News

Penn’s Patriotic Mission to Train Navy Medical Staff

Navy Medical staff standing in hospital teaching setting

After a successful three-year pilot partnership embedding Navy medical staff with a Penn Trauma team, phase two will train multiple teams at once.

Warrior Canine Connection

Paula Crawford-Gamble posing on the steps with service dog Dollie, a black lab In November 2022, Penn Medicine partnered with Warrior Canine Connection (WCC)—a nonprofit that breeds, trains, and places service dogs with service members and veterans. WCC provides an on-site service dog training program for Penn veteran students, staff, and those served by the university. Paula Crawford-Gamble, RN, MSN, CAPT, NC, USN (Ret), Veterans Care Excellence liaison, spoke about how service dogs can help veterans, and Raina Stewart, a student services coordinator with the University, shared her experience as a participant.

I was a Cancer Patient at Penn Medicine. Now I’m an OR Nurse Here.

Chris Naimo in the operating room wearing scrubs, a mask, and gloves The year I had cancer was the worst and best year of my life,” says U.S. Army veteran Chris Naimo. His experience as a Penn Medicine patient inspired him to change careers from insurance fraud investigator to PPMC OR nurse. Naimo says he works "every day to return the overwhelming kindness" of his care team who cheered him on, including his wife, HUP electrophysiology nurse Caitlin Naimo. After being declared cancer free in 2021, Naimo became a father, completed his first 100-mile bike ride, and will celebrate his one-year anniversary on Penn Medicine’s nursing staff this month.

Teamwork, Training & Trust: Penn Medicine’s Navy-Trauma Partnership

Members of the Navy-Trauma partnership posing in their uniforms in front of the U.S. flag

In 2021, representatives from Penn Medicine and the United States Navy signed a unique agreement to mark the start of a three-year partnership to integrate members of the Navy with the Trauma Division at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC). The program, known as the Naval Strategic Health Alliance for Readiness and Performance, is designed to provide sustained experiences in all aspects of trauma care—from surgery to anesthesiology to nursing—in one of the nation’s busiest trauma centers. The participating Navy team members bring a wealth of experience with multiple deployments around the globe that will promote new approaches and knowledge across both civilian and military healthcare.

See full PDF about Navy Trauma Team

Distinguished Military Surgeon Named Orthopaedic Surgery Chair

Internationally renowned expert in combat casualty care Benjamin "Kyle" Potter, MD, was named Orthopaedic Surgery chair, effective June 2024. With over 22 years of active-duty service as a surgeon in the U.S. Army—including deployments to Afghanistan and Kuwait and operations on over 1,000 injured service personnel returning from duties overseas—Potter is a committed clinical innovator who will “help lead the department to even greater heights in the field,” said University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Kevin B. Mahoney.

Read the news release

Penn Medicine Announces Ambitious Initiative to Improve Veterans Healthcare

Penn Medicine and VA representatives posing together around a sign

“Caring for veterans of our nation’s military is a sacred responsibility,” said UPHS CEO Kevin B. Mahoney when Penn Medicine announced a groundbreaking new initiative with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will leverage a new law to revolutionize healthcare for our nation’s veterans. The plan seeks to modernize VA facilities in Philadelphia and Coatesville and design a new system of care to serve patients better. Additional efforts will enhance clinical research, improve patient access, and explore community needs for further services.

Penn Presbyterian Trauma Team Reunited with Fallen Colleague's Son

In October 2023, a ball to commemorate the U.S. Navy’s 248th birthday quickly escalated into an unexpected and tearful reunion when a nurse from the PPMC Trauma Division recognized one of the Color Guard volunteers as the son of Maj. John Pryor, the beloved trauma program medical director who was killed in action in 2008 while serving in Iraq. This emotional evening was a total twist of fate, as even John Pryor, Jr., was unaware the ceremony would be attended by his late father’s former colleagues. “The rest of the night was indescribable—smiles, tears, emotion,” said C. William Schwab, MD, founder of the Penn Trauma Program and a former Navy surgeon.

Read more on Penn Medicine in the News