Medical Alumni Weekend’s return to campus also meant going “back to the future,” as Penn Medicine alumni and their guests were treated to hearty celebrations; our faculty’s work in mRNA and its remarkable potential to treat and prevent disease; and the latest innovations in learning and medical education. With the opening of the Pavilion at the Hospital of Pennsylvania, alumni were able to see the next standard in patient care and medical research – and future generations of Penn Med students will be right there to learn from it all.
The Office of Development and Alumni Relations would like to extend special thanks to Marty Kanovsky, M’78, INT’79, RES’81, FEL’83, and Robert Johnson, Jr., C’74, GR’80, M’81, who enthusiastically shared “Master of Ceremonies” duties at the Welcome and Alumni Awards reception, as well as to guest speakers Bita Bagheri-Dastgheib, C’93, M’97, and Shannon Shipley, M’22; Marc B. Garnick, M’72, INT’73, RES’74, PAR’03, and Toni A. Richards-Rowley, M’97; and 50th Reunion Panel special guest Samuel Osiah Thier, MD, former professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine.
As Dr. Kanovsky aptly pointed out, “Our alma mater continues to excel because we’re ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ and the history our alumni have helped build.”
You can enjoy recorded livestreams of events, check out the Weekend’s speakers, and visit Class pages by selecting “Medical Alumni Weekend 2022” from the Perelman School of Medicine Alumni web site (www.med.upenn.edu/alumni). You can watch the full Class of 2022 commencement ceremony on the Perelman School of Medicine’s Facebook page (@PerelmanSchoolofMedicine).
Alumni Awards
Young Alumni Service Award
Jason J. Han, M’17, GR’22, (second from right) is currently a resident in cardiothoracic surgery at Penn. He was recognized for both his commitment to patient communication and education and his service as a member on Council of Recent Graduates and Medical Class of 2017 Reunion Committee.
Alumni Service Awards
G. David K. Hopper, M’67, (right) is Emeritus Associate Clinical Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and has held numerous leadership roles for the American Lung Association and American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He served on the Penn Medicine Alumni Leader Council (now the Medical Alumni Advisory Council) and the Medical Class of 1967 Reunion Committee. In addition to establishing first MD-MBA scholarship at the School of Medicine, Dr. Hopper is helping build alumni engagement in the Naples, FL area.
Rona Woldenberg, M’87, (second from left) is Professor of Radiology and Associate Dean of Admissions for the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and is past president of Eastern Neuroradiological Society. She has been a strong proponent of financial aid and philanthropic support of medical education; served as co-chair and member of the Class of 1987 Reunion Committee; and has been a member of the Medical Alumni Advisory Council since 2010.
Distinguished Graduate Awards
Alan R. Cohen, M’72, INT’76, (right) celebrated his 50th Reunion this Medical Alumni Weekend. Dr. Cohen joined the faculty at Penn in 1978, ultimately becoming Chief of the Division of Hematology, the Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Endowed Chair in Pediatrics, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and Physician-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He developed novel approaches to transfusion therapy, led the clinical trials of currently licensed iron chelators, and was co-editor of international guidelines for management of thalassemia.
James S. Forrester, M’63, RES’67, (on screen) is currently Emeritus Professor and Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. During his tenure as Chief at Cedars-Sinai, its cardiovascular research program became a world leader in thrombolytic therapy, nuclear cardiology, and women’s heart disease and now is ranked #3 in the nation by US News & World Report. He is the author of The Heart Healers: The Misfits, Mavericks, and Rebels Who Created the Greatest Medical Breakthrough of Our Lives, which traces the “Golden Age” of cardiology, and made seminal contributions to the field, including the Diamond-Forrester method of probability analysis in coronary heart disease and techniques in coronary angioscopy.
All Smiles
The Scholarship Celebration Reception kicks off Medical Alumni Weekend, recognizing our community of incredibly generous donors. 25th Reunion committee member Toni Richards-Rowley, M’97, is joined by Agnes Ezekwesili, M’24, and Bryson Houston, M’25.
ASA recipient G. David K. Hopper, M’67 – joined by his family – simply could not hide his Penn Pride.
The smiles are always sunny as our alumni stroll down Locust Walk and made their way to the picnic on Hill Square.
ASA recipient Rona Woldenberg, M’87, made an…interesting choice of protection from the rain.
Commencement
The Commencement Address was given by 2021 Distinguished Graduate Award recipient Vanessa Northington Gamble, M’78, G’84, GR’87. Dr. Gamble is University Professor of Medical Humanities at The George Washington University—the first woman and African American to hold this prestigious position – as well as Professor of Health Policy and American Studies and Professor of Medicine. She is an adjunct professor in Penn’s School of Nursing.
Former Penn Medicine Board member and University Trustee Marc B. Garnick, M’72, represented the 50th Reunion Class in extending a hearty welcome to the Perelman School of Medicine’s “newest alumni.”