Fall 2009
The first indications of the long-awaited global economic recovery have begun to appear. While there is a long way to go before the financial system as a whole and unemployment levels right themselves, we are benefiting from the prudent spending choices and careful planning decisions that we have made over the past few years. These determinations — coupled with the efforts of the truly outstanding faculty, staff, and employees of Penn Medicine — have allowed us to continue to fulfill our treatment, research, and education missions at high levels, even in the face of considerable fiscal challenges. We continue to initiate new eras of biomedical inquiry and patient treatment with a fresh round of enhanced federal grant support, the imminent launching of a key capital project, and steady, uninterrupted progress on a second signature capital undertaking.
Stimulus Funding
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — the nation’s economic stimulus package — includes substantial new federal funding for biomedical research. Amidst heavy competition, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to date has received 220 stimulus awards totaling $136.4M from NIH. This remarkable result is testimony to the high quality of work proposed by our faculty members. Congratulations to all recipients and thanks to Glen N. Gaulton, PhD, our executive vice dean and chief scientific officer, for leading an intense effort for sharing information and coordinating efforts to help our faculty members submit their proposals.
Capital Projects Update
The inauguration of the Roberts Proton Therapy Center will be celebrated with the Roberts family and other generous Penn Medicine donors on Nov. 23. This will be the world’s most comprehensive proton therapy center, offering the unique ability to fully integrate conventional radiation treatment with proton radiation. This outstanding facility, which has Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a partner, will open the door to a new level of sophisticated, advanced-level care whose healing effects will be dramatic and powerful. In anticipation of the opening, the National Cancer Institute and Penn Medicine hosted a seminar to inform journalists and science writers about the features of the Roberts Center as well as trends in radiation therapy for cancer. Experts from Penn and the NCI spoke to a group of 15 science writers, including representatives from Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal.
Construction remains on target and on budget for completion of phase-one of the Translational Research Center in 2010. The core research programs that will be housed at the Fisher Center will operate in close interaction with clinical activities in the adjacent Perelman Center. These “colocated” research and clinical programs include cancer; cardiovascular; diabetes, obesity, and metabolism; epigenetics; and translational therapeutics.
With new clinical and research space coming on line, we are turning our attention to creating the path to a new education space. New space for teaching is sorely needed to match the excellence of our current students and those yet to come. Plans for this innovative space will soon be available on the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania web site and when completed will unite all of our learning spaces and foster even greater interactions and intellectual exchanges between faculty and students.
Health Care Reform
As we all know, the debate surrounding health care reform has been a full and vigorous affair. Penn Medicine is playing an active part by virtue of our role as one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers. AMC’s provide more than 40 percent of the care for our nation’s uninsured and underinsured citizens — while representing only six percent of all hospitals. With our peer institutions, we have expressed strong support for health care reform legislation that includes measures to help AMC’s continue our vital missions of discovery, teaching, and patient care. At the same time we are ahead of the curve in having already initiated programs echoing a number of the themes of quality and cost avoidance included in many of the health care reform proposals. For example, the Health System has been piloting programs to reduce unnecessary readmissions for two years with great success, and we are quite far along in instituting advanced information systems to support our missions. It’s important to note that regardless of what becomes law, it will take a significant amount of time to implement the hundreds of separate provisions. We believe we will be well prepared to be an active participant in any new system.
U.S. News & World Report Hospital Rankings
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) has been ranked as one of the top 10 hospitals in the United States by U.S.News & World Report for the second consecutive year. The publication’s prestigious annual ranking of hospitals placed HUP eighth out of more than 4,800 facilities surveyed.
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was the only hospital in the Philadelphia region, and one of only 21 hospitals nationwide, to receive Honor Roll recognition for excellence in multiple specialties. Honor Roll hospitals represent the 0.4 percent of all hospitals in the nation with high scores across multiple measures. In addition, Pennsylvania Hospital was ranked among the nation’s best in Neurology & Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics.
H1N1 Flu
As the H1N1 flu upsurge that began in early September continues, Penn Medicine’s early planning for the impact of this pandemic is enabling us to provide care for our patients and a healthy work environment for our employees.
A system-wide, cross-disciplinary task force took the lead in our preparations. The task force developed comprehensive procedures for protecting our patients, staff, and visitors from acquiring or spreading the H1N1 virus. To keep our patients and employees safe, we are requiring all faculty, staff, volunteers, students, trainees, and contracted personnel who work in any Penn Medicine facility to be vaccinated for both seasonal influenza and H1N1.
New Chair of Ophthalmology
I am very pleased to report that Dr. Joan M. O’Brien, will assume the Chair of Ophthalmology at Penn Medicine effective January 1, 2010. Dr. O’Brien is presently a Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Ocular Oncology Division at the University of California at San Francisco. Dr. O’Brien will be a wonderful addition to Penn Medicine and you will hear more about her accomplishments and plans for the department in the near future.
Ware Gift to Continue Alzheimer’s Project
The Marian S. Ware Charitable Giving Fund continues to support the vital work of the Marian S. Ware Alzheimer Program at Penn Medicine and the School of Nursing with a $4.6 million gift. This three-year grant will support coordinated drug discovery efforts, research designed to improve participation in clinical trials, quality-of-life assessments, a study of stress-related biomarkers, and research into nursing continuity of care.
I wish to express my deep appreciation to the Ware family for its continued support of this outstanding program. We are fortunate that Penn Medicine has the expertise and collaborative culture to carry out a comprehensive initiative that will benefit Alzheimer’s patients both now and in the future.
New Endowed Chairs
The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania recently had three of its outstanding faculty members named to endowed chairs at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Craig B. Thompson, associate vice president of cancer services at UPHS, is the inaugural chair holder of the John H. Glick, M.D., Abramson Cancer Center Director’s Professorship. The chair was created in honor of Dr. John Glick— former director of the Abramson Cancer Center—in recognition of his extraordinary career and reputation for outstanding patient care.
Dr. Lewis A. Chodosh has been named to the J. Samuel Staub, M.D. Professorship at the Abramson Cancer Center. An internationally recognized leader in the breast cancer community, Dr. Chodosh’s work in cancer genetics has led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets for aggressive forms of breast cancer as well as a better understanding of how pregnancy alters breast cancer risk. The chair was created thanks to the generous support of the estate of Dr. J. Samuel Staub.
Dr. Daniel G. Haller has been honored with the Deenie Greitzer Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Professorship. Over the past 25 years Dr. Haller has established himself as a figure of national prominence in medical oncology, especially in colon and rectal cancer. He has directed the successful treatment of thousands of patients, and his research has helped shape the way the entire medical community treats patients with gastrointestinal cancers.
The chair was established by Martin Greitzer in memory of his late wife, Deenie, along with other donors who wished to support excellence in GI cancer research and care at Penn Medicine.
Hearty congratulations to three splendid physician-scientists who honor Penn Medicine with their contributions to knowledge and patient care.
Penn Medical Alumni Advisory Council
Congratulations to Dr. Darryl Landis, an Alumni Service Award winner from the medical class of 1989, on assuming the role of chair of the Medical Alumni Advisory Council. The Council hosts a variety of alumni events and supports the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Medical Alumni Society through its leadership of annual giving and special fundraising campaigns. Dr. Landis is president of Mustard Seed Ventures, a management firm specializing in health-care ventures. We are grateful for his truly exceptional efforts that have resulted in significant financial support for the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
My next opportunity to speak with you will take place in early 2010. So I would like to wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season.
Until next time,
Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCh
|
