Health History Library Renamed in Honor of Henry R. Winkler

Cincinnati—The University of Cincinnati (UC) Board of Trustees today approved the renaming of the Center for the History of the Health Professions.

The new name—the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions—honors the president emeritus of UC and former chair of the center’s advisory board.

“The University of Cincinnati remains truly fortunate to benefit from the longstanding commitment and support of President Emeritus Henry Winkler and his wife, Bea. We are thrilled to be able to honor Dr. Winkler in this way,” said Nancy Zimpher, PhD, president of UC.

Winkler received his bachelor’s (A&S, ’38) and master’s (A&S, ’40) degrees in history from UC and his doctorate from the University of Chicago. He taught briefly at UC and at Roosevelt College before joining the faculty at Rutgers University, where he served from 1947 until his retirement in 1977. At Rutgers he moved through the various faculty and administrative ranks serving first as dean of the faculty of liberal arts, then vice president for faculty affairs and finally executive vice president.

In 1977, Winkler returned to UC to serve as executive vice president and was named president by year’s end, serving until 1984. As president he oversaw the smooth transition of the university from its municipal status to that of a state university.

A well-respected historian of 20th-century Britain, Winkler continued to teach, publish and serve on numerous state and national committees and commissions after his term as UC’s president. He has authored or edited seven books, dozens of journal articles and book chapters and over 200 reviews. In addition, during the 1960s he was editor of the American Historical Review.

In 1986, Winkler became involved with the Center for the History of the Health Professions, known then as the Medical Heritage Center. Founded in 1974, the Center is a collection of rare books on the history of medicine; archives of internationally prominent medical figures, including Albert Sabin, MD; and historic photographs, oral histories, medical artifacts and medical instruments.

Winkler served as chair of the center’s advisory board from 1986-2006 and continues as vice chair today. 

He provided visionary leadership for the center throughout critical times and is largely responsible for the center’s new, outstanding facility within the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, which will house the center’s collections in their entirety after Phase II construction of the Winkler Center is funded and completed.

“Dr. Winkler has been a champion of our libraries throughout his tenure at the University of Cincinnati,” said Victoria Montavon, PhD, dean and university librarian. “President Emeritus Winkler’s dedicated and steadfast support for the Center for the History of the Health Professions makes it most appropriate to honor him by naming the Center for him.”

More information about the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions is available at www.libraries.uc.edu/hsl/history.