Doc Power! Penn Medicine Attends Roy "Doc" Halladay's 20th Win - fron Senior Vice Dean Gail Morrison, M'71, FEL'76
The academic year got off to a memorable start at this year's "Back to School" Phillies night. Thanks to the generosity of Phils part owner and Penn Medicine board member John Middleton, many of us — 550 students and faculty, in fact — came together Sept. 21 to socialize and cheer on the home team at Citizens Bank Park.
 Not only did we see our team beat the Atlanta Braves and inch closer to the playoffs—we also witnessed pitcher Roy "Doc" Halladay become the National League's first 20-game winner of the season.
Ballpark franks, pretzels, popcorn, and fun were on hand during the pre-game tent party, where an appearance by the Phanatic resulted in cheers and photo ops for fans of all ages.
Students were decked out in their Phillies gear, happy to be with one another. To add to the enjoyment, some got a little screen time on the jumbo-tron.
"These types of events for faculty and students to get together are great. I look forward to it every year," said Stacey Blanck, first-year resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Some first-time attendees were also glad to be experiencing the excitement. "I am having a great time hanging out with all my classmates. I regret never coming before!" said fourth year student, Katie Baratz.
As the game came to an end, the attendees joined in a robust rendition of "High Hopes," led by a recording of the late Harry Kalas, the Phil's greatly beloved, longtime broadcaster. The song is a new sentimental favorite played after every Phillies home game victory.
Fourth year student Kathleen McKeegan probably summed the evening up best for many when she concluded, "It's nice to get out of the hospital and take a break from studying."
Jordan Family Challenge Opens Door to More Scholarship Donors
As the Jordan Family Challenge enters its fourth year, the family has revisited its terms, in order to encourage greater participation. "Over the years, Henry and I were fortunate to meet "our" Jordan scholarship students who are remarkable young people—committed, engaging and capable of changing the future of health care in the world," said Barrie McNeil Jordan.
"We believe that members of the Penn Medicine family might like the opportunity to join us by creating your own Endowed Scholarship Fund and experiencing the wonderful feeling of making a lasting impact on medicine while providing Penn students the financial support they need."
Starting this fall, many more donors will be able to receive matching funds that will significantly increase the size of their gifts — along with the level of assistance they can provide to students.
The Jordan Family Challenge was established by the late Dr. Henry A. Jordan and his wife Barrie. An anonymous donor added $1 million to the funds available to match gifts. With recent changes, the Challenge now promises to match donations between $25,000 and $100,000 dollar-for-dollar.
Gifts will be recognized at the dollar level that is reached with the matching gift. Also, donors now have the opportunity to name funds established through the challenge. The John Morgan Scholars program will continue to pool all Challenge gifts so that funding can reach deserving students as soon as possible. To date, the program has attracted more than $700,000 in gifts and pledges.
The Jordan family's dedication to scholarship giving has changed the lives of many Penn medical students. "The future of health care depends on medical students like those at our medical school," said Ms. Jordan. "They deserve to receive a world-class education that only an institution such as Penn Medicine can provide."
For more information on how to support the Jordan Family Challenge, please contact Vanessa Marinari at (215) 898-5164 or marinari@upenn.edu.
New Advances in Gross Anatomy at Penn Medicine
Going in to his 33rd year of teaching, Dr. Neal Rubinstein, the course director of gross anatomy, is anything but old school. With innovations such as the use of radiology and the emphasis on teamwork, Dr. Rubinstein believes that "the biggest change is that the students learn more."
3D Comes to an Anatomy Class Near You
 Over the last five years advanced 3D radiological imaging has been introduced to the gross anatomy course at Penn Medicine. 3D imaging allows students to view functioning organs or body parts such as the heart or the lung. These images are keyed to the course textbook and greatly enhance the understanding received through dissection. Residents come in weekly to work with small groups to teach the basics of radiology, which prepares students for future courses in radiology. Students are becoming more and more interested in their class work because they see the anatomy that applies to their clinical work.
Teamwork Time
Today at the Medical School team interactions make up most of the educational experience with lectures accounting for only about one third of students' time. Dr. Rubinstein has his class spilt up into groups of seven. Throughout the course these groups work together to dissect cadavers, teach one another, and even take team exams. Exams are designed so that the work must be delegated because it wouldn't be possible for one student to get through the entire test in the time allowed.
"When their grades depend on each other, they don't want to let their teams down," said Dr. Rubinstein. "The students also become less competitive with one another because they are working together and helping each other learn." Students have proven to learn more through these team activities than from textbooks and listening to lectures.
In addition practicing teamwork is essential medical training. Medical situations are often dynamic, complex, and unstable. Emergencies, difficult procedures, and surgeries all ask team members to react quickly, but cooperatively.
Less Stress = More Learning
Dr. Rubinstein and his team of teaching assistants firmly believe that no one should fail gross anatomy. They make the course as pressure-free as possible because the less stress, the more learning occurs.
"Our goal is not to fail students. If we think they are in trouble we help them get out of it," said Dr. Rubinstein "We believe in early, positive reinforcement."
Looking Ahead
In the near future Professor Rubinstein hopes for even better ability to reconstruct three dimensional structures from radiological images (CT scans or MRIs). Another up and coming innovation will be the use of lightly fixed cadavers, which will more closely resemble live patients. A fresh tissue lab is being built over the next 8 months, and while its main purpose is training for surgery residents, it will also be available to medical students.
Would you like to know more? You can watch the entirety of Dr. Rubinstein's Presentation by clicking on the iTunes U logo on the right and visiting the "Parents and Partners 2010" section. Note: you must have iTunes installed on your computer to watch. |
