A New Center to Advance Endoscopy Research & Training |
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January 14, 2014, Volume 60, No. 18
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(left to right) Michael Kochman, Nancy Barna and Timothy Wilmott. |
Penn Medicine recently celebrated the naming of the Timothy J. Wilmott and Dr. Nancy Barna Center for Endoscopic Innovation, Research and Training. Established thanks to a generous gift from Mr. Timothy Wilmott, a graduate of the Wharton School, and his wife Dr. Nancy Barna, the Center is the first enterprise of its kind in the nation dedicated to both training future gastroenterologists and promoting excellence in endoscopic research.
“The Wilmott-Barna Center encompasses all of Penn Medicine’s missions: it fosters growth and collaboration to propel advances in research; supports critical training for Penn Medicine’s physicians, fellows and residents; and pioneers new therapies that promise to revolutionize the field,” said Dr. J. Larry Jameson, executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. “It is thanks to visionary donors like the Wilmotts that our brilliant physician-researchers will be able to make great strides in advancing this life-saving technology.”
A collaboration between Penn Medicine’s departments of medicine and surgery, the Wilmott-Barna Center is uniquely comprehensive, featuring advanced imaging, endoscopic device development and a dedicated research laboratory, programs, training and clinical practice—ultimately aiming to emerge as an industry leader in the development of therapeutic endoscopic procedures. And, by working closely with radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists and GI surgeons, the Center’s team will be able to more effectively coordinate patient care and many support services for GI cancer patients.
The Center will be located within Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, and the Wilmotts’ gift will support research, a dedicated fellowship program and world-class technologies and facilities for the Center’s patients and trainees.
“We are confident that the Wilmott-Barna Center will develop novel, minimally-invasive procedures with significant benefits for patients,” Mr. Wilmott said. “Plus, with the Center’s focus on providing invaluable hands-on training to the next generation of physicians, Penn Medicine’s eminence in the field will surely grow.”
Dr. Michael Kochman, who holds the Wilmott Family Professorship of Medicine and is also professor of medicine in surgery, will serve as the inaugural director of the Wilmott-Barna Center. A highly respected authority in endoscopic therapies and training and in gastrointestinal cancers, Dr. Kochman has dedicated his career to sharing his considerable knowledge and talent with the next generation of residents, fellows and physicians.
Mr. Wilmott is president and chief executive officer of Penn National Gaming. Prior to that, he served as chief operating officer of Harrah’s Entertainment. Dr. Barna attended Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and has been an active member of the Abramson Cancer Center Director’s Leadership Council for many years.
For more about the Wilmott-Barna Center contact Evelyn Schwartz at (215) 898-8625 or evelynsz@upenn.edu
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