# Phi Rho Sigma

Phi Rho Sigma Society (ΦΡΣ) is a co-educational medical fraternity founded by medical students at Northwestern University in 1890.

## History

Phi Rho Sigma Medical Fraternity was founded at the Chicago Medical College (now Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) on October 31, 1890. Its founder was Milbank Johnson, along with, H. H. Forline, J. A. Poling, and T. J. Robeson. Johnson became the fraternity's first president and designed its badge.
The fraternity expanded to include Beta chapter at the University of Illinois in the fall of 1894 and Gamma chapter at the University of Chicago in the fall of 1895. Alpha chapter offer saw the general affairs of the fraternity until 1896 when a grand chapter was formed. The grand chapter consisted of three members from each chapter who were elected annually. The grand chapter could issue charters and enact laws.
In response to the addition of new chapters, the fraternity adopted a revised constitution on March 20, 1899, which specified that the grand chapter would meet biennially and would consist of two delegates from each chapter. Its first general convention was held in Chicago on July 3, 1899 through July 5, 1899. Conventions have been held as of 1920 biennially. Between conventions, the executive power of the fraternity is vested in a grand council composed of seven members who all reside in the same vicinity.
The fraternity's periodical, Phi Rho Sigma Journal, began in January 1900. Its first editor was Dr. T. B. Swartz of the Alpha chapter; he served in this capacity for four years. The Iota chapter also published a magazine called The Iota for many years.
At the grand chapter meeting in July 1901, the constitution was amended to allow alumni chapters. The Chicago Alumni chapter was chartered on November 5, 1901. Its founders were Dr. E. W. Andrews, Dr. Charles M. Gleason, Dr. Frank Jay, Dr. Mortimer Frank, and Dr. D. E. W. Wenstrand.
At the grand council meeting of February 20, 1908, the various chapters were divided into districts that were overseen by district managers. The five districts included Eastern (Lambda), Erie (Kappa, Nu, Phi, Rho, Sigma, Skull and Septre, Upislon, and Zeta), Chicago (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Omicron, and Pi), Mississippi (Eta, Theta, Iota, Mu, and Tau), and Pacific (Delta).
On April 17, 1911, Phi Rho Sigma absorbed Alpha Omega Delta, a former national fraternity that had a remaining chapter at the University of Buffalo. The new chapter was allowed to keep the name Alpha Omega Delta because of its history.
On April 6, 1929, the authorities of Chi Zeta Chi fraternity signed an agreement in Cincinnati to merge into Phi Rho Sigma. By 1936, the fraternity had 27 active collegiate chapters and eighteen alumni chapters. At the time, its membership had grown to 19,050 members.
In 1960, the grand chapter established national awards in the form of gold medals that are given at the biennial meeting.
* The Irving S. Cutter Medal is awarded to members for extraordinary service to the field of medicine.
* The Jesse Ansley Griffin Medal is presented to members for outstanding service to society. The medal was named for the founder of Chi Zeta Chi.
* The Paul McLain Student Research Award is given to student members for significant research while in medical school. McLain was a physician and scientist dedicated his life to teaching medical students. This award comes with a medal and a cash award. Recipients also present their research at the grand chapter.
* Certificates of Meritorious Service are also awarded by the grand chapter.
In 1973, the fraternity changed its name to Phi Rho Sigma Medical Society and started accepting women as members.

## Symbols

Phi Rho Sigma's colors are gold and scarlet. Its badge was originally a gold shield with the letters Φ, Ρ and Σ in black enamel, surrounding a raised pair of clasped hands in gold over an open book in gold. The Φ was in the upper left-hand corner, the Ρ in the upper right-hand corner, and the Σ below at the apex of the shield.
At the grand chapter meeting on December 2, 1896, the badge was updated to a monogram design submitted by Gamma chapter. The modified badge consists of the letters Φ, Ρ, and Σ as a gold monogram outline, with Φ on a separate plane above the other two letters, set in pearls.

