Announcing the Campaign for Professionalism at Penn Medicine
March 22, 2018
Dear Colleagues, Trainees, and Staff:
At Penn Medicine, professionalism is a core value within our institutional culture, fostering an environment of trust and teamwork. Indeed, professionalism is so basic to who we are as clinicians, scientists, and educators that it is easy to be taken for granted. However, like other determinants of success, it must be actively nurtured.
Penn Medicine is committed to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism. We should always aspire to continuous improvement. In pursuit of this goal, I am pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative, the Campaign for Professionalism, which is being led by Lisa Bellini, MD, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Bellini has created a strong framework to support wellness and professional development. In the first phase of this new effort, we will establish a Penn Medicine Professionalism Task Force and conduct an internal search for an Assistant Dean for Professionalism to further develop and implement plans for the campaign. We will also create a new Penn Medicine Award for Professionalism.
The Professionalism Task Force will be charged with revising our stated values for professionalism, creating an actionable code of conduct, and developing and implementing educational programs designed to reinforce expectations around professionalism. Importantly, they will also develop new approaches to celebrate professional behaviors and provide peer support for professionalism lapses.
We also recognize the importance of personal resilience and a culture of wellness in promoting professionalism. These concepts are inextricably linked and we must continue our efforts in all domains.
At its core, professionalism is a broad-based constellation of values centered on respect, role modeling, and responsibility. The application of these values is comprehensive in scope, and guides the interactions we have with our patients, our colleagues, and our trainees.
Please look forward to the call for the position of Assistant Dean for Professionalism soon. If you have additional questions on this new campaign, please contact Dr. Bellini. Lisa.Bellini@uphs.upenn.edu.
With best regards,