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Regina Cunningham: Senior Vice President and UPHS Chief Nursing Executive

Regina Cunningham

Regina Cunningham has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, effective July 1. Dr. Cunningham will continue her previous role as the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s chief nursing executive.

“Regina’s expanded portfolio reflects the broad impact and crucial importance of nursing as Penn Medicine continues to expand and innovate across the continuum of care,” said University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Ralph W. Muller. “During her tenure thus far at Penn Medicine, Regina has forged strong partnerships to deepen nursing’s role across the health system.”

Dr. Cunningham began her tenure at Penn Medicine as associate chief nursing officer of Cancer Services at the Abramson Cancer Center in September 2011, a role followed two years later as chief administrative officer of the cancer service line in the ACC, before she assumed her most recent position later in 2013. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing since April 2012.

In her new role, she will provide leadership to nursing colleagues from each entity throughout UPHS. Her close collaboration with chief medical officer and senior vice president Patrick J. Brennan to advance interprofessional collaborations across the system will continue, and she will partner with Antonia Villarruel, dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, to advance scholarly platforms for nursing across Penn Medicine.

Dr. Cunningham will also provide leadership to nursing colleagues from each entity throughout UPHS, and continue to partner closely with physician leadership to advance interprofessional collaborations across the health system. She will also work together with the School of Nursing to advance scholarly platforms for nursing across Penn Medicine.

“Regina’s leadership has brought HUP Nursing’s patient and quality outcomes to best practice levels and set new patient care standards of which we can all be proud,” said Garry Scheib, UPHS chief operating officer.

Prior to Penn, she held nursing leadership posts at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, where she served as both senior director of oncology and nursing research, and as the chief nursing officer at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. She has taught at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She earned a BSN from College of Mount Saint Vincent, a master of arts in nursing from New York University, and a doctorate in nursing from University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Dr. Cunningham is broadly published in nursing and multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journals, and is currently principal investigator of an NIH-funded multi-site study aimed at developing knowledge and skills to support implementation of clinical trials.

Dr. Cunningham was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 2014, and is certified as an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, New Jersey State Nurses Association, and the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) and she is a Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Executive Fellow.

$3 Million Gift to Establish Unique Pulmonary Program for Penn Medicine Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and other Neurodegenerative Diseases

caption: Jay Fishman

A $3 million gift from University of Pennsylvania alumnus Jay Fishman, and his wife, Randy, will support comprehensive at-home respiratory care for adult Penn Medicine patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency due to neurological, muscular, skeletal or chronic respiratory diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The multidisciplinary Randy and Jay Fishman Program for Home Assisted Ventilation will reside within Penn’s Harron Lung Center as part of the division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Penn Medicine is partnering with The ALS Association to have the program recognized as an ALS Association-approved program in pulmonary care. Such a designation would be a first for a specific medical practice within the broad ALS clinical arena. The intent of the program is to deliver the benefits of rapidly emerging new technologies and related data to physicians caring for patients whose breathing is compromised.

“It is most fitting that Jay, who has had a tremendously positive impact as a long-time member of our Board of Trustees, would help Penn Medicine provide a service that will give meaningful hope to patients suffering from these very difficult symptoms,” said University President Amy Gutmann. “It demonstrates his deep commitment to the ALS and Penn Medicine communities by bringing comfort to so many.”

John Hansen-Flaschen, founding director of Penn Medicine’s Harron Lung Center, will lead the new program. “In the past, adults who lost the strength to breathe on their own died or required a tracheostomy for long-term mechanical ventilation. Most survivors lived away from home in specialized nursing facilities,” he said.

“Thanks to dramatic recent advances in clinical care and technology, many patients with diseases such as ALS and muscular dystrophy can now avoid tracheostomy and live at home,” said Dr. Hansen-Flaschen. “However, there are few specialized centers specifically devoted to the care of these patients in the United States. Now, through the exceptional generosity of the Fishmans, we will be able to help more people continue to breathe comfortably, speak, eat by mouth and live in their own homes.”

Working in close collaboration with neurologists who staff the Penn Comprehensive ALS Center and the Penn Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic, the physicians who lead the Home Assisted Ventilation Program will coordinate the efforts of a wide array of multidisciplinary specialists, including respiratory therapy, speech therapy, gastrointestinal medicine and surgery, nutrition, physical therapy and rehabilitation medicine. The Fishman Program will also focus on medical education, providing a one-year advanced fellowship training program in the care of adults who need home-assisted ventilation.

Mr. Fishman, executive chairman of the board and former chief executive officer of The Travelers Companies, Inc. and a member of the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees, was diagnosed with ALS in 2014. [Ed. Note: He passed away on August 19; see here.]

“I sought pulmonary treatment at Penn,” Mr. Fishman said, “and it was through my relationship with Dr. Hansen-Flaschen that I became excited by the opportunity to work with Penn Medicine in bringing the most recent technological advancements in non-invasive ventilation therapy to the ALS community. John’s commitment, passion and thoughtfulness to help patients ‘lean into’ these difficult diseases is remarkable. Randy and I are privileged to support his vision.”

The new program will also benefit patients with other respiratory-related diseases—including muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, thoracic skeletal disorders and advanced chronic lung disease.

“By bringing comfort to these patients in their homes, the Fishmans are giving them a remarkable gift,” said Ralph W. Muller, chief executive officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “The significance of their advocacy on behalf of so many patients is extraordinary.”

“With great selflessness and compassion, Randy and Jay have taken their own personal challenge and turned it into something positive that will impact thousands of patients,” said J. Larry Jameson, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. “New technology for the complex area of pulmonary medicine is emerging very quickly. These wonderful resources will allow Penn Medicine to maintain its position as a leading expert in both the Philadelphia region and around the world.”

Rosemary Polomano: Associate Dean for Practice at Penn Nursing

caption: Rosemary Polomano

Rosemary Polomano, professor of pain practice, has been appointed Associate Dean for Practice at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing).

Dr. Polomano will provide strategic vision and leadership for practice and community engagement. She will work closely with the School’s Assistant Dean for Community Engagement and the Associate Deans for Academic Programs and Research/Innovation, as well as the Department Chairs, to ensure the integration of practice, education and research. Dr. Polomano will also collaborate with the Chief Nursing Officers at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Veteran’s Administration to advance clinical practice priorities. 

Dr. Polomano is a well-recognized researcher, clinician and educator. She has a national and international reputation for advancing the science of understanding and treating pain. Her research focuses on clarifying and identifying mechanisms for neuropathic pain, and the impact of pain prevention strategies on short- and long-term pain outcomes for active military service members and veterans, and on the treatment-related pain of cancer patients. She also has programs of research in measurement science. One outcome of her research has been the development and testing of a patient-reported outcomes measurement tool for pain (the American Pain Society-Patient Outcomes Questionnaire–Revised (APS-POQ-R)) with a team of investigators, which she co-led. This instrument is being used around the world and translated into numerous languages. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Nursing Research and the Department of Defense.

Dr. Polomano’s research is grounded in her clinical practice as an advanced practice registered nurse and as a clinician educator. As a nurse scientist, she collaborates with nurses and physicians to translate research and evidence-based practice guidelines into clinical care. She has co-authored numerous national evidence-based guidelines and expert consensus reports to advance care for patients and serves as a magnet appraiser for the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program, further assuring the highest quality nursing care in our nation’s hospitals.

She serves as co-director of the University of Pennsylvania’s NIH-designated Center of Excellence in Pain Education, where she leads an interprofessional course on pain science and practice with the schools of nursing, dentistry and medicine, as well as with schools of pharmacy.

Dr. Polomano is a senior nurse scientist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and also holds a secondary appointment as professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the Perelman School of Medicine.

Nancy A. Speck: Chair of the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology

caption: Nancy Speck

Nancy A. Speck has been named the chair of the department of cell & developmental biology. One of Penn Medicine’s pre-eminent thought leaders, she also serves as co-leader of the Hematologic Malignancies Program at the Abramson Cancer Center, an investigator at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and associate director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Her leadership positions beyond the Penn campus include study sections on which she has served and chaired at the National Institutes of Health, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Society of Hematology.

For 30 years, Dr. Speck has made innovative contributions to the field of blood-cell development, expanding knowledge with a translational impact for understanding leukemia, including identification of the proteins Runx1 and CBFβ.

“Dr. Speck, an internationally renowned scientific leader, is a thoughtful, inclusive, collaborative investigator, with a discerning eye for elegant work,” said J. Larry Jameson, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and executive vice president for the Health System. “She is also a devoted teacher much respected for her mentoring and dedication to developing the careers of young investigators.”

