Blog List - Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine’s Global Reach to the Far East

May 04, 2015

John Morgan, MD, whose passionate advocacy for establishing the first medical school in America swayed the trustees of the College of Philadelphia back in 1765, did not lack for ambition. As we look back to where and when the Perelman School of Medicine began, however, it’s likely that even Morgan...

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Way Back When -- and Right Now

April 09, 2015

When it comes to longevity, no other American medical school can beat the Perelman School of Medicine. As the year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the school’s founding continues, the Spring 2015 issue of Penn Medicine has the good fortune of running a dozen pages from its new history,...

250th Birthday Penn Medicine Magazine

What Should the Doctor – or Would-Be Doctor – Know?

March 20, 2015

Students applying to medical school today can expect to have grappled with chemistry and organic chemistry, biology, and physics. The MCATs test their knowledge of physical sciences and biological sciences, considered essential for the profession. But 250 years ago, when John Morgan, MD, was presenting his ideas for what would...

250th Birthday Education General Interest

The Timeless Power of Oxygen Therapy

March 19, 2015

It may look like something that belongs in a museum, but the hyperbaric chamber at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has a rich history and continues to provide important treatments for a variety of patients — including those with bone infections, wounds that won’t heal and carbon monoxide...

250th Birthday Emergency Medicine

What’s Going on Inside the Richards Medical Research Building These Days?

March 04, 2015

The early 1960s were a heady time on the medical school campus and another wonderful chapter in its past 250 years. In 1960, Peter Nowell and David Hungerford discovered the Philadelphia chromosome, which linked cancer to genetic abnormalities for the first time. In 1962, Aaron Beck devised a revolutionary form of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy. Both of these achievements were destined for international fame and utility. In between those clinical accomplishments, in 1961, an eight-story medical research building, designed by iconoclast architect Louis Kahn, was completed on Hamilton Walk. It was named after renowned Penn pharmacologist and department chair Alfred Newton Richards.

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One Doctor’s 170-Year History at Penn

March 02, 2015

As we celebrate the 250th birthday of the Perelman School of Medicine, it’s natural to look back at the doctors and students who wandered its halls. All have their own unique stories which brought them here, the nation’s oldest medical school, but perhaps no one’s story is steeped in as...

250th Birthday

Diving into Penn's African American History

February 27, 2015

During this year, when we are celebrating our 250th anniversary, it is important to recognize the contributions of African Americans to building the institution we are today. Our archives provide a rich source of information that reveals the importance of personal resilience and significant institutional milestones. The medical school opened...

250th Birthday Education

A Unified Front in Penn Neuroscience

February 26, 2015

There’s a lot of construction going on around here. While this is not unusual, there seems to be an avalanche of new buildings opening lately, from Penn Medicine University City to the Pavilion for Advanced Care to the Henry Jordan Center for Medical Education. Now, add to the list the...

250th Birthday Neurodegenerative Diseases Stroke

The Latest Chapter in the Great Egg Debate

February 20, 2015

Throughout the month of February, affectionately known as American Heart Month, the News Blog is highlighting news and stories related to cardiovascular health from across Penn Medicine. There may not be a more tortured tug-of-war in the food world as that of whether eggs are beneficial or harmful to our...

250th Birthday Cardiology Heart Month

Who Was Joseph Leidy?

February 17, 2015

A man of far-ranging interests and great contrasts: that, in a nutshell, describes Joseph Leidy. A lifelong Philadelphian, he earned his medical degree from Penn’s School of Medicine in 1844 and later served as dean of the school from 1877 to 1888. He was raised only a few blocks from...