1972 » The University of Texas Board of Regents established The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, merging six schools and programs into the new organization, which now included the Dental Branch, established in 1905; Division of Continuing Education, established in 1948; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, established in 1963; Medical School, established in 1967; School of Public Health, established in 1967; and the Speech and Hearing Institute, established in 1951.

The University of Texas System School of Nursing was established.

The John H. Freeman Building, part of The University of Texas Medical School, was completed.

The University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences was organized as a unit of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston graduated its first class of 22 physicians.

1974 » The University of Texas acquired the 19-story Prudential Building with 25 acres of land.

The first class graduated from The University of Texas System School of Nursing in Houston.

1976 » The University of Texas School of Nursing became a unit of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The University of Texas School of Public Health completed Phase II in its building program and occupied a total of 235,000 square feet.

1977 » Phase II construction of The University of Texas Medical School Building was completed.

The main building of The University of Texas School of Public Health was occupied. It was later named the Reuel A. Stallones Building in recognition of the founding dean, who served from 1967 until 1986.

1978 » The University of Texas acquired 105 acres of land south of Old Spanish Trail to be used for student housing and other facilities.

The main building of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston was completed.

1979 » The University of Texas Medical School at Houston phased out its three-year curriculum, replacing it with a four-year curriculum.

The University of Texas School of Public Health established a regional campus program in San Antonio.

1981 » The University of Texas properties were declared a part of the Texas Medical Center, adding approximately 140 acres to the campus.

1982 » James “Red” Duke, M.D., professor of surgery at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, hosted the first televised program that would eventually evolve into an internationally syndicated health segment for television.

1984 » The Positron Diagnostic and Research Center, located in The University of Texas Medical School, was dedicated.

Harris County Psychiatric Center held its ground breaking ceremonies.

1985 » Operation of the Texas Research Institute for Mental Sciences was transferred to The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and the name was changed to The University of Texas Mental Sciences Institute.

1986 » The University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center was established by the State of Texas Legislature to function as a university mental health care hospital and to serve as the primary provider of acute inpatient psychiatric care for all of Harris County’s indigent residents. The Harris County Psychiatric Center opened four of its hospital units.

Webber Plaza, the green space between the Jesse Jones Library building and The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, was dedicated in honor of late dean Frank Webber, M.D.

The University of Texas School of Public Health completed the top three floors of shell space in the 11-story Reuel A. Stallones Building.

1987 » The University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center’s 250-bed hospital was completed.

1988 » A 100,000 square-foot addition to The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston was dedicated.

1990 » An affiliation between The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and the Harris County Hospital District (Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital) was approved.

1991 » The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston established UT Health Services, a nurse-managed clinic that provides patient care and a unique opportunity for clinical training.

1992 » The University of Texas School of Public Health established a regional campus program in El Paso.

1995 » The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston established the Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, a vision of James T. Willerson, M.D., to explore the molecular basis of diseases. The first director, Hans Müller-Eberhard, M.D., Ph.D., and the first faculty member, Irma Gigli, M.D., were recruited.

The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston phased out the Dental Science Institute, with its research emphasis being replicated and strengthened within other areas of the school.

The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston began offering the Doctor of Science in Nursing degree, the only clinical research nursing doctoral program in Texas.

1996 » The Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases – a part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – occupied its first space in the Albert Alkek Building of the Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

1997 » The University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences at Houston reorganized to focus on health informatics.

1998 » Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, was named co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. This award made him the first Nobel laureate in residence at the Texas Medical Center.

The University of Texas School of Public Health established a regional campus program in Dallas.

2000 » R. Palmer Beasley, M.D., dean of The University of Texas School of Public Health, received the Prince Mahidol Award for Medicine from the king of Thailand for his pioneering research on hepatitis B. His effort to provide immunization against hepatitis B is saving the lives of millions worldwide.

2001 » The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Heart Institute and Baylor College of Medicine established Texas Medical Center Genetics Resource (TexGen) to collect clinical information and genetic samples voluntarily from patients for research into the causes of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Tropical Storm Allison hit the Texas Medical Center and filled The University of Texas Medical School basement and one foot of the ground floor with 10 million gallons of water, destroying all research animals, extensive medical equipment, files and records. The Medical School Building was officially closed for one month during the cleanup.

The University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences officially changed its name to The University of Texas School of Health Information Sciences at Houston, reflecting its mission as the first such school in the nation to offer graduate degrees in health informatics.

The University of Texas School of Public Health established a regional campus program in Brownsville.

A milestone of more than 1,000 alumni was reached at The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, and a UT-GSBS Alumni Association was initiated.