Dr. Speck earned her PhD in biochemistry from Northwestern University in 1983. She completed postdoctoral research fellowships in retroviral pathogenesis and eukaryotic gene regulation at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and MIT. Subsequently, she started her own laboratory at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, where she was serving as the James J. Carroll Chair of Oncology, before her recruitment to Penn in 2008.

Her predecessor, Jonathan A. Epstein, now the executive vice dean and chief scientific officer of Penn Medicine, said, “Dr. Speck is a bold, creative researcher who excels as a scientist, leader, role model and mentor. She is the ideal person to direct the talented faculty of cell & developmental biology.”

Dr. Speck’s work has been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed academic journals. She also serves as a reviewer for leading journals such as Blood, Nature, Nature Genetics, Cell, Stem Cell, Cancer Cell, Science and PNAS. Among numerous awards and accolades, she has received the Leukemia Society of America Scholar Award, the Fogarty International Center Senior Fellow Award and the 2015 Henry M. Stratton Medal for Basic Science from the American Society of Hematology.

Tony Sorrentino: Assistant Vice President, Office of the EVP

caption: Tony Sorrentino

Tony Sorrentino has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Office of the Executive Vice President. EVP Craig Carnaroli said, “This well-deserved promotion is based on Tony’s stellar contributions in developing and executing marketing and communications strategies to promote key elements of the Penn Compact and Penn Compact 2020 as well as his strong support in managing the Office of the Executive Vice President.” Mr. Sorrentino joined the Office as director in 2006, was promoted to executive director in 2009, and has assumed increasing responsibilities related to goal setting/evaluation and organizational development. 

Mr. Carnaroli added, “With respect to marketing and communications, Tony has played a valuable role in developing and coordinating strategies both within the EVP divisions as well as more broadly across the University. In 2006, Tony formed the EVP Communications Group (consisting of the marketing and communications professionals across the EVP divisions) to coordinate the timing and consistency of communication strategy to promote Penn as a well managed institution, and a good institutional citizen. This group has evolved into a very effective body that now includes communications professionals from areas outside the EVP Division. Through the collaborative efforts of this Group, Tony annually produces a comprehensive EVP Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs Plan.”

In addition, Mr. Sorrentino has had a leadership role in developing communication strategy for a number of University initiatives including Penn Connects and the Climate Action Plan. In both 2011 and 2015, he led the production and developed messaging for the widely heralded University Economic Impact report. He is also an effective collaborator, having contributed positively to a wide variety of initiatives ranging from the University-wide Staff Engagement Survey to the Provost’s Council on the Arts. In the past year, he built a unique partnership between Visit Philadelphia and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to help showcase Philadelphia as an asset in recruiting students to Penn, including the creation of the Penn’s first emoji as part of Quaker Days. 

Mr. Sorrentino has a passion for city planning and economic development, and holds a Master of City Planning degree from Penn Design. He is a strong collaborator with the Penn Institute for Urban Research, and developed an anchor institution summit that brought together leaders from peer universities to share best practices and challenges. He, along with his colleagues from Penn’s Netter Center, also represents Penn on the Anchor Institutions Task Force, which advises the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on ways HUD could increase its impact and strategically leverage anchor institutions, particularly higher education and medical institutions, to improve communities and help solve significant urban problems. 

In addition, Mr. Sorrentino has played a critical role in advancing the University’s innovation strategy through both his role on the initial working group studying the potential uses of the former Dupont Marshall Labs and, most recently, in the development and promotion of the Pennovation Works campus. 

Finally, “Tony consistently demonstrates a wide range of skills including media relations, developing and producing executive level presentations and videos, and the negotiation of sponsorships and advertising contracts. He also effectively administers and coordinates the activities of the EVP office. Whether speaking to student groups or alumni gatherings, Tony is the consummate Penn promoter and advocate,” Mr. Carnaroli noted.

Sarah Reidell: Margy Meyerson Head of Conservation

caption: Sarah Reidell

Penn Libraries is proud to announce another great step forward in the enrichment of its conservation program: the hiring of Sarah Reidell as the Margy Meyerson Head of Conservation. A conservator of rare books, paper and parchment, Ms. Reidell comes to Penn Libraries from the New York City Public Library, where she most recently held the position of associate conservator for rare books and paper. She has also held positions at Harvard University’s Weissman Preservation Center and Philadelphia’s Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts. Recently nominated to be a Fellow of The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), Ms. Reidell serves as the publications committee chair of the AIC (the only national membership organization of conservation professionals that is dedicated to the preservation of cultural materials) and has held other elected positions within the Book and Paper Group specialization. Ms. Reidell has also lectured and led hands-on professional development workshops for conservators at leading national cultural institutions on areas of technical expertise and conservation practice.

As Head of Conservation, Ms. Reidell will be responsible for care and treatment of the special collections of the Penn Libraries, consisting of about 300,000 rare books and 15,000 linear feet of manuscripts. Working with the MacDonald Curator of Preservation, Ian Bogus, Ms. Reidell will develop and implement conservation plans for the long-term sustainability of the Libraries’ special collections holdings. “Sarah Reidell is a wonderful addition to the Penn Libraries team,” said Mr. Bogus, “She is an experienced conservator who is well respected in the field for exploring new and effective ways that institutions can perform conservation.” Director of the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Will Noel, feels that Ms. Reidell’s skills and experiences make her the perfect person to head the conservation team, ensuring that Penn’s extraordinary holdings are used by researchers and students not only today, but far into the future. According to Dr. Noel, “Sarah and her staff will be essential for, and add luster and expertise to the many research projects, digitization programs and pedagogical activities that take place in the Penn Libraries.”

The recruitment of Head of Conservation was made possible thanks to an endowment in honor of longtime advocate and ambassador of the Penn Libraries, Margy Ellin Meyerson, G’93. Ms. Meyerson has built an incredible legacy at the Libraries and the University together with her late husband, Penn President Emeritus Martin Meyerson, since the 1970s. Serving on the Penn Libraries’ Board of Overseers since 1993 and as honorary co-chair of the Orrery Society, Ms. Meyerson is an exceptionally engaged, generous and forward-thinking supporter of the Penn Libraries.

Penn Libraries’ New Penn Website Archive

Because the Internet is now the primary medium for publishing news, announcements and university reports much of Penn’s history is at risk of being lost without systematic archiving. When Richard Griscom, Penn Libraries director of collections and liaison services, learned that no office on campus was archiving Penn website content, he knew it was time for the Penn Libraries to step up and address the issue. As a result of Mr. Griscom’s efforts, the Penn Libraries is engaging in an exciting archiving initiative to make sure Penn website content will be available for study by future researchers and historians.

The sites being archived include Penn’s main website (www.upenn.edu) as well as the websites of the Penn Libraries, the Penn Museum and the University Archives. To harvest content, the Libraries has scheduled quarterly “crawls” using Archive-It, a service affiliated with the Internet Archive.

The results of these “crawls” are archived and available for browsing on the following website: https://archive-it.org/collections/6738

For more information on the project, contact Mr. Griscom at griscom@upenn.edu

Penn Joins in $40 Million Grant to Establish Simons Observatory

The Simons Foundation has awarded a $38.4 million grant to establish the Simons Observatory, a new astronomy facility in Chile’s Atacama Desert that will merge and expand existing efforts to explore the evolution of the universe from its earliest moments to today. An additional $1.7 million of support is being provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation.

The project is a collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania; Princeton University; the University of California, San Diego; the University of California, Berkeley; and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, all of which are also providing financial support.

This project will investigate cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation to better understand the physics of the Big Bang, the nature of dark energy and dark matter, the properties of neutrinos and the formation of structure in the universe.

“A key target of this observatory is the earliest moments in the history of the universe,” said Mark Devlin, the Reese W. Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences and current project spokesperson.

“While patterns that we see in the microwave sky are a picture of the structure of the universe 380,000 years after the Big Bang, we believe that some of these structures were generated much earlier, by gravitational waves produced in the first moments of the universe’s expansion,” he said. “By measuring how the gravitational waves affect electrons and matter 380,000 years after the Big Bang, we are observing fossils from the very, very early universe.”

Dr. Devlin’s research is primarily in the area of cosmology and the evolution of structure in the universe as well as extra-galactic and galactic star formation. His group specializes in the design and construction of novel telescopes and cryogenic receivers operating at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths. Dr. Devlin is the co-director of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the primary investigator for the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Telescope, or BLAST, and the MUSTANG instrument in the Green Bank Telescope. 

The extraordinarily rapid expansion of space during “inflation,” an epoch posited in the most popular cosmological theory, generated gravitational waves. These would have induced a very small but characteristic polarization pattern in the CMB at radio wavelengths that can be detected by specially designed telescopes and cameras.  

