This year, 76 employees from Corporate Services, HUP, and CPUP reached their 25-year milestone at Penn Medicine, a testament to their dedication to excellence and to the organization. “When asked, employees say they stay because like to be part of a great team. They have a strong sense of belonging and meaningfulness,” said Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, CEO of HUP, at the annual celebration. “They’re part of something that’s bigger than themselves. We really are like a family.”
The annual event also celebrated those reaching other 5-year milestones — from 30 years all the way to 50 this year! All told, the 25-Year Club now has nearly 900 active employees who have been at Penn for 25 years or more.
Celebrants also got to see what life was like during the years when they started working at Penn, beginning with 1994 when the newest inductees began their Penn careers. Forrest Gump hit the big screen, as did The Lion King, while ER and Friends debuted on TV. Amazon was founded in 1994 (just to sell books, remember?) and cell phones were available, but big and expensive. On the international scene, Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa, and the English Channel tunnel connecting England and France was finally completed after six years of construction.
HUP was undergoing its own changes, with the opening of the then-new Rhoads Pavilion. The building’s focus, according to a HUPdate article from December 1994, was on “treating patients in comfortable surroundings while housing some of the most advanced medical technology available.”
The building was named for Jonathan Rhoads, MD, who was part of HUP for more than 60 years as a surgeon, University provost, and researcher. “His most lasting contribution to medicine is as the father of therapeutic nutrition via intravenous feeding,” noted the article.
At the event, UPHS CEO Kevin Mahoney thanked everyone celebrating their milestones for all they do to keep Penn Medicine so special. Speaking on behalf of senior leadership, he said, “You inspire us.”
For more photos, see slideshow below.