MGH Institute of Health Professions history

In 1980, the Institute began holding classes in Ruth Sleeper Hall in the basement of Mass General.

In 1982, the first Master of Science in Nursing students were admitted.

The first degrees granted was a Master of Science in Physical Therapy with the first class graduating in 1983.

In 1985, the MGH Institute was incorporated with an independent Board of Trustees, hired its first President, and received initial accreditation from the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

In 1996, the Institute added a program in clinical investigation, and the speech-language pathology program was awarded teacher certification by the Massachusetts Department of Education.

In 1997, an Alumni Association was established, the first students were admitted to the clinical investigation program, and the speech-language pathology program and the physical therapy programs gained accreditation by their respective specialized accrediting agencies.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy in 1999, when the first online courses were also offered.

The Institute found a permanent home to greet the 21st Century, when in 2000 it purchased Building 36, a former joiners building in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Named the Catherine Filene Shouse Building, after the generous support from the Shouse Foundation, it was renovated into a state-of-the-art educational facility that opened in December 2001.

The MGH Institute celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2002 with the dedication of the Catherine Filene Shouse Building, its new home in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

The 2004 Commencement activities were expanded to include an Honors Convocation.

In 2005, a Distinguished Alumni Award was established.

In 2006, the Distinguished Alumni Award was renamed in honor of Bette Ann Harris '83, the Institute’s first degree recipient.

In 2007, the Institute held its first annual Gala to generate additional scholarship funds to support students attending the school.

In 2008, the Institute expanded from one to three buildings as enrollment reached 900 students.

In 2009, the Graduate Program in Nursing became the MGH Institute School of Nursing, and the Communication Sciences and Disorders and Physical Therapy programs became departments and were organized into a School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

In 2012, the Institute expanded into a fourth building adjacent to the United StatesS. constitution, better known as Old Ironsides.

In 2014, the first students enrolled in the OTD program, while the School of Nursing programs and the Doctor of Physical Therapy program were re-accredited for another 10 years.

By 2015, the school had grown to more than 139,000 square feet spanning seven buildings.

In 2017, the first classes of students in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy and Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies programs brings to more than 7,200 the number of graduates during the IHP's first 40 years.

In 2018, the IHP launched the Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health, the first nurse-led initiative to combat the effects of global warming.

A total of 594 members of the Class of 2019 received doctoral, master’s, or bachelor’s degrees, or certificates, in nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation sciences, and health professions education.

In March 2020, the IHP shifted to a fully remote operation in response to the coronavirus pandemic.