2011

When the University's first medical program opened in 1765, gross anatomy was a part of it. Even with today's "virtual curriculum" and other technical and educational advances, medical students continue to learn essential lessons in such courses. Taking gross anatomy is a rite of passage — and more.

At Penn Medicine, physician-scientists are creating new DNA vaccines that hold great promise for fighting disease more effectively, with fewer side effects. Less like a drug in a bottle or a vaccine in a vial, they are "more like a next-generation blood transfusion." But the new vaccines are expensive, and funding can be hard to find.

Studies show that, even today, women in academic medicine are severely underrepresented in the ranks of tenured professors and in leadership positions. Achieving equity is a not-so-simple matter of changing the culture of medical schools. A recent grant will help Penn investigators explore strategies for doing exactly that.