PHILADELPHIA – The Scheie Eye Institute at Penn Medicine is hosting a luncheon to celebrate Black History Month and highlight the accomplishments of African-Americans in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania and the field of medicine as a whole. The annual event, which will feature vendors, guest speakers, performances and “soul food” dishes, attracts members of the Penn Medicine community, including faculty, physicians, and patients as well as family and community members who have been impacted by the care offered at the Scheie Institute.
The luncheon doubles as an opportunity to raise awareness of the pervasion of glaucoma in the African-American community. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in African Americans. Joan O’Brien, MD, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Scheie Eye Institute at Penn Medicine, is currently leading the largest-ever glaucoma genetics study of African Americans with hopes of transforming the screening and treatment of glaucoma, saving the sight of many patients.
WHERE:
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Scheie Eye Institute at Penn Medicine
Kozart Auditorium
51 N 39th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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WHEN:
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Monday, February 27, 2017
11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
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WHO:
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- Joan M. O'Brien, MD, director of the Scheie Eye Institute at Penn Medicine
- Dr. Keon Gerow, pastor of the Catalyst for Change Church
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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.