School of Pharmacy :: History

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was founded in 1925 on the initiative of Alexandros Papanastasiou and begun to operate with five faculties: Theology, Philosophy, Law and Economics, Physics and Mathematics, and Medicine. The Schools of Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physiognosy (Biology - Geology) and, in 1955, the School of Pharmacy, were gradually added to the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics.

Initially, the newly established School of Pharmacy enrolled twenty students per year and the teaching staff were ten full professors and four assistant professors. The majority of the faculty members belonged to the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics (6) and the Faculty of Medicine (5). As it is obvious, the School of Pharmacy of Thessaloniki started its life somewhere between the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics and the Faculty of Medicine, a place that it has kept until the present day.

The School of Pharmacy was initially comprised of two Academic Chairs: a) the Chair of Pharmaceutical Chemistry with elements of Pharmacognosy, and b) the Chair of Pharmacotechniques and Pharmaceutical Technology, and by two Laboratories: a) the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemistry with elements of Pharmacognosy and b) the Laboratory of Pharmacotechniques and of Control of Medicines. The pharmaceutical courses were initially taught by the late Konstantinos Makris, who taught Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacotechniques. Around 1970, following Prof. Makris’ retirement in 1968, the pharmaceutical courses were assumed by the late Professors Georgios Fokas (Pharmacognosy & Pharmaceutical Chemistry) and  Nikolaos Ikonomou-Petrovits (Pharmaceutical Technology - Prescription formulation techniques). Very soon, new courses were added and Pharmaceutical Chemistry was separated from Pharmacognosy. In 1985, the Department of Pharmacognosy-Pharmacology was created and two new laboratories, of Pharmacognostics and of Pharmacology were added.

Since its foundation and until 1989, the School of Pharmacy was housed on the 3^rd floor of the Chemistry Building. In 1989 the School was transferred to its new facilities in the newly built Building of Pharmacy & Biology, where it is located until the present day.

Currently, the School of Pharmacy enrolls 110 to 150 students per year. Its faculty consists of five professors, ten associate professors, five assistant professors and five lecturers. Faculty members from the Schools of Chemistry, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Mathematics, Physics and Biology teach the non-pharmaceutical courses.