Community Liaisons
Jamie Shuda, PhD
Director of Outreach, Education and Research at Penn Medicine
jamie.shuda@oennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-746-7679
I work with faculty, staff and students to engage in outreach efforts on campus and in our community. This includes partnering on NIH/NSF broader impact proposals; developing and managing education projects; overseeing on and off-campus partnerships; and conducting evaluation and research to assess the impact on all stakeholders. I am the co-founder of the award-winning Project BioEYES program, which in 2022 celebrated 20 years of work with under-served schools in the US, Australia, and China. I currently manage six federally funded outreach initiatives across eight research departments and centers at Penn Medicine. I am the co-recipient the 2018 Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) for "extraordinary contributions to genetics education" and the 2020 Bruce Alberts Award for Excellence in Science Education from the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) for "sustained and excellent contributions to science education".
Anna Balfanz
Academically Based Community Service Coordinator at the Netter Center
abalfanz@sas.upenn.edu
215-573-8428
I work at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships as the Academically-Based Community Service (ABCS) Coordinator. In this role, I support undergraduate and graduate courses and programs that utilize community-engaged scholarship. In my previous role as an Emerson Fellow at the Netter Center, I coordinated environmental justice-focused partnerships between the University of Pennsylvania, West Philadelphia public schools (university-assisted community schools), and other local partners. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 with a degree in Environmental Studies and am currently pursuing an Executive Master’s in Public Administration from Penn’s Fels Institute of Government.
Zac Steele
Moelis Access Science Director, Netter Center for Community Partnerships
zsteele@sas.upenn.edu
215-898-6946
I have a passion for community-based education and service learning. I have worked in community development and international education, as a community organizer and educator, classroom teacher, and public health responder. I am excited about how STEM can be used for the common good in schools and local contexts.