PHILADELPHIA—The Penn Medicine CAREs grant program—which has now been running for 10 years—addresses a variety of health needs across the community, including efforts to encourage diversity and access in medicine and science. Two initiatives recently supported by CAREs grants aim to address just that. One of the initiatives recently supported by CAREs grants aims to address just that. An additional 35 projects from Penn Medicine employees were awarded CAREs grants this past quarter.
Road2Research (R2R)—an initiative developed to empower young scientists—received a CAREs grant to support the next generation of researchers. PSOM student Omar Ani, along with Penn undergraduate students Jasleen Gill, Jacqueline Chan, and Om Manghan, are launching the pilot cohort for R2R this year, working with 10 underserved Philadelphia high-schoolers who are interested in science. Through a series of classes on Penn's campus during the school year, R2R will provide access to resources and mentors, with a goal of empowering these young students to find a future career in science.
“Road2Research introduces students to the scientific advances that make medical innovations possible, including such advances originating at Penn Medicine,” Ani said. “The goal is also to empower young scientists in the community to make well-informed decisions about medical interventions like vaccines.”
In addition to inspiring future medical leaders, CAREs grant awardees this quarter are supporting parents in the community. For example:
- Moms Like Me: Four years ago, Community Health Worker Tawandaa Austin founded Moms Like Me, which supports Philadelphia families led by working women. Many working-class mothers struggle to make ends meet, and most do not qualify for public assistance—with some difficulties only increasing during the pandemic. Austin’s CAREs grant supports the Moms Like Me mission, helping mothers and their families with food costs and expenses such as gas, transportation to and from work, and electricity bills.
- YoungMoms: Martha Young, a physician liaison at Chester County Hospital, is also a volunteer with YoungMoms—a nonprofit that aims to equip young mothers to build thriving futures for themselves and their families through highly specialized case management. Young’s CAREs grant funding will help provide supplies for mothers such as diapers, formula, and car seats, in addition to educational and employment assistance and more.
Since its inception in 2012, the Penn Medicine CAREs grant program has supported staff, faculty, students, and trainees across the organization in helping their communities—from volunteering with community clinics to helping parents access healthy food for their families. Over the last 10 years, the program has provided more than $850,000 in funding to over 845 service initiatives across the regions Penn Medicine serves.
To view all of the recent CARES Grant recipients, visit PennMedicine.org/CAREs. For more information on the CAREs Grant or community outreach programs, visit PennMedicine.org/Community.
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.