By Jack Drummond
Penn Medicine’s Chief Transformation Officer Raina Merchant, MD, MSHP, is at the helm of innovation efforts at Penn to make health care easier—utilizing technology to reduce administrative burdens and free employees to do more meaningful work. In her role, Merchant coordinates multiple projects from teams across Penn Medicine, from Information Services to Operations to the office of the Chief Medical Officer, and more.
“Penn is really focused on thinking about efficiency for health care workers across every spectrum, from clinicians to frontline staff to those who work behind the scenes,†said Merchant, who is also an associate vice president and director of the Center for Health Care Transformation and Innovation. “We’re trying to reduce repetitive tasks to make the…
Read more on Women in Medicine: Raina Merchant on Unique Ways to Transform Health Care
By Jack Drummond
By Jonathan Waller
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 4.2% of neurosurgeons are Black, with an even smaller representation of Black women at 0.6% from a 2018 survey. But initiatives across the country aim to increase diversity in neurosurgery and other medical fields.
At Penn, for example, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships partnered with Penn Medicine to develop the Educational Pipeline Program to encourage high school students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine to aspire to medical science careers.
The program works closely with the School of Veterinary Medicine, the Masters of Public Health Program, the Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management, and West Philadelphia high schools to provide mentorship and education for students while…
Read more on Introducing West Philadelphia High School Students to Careers in Neurosurgery
By Jack Drummond
By Jonathan Waller
During this summer’s Philadelphia LGBTQ+ Pride March, staff from across Penn Medicine, along with their friends, families, and neighbors participated to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. By marching, they also helped to reaffirm Penn’s commitment to health equity, representation, and support for queer individuals who are employed by or receive care across the health system.
“Penn is a leading health care provider in the city of Philadelphia, so a lot of other entities look to us to lead the way,†shared Jenna Mechalas, MSN, RN, a Heart and Vascular Care nurse at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and chair of Penn Presbyterian’s PRIDE (Presbyterian’s Rally for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equality) committee.
“Right now, when the LGBTQ+ community is experiencing…
Read more on Penn Medicine Pride: LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Equity in Health Care
By Hoag Levins
2023 Event Underscores Lack of Algorithmic Equity and Relevant FDA Regulations
Read more on LDI: Sandy Schwartz Memorial Grand Rounds Eyes Clinical Impact of AI
By Jack Drummond
Eve J. Higginbotham SM, MD, ML
Vice Dean, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Caption: This poster was sent to me by a friend who is a member of the AKA Sorority; I believe it captures the essence of today’s celebration.
As we celebrate Juneteenth it is important to recognize not only the significance of this day but be reminded about the work that still remains ahead of us. It is notable that the Emancipation Proclamation was signed two years before the slaves in Texas became aware. It has always been a struggle to move beyond this time when enslaved African Americans were free by proclamation to the point of real independence and…
Read more on Juneteenth Blog
By Roy Hoshi Hamilton, MD, MS, FAAN, FANA,
***UPDATE: Due to weather this event will be next Friday, June 30th from 12:30pm-3pm at Saunders Park. Note the slight change in the start time. All other details regarding the event remain the same ***
Commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, Juneteenth (June19th) is an important time for celebration, reflection, community-building, and engagement. Friday June 23rd from 1-3pm, please join us at the Penn Medicine/Wharton Wellness Summit: Community Health and Financial Literacy Celebration in of honor of Juneteenth 2023. This first ever event is being coordinated by Penn Neurology’s Inclusion Diversity Anti-Racism and Equity (IDARE) Program in partnership with the Wharton Business School and is sponsored by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Penn Presbyterian Medical…
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By Corrinne Fahl
As we continue our celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we take pride in the healthcare trailblazers who call Penn Medicine home.
Beginning in January of this year, Penn Medicine was happy to appoint Zarina Ali, MD, MS, FAANS, as chief of neurosurgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The first female neurosurgeon at Pennsylvania Hospital, Dr. Ali began her career with the University of Pennsylvania Health System as a neurosurgery resident with subspecialty training in peripheral nerve surgery.
Ali is also an assistant professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine, senior fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and co-director of the multidisciplinary Penn Nerve Center. In 2020, Philadelphia Magazine named…
Read more on Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Dr.
By Ron Ozio
Awarded annually, the Prizes empower Penn students to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world. Each Prize-winning project will receive $100,000, as well as a $50,000 living stipend per team member. The Prizes are the largest of their kind in higher education. All Prize recipients collaborate with a Penn faculty mentor
- Seungwon (Lucy) Lee for Communities for Childbirth: Lee, a neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences from Seoul, is CEO and co-founder of Communities for Childbirth, an international organization that empowers maternal and child health in Jinja, Uganda. With the support of the President’s Engagement Prize, Lee will create a community-based referral system that provides efficient transportation to health facilities…
Read more on Class of 2023 President’s Engagement, Innovation Prize winners announced - Two PSOM mentees honored
By Kya Hertz, CDE®
As we celebrate Women's History Month, it is important to recognize and honor the accomplishments of women who broke down barriers and shattered stereotypes in their respective fields. Women's History Month is a time to reflect on the countless contributions that women have made to society and today, I would like to honor Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte.
Susan LaFlesche Picotte was a pioneering figure in American medical history, and the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree. Born in 1865 on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska, she grew up in a family of traditional healers who blended their tribal knowledge with Western medicine. This early exposure to both worlds gave her a unique perspective on healthcare that would…
Read more on Women’s History Month: Honoring the Trailblazers
By Corrinne Fahl
Ann Preston MD (1813-1872)
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it is the appropriate time to celebrate the women in medicine who have come before us. In the last century since the Flexner Report, the proportion of women in leadership positions still has a long journey ahead. A 2018 AAMC report notes that in 2018, women account for 16% of deans, 18% of department chairs, and 25% of full professors. Here at the Perelman School of Medicine, we are ahead of these benchmarks with women representing 33% of our department chairs and xx % of full professors, as of 2022. With this background in mind, the highlighted biography of this key figure in American Academic Medicine takes on added meaning. …
Read more on Celebrating Women’s History Month: Dr. Ann Preston
