We first met—and followed—Penn Medicine medical student Hayley Goldbach (M’15) almost two years ago when she blogged about her experiences in Botswana, as part of the Botswana-UPenn Partnership. We got a peek at her work at the dermatology clinic and what’s it like to study vulvar cancer in HIV positive...

She’s a striking blond. Attractive, warm, funny, caring, and always smiling. He’s also a striking blond – and warm and caring and funny – and seems to always be smiling as well. “She” is Ginny Fineberg, a youthful looking 64 year old cancer survivor. And “he” is her self-proclaimed “Momma’s...

Penn’s Institute on Aging recently co-hosted its annual Sylvan M. Cohen lecture and poster session. This year, in partnership with the Abramson Cancer Center‘s Tumor Biology Program, the event focused on “protecting the genome in the longevity revolution: cancer and aging.” Brian Duke, Pennsylvania Secretary for Aging, set the stage...

Bone marrow transplants, like the high-profile match between the son of heavyweight fighter Evander Holyfield and 19-year-old Nashville native Darian Craig, profiled in People magazine earlier this month, run the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a life-threatening complication where the donor cells attack the patient’s own cells. BMT procedures replace...

"Imagine the sound of this gong is like a rocket ship that can send messages up to your loved one," said drummer Josh Robinson, "take 10 seconds to think of your message, and when I ring the gong, it'll reach your loved one." This therapeutic music class was one of...

Though my Penn Medicine ID card says 'Digital Communications Editor,' I've worn a few hats here — including in-house photographer. Because it's an aspect of the job that I love, I'd like to share some of the photos I've taken over the past month or so, giving readers a glimpse...

Basser.graphic.blue.background.expanded This week, when Oscar-winning actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie revealed that she underwent surgery to remove her breasts after learning that she carries one of the BRCA gene mutations that put her at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, the news hit home here at the University of Pennsylvania. Just a year ago, Penn announced the creation of the Basser Research Center for BRCA, which was made possible by a $25 million gift from Penn alums Mindy and Jon Gray, in honor of Mindy Gray’s sister, Faith Basser, who died of ovarian cancer at age 44. As the only center in the United States devoted solely to research on prevention and treatment for cancers related to BRCA mutations, Jolie’s story turned a spotlight on the important work in progress there, and the experiences of the many other families with similar cancer risks.

Penn Medicine faculty, staff, and students shared their love and knowledge of biomedical science with families, students, and the general public at a dozen events during the 2013 Philadelphia Science Festival.