Oxford Foundation Commits
Gift to Islet Isolation Facility
(Philadelphia, PA)
-- David C. Magnus, PhD, Assistant Professor
in the Department of Medical Ethics at the University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been named
by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman to a
new Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century
Agriculture. Magnus also serves as the Graduate Studies
in Bioethics Director at PENN.
The 18-person Committee on Biotechnology
and 21st Century Agriculture is charged with examining
the long-term impacts of biotechnology on the U.S. food
and agriculture system and providing guidance to the
USDA on pressing individual issues related to the application
of biotechnology in agriculture. Appointees will serve
one- or two-year terms; and may be reappointed to serve
up to six years. The Committee's membership includes
leaders in biotechnology, food and seed industries,
farmers, environmental and consumer organizations, academia,
international plant research centers, and produce shippers
and traders.
"I am pleased to serve on this committee.
The complexity of the ethical, social, and scientific
issues associated with biotechnology and agriculture
make it imperative that thoughtful, careful reflection
should guide our deliberations," states Magnus.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.