PHILADELPHIA – Penn Medicine and Comcast Spectacor, the Philadelphia-based professional sports and live entertainment company, today announced a major partnership making Penn Medicine the official health system for the Philadelphia Flyers and Wells Fargo Center. Penn Medicine will also become the team’s official medical services provider, including on-ice, orthopaedic, and general practice, as well as the preferred provider for Comcast Spectacor front office employees.
“This is an exciting time for both of our institutions, which are touchstones for life events to people living across the Philadelphia region,” said Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “As a health system, we are deeply committed to ensuring the health and wellness of those in our local community, and being able to partner with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center is a tremendous opportunity to advance that mission through new initiatives. We look forward to a strong, successful relationship which will allow our organizations to come together to make an even bigger impact on the Philadelphia area.”
“We are pleased that when Penn Medicine decided to pursue its first comprehensive sports partnership in over five years, it chose the Philadelphia Flyers,” said Valerie Camillo, President of Business Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers & Wells Fargo Center. “Among our top priorities is bringing to life our commitment to the Philadelphia region and aligning closely with world-class brands that have a similar community focus. Our partnership with Penn Medicine, a world-renowned health system that is passionate about serving the community, allows us to achieve these goals.”
A team of Penn Medicine physicians, led by Gary Dorshimer, MD, section chief of General Internal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital, and Brian Sennett, MD, chief of Sports Medicine and vice chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, will be at the ready to care for the Flyers players on the ice at each home game. Dorshimer has been a long-time team physician for the Flyers and will remain a medical provider, while the orthopaedic care of the team will now be led by Sennett. Although Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine care are at the forefront for the new partnership, the team will also have access to many more Penn Medicine providers in areas such as cancer and cardiology.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to provide care for a premier professional sports team like the Philadelphia Flyers, which includes some of the world’s most elite athletes,” said Sennett. “Not only will we provide the most advanced care for these players as needed on game nights, but they will also have access to the wide range of Penn Medicine providers off the ice. We look forward to working with the team, and to keeping the players safe and healthy for many seasons to come.”
At the heart of the partnership will be a comprehensive community program that will have a lasting impact on Philadelphians. Among the highlights of the community program will be annual events promoting both partners’ dedication to cancer research and treatment, as well as cardiovascular health. In addition, Penn Medicine will become the presenting partner of the Gritty 5K, the highly-popular event launched in 2019 that benefits Flyers Charities. Furthermore, the partnership will include PSAs featuring Flyers players and a social media series highlighting the importance of healthy lifestyles, physical fitness, and proper eating habits.
The partnership also includes Penn Medicine branding throughout the Wells Fargo Center—Penn Medicine’s presence will be seen not only on the ice during Flyers games, but throughout the venue’s concourse, parking lots and other areas of the arena.
“It’s tremendous for the Flyers to partner with one of the nation’s most prestigious and respected medical provider and health system,” said Chuck Fletcher, the team’s President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. “The health and well-being of our players and staff are critical to our success as an organization and Penn Medicine has earned its reputation for excellence throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond.”
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.