A Brief History of the Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences

The Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (SRS) emerged from decades of international collaboration among chemists, physicians, and scientists working at the intersection of nuclear chemistry, biology, and medicine. Building on early symposia in radiopharmaceutical chemistry beginning in the 1970s, these efforts ultimately led to the formal establishment of SRS in 2001 as a member-driven international society dedicated to advancing education, research, and scientific exchange. Since then, SRS has grown into a global organization supporting symposia, training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the continued evolution of radiopharmaceutical sciences.

The summary above is adapted from a comprehensive historical account of the Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, tracing its origins from early international symposia in radiopharmaceutical chemistry through the Society’s formal establishment and subsequent growth.

For a more in-depth account of the Society’s history, please refer to the article published in Nuclear Medicine and Biology (Volumes 112–113) entitled “A Brief History of the Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences.” The article was authored by SRS Past President Heinz Coenen with the input of several colleagues. To access a free PDF of this article, click here. Thank you, Heinz, for your dedication to documenting and preserving the history of SRS.

Group Photos

Browse the gallery below to see group photos from SRS meetings across the years and around the world.

  • The first International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry in Brookhaven, 1976.

  • Oxford, 1978

  • St. Louis, 1980

  • Juelich, 1982

  • Tokyo, 1984

  • Boston, 1986

  • Groningen, 1988

  • Princeton, 1990

  • Paris, 1992

  • Kyoto, 1993

  • Vancouver, 1995

  • Uppsala, 1997

  • Iowa City, 2005

  • Aachen, 2007

  • Edmonton, 2009

  • Jeju, 2013

  • Columbia, 2015

  • Dresden, 2017

  • Beijing, 2019

  • Nantes, 2022

  • Honolulu, 2023

  • Gold Coast, 2025

Historical Documents

Explore key historical presentations and documents that reflect the scientific progress and institutional history of radiopharmaceutical sciences. Click below to access the PDFs.

30 Years of ISRC

Some Things Change, Some Things Stay the Same

Michael J. Welch

Division of Radiological Sciences

Washington University School of Medicine

History of Radiopharmaceutical Science as Critical to Development of Clinical Nuclear Medicine

William C. Eckelman, PhD

Bethesda, MD 20814