Alert: Canvas Outage Update
Canvas access has been restored for our users, but the service reliability remains uncertain. Due to recent events, Canvas has had intermittent outages which are at the discretion of the vendor and may occur during a final exam. Faculty and staff may continue to use Canvas, but we strongly advise faculty and students to prepare a contingency plan for turning in assignments and final exams in the event Canvas access becomes unavailable again.
Instructure, the company that owns Canvas, has provided an FAQ about the incident, which may not answer all your questions. We will share more information if it becomes available.
Instructure, the company that owns Canvas, has provided an FAQ about the incident, which may not answer all your questions. We will share more information if it becomes available.
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CU Anschutz School of Medicine Timeline
May 2026
1883: The School of Medicine legacy begins on the CU Boulder campus with two rooms, two professors, two instructors, and just two students.
1891: Nelly Mayo is the first woman to graduate from the school. From its origin in the 1880s, school bylaws required that women be accepted for admission on an equal basis with men.
1916: Charles Meader, MD, is named dean of the School of Medicine. He plays a pivotal role consolidating the schools of medicine and nursing into a central location in Denver, at the CU Health Sciences Campus at 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
1918: Army Hospital No. 21 opens in north Aurora to provide care for World War I soldiers returning from Europe with respiratory problems, mainly from chemical weapons and tuberculosis. A year later, the site is renamed the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center to honor Lt. William T. Fitzsimons.
1938: Federal funds are approved to build a new hospital. It will become the biggest structure in Colorado at the time.
1941: Injured World War II troops begin to arrive at Fitzsimons, just days after the new hospital is dedicated. During the height of the war, as many as 5,000 patients at a time were at Fitzsimons, according to military records.
1955: President Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the most famous patient of Fitzsimons after being treated for a heart attack.
1992: After serving as interim dean for two years, Richard Krugman, MD, is permanently named dean of the School of Medicine. He oversees the move from 9th and Colorado to the Aurora Anschutz campus.
1997: The City of Aurora and CU agree to the redevelopment of the Fitzsimons site after the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommends the closure of the army hospital.
2006: Fitzsimons is renamed Anschutz Medical Campus, recognizing more than $90 million in donations from The Anschutz Foundation to support constructing new state-of-the-art facilities.
2007: UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado open at CU Anschutz.
2015: John J. Reilly, Jr. MD, is named dean of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine. He serves the post for nine years.
2019: The Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center opens at CU Anschutz, bringing the total number of hospital partners on the campus to three.
2021: The new Anschutz Health Sciences Building opens, providing nearly 400,000 square feet of functional space for education, research, and clinical programs.
2024: John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, is named dean of the School of Medicine, embarking on a journey toward becoming a top 10 medical school within the next 10 years. 