A detection of this type of signal, known as “B-mode polarization,” would measure the energy scale associated with inflation, which could be as much as a trillion times higher than the energy accessible in the largest particle accelerators. A detection could also provide evidence for a link between quantum mechanics and gravity. Understanding the link between these two powerful theories is the focus of string theorists and others studying fundamental physics.

“The generosity of this award is unprecedented in our field and will enable a major leap in scientific capability,” said UC San Diego astrophysicist Brian Keating, the project director. “People are used to thinking about mega- or giga-pixel detectors in optical telescopes, but for signals in the microwave range, 10,000 pixels is a lot. What we’re trying to do—the real revolution here—is to pave the way to increase our pixels number by more than an order of magnitude.”

In addition to searching for B-mode polarization, the Simons Observatory will study how the light from the CMB is deflected by the intervening structure in the universe. These measurements will provide unique insights into basic questions including the masses of the neutrinos, the nature of dark energy and dark matter and the physics that governed the formation of cosmic structure as the universe evolved after the Big Bang.

The Simons Observatory will also identify thousands of clusters of galaxies, the largest gravitationally bound objects in the universe. Where and when these massive objects formed is a strong function of the same set of cosmological parameters, providing an independent check of their values.

The Simons Observatory is designed to be a first step toward an ultimate experiment aimed at extracting the full measure of cosmological information in the cosmic microwave background fluctuations accessible from the ground. The experiment is called CMB-Stage 4, or CMB-S4, referring to the fourth stage or generation of experiment. This next-generation experiment builds on years of support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Energy has recently announced its intent to participate in CMB-S4. It is envisioned to have telescopes at multiple sites and draw together a broad community of experts from the United States and abroad. The Atacama site in Chile has already been identified as an excellent location for CMB-S4, and the Simons Foundation funding will help develop it for that role.

The site in Chile is located in the Parque Astronómico, which is administered by the Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, or CONICYT. Since 1998, US investigators and the NSF have worked with Chilean scientists, the University of Chile and CONICYT to locate multiple projects at this high, dry site to study the CMB. 

Wendy Grube: Director of the Center for Global Women’s Health

caption: Wendy Grube

Wendy Grube, practice associate professor effective July 1, has been appointed Director of the Center for Global Women’s Health. She has a long-standing commitment to global women’s health as demonstrated through her leadership in women’s health research, teaching and practice.

Dr. Grube’s research has focused on promoting access to essential preventive health care for underserved populations, and has informed state and regional providers and advocacy groups in the development of culturally-appropriate strategies to decrease preventable deaths from cervical cancer in rural Appalachia. This work created a foundation for development of a community collaboration and a sustainable government-subsidized cancer screening site for uninsured women in West Virginia. This screening program has allowed hundreds of never- or rarely-screened women residing in an economically depressed rural region access to high quality, no-cost care provided by advance practice registered nurses. The project was recognized regionally and nationally as a best practice model, and internationally (through the World Health Organization) as an exemplar of nurses working with communities to improve health.

Internationally, Dr. Grube has directed a team of health care professionals from IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health (ICTPH) to develop an evidence-based, allopathic clinical education program to expand the diagnostic and treatment capacity of traditional non-allopathic Indian practitioners in rural areas. This Bridge Training Project in Tamil Nadu, India, trains AYUSH (non-allopathic traditional Indian health practitioners) college graduates to provide quality, affordable, accessible and culturally appropriate primary health care for rural peoples of India and serves as a model for critically needed basic health care throughout rural India.

As director of Penn Nursing’s Women’s Health/Gender Related Care Nurse Practitioner program, Dr. Grube prepares students to become nurse practitioners and to explore the social determinants that affect women’s lives locally and globally through public policy, advances in practice and technology and ongoing research. She teaches courses on women’s health and primary care and a course on complementary and alternative therapies and is director of the Comparative Health Systems course in Thailand.

Since 2002, Dr. Grube has worked as a nurse practitioner at the Allentown Women’s Center, where she is a preceptor for Penn nurse practitioner and midwifery students. Before that, she ran a private nurse practitioner practice in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, where she was among the first nurse practitioners in the US to perform colposcopy, a procedure done after an abnormal Pap test to closely examine the cervix, vagina and vulva for signs of disease.

“Dr. Grube has dedicated her career to the health and well-being of women around the globe and, as a result, is eminently qualified to direct the Center for Global Women’s Health,” said Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel.

Award for Excellence in Promoting One Health: September 23

One Health Initiative logo.
 

The deans of the health schools of the University of Pennsylvania (Perelman School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Dental Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine) announce an Award for Excellence in promoting One Health initiatives and education.

The One Health concept is a worldwide strategy to expand interdisciplinary collaboration and communication in all aspects of healthcare. Interdisciplinary One Health efforts arose with the goal of sharing knowledge of healthcare and preventive measures to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment. Government, professional and academic institutions around the world have committed to promoting these important One Health efforts to improve global health. For more information about One Health, visithttp://www.onehealthinitiative.com/

The four-school One Health Committee invites nominations for candidates who are full-time staff or faculty members engaged in professional education that bridges two or more of the Schools with outreach/innovation in training and service in clinics or to the community. Collaborative research focused on healthcare education, clinical outcomes or real-world impact will receive more favorable consideration than strictly laboratory collaborations. The winner(s) will be awarded the prize at a reception on Wednesday, October 26, 2016.

Examples: 

  • Developing a multi-School clinical service/teaching program
  • Providing training in communications/outreach to more than one School’s professional students and/or interns/residents
  • Including more than one School’s students in a clinical experience
  • Building bridges between healthcare specialties in animals and humans
  • Creating multidisciplinary programs that improve healthcare or prevent famine or disease outbreaks
  • Developing a research program or project that crosses Schools to increase the impact of a promising line of discovery

To nominate a staff or faculty member from the Penn community, please send a letter of recommendation that describes the candidate’s contributions to One Health to Cerie O’Toole at cerieo@vet.upenn.edu by Friday, September 23, 2016.

Report of the Office of Student Conduct

To the University Community:

Each year the Offices of Student Conduct and the Sexual Violence Investigative Officer prepare a report to the University community that includes the nature of violations of University rules and regulations and the sanctions imposed. This year our offices changed the method of reporting data. For the first time, this year’s report includes cases that were opened prior to June 30, 2016, but were resolved during academic year 2015-2016. For more information, visit https://secure.www.upenn.edu/osc/

—Deb Harley, Sexual Violence Investigative Officer        
—Julie Nettleton, Director, Office of Student Conduct

Report of the Office of Student Conduct

 

Academic Year 2012-2013

Academic Year 2013-2014

Academic Year 2014-2015

Academic Year 2015-2016

Incident Type (by respondents)

Academic Integrity (total) 148 160 185 201

      Undergraduate

96 127 151 149

      Graduate/Professional

52 33 34 52

Student Conduct (total)

141 162 177 203

     Undergraduate

118 134 158 175

     Graduate/Professional

23 28 19 28

Academic Integrity and Student Conduct (total)

7 2 1 0

      Undergraduate

4 1 1 0

     Graduate/Professional

3 1 0 0

Mediation

18 22 26 12
Group Cases 
     (Student Organizations/Fraternities/etc.)*
5 3 4 4
TOTAL: 319 349 393 420

*Group Cases include several individuals but are being counted as one respondent.

