30 Years of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

This year we are celebrating the dies natalis of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at McGovern Medical School. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since Dr. Samuel Kaplan left the University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana to take up the challenge of creating a new department at what was then known as the University of Texas – Houston Medical School. Armed with laboratory space in the old John Freeman Building, classroom space in the Medical School Building, and an ambitious vision, Dr. S. Kaplan hired one full professor, one associate professor, and four shiny young tenure-track assistant professors. He also welcomed two medical school teaching faculty into the department. Classrooms in the MSB were turned into laboratories, staff were hired, the departmental library was filled with books and journals, and within a year or two, the MMG graduate program was born.

On Friday, November 8, 2019 we will have a grand celebration of our history, while recognizing our present and envisioning our future. Members and friends of the department, both current and past, will gather for a full day of science and fellowship, ending with a special dinner. So mark your calendars! We have much to be thankful for and much to be excited about.