Phi Chi () is an international co-ed medical fraternity.. Phi Chi formed from the 1905 merging of two professional medical fraternities bearing the same name. Phi Chi Society (Phi Chi East) was founded in 1889, at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

. Phi Chi Medical Fraternity (Phi Chi South) was founded in 1894, at the Louisville Medical College in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. Phi Chi has grown to include chapters in five countries. It is a former member of the

Professional Fraternity Association The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an American association of national, college, collegiate, professional fraternities and sororities that was formed in . Since PFA groups are discipline-specific, members join while pursuing gradua ...

History

Phi Chi Society of the East

Phi Chi Medical Fraternity of the South

“October 26, 1894, at four o’clock, p.m., there assembled in the office of Doctor Clinton Kelly” of the faculty of the Louisville Medical College, “A. Harris Kelly, Samuel T. McClung, G. Fowler Border, Joseph N. Powers, George E. Gavin, Charles W. Hibbitt, and Linn L. Kennedy (all of whom became members of ''Alpha'' of the Southern Fraternity; now ''Alpha Alpha'') to organize a fraternity.” The first members of the Southern Fraternity consisted of the previously mentioned as well as Carey A. Gray and Walker B. Gossett. On November 5, 1894, a committee was appointed to draft a constitution and not until November 17, were the first officers elected: Presiding Senior, McClung; Presiding Junior, Gossett; Secretary, Kennedy, and Powers, Treasurer (Judge Advocate and the minor officers had not been provided for). Wedding, Chapman, and Shacklett were elected to membership and included with Gossett and Gray in the charter listing of members. The First Regular Meeting was held on Saturday, December 8, 1894. On December 29, 1894, D.A. Garrison, O. K. Harris, E. Rea Norris, and A.P. Campbell were to complete the charter members. ''Beta'' and ''Gamma'' chapters were installed in December 1896. On February 26, 1897, the first Grand Chapter Convention of Southern Phi Chi chapters (''Alpha, Beta, Gamma,'' and ''Delta'') was called; this date later became Founder's Day. The first volume of ''The Phi Chi Quarterly'', the name of the official fraternal publication, was published on April 1, 1904; its name was changed to ''The Phi Chi Chronicles'' in 1989.

Phi Chi Medical Fraternity

On March 5, 1905, Phi Chi Medical Fraternity (Southern Phi Chi) and Phi Chi Society (Eastern Phi Chi) were joined in Baltimore, Maryland, making Phi Chi the largest medical fraternity in America. Chapter names that conflicted during the joining were resolved by allowing the older chapter to retain its single name and the second chapter to have its name duplicated (''Alpha'', University of Vermont, 1889; ''Alpha Alpha'', Louisville Medical College, 1894). On July 1, 1910, the first history of Phi Chi was published. In 1915, the first ''Phi Chi Directory'' was published with 37 active chapters (some chapters had been consolidated) and 6,790 initiated members. 1922 saw the merger of Pi Mu Honor Society and Phi Chi, as well as the chartering of the Beta Mu chapter at

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, Phi Chi's first Canadian Chapter, on May 15. In December 1925, the 24th Grand Chapter Convention was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In 1927, the Student Loan Fund was created to provide emergency loans for members in need; it was run by the Phi Chi Welfare Association after its incorporation in 1949. On February 21, 1948, Phi Alpha Gamma and Phi Chi merged. On February 26, 1960, the fraternity became international with the chartering of the ''Omega chapter'' at

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. On May 21, 1962, ΥΒ chapter was chartered at

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

. At the XL Grand Chapter Convention in 1973, women medical students were allowed membership. ''Alpha Alpha'' and ''Alpha Beta'' alumni chapters are chartered in September 1989.

Chapters

Phi Chi East was founded in 1889. Phi Chi South was formed in 1894. When the two fraternities combined in 1905, when the name of two chapters conflicted, the chapter with precedence would retain the single letter, and the chapter following shall duplicate its name, such as ''Alpha (''1889),

, and ''Alpha'' of Louisville (1894), with the latter becoming ''Alpha Alpha''.

Notable members

References

Bibliography

* * * * Cannon, Daniel H. (2005). ''Phi Chi Chronicles, vol. 11''. Phi Chi Quarterly Office. * Cannon Daniel H. (2009), ''Phi Chi Chronicles, vol. 13''. Phi Chi Quarterly Office.

External links

Phi Chi Medical Fraternity, Inc. National Page
{{Authority control International student societies Fraternities and sororities in the United States Professional medical fraternities and sororities in the United States Fraternities and sororities in Canada 1889 establishments in Vermont 1894 establishments in Kentucky 1905 establishments in the United States Student organizations established in 1889 Medical associations based in the United States Former members of Professional Fraternity Association