Case Investigations: Academic Integrity**

   Plagiarism

84 56 77 74

   Unauthorized collaboration/ use of performance of another person’s work

32 78 67 105

   Misconduct during an exam

11 10 3 11

    Submission of false data

1 0 6 1

    Falsification of grades or transcripts

1 0 0 0

     Other academic violation

7 1 5 9

     Altering of exam/paper for re-grade

0 5 3 3

     Misrepresentation of academic records

3 3 1 0

     Provided infromation to another student

10 7 2 6

     Cheating

16 23 26 42

     Fabrication

2 3 3 1

     Multiple submission

2 1 1 10

     Facilitating academic dishonesty

17 25 15 16

     Unfair advantage over fellow students

4 7 7 20
Case Investigations: Student Conduct**
     Alcohol violation: First offense 20 42 15 12
     Alcohol violation: Other 7 2 4 21
     Assault 9 19 8 1
     Attemped theft 0 3 3 0
     Burglary 1 1 1 0
     Criminal mischief 1 0 0 0
     Disorderly conduct 37 14 36 54
     Drug violation 9 15 6 3
     Fire code violation 11 3 18 5
     Forgery 2 2 2 1
     Fraud 5 2 0 3
     Fraudulent use of Penn ID 0 0 0 1
     Harassment 4 8 2 1
     Sexual Violence 8 7 9 9
     Indecent exposure 3 1 0 0
     Malicious mischief 0 0 0 0
     Miscellaneous security violations 3 1 0 0
     Dirsturbance/investigation of person 0 2 0 0
     Relationship Violence *** *** 10 4
     Retail theft/shoplifting 2 5 1 1
     Stalking *** *** 6 3
     Theft 3 3 2 0
     Trespassing 1 1 2 3
     Vandalism 8 2 4 5
     Other conduct violation 2 5 2 19
     Propulsion of object 12 0 2 0
     Receiving stolen property 0 1 0 0
     Use or possession of fake ID card 1 0 0 0
     Recklessly endangering another person 3 1 0 7
     Hazing 5 5 13 3
     Terroristic threats 0 1 1 1
     Ethnic intimidation 0 0 1 0
     Use or possession of air guns/firearms/dangerous articles 1 0 0 0
     Threats 1 2 3 1
     Violation of safety regulations 1 2 1 7
     Dangerous articles in residences 0 0 1 0
     Posession of stolen property 0 0 0 0
     Misappropriation of funds 0 0 0 0
     Noise violation 14 2 1 6
     Threats with dangerous article 0 0 0 1
     Comuper violation/violation of ethical behavior in the digital environment 47 38 60 92
     Violation of agreement 0 2 0 0
     Misrepresentation of status to the University 0 1 0 0
     False identify 1 0 0 0
     Sexual harassment 1 2 0 1

**Number of Case Investigations does not equal the number of respondents because some cases involve more than one type of misconduct.


***Sexual Violence, Stalking and Relationship Violence were specifically outlined in the University’s new policy in June 2014 under the now Sexual Violence, Relationship Violence and Stalking Policy. Prior handlings of related cases were all categorized under indecent/sexual assault and harassment.

Sanctions: Academic Intergrity****
     Acadecmic support 14 14 30 79
     Apology 2 1 5 20
     Community service 0 1 0 0
     Counseling 4 4 2 7
     Deferred dismissal 0 0 0 0
     Essay 22 53 58 106
     Meet with appropriate person related to charge 6 0 1 0
     Expulsion 0 2 2 0
     Notation on transcript 2 1 2 1
     Other (specialized) 5 1 1 2
     Probation 27 32 30 49
     Reprimand 24 29 46 41
     Restitution 0 0 0 0
     Suspension 19 5 5 10
     Suspension not imposed 15 29 23 28
     Suspension not imposed and imposed 14 12 2 4
     Warning 5 11 2.8 28
     Withdraw permanently from the University 3 0 2 0
     Withhold/delay diploma 0 2 4 5
Sanctions: Student Conduct****
     Academic support 0 1 0 0
     Alcohol and drug education/evaluation 18 14 17 9
     Alcohol/drug fine 6 17 2 0
     Apology 12 5 5 4
     CAPS substance abuse evaluation 3 6 2 1
     Community services 17 12 11 26
     Counseling 14 7 9 8
     Deferred dismissal 0 0 0 0
     Essay 3 6 11 23
     Expulsion 0 1 0 1
     File sharing educational module 28 3 58 92
     File sharing fine 20 3 0 0
     Fine 1 0 0 0
     Meet with appropriate person related to charge 2 0 0 7
     No contact 8 1 2 7
     Notation on transcript 1 0 1 0
     Other (specialized) 10 22 3 9
     Probation 16 10 15 14
     Reprimand 53 54 17 24
     Restitution 4 4 4 5
     Suspension 6 1 4 7
     Suspension not imposed 3 4 5 1
     Suspension not imposed and imposed 2 4 0 0
     Warning 5 5 30 11
     Withdraw permanently from the University 3 0 1 1
     Withhold/delay diploma 1 0 0 3
****Number of Sanctions does not equal the number of respondents because some cases result in more than one type of sanction.
Mode of Resolution of Cases
     Signed Agreement 223 128 216 267
     Resolved by Hearing 3 3 7 7
     No formal disciplinary action/ unfounded complaint or informal resolution 87 85 39 28
     Mediation 9 11 13 12
     Required educational module (electronic file sharing only) ## ## 58 91
     Unresolved***** 12 46 43 15

*****Unresolved can mean that a student is no longer a member of the Penn community, that the investigation is on-going, or that a conclusion has been reached but an agreement has not been reached.

# The OSC has created an education-based response to File sharing cases.

 

Deaths

Jay Fishman, Penn Trustee

Jay Fishman, Penn Trustee

caption: Jay Fishman

Penn Charter Trustee Jay Fishman, W’74, WG’74, died on August 19 at the age of 63.

Most recently, he and his wife, Randy, directed significant support to comprehensive at-home respiratory care for adult Penn Medicine patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency due to neurological, muscular, skeletal or chronic respiratory diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (See here).

Mr. Fishman was “a printer’s son from the Bronx who went on to become one of the most admired CEOs in this country but never forgot his Penn roots,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. He was a member of Penn’s Board of Trustees over the last 11 years; he was a Charter trustee and past chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee, a past member of the Executive Committee and a member of the Development and Budget and Finance Committees. He also was an Overseer of Penn’s Graduate School of Education and Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine as well as a member of myriad committees, including the Class of 1974 Reunion Gift Committee, the Parent Leadership Committee, the Penn Alumni Board of Directors, the Advisory Board of the Alumni Council on Admissions, the Wharton Club of Minnesota Advisory Board, the Benjamin Franklin Society Committee, the Steering Committee for the Making History Campaign and the Industry Advisory Board of the Wharton Financial Institutions Center. He was also Chairman of the Travelers/Wharton Partnership for Risk Management and Leadership, which the company established in 2010.  He shared his legendary business expertise as a speaker at the Wharton School.

A 2011 Forbes article that extolled his virtues as “Wall Street’s Honest Man” praised his extraordinarily long-term thinking when it came to business. The magazine quoted him as saying, “I don’t want to be [just] a caretaker.  I want to leave something behind that was better than what I got.” President Gutmann said, “That very premise, which made Jay so successful in the business arena, also underlies his relationship with the University. Never just a caretaker, he truly has left Penn a better place.”

He was a strong supporter of Penn’s faculty and endowed the Fishman Family President’s Distinguished Professorship in 2014. He established the Fishman Vet Endowed Scholarship for veterinary students, the Shirley and Edward Fishman Memorial Fund, which provides financial support to outstanding Wharton undergraduates, and the Rodin-Fishman Summer Research Internship program, which provides summer internships for College students. He also enthusiastically offered internship positions within his company to Penn students.  Demonstrating the importance of family in his life, he also funded a paver on the Class of 1949 Generational Bridge spanning 38th Street. It permanently joins his name with those of his parents who encouraged him to attend Penn and the two sons who followed in his footsteps.

As a dean’s list student at Wharton, he was a member of Phi Delta Epsilon, the Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity and the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wharton in 1974 and then joined the Coopers and Lybrand accounting firm as an audit supervisor. He went on to work for American Can Company and the private investment and leveraged buyout firm Goergen and Sterling. He later served as a senior executive at Shearson Lehman Brothers, Primerica Corporation, Citigroup and the Travelers Group, where he was President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He joined The St. Paul Companies in 2001 as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.  When that insurance firm merged with the Travelers Property Casualty Corp. in 2004, Mr. Fishman went on to become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the merged St. Paul Travelers Companies, the second-largest commercial insurance firm in the United States and the oldest business corporation in Minnesota.

He was well-known for his unwavering focus on long-term growth, even when it might have seemed to some that he was sacrificing short-term success. Under his steadfast leadership, Travelers continued to report profits throughout the country’s financial crisis and was noted for sagely avoiding the mortgage-related investments that plagued a large portion of corporate America.  A Forbes reporter wrote of him, “In an era of Wall Street excesses and irresponsible financial behavior, Fishman stood out for his decency and restraint.” He stepped down as CEO of Travelers in December 2015, but remained Chair of the Board.

As chief executive of Travelers, he also encouraged the company’s support of Penn and its initiatives. With his assistance, the Travelers/Wharton Partnership for Risk Management and Leadership Fund was established, as was the Mobile CPR Project, a pilot program to train community members in Hartford, Connecticut, in the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and spread the understanding of CPR to low-income communities.

A member of the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, he was Chairman of the St. Paul Travelers Foundation and a Trustee of the Fishman Family Foundation.  His other philanthropic activities included service as Chairman of the New York City Ballet; Vice Chairman of the Corporate Fund Board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; a board member of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Connecticut Public Broadcasting, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the National Academy Foundation, the New York Philharmonic, the Englewood (New Jersey) Hospital and Medical Center and the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and an advisory board member of the Jazz Foundation of America.

