New Postdocs Resources
AFTER ARRIVING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- Meet the Business Manager: The Department you are joining will provide you with all the paperwork necessary to get into the University system especially for payroll, benefits etc.
- Office of Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs (BPP): Contact the BPP as soon as you arrive at the University. BPP function is to help all postdoctoral appointees of the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Medicine and the School of Veterinary Medicine. The office is located at M156 John Morgan Bldg. Tel: (215) 573-4332 or Email: postdoc@mail.med.upenn.edu
- New Postdoc Orientation: This a resource for all new postdocs organized by the BPP. It is typically held twice a year and provides in-depth information about all the resources available to biomedical postdocs at the University of Pennsylvania
- Other useful information to get started
- Health Insurance: Set up your Health Insurance Benefits (Tel:
1-800-319-9557). You are eligible for a FREE health insurance coverage for yourself through
University of Pennsylvania Postdoctoral Insurance Plan in cooperation with
Garnett-Powers & Associates. This benefit should be paid in addition to your stipend and should not be deducted from your stipend. If you also select family coverage, you must tell the Penn Benefits Center who will pay for family coverage-you, your department, or a grant (if applicable). If you are paying for family coverage, the difference between the single and family premium will be deducted from your stipend but this is not a pre-tax deduction. See premium rates.
- Family and Dependent Health Coverage: See options for family insurance available through University of Pennsylvania Postdoctoral Insurance Plan.
- Dental Insurance: University of Pennsylvania Postdoctoral Insurance Plan includes dental insurance. Details of the plan are available on-line.
- PennCard: The PennCard is the official University of Pennsylvania identification card for students, faculty, staff, and other members of the University community. You can use your PennCard to access a myriad of services at Penn. The PennCard Center is located at 150 Franklin Building, 3451 Walnut Street. Tel: 215-417-CARD. E-mail: penncard@pobox.upenn.edu
- PennKey: Obtain a PennKey ID and password to open emails accounts and access other University information
- Building Access: Entry to most Research Buildings in the School of Medicine requires activation of a Black Key Access system. The Access Key Application form must be completed and signed by the appropriate people in your department and then handed in to the Security Office at 109 Stellar-Chance Laboratories
- Training modules: Most departments in the School of Medicine require mandatory completion of Radiation Safety, Bioethics, Animal Handling, Health and Lab Safety Training programs offered by the University
SPECIFIC ISSUES
- Housing Options
- The Office of Off-Campus Living has an excellent database of rental places. It is also a very useful source of practical information about the practical things you need to know before signing the lease. You can also go to their office at 4046 Walnut, Monday - Friday: 10:00 am - 4:30 pm.
- Make sure you pay attention to lease renewal terms. Some companies expect you to renew lease up to 6 months ahead of your end of lease. BPC postdocs can get special lease renewal terms at New Horizons Housing (4101 Baltimore Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104).
- Other useful websites to check out apartment listings in the Philadelphia area are: apartment.com, rent.com, homestore.com
- Day care/ Childcare options: Penn Children’s Center is open to all University Faculty, staff and students. Other links are for Day care information and resources in the Philadelphia area. You can also try 'Families First', 3939 Warren St. Philadelphia, PA 19104. ph 215 382 2499.
- Public Transportation:
- On Campus: Various services are provided for the transportation of employees to/from campus.
- It includes Pennbus, Penn Shuttle, PAT (handivan) and walking escort. Information can be found on the Transportations services website.
- LUCY With a valid ID you can use this SEPTA service to loop through the campus, 30th street station and other stops in the University city area
- Off Campus: SEPTA is the network of public transportation of Philadelphia and most of the useful information can be found on their website. SEPTA includes:
- Rail Service: R2, R3 and R1 lines directly stop at the University City Station. You can connect to these trains at 30th Street Station. Monthly passes range from $100- $150. If purchased through the University they can be directly deducted from the paycheck with a 10% discount as well as eligible for a tax benefit.
- Trolley service connects to the University on Spruce Street.
- Numerous bus routes operate through the University City Area
- Passes and trolley tokens are sold at the University Transportation office at Suite 447A, 3401 Walnut St. Tel (215) 898-8667 or on the second floor of the Penn Bookstore
- Parking
- Access to parking on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania is provided through the Department of Transportation and Parking, which manages and operates a number of visitor and permit parking facilities. Be warned that the waiting list for postdocs for most faculty-permit garages can be as long as 3 years!
- Public Safety:
- The University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety includes Penn Police. The emergency number from campus is 511 and 215-573-3333 from off campus
- RAD: The Rape Aggression Defense System is a free service offered by Penn Police dedicated to teaching women defensive concepts and techniques against various types of assault, by utilizing easy, effective and proven self-defense/martial arts tactics
- Social Interaction and Recreation:
- Intramural Sports for Postdocs
- Penn Clubs and Organizations
- Gym facilities: Penn Rec
- Entertainment: The Bridge, The Annenberg Center, University city events
- Restaurants: In University City
- University of Pennsylvania resources:
- The campus map is very useful to find your way around the University of Pennsylvania campus
- Check the Resource related links for Postdocs in this website
- Contact information: Here are links to some Important Telephone numbers
- Philadelphia resources:
- University City and the area around the UPenn Campus
- The following sources give local information about Philadelphia
- Shopping Malls: Some of the bigger area malls that can be accessed by public transportation include malls at Gallery at Market East, King of Prussia, Franklin Mills, Springfield Mall
CONTACT US!
If you have any questions, suggestions or recommendations on any issues affecting Postdocs at the University of Pennsylvania please contact the council at pcouncil@mail.med.upenn.edu