2002 » The Texas State Legislature passed legislation that enabled The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center to jointly operate the UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences programs and award degrees with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The school includes faculty and students at the six UT Health Science Center at Houston schools, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

A collaboration of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Heart Institute and Baylor College of Medicine, TexGen expanded collection of clinical information and genetic samples voluntarily from patients in Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and The Methodist Hospital.

Governor Rick Perry designated a center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as Texas’ state center for early childhood development. The center is called CIRCLE, Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education.

The School of Dental Hygiene at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston accepted its first Bachelor of Science class with 10 students. Prior to this time, the program offered only certificates.

2003 » The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston had a groundbreaking for a new building to house the Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases.

2004 » A ribbon-cutting and dedication marked the opening of the School of Nursing and Student Community Center of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The eight-story, $57 million facility is the first purpose-built home for the UT School of Nursing in its 32-year history and the first with designated space for students from all six schools of the health science center. The building was selected by the American Institute of Architects, Committee on the Environment, for the national organization’s “Top 10 Green Projects Award,” the first of many awards for the largest environmentally friendly academic building in the Southwest.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston purchased the former Hermann Professional Building at 6410 Fannin St. and renamed it The University of Texas Health Science Center Professional Building.

The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases became the official name of the institute in recognition of a $20 million gift by The Brown Foundation Inc. to The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston opened new state-of-the-art gross anatomy facilities, imaging center, Learning Resource Center and Leather Lounge – all reconstructed as a result of Tropical Storm Allison.

Catherine M. Flaitz, D.D.S., became the first female dean of The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston after serving as interim dean for two years.

The first 10 students admitted into the School of Dental Hygiene’s bachelor's degree program at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston graduated with a B.S. in Dental Hygiene.

The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston and the Greater Houston Dental Society co-sponsored the first Centennial Smiles day, providing free dental care to low-income patients.

2005 » The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston celebrated its centennial.

The Texas Medical Center dedicated a street to the late Frederick C. Elliott, D.D.S., one of the founders of the Texas Medical Center and dean of The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston from 1932-1952.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved the Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building as the name of the new building to house The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases. The name recognized the largest gift ever received by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston - $25 million to advance stem cell research.

Groundbreaking was held for The University of Texas Medical School at Houston’s six-story Replacement Research Facility adjacent to the Medical School Building, replacing space lost as a result of Tropical Storm Allison. The John Freeman Building was razed to make room for the $80.53 million building, which encompasses 208,500 square feet.

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the basement of the Medical School Building, marking the final stage of the reconstruction following the devastation of Tropical Storm Allison.

The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston moved to its permanent home in the June and Virgil Waggoner Academic Hall of the George and Cynthia Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building.

2006 » Ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremonies marked the opening of the Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building as home for The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases – a part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The seven-story building was designed to promote the well-being of the users, as well as their productivity.

The Texas Legislature approved $60 million in Tuition Revenue Bonds toward the construction of a new building for The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston.

The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System allocated a total of $77.1 million from the Permanent University Fund (PUF) to three new construction projects at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – a Biomedical Research and Education Center as a home for adult stem cell research and teaching, a new building for The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston, and ongoing construction of the Replacement Research Facility at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

The National Institutes of Health awarded The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston a $36 million, five-year grant to enhance clinical and translational research, ultimately improving patient care and community health. The UT Health Science Center became home to one of the nation’s first 12 Centers for Clinical and Translational Sciences and the only one of its kind in Texas.

The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston began offering the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the first in Texas. The program emphasizes evidence-based practice and translating research into bedside practice.

The Dan L. Duncan Children’s Neurodevelopmental Clinic was established within the Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to research and develop interventions that will assist children with developmental and learning disorders.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and TIRR Systems (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research) announced a merger in research and education that focuses exclusively on rehabilitation in five major areas: brain injury, spinal cord injury, independent living, neuromuscular disease and adaptive technologies.

Three institutions of The University of Texas System – the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UT Austin, the UT Health Science Center at Houston and the UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center – joined to form a new biomedical engineering program to operate in Houston and Austin.

The Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living was founded in Austin, bringing together and expanding programs on child health and human nutrition of The University of Texas School of Public Health.

2007 » Stanley Schultz, M.D., received the Prince Mahidol Award for Medicine from the king of Thailand for his pioneering research that led to the development of oral rehydration therapy, which is estimated to have saved more than 40 million lives in the past 30 years. Dr. Schultz is professor of integrative biology and pharmacology and holder of the Fondren Chair in Cellular Signaling and the H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professorship in the Medical Sciences at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

The number of students at The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston increased to 550 with one-third of the students from Texas, one-third from the rest of the United States, and one-third from over 20 countries.