Ellen Cook Jacobsen Timeline

Carlyle F. Jacobsen PhD and Ellen Cook Jacobsen MD were both influential in the early years of Upstate Medical University. Carlyle “Jake” Jacobsen was the first President of the University and spent the later half of the 1940s establishing both Upstate and Downstate medical schools for the newly established SUNY system. He was a renowned researcher whose work with frontal lobe ablation in chimpanzees was foundational for later research involving the frontal lobe in humans.

Ellen “Cookie” Jacobsen was a 1950 graduate of the Syracuse University College of Medicine and the first woman to become a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at Upstate. She established the employee and student health services on campus and was the first faculty member to hold appointments in two departments (Medicine and Psychiatry).

This exhibition celebrates their careers and highlights their many contributions to Upstate Medical University and was launched in conjunction with the 2014 dedication of the Carlyle F. and Ellen Cook Jacobsen Lobby in Weiskotten Hall.

Carlyle F. & Ellen Cook Jacobsen Timeline
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