A highly respected leader, he was past Chairman of the American Insurance Association; a Director of Nuveen Investments, Inc., the Carlyle Group and Platinum Underwriters Holdings, Ltd.; Presiding Director of ExxonMobil Corp., and a member of the Business Roundtable, the Business Council and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Mr. Fishman received the 2011 Joseph Wharton Award for Leadership, presented by the Wharton Club of New York, and Manhattan College’s 2002 De La Salle Medal, which recognizes excellence in business and corporate leadership.

Mr. Fishman is survived by his wife, Randy; their sons Jordan, C’03 and his wife Rebecca, and Scott, C’06, WG’12 and his wife Nicki; and three grandchildren.

Contributions may be made to the Randy and Jay Fishman Program for Home Assisted Ventilation, payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, c/o Kate Griffo, Penn Medicine Development & Alumni Relations, Suite 750, 3535 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-3309.

Chester M. Zmijewski, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Chester M. Zmijewski (widely and affectionately known as Chet or Dr. Z), professor emeritus of pathology & laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, died on August 15 at the age of 84. Dr. Zmijewski was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, where he received his BA, MT, MA and PhD, all from the University of Buffalo. He obtained his PhD under the Teutonic tradition of Ernest Witebsky, a world-renowned immunologist. The training gave him an appreciation of the importance of order, detail and the essential balance between the theoretical and the practical.

Dr. Zmijewski’s research interest in immunology developed during his graduate work. His first job moved him from Buffalo to Medical College of Virginia as an assistant professor and director of the Blood Bank, where he worked with David Hume to develop protocols for the first kidney transplant from a donor who was a sibling but not an identical twin.

In 1963, he moved to Duke and was promoted to associate professor in 1967. There he helped organize the first International Histocompatibility Workshop. Throughout his career, he played a major role in understanding HLA as one of the pioneers in the development of tissue typing for donor-recipient matching for solid organ and bone marrow transplantation. He published the key paper for pre-transplant serologic workup that became the standard of practice and helped train many of the people performing this procedure. While at Duke, he wrote the first of multiple editions of his textbook Immunohematology. He authored five medical textbooks and numerous scientific papers during his career. In 1978 he served as president of the American Society for Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics. The same year he was presented with the Award of Merit from the Japan Society of Blood Transfusion.

Dr. Zmijewski served as an insightful mentor and inspiration for many of his colleagues. His friendship, good-natured collegiality and encouraging guidance provided the stepping stone for the careers of many clinical laboratory scientists, pathologists and transplant physicians.

Dr. Zmijewski was recruited to Penn by then chair Dr. David Rowlands (Almanac August 23, 2016) in 1975 as associate professor and to direct a full-service histocompatibility service, which grew to international stature under his leadership. His expertise in transplant immunology advanced the growth of transplantation surgery at HUP and he was promoted to professor in 1984. As committee chair, he led the efforts to computerize the HUP laboratories. He served as the founding director of the Immunology Division and as associate director of the William Pepper Laboratories at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

He retired as emeritus professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in 1996. After retirement, he divided his time between Hawaii and New Jersey.

Governance

PPSA 2016-2017 Executive Committee Members

Chair: Kuan Evans, Staff Assistant, Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs

Chair-Elect: Heather Kelley, Deputy Director, School of Nursing

Past Chair: Lucia DiNapoli, Executive

Assistant to the Dean/Project Manager, School of Nursing

Members at Large (2-year terms) 2015-2017:

Aman Goyal, Program Coordinator, VPUL

Teri Scott, Director of Marketing and Communications, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Stephanie Yee, Laboratory Manager, Perelman School of Medicine

Tom Wilson, Director of Physical Facilities, Morris Arboretum (2016-2017)

Members at Large (2-year terms) 2016-2018

Christopher Pastore, Associate Director, LPS Administration

Stephanie King, Faculty Affairs Assistant, Provost’s Office

Nykia Perez Kibler, Director of Information Services, School of Arts and Sciences

Nadir Sharif, House Dean, Stouffer College House, College Houses & Academic Services

 

PPSA Meetings, 2016-2017

Penn Professional Staff Assembly meetings are held from noon-1 p.m. For locations and to RSVP, see http://penn-ppsa.org

September 9

October 14

November 11

December 9

January 13

February 10

March 10

April 14

May 12

June 9

 

Policies

OF RECORD: Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays

The Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays guides instructors and students in those circumstances when significant observances occur during the period that classes are in session. Anyone with further questions or concerns is encouraged to contact the Office of the Chaplain, which serves as an important resource for all members of the Penn community. The Chaplain and Associate Chaplain can help if any student’s observance seems to conflict with academic expectations.

As a reminder, Jewish holidays begin at sunset. This year, Rosh Hashanah will be observed on Monday, October 3 and Tuesday, October 4. Yom Kippur will be observed on Wednesday, October 12. Thus Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Sunday, October 2 and Yom Kippur begins at sunset on Tuesday, October 11.

––Vincent Price, Provost

Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays

Effective July 1, 1996; Revised March 30, 2001; Revised September 7, 2010

1. The University recognizes/observes the following secular holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Thanksgiving and the day after, Labor Day and New Year’s Day.

2. The University also recognizes that there are several religious holidays that affect large numbers of University community members, including Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the first two days of Passover and Good Friday. In consideration of their significance for many students, no examinations may be given and no assigned work may be required on these days. Students who observe these holidays will be given an opportunity to make up missed work in both laboratories and lecture courses. If an examination is given on the first class day after one of these holidays, it must not cover material introduced in class on that holiday.

Faculty should realize that Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the published date of the holiday. Late afternoon exams should be avoided on these days. Also, no examinations may be held on Saturdays or Sundays in the undergraduate schools unless they are also available on other days, nor should seminars or other regular classes be scheduled on Saturdays or Sundays unless they are also available at other times.

3. The University recognizes that there are other holidays, both religious and secular, which are of importance to some individuals and groups on campus. Such occasions include, but are not limited to, Sukkot, the last two days of Passover, Shavuot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, as well as Chinese New Year, the Muslim New Year, Diwali and the Islamic holidays Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Students who wish to observe such holidays must inform their instructors within the first two weeks of each semester of their intent to observe the holiday even when the exact date of the holiday will not be known until later so that alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can be made at the earliest opportunity. Students who make such arrangements will not be required to attend classes or take examinations on the designated days, and faculty must provide reasonable opportunities for such students to make up missed work and examinations. For this reason it is desirable that faculty inform students of all examination dates at the start of each semester. Exceptions to the requirement of a make-up examination must be approved in advance by the undergraduate dean of the school in which the course is offered.

For the dates of the Recognized Holidays for FY 2017, see: 
http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v62/n34/recognized-holidays.html

For the Academic Calendar, see: http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/3yearcal.html

Honors

Daniel Blackey: Critical Language Scholarships

A Penn student, Daniel Blackey and a recent alumnus, William Dossett, have been awarded Critical Language Scholarships. They are among approximately 560 US undergraduate and graduate student CLS scholarship recipients this year.

Daniel Blackey, a rising sophomore from Charlotte, North Carolina, is studying Mandarin at Shaanxi Normal University in Xi’an, China. An alumnus of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, Mr. Blackey has studied Chinese with the Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota in Shanghai, China. He recently attended the 2016 National Chinese Language Conference in Chicago as an intensive language study abroad presenter.

William Dossett, C’16, from Nashville, Tennessee, was also a recipient.

The Critical Language Scholarship Program is part of a US government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages.

Kathleen Burke: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Kathleen G. Burke, assistant dean for clinical nurse learning & innovation, has been elected a member of the Board of Commissioners for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). She will serve as the representative to professional consumers.

CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency that ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs and nurse residency programs.

Penn Museum & Walnut 32 Garage: Preservation Alliance Awards

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia named two Penn projects among the winners of the 2016 Preservation Achievement Awards:

The West Wing Renovations at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Recognized for their involvement are the University of Pennsylvania; Samuel Anderson Architects; McClure Engineering; Severud Consulting Engineers; Nash Lighting Design; Lorenzon Brothers Co.; and Hunter Roberts Construction Group.

Walnut 32 Parking Garage, University of Pennsylvania. Recognized for their involvement are the University of Pennsylvania; Keast & Hood Structural Engineers; Paul Steege & Associates; International Consultants Inc.; Mara Restoration; and Schnabel Conservation, LLC.

Both projects were chosen as Grand Jury Award winners. They were recognized at the 23rd Annual Preservation Achievement Awards on June 8 at the Union League of Philadelphia.

