Spring/Summer 2018 - Penn Medicine

Correcting a Blind Spot

A groundbreaking genetic study seeks to transform the prevention and treatment of glaucoma while reversing historical racial disparities in who suffers from the disease and benefits from such research.

Beyond the Walls

At the apex of her decades of transformative leadership, Gail Morrison, MD’71, GME’76, has one piece of unfinished business: transforming medical education on the internet.

Architects of Innovation

The Pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is rising as a towering example of the value of behavioral research in health-care building design.

A Gospel from Clay and Dust

Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD’04, MPH, found her calling during medical school to fight a “needless form of mortality” facing women. Recently, that struggle put her in the national spotlight.

Prepared for Extremes

“No amount of working on paper is going to guarantee your plan works in a real situation,” Peter Sananman, MD, told a dozen fourth-year medical students who sat, dripping, in a bright yellow emergency tent.
Editor’s Note: All the Better for Listening

The stories in this issue of Penn Medicine show how, across a variety of domains, even the experts do well to step back and acknowledge when they don’t have all the answers. When we listen to others, all of medicine is better for it.
Vital Signs

Penn Medicine expands telehealth capabilities. The master’s in bioethics program celebrates 20 years. A new regional clinical alliance takes shape. Plus honors and awards, and more.
A Doctor Who Packs a Punchline

For fourth-year resident Behdad Bozorgnia, MD, MAPP, the common ground between psychiatry and comedy includes storytelling, the need to confront the uncomfortable—and an element of surprise.
Our Friends in Florida Get an Insider’s Look at Penn Medicine’s Latest Advances

Escaping the chaos of the Philadelphia winter, leading physicians and researchers from Penn Medicine offered guests in sunny Palm Beach and alumni in Naples an insider’s view of the next great medical innovations.
Alumni News

Career updates from Penn medical alumni, obituaries for alumni and faculty. Legacy giving: The Erb family is a prime example of creating hope and healing from loss.
Bringing Psoriasis Treatment Home

Deadlier cancers. Fewer corrective surgeries for those who survive breast cancer. Higher rates, earlier onset, and faster progression of glaucoma. Specialists in every medical discipline are working to correct the harms of racial disparities in American health care.
The Path through Penn Medicine: Differentiation of Each Student’s Journey

There is a shared background among every person who bears the letters “MD” after their name: They’ve gone through four years of medical school, learning similar basic sciences knowledge and clinical skills necessary to pursue medical licensing after they graduate.
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