## Chapters
### Collegiate chapters

The chapter roll for Phi Rho Sigma is as follows. Some names reflect the chapter's origin as a previous local fraternity. The Chi series of chapters resulted from the merger with Chi Zeta Chi. These chapters originated as part of Chi Zeta Chi, were the only active chapter of the two fraternities at the time of the merger, or were a Chi Zeta Chi chapter that was older than the Phi Rho Sigma chapter at the same institution. Chapters that are active are indicated in bold; inactive chapters and institutions are indicated in italic.
| Chapter | Chartered/Range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | October 31, 1890 | Northwestern University | Evanston, Illinois | Active |
| Beta | November 24, 1894 – 1969 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign and Urbana, Illinois | Inactive |
| Gamma | October 16, 1895 – 1969 | University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Delta | 1896–1919, 19xx–1969 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| Epsilon | February 20, 1897 – 1965 | Wayne State University School of Medicine | Detroit, Michigan | Inactive |
| Zeta | May 29, 1897 | University of Michigan Medical Department | Detroit, Michigan | Active |
| Eta | March 3, 1900 – 1973; 19xx ? | Creighton University Medical College | Omaha, Nebraska | Active |
| Eta Tau | | Creighton University | Phoenix, Arizona | Active |
| Theta (see Theta Tau) | April 28, 1900 – 1907 | Hamline University Medical School | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Consolidated |
| Iota first (see Iota Alpha, Iota Beta and Iota) | March 2, 1901 – 1902 | Omaha Medical College | Omaha, Nebraska | Inactive |
| Kappa | April 2, 1901 – xxxx ? | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | Inactie |
| Lambda (see Lambda Phi) | May 3, 1901 – 1916 | Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Consolidated |
| Mu | February 12, 1902 | University of Iowa Medical Department | Iowa City, Iowa | Active |
| Nu | April 30, 1902 – 1923 | Harvard Medical School | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Inactive |
| Iota Alpha (see Iota first and Iota) | 1902–1968 | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Lincoln, Nebraska | Consolidated |
| Iota Beta (see Iota first and Iota) | 1902–1968 | University of Nebraska Omaha | Omaha, Nebraska | Consolidated |
| Xi | 1903–1904 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, Maryland | Inactive |
| Omicron | March 21, 1903 – 1918 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Pi | October 31, 1903 – xxxx ? | Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, Indiana | Inactive |
| Chi Alpha | October 4, 1903 – xxxx ? | University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | Inactive |
| Chi Beta | October 24, 1904 – 1959 | Emory University | Atlanta, Georgia | Inactive |
| Chi Gamma | October 14, 1904 – 1936 | University of Maryland | College Park, Maryland | Inactive |
| Rho | February 27, 1904 – 1965 | Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Sigma | May 6, 1904 – 1929 | University of Virginia Medical Department | Charlottesville, Virginia | Inactive |
| Tau (see Theta Tau) | April 15, 1905–1907 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Consolidated |
| Chi Delta | 1906–xxxx ? | University of South Carolina | Columbia, South Carolina | Inactive |
| Chi Epsilon | October 14, 1906 – xxxx ? | University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Tennessee | Inactive |
| Chi Eta | November 26, 1906 – xxxx ? | Saint Louis University School of Medicine | St. Louis, Missouri | Inactive |
| Chi Zeta | November 15, 1906 – 1939 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, Arkansas | Inactive |
| Upsilon | April 28, 1906 – xxxx ? | Medical College of Virginia | Richmond, Virginia | Inactive |
| Phi (see Lambda Phi) | October 6, 1906 – 1916 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Consolidated |
| Skull & Sceptre | March 2, 1907 – 1919 | Yale University | New Haven, Connecticut | Inactive |
| Theta Tau | 1907 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Active |
| Chi | March 12, 1908 – 1970 | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Psi | January 22, 1909 – 1972 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, Colorado | Inactive |
| Alpha Omega Delta | April 17, 1911 – 1931 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, New York | Inactive |
| Omega | 1913–1943 | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Inactive |
| Alpha Beta | 1913–1932 | Columbia University | New York City, New York | Inactive |
| Alpha Gamma | 1913–1938 | McGill University | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Inactive |
| Lambda Phi | 1916–1973 | University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Delta Omicron Alpha | 1918–1950 | Tulane University | New Orleans, Louisiana | Inactive |
| Alpha Delta | 1921–1944 | University of Washington | Seattle, Washington | Inactive |
| Alpha Epsilon | 1922–1942 | University of Toronto | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Inactive |
| Alpha Zeta | 1923–1959 | Stanford University | Stanford, California | Inactive |
| Chi Theta | 1924–1965 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Inactive |
| Alpha Eta | 1924–xxxx ? | Dalhousie University | Nova Scotia, Canada | Inactive |
| Alpha Theta | 1927–1935 | University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | Inactive |
| Alpha Iota | 1929–1944 | University of Manitoba | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Inactive |
| Alpha Kappa | 1932–1938 | University of Rochester | Rochester, New York | Inactive |
| Alpha Lambda | 1933–xxxx ? | Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Alpha Mu | 1935–1941 | Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Inactive |
| Alpha Nu | 1939 | University of Texas Medical Branch | Galveston, Texas | Active |
| Alpha Omicron | 1939–1944, 1956 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, Texas | Inactive |
| Alpha Pi | 1948–1965 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Inactive |
| Alpha Rho | 1958–1969 | Seton Hall University | South Orange, New Jersey | Inactive |
