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Discover groundbreaking biomedical discoveries, pioneering health care innovations, and expert perspectives from Penn Medicine.
Ciara Dierking lies in a hospital bed surrounded by medical equipment while her two young sons, Jackson and Colton, stand on either side of the bed

The 37 days that made the rest of her life possible

When an infection turned to sepsis, it took surgeons, nurses, therapists, chaplains, and countless others working together to save a young mother’s life.

A Penn Medicine financial advocate speaks with a community member at an information table during an outreach event

Meet the team that takes money worries off patients’ minds

Penn Medicine’s patient financial advocates help keep out-of-pocket costs from interfering with patients’ care.

Latest news

Helping patients regain the power of speech

Integrated clinical and research efforts at Penn are addressing the major unmet need for better solutions for aphasia and other communication losses.

Resetting brain circuits

New advances in technologies that stimulate the brain are breaking down boundaries between neurological and psychiatric treatments.

America’s oldest hospital and the future of brain science

Growing from its origins in progressive mental health care, Pennsylvania Hospital is shaping the future of advanced care for neurological diseases.

Comprehensive clinics simplify care for neurological diseases

Complex diseases are best treated by comprehensive care teams—a paradigm that makes a difference for patients with neurological disorders.

Owner of the broken hearts

Penn Medicine’s repository of diseased and damaged heart tissues is fueling research discoveries to improve cardiac health.

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Back-to-school stories 

Kent Bream checking student Jaisen Smith’s blood pressure in a school gym

A new playbook for community care

Penn Medicine is helping student-athletes stay in the game while expanding access to care where it is needed most.

  • Lydia Moore-Hill
  • September 22, 2026
Jamie Shuda sitting at her desk, looking at BioEYES journals, with drawings and notes on her office wall in the background

Small fish, big impact

“Every kid can do science.” That’s the mission of Jamie Shuda, who has expanded Penn Medicine’s STEM community outreach programs.

  • Julie Wood
  • September 9, 2026
A teenage boy sleeping in a bed

The science behind teen sleep

Penn Medicine experts explain how later school start times could support teen sleep, learning, safety, and mental health.

  • Eric Horvath
  • August 19, 2026

People of Penn Medicine

Deidre Gray at a desk with a laptop, phone, and tablet

The ‘angel’ in the inbox

Patients think they’re reaching an institution when they message Penn Medicine on social media. What they remember is the person who reached back.

  • Daphne Sashin
  • July 27, 2026
Katie Dalke, MD, and Dovie Watson, MD, stand side-by-side in the lobby of the Clifton Center near a multi-colored mural

Two physician leaders will help shape LGBTQ+ health care

With a focus on strategy and research, Katie Dalke, MD, MBE, and Dovie Watson, MD, MSCE, build on Penn Medicine’s commitment to inclusive care.

  • Nicole Sweeney Etter
  • June 8, 2026
Neha Vapiwala with the Clifton Center in the background

How to grow at every stage of your medical career

Neha Vapiwala, MD, offers lessons for finding purpose throughout one’s professional journey in medicine.

  • Meagan Raeke
  • September 21, 2026
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Pioneering the future of medicine

Uterus transplant recipient, Jen Gobrecht, looks lovingly at husband, Drew

Uterus transplants in the United States largely successful

A national review finds uterus transplants have led to dozens of healthy births as surgical outcomes continue to improve.

  • September 24, 2026
An illustration of a microscopic image of CAR T cells attacking a cancer cell

10-year remissions with CAR T therapy in B-cell lymphoma

Many patients with large B-cell lymphoma or follicular lymphoma were still living without a relapse, 10 years after receiving CAR T therapy.

  • June 24, 2026
Gloved hands hold two large tubes containing clumps of cells in a clear liquid

New frontiers in nipping cancer in the bud

The science of cancer interception is advancing at Penn Medicine with a new platform to develop cancer vaccines piling scientific strength upon strength.

  • Christina Hernandez Sherwood
  • June 15, 2026
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The transformative power of philanthropy

Exterior rendering of the Middleman Center at Penn Medicine

Middleman gift accelerates Penn Medicine breakthroughs

The gift establishes the Middleman Center and Middleman Fund to advance promising discoveries and speed new treatments to patients.

