Fall/Winter 2023

Helping Black families to grow and thrive

To reverse the nationwide trend of serious harm and death before, during, and after childbirth for Black and other parents from marginalized groups, Penn Medicine is taking bold action to improve maternal health and eliminate racial disparities.

A changing picture for dementia after decades of research

Decades of discoveries are finally creating a path to a cure for Alzheimer’s and related diseases of the brain. Foundational research at Penn Medicine was crucial to this moment where new drugs may slow and reverse the symptoms of these conditions.

The scientific life of Virginia M.-Y. Lee

Numerous key discoveries in Alzheimer’s and related disorders trace back to one woman: Virginia M-Y Lee. Lee’s life in science together with her late partner, John Trojanowski, is a testament to her dedication to understanding the brain.

The brain bank’s gift of knowledge

Patients and their families have empowered major discoveries through an important resource for research in neuropathology: The Penn Medicine Brain Bank.

Additional News Releases

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  Challenges of connecting to care for neurodegenerative conditions

  With innovative memory disorder drugs on the horizon, Penn Medicine is working to address the challenges patients and families still face, from diagnosis, to treatment, to supportive care for dementia.
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  Celebrating and supporting the marvels of mRNA

  mRNA research promises to transform all of medicine—and philanthropic donors are key to making these dreams a reality.
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  The Center for Surgical Health puts surgical care within reach

  Serving a growing number of patients who would otherwise struggle to access surgery before it became a life-threatening emergency, Penn Medicine’s Center for Surgical Health is recruiting new volunteers and expanding to meet ambitious goals.
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  Growing diverse leaders in health equity research and action

  Penn Medicine’s Health Equity Advancement Lab (HEAL) works to channel research insights into concrete plans for a more equitable health care system while empowering its fellows to make transformational change.
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  Gender equity group adds programs for sponsorship, lab research

  FOCUS on Health & Leadership for Women at Penn Medicine is working to emphasize well-being for women in academic medicine while also launching new initiatives for underrepresented minority women and gender-inclusive biomedical research.
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  Narcan bootcamp, then the white coat

  Why did new Penn medical students spend their first day learning how to prevent opioid overdoses? Because this training equips them to save lives from Day 1.
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  Setting a path for the future

  The new chair of Penn Medicine’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is a “people person” who is excited by the transformational changes reshaping the field.
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  A mountain climb to benefit immunotherapy research at Penn

  To reflect on her scientific career while raising money for Penn’s immunotherapy research and supporting women scientists, recently retired Kristen Hege, MD is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
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  ASPIRE program is adding diversity to nursing

  Dozens of Philadelphia high school students are getting an up-close look at nursing—and a jump-start into a nursing career—through the ASPIRE Program.
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  How collaborations are changing the future of medicine

  The scientists and medical leaders changing the world for the better are making more possible through collaboration. From mRNA vaccines to Alzheimer’s disease, many of the collaborations that exemplify this spirit are happening at Penn Medicine.