RealArts@PENN Summer Interns

RealArts@PENN, a project of Penn’s Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing (CPCW), has announced the recipients of its paid summer internships for 2016:

Journalism, Editorial, Publications, Print

Downtown Bookworks Inc. (New York City)—Sarah Eisler

Flathead Beacon (Montana)—Amanda Rubano

Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia)—Taylor Hoskinga

Philadelphia Magazine (Philadelphia)—David Murrell, Esther Yoon

Pitchfork Media (New York City)—Corey Smith-West

McSweeney’s & the Believer (San Francisco)—Maura Reilly-Ulmanek

Museums

Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia)—Joya Mandel-Assael

Morgan Library and Museum (New York City)—Hannah Judd

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco)—Siyona Ravi 

The Jewish Museum (New York City)—Matthew Eisenberg 

Music

Shore Fire Media (New York City)—Mark Paraskevas

Television & Film

20th Century Fox (Los Angeles) - Brooklyn Films (Los Angeles)—Nina Zhang 

David Stern and Stuart Gibbs, Writers (Los Angeles)—Nathaniel McLeod

Di Novi Pictures (Los Angeles)—Nolan Boyer

Focus Features (Los Angeles)—Daniel Kahana

Grandview (Los Angeles)—Matthew Cardonick

Management 360 (Los Angeles)—Timothy Bloom, Jennifer Schofield

Tremolo Productions (Los Angeles)—Tyler Burke

Viacom Catalyst: Creative + Strategy (New York City)—Harley Geffner

Theater

1812 Productions (Philadelphia)—Sydney Rodriguez

Jonathan Wood: Tillman Scholar

Jonathan WoodJonathan Wood, a student pursuing a joint degree in medicine and business administration from the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, was named the 2016 Tillman Scholar by the Pat Tillman Foundation. Mr. Wood, a US Air Force veteran, is the first PSOM student to receive this prestigious award recognizing US service members, veterans and military spouses for leadership and excellence by investing in their higher education.

Mr. Wood joined PSOM in 2013 at age 32 as the oldest member of his class. His ambitions to help lead a nationwide movement to inspire service-minded clinicians to practice in underserved urban communities in the United States motivated him to combine his medical degree with a master’s in business administration.

Before enrolling at Penn, Mr. Wood served as a US Air Force intelligence officer for eight years, including four deployments, and eventually earned the rank of captain.

Sharon Hayes, Ken Lum and Brian Phillips: Pew Center Funding

Three PennDesign faculty members— Sharon Hayes, Ken Lum and Brian Phillips (M.Arch’96)—have received funding from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage for new research and public programs. Penn alumna Kelsey Halliday Johnson (MFA’12) also received funding.

Ms. Hayes received a $75,000 Pew Fellowship. Hayes employs various media to probe the complex intersections of history, politics and speech within private and public spaces. Her current large-scale project, Ricerche, uses a series of single-channel video, photo, projection and performance installations for an inquiry into sexuality in contemporary America.

Philadelphia Mural Arts received a $300,000 grant for Monument Lab: A Citywide Public Art and History Exhibition, which is co-produced by Mr. Lum. Monument Lab builds on a 2015 public-art project curated by Lum, Paul Farber of Haverford College and A. Will Brown, of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. 

Mr. Phillips, architect and lecturer in the department of architecture and principal at Interface Studio Architects, received a $60,000 grant for a yearlong project that will survey and document 15 Philadelphia row houses, as well as the families and stories within them, across five different neighborhoods selected by distinct phases of city development over the past 200 years. An exhibition planned for 2017 will allow visitors to experience the diverse and nuanced histories of communities through the lens of individual homes and their physical and social transformations and adaptations through time.

Ms. Johnson, curator at Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, received a $60,000 grant to present the exhibition Making/Breaking the Binary: Women, Art & Technology 1970-1985.

 

David Spafford: NEH Fellowship

David Spafford, assistant professor of East Asian languages & civilizations, has been awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to study the corporate warrior house in Japan from 1450 to 1650. He is researching the social functions of the warrior house, exploring in particular practices and ideas about family identity, survival and legacy.

Dr. Spafford’s research interests include the history of late medieval and early modern Japan. His book A Sense of Place: The Political Landscape in Late Medieval Japan examines the vast Kant? region as a source of cultural identity and an object of familial attachment during the political and military turmoil of the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Raymond Townsend: Physician of the Year Award, American Heart Association

Raymond TownsendRaymond Townsend, director of the Hypertension Program and a professor of medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named the 2016 Physician of the Year Award of the American Heart Association (AHA).

The Physician of the Year Award is presented to one person each year with direct patient care responsibilities who has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to furthering the AHA’s mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Dr. Townsend, a member of the AHA since 1986, accepted this honor during the 2016 Awards Luncheon in Dallas.

Dr. Townsend became a Fellow of the AHA in 1993. He has served as faculty for the AHA Hypertension Summer School, co-chaired the Program Committee and served on the National AHA Professional Education Committee. He has also served on the Council on Hypertension Professional Education and Publication Committee, as well as the American Society of Hypertension liaison to the Council on Hypertension Professional Education and Publication Committee, and on the Council on Hypertension Program Committee. Dr. Townsend has been a reviewer and contributor for the journal Hypertension for more than 20 years.

Yasmin Kafai and Orkan Telhan: National Science Foundation Grant

Two Penn researchers—Yasmin B. Kafai, professor at PennGSE, and Orkan Telhan, assistant professor at PennDesign — were awarded a two-year, $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of its National Week of Making in June.

The grant was one of five new, early-concept grants created to promote do-it-yourself technological innovation and to catalyze new approaches in STEM learning.

Drs. Kafai and Telhan will develop and implement bioMAKERlab, a wetlab starter kit and activities that will enable high school students and teachers to engage in synthetic biology by building genetic circuits that enable microorganisms to change color, smell and shape.

China Research & Engagement Fund

The Provost’s Office announced nine awards from the Penn China Research and Engagement Fund for the 2016-2017 academic year. The Penn China Research & Engagement Fund is a competitive grant program designed to stimulate and support activity in China and engagement with the Penn Wharton China Center.

The recipients for the 2016-2017 academic year are:

  • Hanming Fang (SAS): Political Factions, Local Accountability and Economic Performance: Evidence from Chinese Provinces
  • Mauro Guillen (Wharton) with Fred Dickinson (SAS): The New East Asia
  • Kathryn Hellerstein (SAS): China and Ashkenazic European Jewry: Transnational Encounters
  • Howard Hu (Engineering): SEAS Global Immersion in China
  • Thomas Parsons with David GalliganGary Althouse (Veterinary Medicine): Improving the Productivity, Efficiency and Sustainability of Chinese Pork Producers
  • Megan Ryerson (Design & Engineering): Planning for Large-Scale Aviation Growth on the Ground and in the Air in China
  • Jianbo Shi with Shu Yang (Engineering): Symposium and Summer School on “Pattern Recognition and Human Centered Robotics”
  • Christopher Yoo (Law) with Joseph Harrington (Wharton): A Comparison of Chinese, EU and US Competition Law and Policy
  • Minyuan Zhao (Wharton): Employee Mobility and Employee Entrepreneurship in China

For more information about the Penn China Research & Engagement Fund, visit https://global.upenn.edu/global-impact/penn-china-research-engagement-fund 

Please email global@exchange.upenn.edu with any questions.

Jo-Ana Chase and Alma Vega: Butler-Williams Scholars Program

Two Penn Nursing postdoctoral research fellows from the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health—Alma Vega and Jo-Ana Chase—were selected for the National Institute on Aging’s (NIA) Butler-Williams (B-W) Scholars Program, held in July on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

The B-W Scholars Program is sponsored by the NIA, with support from the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence, and accepts 50 scholars annually.

During the NIA B-W Scholars Program, Dr. Vega discussed her proposal to study the personal costs of informal family caregiving among immigrant communities and resulting savings to Medicaid and Medicare programs. Dr. Chase discussed her proposed study using national CMS data to investigate racial/ethnic disparities in physical functioning outcomes among older adults receiving home care after hospitalization.

Neil Tomson: Charles E. Kaufman Foundation Grant

Neil Tomson, assistant professor in the department of chemistry, in the School of Arts & Sciences, was awarded a grant from the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation for research on coordination chemistry and catalysis using molecular-scale electric fields. The foundation awarded a total of eight grants. Dr. Tomson received one of four, two-year New Investigator grants of $150,000.

Mark Lemmon: Royal Society Fellow

Mark Lemmon, an adjunct professor of biochemistry & biophysics at Penn, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge. He was formally admitted at a ceremony on July 15.