  • September 10, 2026
Illustration of a DNA molecule

$25 million gift establishes Smilow precision center

The Smilow Foundation’s gift will advance gene editing and other precision therapies for cardiovascular disease.

  • October 8, 2026
Rendition of a molecule

Novel medicine for rare disease prompts $10M gift for trials

The Clayco Foundation award will go toward safety trials of a new small molecule drug aimed at treating RVCL, a rare, fatal disease with no cure.

  • July 7, 2026

Celebrating our history

Stacey Peeples standing in her office, looking at shelves of books and artifacts

Preserving Pennsylvania Hospital’s history ‘never gets old’

Stacey Peeples oversees the archives of the nation’s first chartered hospital, home to a nearly three-hundred-year collection of medical artifacts.

  • Julie Wood
  • May 7, 2026
a bearded man stands behind an Apothecary desk

The evolution of the apothecary in a historic hospital

At Pennsylvania Hospital, tracing the history of the apothecary shows the importance of professionals helping patients with medicines, then and now.

  • March 27, 2026
A view of a photographic glass plate showing a coin purse with two coins inside. Two gloved hands hold open the cardboard housing the glass.

X-ray plates from 1896 give a snapshot of Penn’s place in history

A pair of early X-ray plates represent the beginning of a revolution in medicine that began at Penn.

  • Daphne Sashin
  • October 6, 2025

Our service in action for local communities

Sunny Vespico hands a woman a box containing a gun safe at a handout event in Delaware County. In the foreground is a poster displaying more information about the program.

A gun safety effort that doesn’t stop at the front door

Because safety matters inside the hospital and beyond, Penn Medicine across the region is connecting communities with gun locks, safes, and guidance. 

  • Kris Ankarlo
  • July 16, 2026
A group of people in gardening clothes in front of a large wooden fence

Planting seeds, growing leaders: Teens explore health justice

From planting to event planning, the LeadIN program teaches Philly teens about environmental justice and leadership skills.

  • Meredith Mann
  • September 16, 2026
The Witmer family, including two parents and two small children, sit on the couch in their living room

Making older homes a safer haven for young families

After five years, the Lead-Free Families initiative is proving the impact of a health system investing in safe homes.

  • Olivia Kimmel
  • March 17, 2026
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Meeting patients where and when they need us

A child draws pictures of faces on a sheet of paper

From one mother to another

Penn’s PATCH program is helping more children access specialized anxiety treatment—by supporting their families first.

  • Melissa Daly
  • July 21, 2026
Penn Nursing Students Samantha Strasser and Simone Snead wearing scrubs and stethoscopes walk along a tree-lined neighborhood street, talking as they travel between in-home patient visits

Linking senior care and companionship

Senior HealthLink, a program pairing seniors with nursing students for regular check-ins, shows that sometimes just showing up is the best medicine.

  • Kris Ankarlo
  • October 5, 2026
A mural of the Philadelphia cityscape

A specialized approach to mental health crisis care

Penn’s Southwest Philadelphia crisis response center has expanded access, eased ED crowding, and connected more patients to ongoing mental health support.

  • Eric Horvath
  • June 3, 2026
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Recent news media highlights

Close up of a woman receiving a vaccine in her arm from a nuse.

Personalized mRNA vaccine shows promise against melanoma recurrence

An experimental personalized mRNA vaccine reduced melanoma recurrence or death in a late-stage trial. Penn Medicine’s Robert Vonderheide, who was not involved in the trial, discusses its potential for cancer treatment — NBC News

NBC News
Doctor works on laptop with textbook and stethoscope on the desk

AI is changing the value of academic publishing

In a guest essay, Penn Medicine’s Anna Wexler examines how AI-assisted manuscripts and peer reviews are straining academic publishing and challenging the journal article’s value as a marker of scholarly achievement. — The Atlantic

The Atlantic
Two young men shoot basketballs

Sixers assists support safer communities

Penn Medicine and the Sixers are donating $76 for every assist this season to support six local nonprofit organizations through Assists for Safe Communities. — Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia Inquirer

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