Winter 2022 - Penn Medicine

The lights of the nighttime city skyline of Philadelphia are shown with a motion blur.

Gun Violence: A Reckoning

Exacerbated by COVID-19, gun violence is rising to record levels, both across the country and in Philadelphia. Four Penn Medicine experts close to the epidemic of community violence speak up about the toll and call for bold, urgent solutions.

Helen O. Dickens, MD, wearing a white coat and seated at a desk in 1947

Helen Octavia Dickens: An Expanded View of a Trailblazing Obstetrician/Gynecologist

The curator of a new, expanded display surrounding the portrait of Penn’s first African-American OB/GYN faculty member reflects on her legacy and the process behind the exhibit.

300 drones in the night sky above Philadelphia make the shape of the Penn shield

Dress Rehearsals and Drone Flights

After more than four years of construction, preparation and celebration marked the final weeks before the opening of the Pavilion, Penn Medicine’s state-of-the art new 1.5-million-square-foot inpatient facility at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, and Katalin Kariko, PhD, in the lab

From Foundational Discoveries to Pandemic Proliferation of Impact

How mRNA research at Penn over decades made powerful new COVID-19 vaccines possible — and opened a new vista for future discoveries.

10 Crucial Years for Rare Disease Research

A pioneer in the field of orphan diseases and gene therapy, James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, reflects on 10 years of leading Penn’s Orphan Disease Center.
A FAST Approach to Helping Food Insecurity

FAST (Food Access Support Technology) is a new platform that connects health systems, food-access organizations, and minority-owned small businesses to fight food insecurity.
All Together Now

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Perelman School of Medicine students resume the White Coat tradition.
Clearing the Path

Fulfilling Helen O. Dickens’, MD, vision for diversity in medicine and justice in health care only begins at inspiration and representation. A scholarship and scholars program both contribute to increasing minority enrollment.
Creating the Evidence for Equity

New Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics Chair Enrique Schisterman, PhD, works toward health justice, inspired by his family’s experiences
Editor's Note: Legacies, Living and Cultivated

Legacies - whether they take the form of living descendants and mentees or inspiration from a story - are a powerful force for change in the face of ingrained challenges and injustices. Stories in this issue of the magazine show examples of that principle.
Reinvesting in Research

This fall, University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann announced the launch of a $750M investment advancing Penn’s pathbreaking contributions to innovative and impactful areas of medicine, public health, science, and technology over the next five years.
‘So Many Ways to Make a Difference’

New Otorhinolaryngology chair and pioneering surgeon D. Gregory Farwell, MD, sees special energy at Penn Medicine.
Somewhere That’s Green

Penn Medicine’s new Pavilion has broken new ground for sustainable health care construction and design with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Healthcare Gold Certification.
The Place to Be

The move of 310 patients to the Pavilion on October 30 marked the start of a new era for patient care at HUP.