Dr. Lemmon had been the George W. Raiziss Professor in Biochemistry and Biophysics, and chair of the department of biochemistry and biophysics, at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, where he taught for almost 20 years, before accepting a position at Yale University in 2015. Dr. Lemmon credited his status as a Fellow to the amazing environment and extraordinary support at Penn.

Ronald Fairman: President, Society for Vascular Surgery

Ronald FairmanRonald M. Fairman, a vascular surgeon with a multidisciplinary practice at Penn Medicine, was elected president of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) at the organization’s annual meeting in June. As president of the 5,400-member organization, Dr. Fairman will chair a board of directors of more than two dozen vascular surgery leaders, and will oversee four governing councils, 26 committees and 400 volunteer members. In addition, he will lead the efforts of more than 20 full-time SVS employees in the society’s Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices.

Dr. Fairman is chief of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy and has a dual faculty appointment, as Clyde F. Barker–William Maul Measey professor in surgery and professor in radiology. In 2015, he was inducted as a member of the Academy of Master Clinicians, Penn Medicine’s highest clinical honor.

Features

The New College House at Hill Field: A Home for Global Citizenship

New College House bedroom.

The New College House (NCH) has just opened for its first academic year. It is the first signature residential building on Penn’s campus specifically designed and built to maximize the College House experience (the College House program was created 15 years ago). This year it will be a Freshman College House with some 350 beds. Single student rooms are collected in multiple-bedroom suites with 3, 4, 5 and 6-bedroom arrangements, each with a living room and private baths.

The NCH frames a critical gateway to Penn’s campus at 33rd and Chestnut Streets (Almanac July 16, 2013). It is bounded by 34th Street, where it fronts the Law School’s Silverman Hall and the 125 Years of Women at Penn walkway which leads to the heart of campus. It is also a neighbor to Hill College House, which is currently being renovated. In the fall of 2017, both the NCH and Hill will be open. Hill will return to being a Freshmen College House. The NCH will be a four-year House with approximately 50% of the residents being freshmen.

The NCH also includes a few two-bedroom suites with private baths. Ten graduate and undergraduate advisor single bedroom suites are distributed throughout, on every floor.

The design locates major programmatic spaces around a central courtyard that serves the building’s population, encouraging all of its residents to engage in the life of the House. The courtyard is an outdoor oasis with an array of programmatic possibilities: from small concerts, to barbeques, to casual space for relaxation.

The large living room—along Chestnut Street on the first floor­—is designed as a multipurpose space for many kinds of social engagement, ranging from music performances and lectures to more intimate conversation or a quiet read. The first floor also contains a media center adjacent to the living room, which provides a comfortable location for viewing class presentations, a House film series or sporting events. Two seminar rooms with classroom instruction technology seat up to 26 individuals. They will be available for classes, group study sessions, tutoring and any other resident meetings that require an intimate setting. There are two music practice rooms for lessons and student practice; an in-house music department fellow will coordinate house events and music lessons for students. Two group study rooms are located with technology for conducting group projects. 

New College House reading room.

The northeast corner of the building has a reading room at the lowest level, and a community room at the top of the tower, with views of Center City. 
The dining hall is central to the New College House  but there are also two community kitchens to allow residents to cook meals for themselves. Each neighborhood of suites collects around a sunny day-lit two-story Commons Lounge—places for casual conversation, study or floor meetings—that overlooks the campus.

Building on a foundational value for “global citizenship,” programming will focus on promoting dialogue and creating experiences through which students can engage with the world.

The house crest will be designed by the inaugural residents to promote student ownership of the community and further establish house culture. 
The building features contactless, two-step verification security locks at the main entrance and on all suite doors. This technology, which was introduced in 2014 allows students to gain access by tapping their PennCard and entering their PennCard Access Code/PAC. This ensures that even if they lose their PennCards, no one will be able to gain access to the building or the suites without also knowing the code.

The façade of the NCH is designed to seamlessly integrate into campus as part of Penn’s architectural legacy while still being a building of its time. It uses traditional materials in new ways. The façade undulates to enliven the streetscape and to capture the light and shadow play changing over the course of the day. The enclosing walls of the NCH are predominantly red brick with limestone trim, similar to the palette prevalent on campus. Alabama limestone trim frames the windows marking student rooms. The one block-long building groups the windows for each individual single bedroom into neighborhood faces. Windows are grouped in double height arrangements of four windows. A humane approach to the façade gives residents a sense of where they live in the larger college house.

Shaded glass towers containing common areas and suite living rooms punctuate the residential bays and express the social purpose of the building. The west façade of the building is clad in Alabama limestone, to respect and respond to the ornate Law School with a rich material that reflects afternoon light back onto the campus. 

 

New College House exterior. Path around New College House.
 

AT PENN

Events

Human Resources: Upcoming September Programs

Professional & Personal Development Programs

Improve your skills and get ahead in your career by taking advantage of the many development opportunities provided by Human Resources. You can register for programs by visiting knowledgelink.upenn.edu or contacting Learning and Education at (215) 898-3400.

Business Writing for Success; 9/8; 1-4 p.m.;  $75. This interactive workshop has been designed to assist participants with techniques to draft, compose and edit professional documents for the global audience. Participants will become more aware of business considerations for internal and external clients, and will learn to communicate factual information objectively for the practical reader. Emphasis is placed on appropriate organization, clarity and conciseness with a focus around global communications for multicultural recipients. This interactive workshop is especially valuable for those who work globally, for whom English may be a second language. Participants will acquire skills through interactive and written learning exercises, developing writing processes as they write and revise required samples. A participant guide containing tips to reinforce learning will be provided.

Essentials of Management: Session 1; 9/13; 9 a.m.-noon; $250 for the multi-session program. If you’re a new manager at Penn, this program is for you. You’ll learn about a variety of general management practices to help you shine in your new role—like interviewing, hiring, development, engagement and performance management. This program runs over a five-month period and includes classroom sessions and several online modules. You’ll participate in a 360-degree feedback process, meet with a professional performance coach, and have the opportunity to network with other managers from all over Penn’s campus.

During the first session, you will work with peer managers to identify different management issues and determine appropriate actions towards resolution.

Navigating Difficult Conversations; 9/15; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; free. Difficult conversations are inevitable in any workplace. Those conversations can create unhappiness, stress and tension. They can also impair and even destroy relationships. When handled poorly, they are likely to result in serious problems that interfere with productivity and leave everyone involved feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. You can’t avoid these kinds of conversations, but you can learn how to handle them more effectively. Developing the ability to handle these challenges will pay off in terms of reduced stress, increased confidence, improved relationships, increased trust, fewer problems, better teamwork, higher productivity and better career opportunities.

How to Determine Your Key Skills presented by HR Recruitment; 9/20; 12:30-1:30 p.m. An important part of navigating your career is knowing your greatest talents and skills. In this session, HR Recruitment will help you discover what those key skills are.

Project Management; 9/21; 9 a.m.-noon; $75. Managing projects can feel daunting. It requires a focus on defining the initiative, planning for work, managing the initiative and monitoring results. Join us for a seminar to learn about tools and techniques that can help you managing your projects. Learn how to identify the key activities in the project life cycle and how to construct a project timeline. Understand the role of the “triple constraint” in project management and apply it in determining project scope. Learn how to keep projects on track by managing project risks and effectively using a communication plan. Capture valuable project lessons and use them to define and improve project management practices within your organization.

Cross Cultural Communication; 9/28; 9 a.m.–noon; $75. Communication goes far beyond the actual words that you say; it’s also how you say those words and the non-verbal messages that you send with them. The receipt and interpretation of that message depends on the other person’s view of the world and his or her beliefs and values. This workshop reaches beyond the surface to explore the similarities and differences among varying cultures. It helps to teach participants to monitor and adapt the more subtle aspects of effective cross cultural communication.

Quality of Worklife Workshops

Dealing with the demands of work and your personal life can be challenging. These free workshops, sponsored by Human Resources and led by experts from Penn’s Employee Assistance Program and Quality of Worklife Department, offer information and support for your personal and professional life challenges. For complete details and to register, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/registration or contact Human Resources at (215) 573-2471 or qowl@hr.upenn.edu

Managing Relationships; 9/13; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Managing relationships isn’t always easy, especially when conflicts arise. With the right strategies, you can effectively manage even the most difficult relationships. This workshop can show you how. You’ll learn to find “win-win” solutions to personal and professional conflicts with assertiveness, collaboration, handling internal reactions and other skills.

Guided Meditation—Take a Breath and Relax; 9/16 and 9/30; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Practice mindful breathing that focuses your attention on the present moment with kindness, compassion, and awareness. Self-massage and gentle mindful movements that promote relaxation and reduce stress may also be included in the one-hour workshop. No experience necessary.

Mindfulness Monday: From Mind Full to Mindful; 9/19; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” Mindfulness practice develops awareness of your present thoughts and feelings to help you manage different situations. In this once-a-month experiential workshop, you’ll see how mindfulness can help you become more engaged and effective both at home and in the workplace. No prior meditation experience necessary.

A Proactive Approach to Caregiving: Guidance on Planning Ahead; 9/21; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Mom or Dad may be healthy and independent now, so conversations about care needs down the road have been pushed to the back burner. But chances are you will find yourself in the role of caregiver at some point in the future. Planning ahead and communicating early and often with your parents can help avoid future pitfalls. Learn about strategies for proactive planning, options for care and the cost of long term care. Most importantly, learn how to broach the topic of care preferences with a parent or loved one to decrease resistance and increase the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Healthy Living Workshops

Get the tools you need to live well year-round. From expert nutrition and weight loss advice to exercise and disease prevention strategies, we can help you kick-start your body and embrace a healthy lifestyle. These free workshops are sponsored by Human Resources. For complete details and to register, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/registrationor contact Human Resources at (215) 573-2471 or qowl@hr.upenn.edu

Gentle Yoga; 9/14; 11 a.m.-noon. Let your body reward itself with movement! Join us for this Gentle Yoga session and explore the natural movements of the spine with slow and fluid moving bends and soft twists. During this session, you will flow into modified sun salutations that loosen those tightened muscles and joints of the lower back, neck, shoulders and wrists. And as an added bonus, you’ll get a workout in the process. Mats and props will be provided.

Get to Know What is Healthy at Houston Hall; 9/20; noon-12:30 p.m. Join Dan Connolly, Bon Appétit’s Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, on a Healthy @ Houston tour. You will meet Mr. Connolly at the information desk in Houston Hall, where he will give a brief history of Bon Appétit and explain the elements of a healthy meal. Then you will follow him downstairs to Houston Market, where he’ll walk you through the café and explain how you can eat Healthy @ Houston.

Fitness 101: Back to Basics; 9/22; noon-1 p.m.; free. Have you always wanted to start an exercise program but don’t know where to begin? Janna Rothschild and Devon Vicari, Campus Recreation’s fitness professionals, both hold advanced degrees and certifications in fitness and will lead a complex discussion regarding fitness programming. This workshop is perfect for anyone new to the fitness field or who just wants a refresher in fitness basics. Join them to learn how to create a personalized program to help you reach your goals. Topics such as physical/mental benefits, finding your target heart rate, and exercise for specific goals will be covered. There will be time for demonstrations and Q&A at the end of the lunch hour! Feel free to bring your (healthy) lunch.

Wellness Walk; 9/23; noon-1 p.m. It has been proven that spending more time outside reduces stress, increases energy levels and boosts immunity. You can start achieving these goals by meeting staff from the Center for Public Health Initiatives and Human Resources Wellness at noon in front of College Hall by the Ben Franklin statue. We will start with some quick and easy warm up stretches and then get our feet moving. The walk will be approximately two miles. We will inform you when we have reached the one-mile mark in the event that you need to leave the walk early. Bring your water bottle and don’t forget your sneakers!

Division of Human Resources

Without Regard to Sex, Race or Color The Past, Present and Future of One Historically Black College: Burrison Gallery Exhibition

Without Regard to Sex, Race, or Color exhibit image.

Without Regard to Sex, Race or Color The Past, Present and Future of One Historically Black College: Photographs by Andrew Feiler will be on display at the Burrison Gallery from September 7-30.

Founded by African Americans in 1881, Morris Brown College lost its accreditation to financial pressures and scandal in 2002. Today its campus is largely abandoned. Andrew Feiler was granted unique access to Morris Brown’s hauntingly silent campus. His documentary artistic photography portrays a proud past, a challenging present and an uncertain future, not only for this one institution but for all of America’s historically black colleges and universities.

An opening reception will be held in the Burrison Gallery from 5-6 p.m. on Thursday September 8, followed by a discussion between the artist and Professor Marybeth Gasman of Penn’s Graduate School of Education. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase at the opening reception.

Crimes

Weekly Crime Reports

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department Community Crime Report

About the Crime Report: Below are all Crimes Against Persons, Property and Crimes Against Society from the campus report for August 15-21, 2016View prior weeks' reports.—Ed.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and includes all criminal incidents reported and made known to the University Police Department between the dates of August 15-21, 2016. The University Police actively patrol from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from the Schuylkill River to 43rd Street in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482.

08/16/16 9:49 AM 3850 Spruce St Theft Camera taken
08/16/16 4:38 PM 4242 Pine St Theft Bike wheel taken
08/17/16 2:28 PM 4111 Walnut St Assault Male harassing complainant
08/17/16 7:40 PM 3910 Irving St Burglary Property taken from room
08/18/16 5:49 PM 3900 Irving St Other Offense Unauthorized person in building/Arrest
08/18/16 6:29 PM 3260 South St Other Assault Complainant threatened by ex-boyfriend
08/18/16 9:51 PM 3927 Pine St Burglary Property taken from residence
08/19/16 10:15 AM 3400 Civic Center Blvd Harassment Unwanted calls received
08/19/16 9:51 PM 3820 Locust Walk Burglary Headphones taken from room
08/20/16 7:42 AM 3609 Chestnut St Drunkenness Intoxicated male arrested
08/20/16 7:45 PM 3100 Walnut St Theft Wallet and cell phone taken
08/21/16 4:46 PM 3600 Walnut St Theft Secured bike taken

18th District Report

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 6 incidents with 0 arrests (3 assaults, 2 robberies and 1 aggravated assault) were reported between August 15-21, 2016 by the 18th District covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

08/15/16 7:45 AM 1010 S 46th St Robbery
08/16/16 11:55 AM 126 S 46th St Assault
08/17/16 5:45 AM 4530 Locust St Robbery
08/19/16 2:48 PM 4409 Chestnut St Assault
08/20/16 5:04 PM 34th & Market Sts Assault
08/21/16 12:17 AM 4300 Chester Ave Aggravated Assault

Bulletins

Transit Shuttle Services to FMC Tower and Pennovation Works

The University community is reminded that the Pennovation Works Shuttle, operated by Penn Transit Services, has new hours of operation. This on-demand service is available Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-3 a.m. and from 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday-Sunday. Call (215) 898-RIDE (7433) to request a pick-up from any campus Transit Stop when traveling to Pennovation Works. 

Also, Penn Transit Services is piloting a shuttle service program providing free transportation between the Penn offices at the FMC Tower, located at 30th and Walnut Streets, and designated transit stops. The shuttle is available to valid PennCard holders and provides a convenient option for those needing to travel between these destinations.

The hours of operation of the FMC Tower Shuttle are Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and shuttles will run at 30-minute intervals. Passengers may follow real-time shuttle vehicle locations at www.pennrides.com 

To learn more about these shuttle services, and view a map of the FMC Tower Shuttle route, visit www.upenn.edu/PennTransit or contact Penn Transit at (215) 898-RIDE (7433).

Penn’s Campus Firewall

Attacks on Penn’s computer networks continue to increase in number and sophistication every year. As a result, we are continually working to strengthen our Information Security program and improve our ability to protect campus resources. 

In October of this year, Penn will be deploying a campus firewall to help prevent network attacks and limit the number of computer compromises affecting PennNet. The new University Firewall will identify and block malicious traffic while allowing Penn’s desired in-bound traffic. 

The first phase of the University Firewall implementation will take place over the next 4-6 weeks, as ISC works closely with IT staff from Schools and Centers across campus to test and configure the system and its advanced features. Upon successful completion of this validation phase in early October, the University Firewall will be activated, blocking network threats and providing real-time protections for PennNet users. 

Note that this service will be deployed in a manner consistent with Penn’s commitment to open expression and electronic privacy. Because the University Firewall will only be blocking known-bad (i.e., unwanted or malicious) traffic when the service is initiated, PennNet users should not experience undue disruptions to their normal service. 

To learn more about the University Firewall service, visit: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/university-firewall

For details about how the University Firewall is expected to affect your local network environment, please speak with your Local Support Provider (LSP): https://www.isc.upenn.edu/get-it-help

For additional technical details on the University Firewall, attend a Security Special Interest Group presentation on Thursday, September 22; for more info, see https://www.isc.upenn.edu/events/security-sig-campus-firewall-presentation

—ISC’s Office of Information Security

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