| Iota Gamma | 1964–1974 | University of California, Irvine School of Medicine | Irvine, California | Inactive |
| Iota (see Iota Alpha and Iota Beta) | 1968 | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Lincoln, Nebraska | Active |
| Alpha Upsilon | 2012 | Wright State University | Dayton, Ohio | Active |
* ↑ Merged with Gamma chapter in 1936.
* ↑ Gamma chapter formed by absorbing a local group named The Ancient Order of Ananias, established in 1993 at Rush Medical College (later the University of Chicago). The chapter merged with the Beta chapter in 1936.
* ↑ Chapter was formed by absorbing Mu Kappa Phi, established in 1890, at the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery which became Wayne University in 1934 and Wayne State University in 1956.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing a local group named Gamma Sigma, established in 1898
* 1 2 3 This chapter formed by absorbing the local group The Hamline Medical Fraternity, established in 1898. When Hamline's Medical School merged with the medical department of the University of Minnesota in 1907, Theta and Tau chapters were consolidated to form Theta Tau chapter.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing the local group Lambda Pi.
* 1 2 3 4 In 1902, the Omaha Medical College became a medical department of the University of Nebraska Lincoln, with the first two years of study being at Lincoln and the last two years at Omaha. As a result, the Iota chapter divided into the Iota Alpha chapter at Lincoln and the Iota Beta chapter at Omaha. These two chapters were later re-consolidated as Iota chapter at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing a local group named A n T (Alpha Pi Upsilon). Later, it merged with Chi chapter to form Lambda Chi chapter.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing a local group named Delta Sigma.
* ↑ Chapter was formed by absorbing the local group, Society of the Interest of Medical Research, established on April 7, 1902.
* ↑ The chapter's charter was withdrawn.
* ↑ Chapter formed at the Wisconsin College of Physicians and Surgeons, by absorbing a local group named Phi Alpha Phi, established in 1902. The Wisconsin College later merged into Marquette.
* ↑ Pi chapter was formed by absorbing a local fraternity at the Medical College of Indiana. In 1905, all medical schools in Indiana were consolidated at the Medical College. At this time, a local fraternity at the Central College of Physicians and Surgeons was absorbed into Pi chapter.
* ↑ This chapter was formed by absorbing the Alpha chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity following the national merger of the two fraternities. Its founding date goes back to the origins of Alpha chapter.
* ↑ This chapter was formed by absorbing the Alpha Alpha chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity following the national merger of the two fraternities. Its founding date is from the Epsilon chapter of Chi Zeta Chi, a chapter that merged into Alpha Alpha.
* ↑ This chapter was formed by absorbing the Delta chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity following the national merger of the two fraternities. Its founding date is from the chartering of Delta.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing a local group named Tau Beta Alpha. In 1929, it merged with the Tau chapter of Chi Zeta Chi after the national merger of the two fraternities.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing a local fraternity.
* ↑ This chapter was formed by reforming the 'Iota chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity following the national merger of the two fraternities. Its founding date comes from "Iota".
* ↑ This chapter was formed by absorbing the Lambda chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity following the national merger of the two fraternities. Its founding date is from the chartering of Lambda.
* ↑ This chapter was formed by absorbing the Xi chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity following the national merger of the two fraternities. Its founding date is from the chartering of Xi.
* ↑ This chapter was formed by absorbing the Nu chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity following the national merger of the two fraternities. Its founding date is from the chartering of 'Nu.
* ↑ Chapter was originally located at the University College of Medicine, which later merged into the Medical College of Virginia. In 1929, it merged with the Psi chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi following the national merger of the two fraternities.
* ↑ Merged with Lambda chapter to form Lambda Phi chapter.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing a local group named Skull and Sceptre Society, which was established on April 26, 1894. It was allowed to retain its name as a chapter designation although its name is not in harmony with the fraternity's system of chapter nomenclature.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing a local group named Alpha Kappa Psi, established in 1894, at the University of Western Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania later became the University of Pittsburgh.
* ↑ Chapter was formed by absorbing a local fraternity.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing the Alpha chapter of Alpha Omega Delta, the last surviving chapter of that medical society which was established on October 24, 1874.
* ↑ Chapter formed by absorbing the Alpha Beta chapter of Phi Delta.
* ↑ Chapter formed by the merger of Lambda and Phi chapters.
* ↑ In 1929, this chapter merged with the Mu chapter of the Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity following the national merger of the two fraternities.
* ↑ Although this chapter's name indicates that it originated with the national merger of Chi Zeta Chi medical fraternity, documentation is needed on a Wake Forest chapter.

### Alumni chapters

| Chapter | Chartered | Location | Status | References |
| Chicago Alumni | November 12, 1901 | Chicago, Illinois | | |
| Milwaukee Alumni | February 1905–1905 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | | |