upenn medical physics phd

Vera P. Krymskaya

• Cell and Molecular Biology

Description of Research Expertise

Description of clinical expertise, description of other expertise, selected publications.

August 20, 2024 Volume 71 Issue 2

Alp ercil’s $10 million gift establishes penn climate sustainability initiative, kotaro sasaki: richard king mellon associate professor at penn vet, school of arts & sciences: appointments to endowed chairs, emily zimmerman: director of exhibitions and curatorial affairs at the arthur ross gallery, penn nursing to launch online master’s degree program in nursing and healthcare leadership in summer 2025, leonard bachman, anesthesiology, michael cohen, physics & astronomy, matthew hoyt, engineering graduate student, trustees meeting: july 31, penn professional staff assembly 2024-2025, stephanie acquaye: 2024-2026 jonas scholar, deborah becker: nln fellow, 2024 cohort of penn fellows, five penn vet students: akc outreach scholarships, penn aitech distributes almost $2.6 million in research grants, two new exhibits at the institute of contemporary art, 2024 milken-penn gse education business plan competition, update: summer at penn, weekly crime reports, penn parking & commuter services moves to penn bookstore, the atlantic now available through penn libraries, giving and volunteer opportunities from the netter center for community partnership.

• August 20, 2024
• vol 71 issue 2

The University of Pennsylvania has announced a $10 million gift from alumnus Alp Ercil, M&T’95, to establish the Penn Climate Sustainability Initiative, which will draw upon Penn’s strengths in interdisciplinary teaching and research to address climate and sustainability from multiple perspectives.

“Penn has promised to lead on the greatest challenges of our time, and climate change may be the greatest challenge of all,” said Penn Interim President J. Larry Jameson. “Thanks to the groundbreaking work of Penn researchers and scientists, we are already seeing amazing breakthroughs. We are tremendously grateful to Alp Ercil for his inspirational commitment, which will allow us to accelerate our efforts. We will draw on our collective strengths in climate science and policy to advance our understanding of these challenges and discover solutions that will make a difference around the world.”

Building on Penn’s leadership in fostering collaboration across academic disciplines, the Climate Sustainability Initiative will create a unique university-wide initiative that brings together all 12 schools on campus, as well as interdisciplinary programs like the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, the Environmental Innovations Initiative, and the Center for Science, Sustainability, and the media.

The Penn Climate Sustainability Initiative will also accelerate the campus-wide Climate and Sustainability Action Plan and enhance Penn’s contribution to the global policy debate.  

“Penn has the key pieces in place to make a significant contribution to the urgent issue of climate change,” said Mr. Ercil. “I am thrilled to help advance this work, accelerate innovation, and strengthen Penn’s role at the forefront of this field.”

Leading on climate change is one of the key priorities of In Principle and Practice, Penn’s strategic framework. The University’s commitment to this issue is broad, ranging from leading in energy science and policy to designing and caring for the built environment. To realize these goals, Penn will support and recruit the best minds in the field, fuel initiatives that advance knowledge and promise solutions, and adopt institutional best practices for the sake of the future of the planet.   

Mr. Ercil’s commitment will serve as a catalyst for this work, providing needed funds for priority initiatives to be determined in partnership among Interim President Jameson, Provost John L. Jackson Jr., and a soon-to-be appointed Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action.

“This support from Alp Ercil comes at the perfect time, as we implement our strategic framework and prepare to introduce the new Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action,” said Provost Jackson. “The Penn Climate Sustainability Initiative will advance Penn’s strengths in this critical field by accelerating interdisciplinary connections and building collaborations on our campus and beyond.”

Mr. Ercil is the founder and chief investment officer of Asia Research and Capital Management, Ltd., a Hong Kong and Dubai-based investment management firm founded in 2011. He is a 1995 graduate of Penn’s management & technology (M&T) program, a dual-degree program in which he earned a BS in economics from Wharton and a BS in systems engineering from Penn Engineering. An active Penn volunteer, Mr. Ercil is a current member of the Penn Asia Leadership Committee and an emeritus member of Undergraduate Financial Aid Leadership Council (UFLC). He also participates in the Alumni Ambassador Program. His past gifts to Penn have supported the Ercil Endowed Scholarship, the M&T Integration Lab, and the UFLC Challenge Fund.

Andrew M. Hoffman, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Penn Vet, has named Kotaro Sasaki the Richard King Mellon Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Sasaki’s research is focused on the development and pathophysiology of urogenital and reproductive organ systems, and his laboratory is working on advancing the understanding of human infertility, reproduction, and endocrinology. Dr. Sasaki possesses an exceptional record of academic accomplishments. His work on converting stem cells into male germ cells and understanding how the human body generates spermatozoa was awarded an Open Philanthropy grant of $2,585,990 in addition to grants from the NIH and other funding agencies. Dr. Sasaki is a recipient of the Endocrine Society’s 2023 Early Investigator Award, which supports early-career investigators in endocrine-related research; the 2023 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence; and the 2023 ENS@T Award for best scientific work in the field of adrenal tumors.

“Dr. Sasaki is transforming our understanding of the development and diseases of reproductive and adrenal organs by integrating meticulous comparative physiology with highly creative, pioneering approaches using stem cell-derived organoid models,” said Christopher J. Lengner, the Harriet Ellison Woodward Associate Professor and chair of Penn Vet’s department of biomedical sciences. “His scholarly contributions and novel insights are not only addressing fundamental questions regarding germ cell and adrenal biology, but they are also providing a foundation for the development of novel therapeutic approaches.”

Dr. Sasaki earned his MD from Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine and his PhD from Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, both in Japan. He completed his surgical pathology residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a renal pathology fellowship at the University of Washington Medical Center. After completing his clinical training, Dr. Sasaki pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Kyoto University before joining Penn Vet’s faculty as an assistant professor in 2018.

The awarding of a named, endowed professorship is the highest honor bestowed upon a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and reflects a commitment to scientific discovery, mentorship, and academic service.

Marlyse Baptista: President’s Distinguished Professor of Linguistics

Andrew Santiago-Frangos: M. Jane Williams and Valerie Vargo Presidential Assistant Professor of Biology

The professorship was established through generous planned gifts from the estates of M. Jane Williams, CW’65, and Valerie L. Vargo, MT’65, who forged a lifelong friendship as undergraduate classmates at Penn. Ms. Williams received a BA in history from Penn and an MEd and MBA from Temple University. She pursued a 50-year career as a fundraising professional, holding senior positions at prominent institutions, including as assistant vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn and vice president for development at New York University Medical Center. She served on the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women and supported many other priorities at Penn.

Ms. Vargo graduated from Penn with a degree in medical technology and earned a graduate degree at Temple University. Her medical and microbiology background took her across the country during her career, including at a veteran’s hospital in California and with the quality assurance division of American Home Products. Her career culminated in an extended international assignment in Paris, France. After retirement, she earned real estate credentials and worked for Berger Realty in Ocean City, New Jersey.

In addition to the professorship, Ms. Williams’ and Ms. Vargo’s estate gifts support the Mary Jane Williams and Valerie Vargo AFCRI Breast Cancer Research Fund, the Mary Jane Williams and Valerie Vargo Epilepsy Fund, and the Valerie Vargo and Mary Jane Williams Fund for the Rena Rowan Breast Center at the Perelman School of Medicine.

Doris Wagner: DiMaura Professor of Biology

Dr. Wagner is committed to science education, undergraduate research, and innovation in teaching, participating annually in the Biomedical Research Academy for high school students and leading several workshops at Penn’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation. In addition to her service as graduate chair of biology, she has served on the Penn Women’s Biomedical Society, the Penn Epigenetics Program Executive Board, the Penn Genome Frontiers Institute Executive Board, the University Genomic Initiative Committee, and the University Graduate Council. Additionally, she has served on two committees of Penn Arts & Sciences, Curriculum and Personnel.

Paul W. DiMaura, C’65, and Karen DiMaura established the DiMaura Professorship. Their efforts to promote conservation biology at Penn also include undergraduate scholarship support and research internships for the next generation of ecologists.

An accomplished curator and lecturer, Ms. Zimmerman joined the Arthur Ross Gallery in 2022 as its assistant director. Since then, she has advanced a program that champions critical perspectives and community engagement—values encapsulated in the exhibitions she has curated, Songs of Ritual and Remembrance in 2023, and in Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body in 2024, which saw the formation of the gallery’s first community advisory group. Ms. Zimmerman facilitated the gallery’s first landmark grant of $240,000 from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage for Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body , which enabled the gallery’s first high-level collaboration with Penn Live Arts in the presentation of Seth Parker Wood’s Difficult Grace . She has taught graduate seminars on exhibition design and interdisciplinary practices at the University of Washington, and has regularly taught an undergraduate seminar on “Curating Contemporary Art” for University of Washington and for the department of the history of art in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences.

“I am thrilled to further the Arthur Ross Gallery’s expansive mission for artistic and scholarly inquiry,” Ms. Zimmerman said. “As a champion for multidisciplinary programming, community engagement, embodied learning, and institutional collaboration, I am excited to support the gallery’s exhibitions and programs in this new chapter.”

Ms. Zimmerman has curated and co-curated over 50 commissions, solo, and group exhibitions with artists such as Gordon Hall, Pierre Huyghe, Clotilde Jiménez, Guadalupe Maravilla, Kerry Tribe, and Marisa Williamson. She has produced more than 300 performances, festivals, film and lecture series, and symposia. In 2023, she was a co-curator of Out of Sight , a survey of artists working in the Pacific Northwest.

Before coming to Penn, Ms. Zimmerman worked in various curatorial positions largely in university contexts, including the Henry Art Gallery and Jacob Lawrence Gallery at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and at the Experimental Media and Performing Art Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

She was awarded the Loris Ledis Emerging Curatorial Award (2011), an open space curatorial residency in Busan, Korea (2011), the New Foundation Seattle’s Career Incentive Fund grant (2016), a Banff Literary Arts residency (2016), and a Curatorial Digital Leadership Fellowship from the Association of Art Museum Curators (2023). She writes for BOMB Magazine , and has served as a panelist and reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Capital, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Herb Alpert Awards, among others. Ms. Zimmerman is a graduate of the Center for Curatorial Studies of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York with an MA in curatorial studies, and of New York University with a BA in visual studies.

Since its founding over forty years ago, the Arthur Ross Gallery, located in the historic Fisher Fine Arts Library Building, has been a space where meaningful programming, resources, and education converge, and where critical and creative expression are considered through the lens of class, gender, history, politics, and race—a dynamic exchange between the University and the public.

Penn Nursing has announced that it will launch a new online nursing and healthcare leadership master’s (MSN) program beginning in the summer of 2025. This innovative 10-credit unit (CU) program, which combines and enhances the curriculum of the nursing and healthcare administration (NADM) and health leadership (HLMP) master’s programs, will provide students with a comprehensive and dynamic learning experience that prepares graduates for leadership roles in the ever-changing healthcare environment.  

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our students a new leadership program in an online format to meet the needs of busy nursing professionals,” said program director Meghan Fitzpatrick. “And by streamlining the curriculum to 10 CUs, we’re able to make the program more cost-effective for our students.”

In addition to providing students with a more efficient and cost-effective path to earning their MSN, the curricular changes include 500 field hours and exceed the standards set forth in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Level 2 Essentials.

To apply or learn more about the program, please visit its website and register for an upcoming information session .

Born in Baltimore, Dr. Bachman was an Eagle Scout and star wrestler in high school and college. After graduating, Dr. Bachman joined the U.S. Navy’s college training program for officers and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania during World War II. He then went on to earn his MD from the University of Maryland in 1949. He served in Navy hospitals in Maryland and Massachusetts and at medical centers in Boston. After postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University, he was recruited to CHOP as chief of anesthesiology in 1955. At the same time, he joined Penn’s School of Medicine as an assistant professor of anesthesiology. He became an associate professor in 1961 and a full professor in 1966. While at CHOP, Dr. Bachman helped develop a pediatric intensive care unit and created groundbreaking tools and technology for anesthesiologists.

Dr. Bachman left Penn in 1973 to become director of health services for Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp, and from 1975 to 1979, he served as the secretary of health for Pennsylvania. During his tenure, he confronted Legionnaires’ disease, Hurricane Agnes, swine flu, and dozens of health policy controversies. He also created state-funded healthcare centers and championed access to health services and the public’s role in planning and procedures. In 1979, he was appointed to the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), where he was named a rear admiral in the commissioned corps and placed in charge of PHS hospitals, clinics, medical disaster response teams, environmental and drug addiction initiatives, and other national health programs. He retired in 1994, but continued to serve for more than a decade as a medical consultant to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Dr. Bachman also taught at George Washington University’s school of medicine and elsewhere, and earned three honorary college degrees. He served as president of the Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists and was active with a dozen other professional organizations. He won the 1990 Abigail Geisinger Medal from the Geisinger Health Foundation, the 2004 Robert M. Smith Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, among other awards. He served on boards and committees for his synagogues in Philadelphia and Washington and was a member of the Society Hill Civic Association.

Dr. Bachman is survived by his children, Emily, Joseph, Daniel, and Jacob; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and other relatives.  

Donations in his name may be made to Rangeley Health and Wellness, Box 722, Rangeley, Maine 04970; and Tifereth Israel Congregation, 7701 16th St., NW Washington, D.C. 20012.

Born in Manhattan, New York, Dr. Cohen attended Horace Mann School and then Cornell University, where he was a member of Telluride House and the team that won the 1951 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a BS in physics in 1951, he enrolled in the graduate program in physics at the California Institute of Technology. At CalTech, Dr. Cohen researched the behavior of liquid helium under famous physicist Richard Feynman. Dr. Feynman was notoriously picky about graduate students, and Dr. Cohen was one of only 30 trainees Dr. Feynman took on throughout his career. In an interview with the American Institute of Physics, Dr. Feynman remembered how he’d given up on a particular set of calculations because he’d decided they were “too hard.” However, he recalled that Dr. Cohen “found they weren’t as hard as I thought” and cracked them.

Dr. Cohen earned his PhD in 1956 from CalTech, then stayed on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Feynman. On the strength of his mentor’s recommendation, Dr. Cohen then did a second postdoc at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton with J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb. Then, heeding the counsel of “Oppie,” he came to Penn in 1958 as an assistant professor of physics. He became an associate professor two years later and a full professor in 1973.

Dr. Cohen spent the rest of his career at Penn. A condensed matter physicist, he studied the quantum mechanics of liquid helium, as well as ferroelectrics and phospholipid membranes. He enjoyed leading a problem-solving seminar for graduate students preparing for the PhD qualifying exam; for this work, he jokingly described himself as “the department’s Stanley Kaplan.” He also reveled in campus politics, serving as a longtime member of Penn’s faculty senate.

In 1962, with George Stranahan and Robert Craig, Dr. Cohen co-founded the Aspen Center for Physics in Aspen, Colorado. According to The New York Times, the center has “proved pivotal in the development of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, for a long time the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, and the formulation of string theory, regarded by many physicists as the most promising candidate for a ‘theory of everything’ that would explain all the universe’s physical phenomena.” When the center became an independent nonprofit in 1968, Dr. Cohen was elected its first treasurer. He followed this with a term as the center’s vice president, and then, for another 48 years, as an honorary trustee.

In retirement, Dr. Cohen wrote an introductory textbook in classical mechanics, which is available for free here .

Dr. Cohen is survived by his sister, Vera Gottlieb; his three children, Adam (C’90) (Mary), Jonathan, and Alison (Nurit Bloom); his seven grandchildren, Will, Theo, Leah, Aiden, Naomi, Vivi, and Daph; and his caregiver, Jeanette Edwards.

Donations in Dr. Cohen’s memory may be made to the Aspen Center for Physics . If you choose to give, you can notify Dr. Cohen’s family of the donation by clicking the email notification box and entering [email protected] .

Mr. Hoyt, who grew up in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, obtained a master of accounting degree from Brigham Young University in 2006. One of his professors nominated him for the Postgraduate Technical Assistant Program with the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which took Mr. Hoyt across the country. Mr. Hoyt then held roles as a senior associate at KPMG LLP and an associate director at UBS Investment Bank before ultimately working as a senior accounting manager, specializing in accounting policy, for PNC.

A love of computer programming eventually led Mr. Hoyt to pursue a second master’s degree in computer and information technology from Penn Engineering’s department of computer and information science, starting in 2022. He was working towards this degree at the time of his death.

Mr. Hoyt is survived by his wife, Lillian Hoyt; his mother, Phyllis Deborah Hoyt; his four children, Jackson, Elise, Andrew, and Charlotte; and his siblings, Brooke (Jason) Mayhall, Jason (Kjerstin) Hoyt, BJ Hoyt, and Shannon (Tim) Dickman.

Donations to Mr. Hoyt’s family can be made here .

To Report A Death

Almanac appreciates being informed of the deaths of current and former faculty and staff members, students and other members of the University community. Call (215) 898-5274 or email [email protected] .

However, notices of alumni deaths should be directed to the Alumni Records Office at Suite 300, 2929 Walnut St., (215) 8988136 or email [email protected] .

A meeting of the executive committee of the Board of Trustees was held on July 31, 2024, via Zoom.

Trustees Chair Ramanan Raghavendran presented a resolution to approve the transfer of assets. The Gene Therapy Program (GTP) at Penn Medicine, which is led by James Wilson, the Rose H. Weiss Orphan Disease Center Director’s Professor, has grown rapidly over the past ten years during a time of volatility of biotechnology funding, largely supported by industry-sponsored research funds. The Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM), the Penn Center for Innovation (PCI), and Dr. Wilson have been exploring ways to transition the functions and operations of GTP from Penn Medicine into externally managed entities. This transition will further advance clinical research, while fostering continued gene therapy product development that is better managed by industry. A third-party services company has shown interest in securing the service center functions and a third-party R&D company has shown interest in securing the R&D Product Functions. The resolution was approved.

Interim President J. Larry Jameson presented a resolution to appoint Stephen J. MacCarthy as Interim Vice President for University Communications, effective August 1, 2024. Mr. MacCarthy had served in that role for 12 years and has returned to it while a search is conducted for a new Vice President for University Communications.

We extend our deep appreciation and gratitude to the Penn Professional Staff Assembly (PPSA) board members for their dedication in providing a wide range of valuable resources to full-time staff at Penn. Despite the challenges and transitions our community has collectively experienced leading into and through the last academic year, the PPSA has continued to meet the needs of staff in collaboration with the Division of Human Resources and a multitude of colleagues across campus.  During the 2023-2024 fiscal year, PPSA events drew thousands of registered participants. We are thankful to all our board members who generously contribute their time to this organization, and to the many Penn staff who engage with our events! Visit  ppsa.upenn.edu  to learn more about the PPSA, join our list, and to register for upcoming events for the 2024-2025 academic year.

As we look forward to the year ahead, we are pleased to introduce the new and continuing members of the PPSA board, council & independent committee representatives, and appointed positions.

• —Natalie Dury Green, PPSA Past-Chair

2024-2025 Executive Committee Tri-Chairs

Chair: Tonya Bennett, Director of Educational Technology, Penn Vet Chair-Elect: Dawn Maglicco Deitch, Executive Director, Office of Government and Community Affairs Past Chair: Natalie Dury Green, Director of Operations Master in Law Program, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Members at Large

2023-2025 Term Alisha George, Assistant/Web Editor, Almanac Erin Johansen, Senior Director of Principal Gifts Justin Purohit, Manager Accounting Operations, Office of the Comptroller Xime Trujillo, Senior Research Coordinator, Environmental Innovations Initiative

2024-2026 Term Joseph-James Ahern, Senior Archivist, University Archives Lamesha Brown, Director, College Achievement Program Elona Canaj, Business System Analyst, Penn Vet Monica Jacobe, Director of Advising, Wharton Undergraduate Division

Appointments

LISTSERV Manager: Adam Sherr, Director of Crossfunctional Training, Senior Application Data Analyst, Office of University Registrar Secretary: Dee Patel, Director of Content, Wharton Marketing & Communications Treasurer: Jillian Powell, Director of Budget and Analysis, Provost Administrative Affairs Webmaster: Mayumi Hirtzel, Information Systems and Computing Communications Manager: Andy Maynard, Director of Data Services DAR, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Committee Representatives

Veronica Aplenc Gwendolyn Beetham Samantha Fellman Noemi Fernandez Kris Forrest Tomas Isakowitz Kait Johnstone Justin Knoebel Cynthia Kwan Andy Maynard James McGonigle Christina Rodriguez Bethany Schell Adam Sherr Kathy Tang Xime Trujillo

Ms. Acquaye, a Hillman Scholar in Nursing Innovation, joins a select group of doctoral nursing students chosen for their passion for teaching, academic excellence, and research prowess. As a Jonas Scholar, she will receive financial support, mentorship, and a curriculum tailored to providing students with the learning experiences they need to successfully transition into a faculty role.

Ms. Acquaye joins a diverse group of doctoral nursing students, with over 50% of its 2024-2026 cohort representative of Black, Latino, and other communities of color, ensuring that burgeoning nursing leaders reflect the patient population of their diverse communities. This group of 63 scholars contains a multitude of research interests focused on some of the country’s most pressing challenges, including underserved populations in nursing, mental health, and veterans’ health. Ms. Acquaye’s research focuses on health disparities in breastfeeding and is spervised by Diane Spatz, the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition and a professor of perinatal nursing in the department of family and community health.

Fellows have made enduring and substantial contributions to nursing education as teachers, mentors, scholars, public policy advocates, practice partners, and administrators. They provide visionary leadership and are recognized for their expertise in nursing education. The induction ceremony will take place during the NLN’s Education Summit 2024 in September in San Antonio, Texas.

“It is an honor to be selected as a fellow of the Academy of Nursing Education,” said Dr. Becker. “This recognition reflects my contributions to advancing nursing’s role through teaching, leadership, creativity, and mentoring exceptional nursing students. I am very excited to work with the esteemed nurse leaders and educators who will be my colleagues in the Academy of Nursing Education.”

Dr. Becker joins the 18th class of fellows, which has now reached 406 members. The fellows are leaders in nursing education who teach in a range of programs across the spectrum of higher education. They are affiliated with top-ranked teaching hospitals, academic institutions, and other organizations committed to advancing the quality of healthcare in the U.S. and globally.

The Academy of Nursing Education review panel undertakes a competitive application process before recommending fellowship candidates to the NLN Board of Governors, the oversight body for the academy. Evaluations consider applicants’ contributions to innovative teaching and/or learning strategies; nursing education research; faculty development activities; academic leadership; promotion of public policy initiatives that advance nursing education; and/or collaborative educational, practice, or community partnerships.

Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. and Vice Provost for Faculty Laura W. Perna have announced the appointment of the sixteenth cohort of Penn Fellows.

The Penn Fellows Program provides leadership development to select Penn faculty in mid-career. Begun in 2009, it includes opportunities to build alliances across the University, meet distinguished academic leaders, think strategically about university governance, and consult with Penn’s senior administrators.

Health Track

Kara Anne Bernstein, the George W. Raiziss Professor II in Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine, focuses her research on proteins that contribute to cancer development and the accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks, using the budding yeast and mammalian systems.

Kenrick Cato, a professor of clinical informatics in the School of Nursing, focuses his research on using electronic patient data to support decision-making for clinicians, patients, and caregivers and on using and modeling nursing data to optimize the value of nursing in healthcare.

Philip Gehrman, a professor of clinical psychology in the Perelman School of Medicine, focuses his research on insomnia and other sleep disorders in the context of mental health conditions, using a variety of research approaches to understand how sleep and mental health are intertwined.

Priti Lal, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine, focuses her research on the application of high-throughput technology to gain insights into the biology of human cancers, with focus on urothelial and prostate cancers.

Amol Navathe, a professor of medical ethics and health policy in the Perelman School of Medicine, has expertise in policy analysis and design, the economic behavior of physicians and hospitals, and the application of informatics and predictive analytics to healthcare.

Paul M. Titchenell, an associate professor of physiology in the Perelman School of Medicine, focuses his research on the regulation of metabolism by hormones and nutrients, especially insulin, the master regulator of organismal anabolic metabolism.

Humanities Track

Vaughn A. Booker, the George E. Doty, Jr. & Lee Spelman Doty Presidential Associate Professor of Africana Studies in the School of Arts & Sciences, is a historian of 20th-century African American religions, especially practices of simultaneously (re)making religious and racial identities, communities, and forms of authority.

Ian Fleishman, an associate professor of cinema and media studies in the School of Arts & Sciences, focuses his work on sex and violence and their influence on the evolution of narrative form and its underlying epistemological shift from modernism to postmodernism.

Scott Francis, an associate professor of French and Francophone studies in the School of Arts & Sciences, studies reformation theology, gender and the Querelle des Femmes, alterity, rhetoric, and print culture.

Sarah Guérin, an associate professor of the history of art in the School of Arts & Sciences, focuses her research on the material conditions of medieval art, with an emphasis on the socio-economic circumstances and theological conceits surrounding the production and use of art.

Bakirathi Mani, the Penn Presidential Compact Professor of English in the School of Arts & Sciences, specializes in South Asian American public cultures, particularly how empires in the U.S. and in postcolonial South Asia shape South Asian American racial formations.

Jennifer Morton, the Penn Presidential Compact Professor of Philosophy, focuses her research on the philosophy of action, moral philosophy, the philosophy of education, and political philosophy.

Teemu Ruskola, a professor in the Penn Carey Law School, focuses his research on the study of Chinese law and society in a comparative and global context, with an interest in China’s place and role in the development of social theory.

Jorge Téllez, an associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese in the School of Arts & Sciences, focuses his research on the legacies of colonialism in Latin American cultural production, past and present, with an emphasis on Mexico.

Elly R. Truitt, an associate professor of the history and sociology of science in the School of Arts & Sciences, studies the circulation of scientific objects and natural knowledge throughout central and western Eurasia and north Africa, from antiquity into the early modern period.

Social Science Track

Rachel B. Baker, an associate professor in the policy, organizations, leadership, and systems division in the Graduate School of Education, studies access to and success in higher education, with a focus on students in broad-access institutions.  

Arthur van Benthem, an associate professor of business economics and public policy in the Wharton School, specializes in environmental and energy economics, the unintended consequences of environmental legislation, and the economic efficiency of energy policies.

Sarah Bush, an associate professor of political science in the School of Arts & Sciences, focuses her research on how international actors try to aid democracy, promote women’s representation, and influence elections globally, as well as the politics of climate change.

Ioana E. Marinescu, an associate professor in the School of Social Policy and Practice, focuses her research on wage determination and monopsony power, antitrust law for the labor market, the universal basic income, unemployment insurance, and green jobs.

Xi Song, an associate professor of sociology in the School of Arts & Sciences, focuses her research on statistical, demographic, and computational techniques to understand how patterns of social inequality are created and changed within and across generations.

Allyson Mackey, an associate professor of psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences, studies how changes in the brain give rise to changes in the mind, both as development unfolds and in response to experience.

Ryan Hynd, a professor of mathematics in the School of Arts & Sciences, focuses his research on partial differential equations, especially in mathematical models for fluid mechanics, control theory, finance, and with eigenvalue problems.

E. James Petersson, a professor of chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences, studies the roles of proteins in the understanding of diverse biological phenomena, especially how proteins fold and change shape, with applications in neuroscience and medicine.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) has awarded five students from Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine AKC Veterinary Outreach Scholarships. The AKC and the Kennel Club of Philadelphia are supporters of Penn Vet’s AKC Scholarship program.

The scholarships support students affiliated with AKC events and programs who advocate for animal health and medicine. Penn Vet recipients of the AKC Scholarship are:

Christina Capparell, V’26, a 2022 University of Delaware graduate, was a sports medicine summer veterinary intern at Penn Vet’s Working Dog Center (WDC). While at the WDC, Ms. Capparell investigated osteoarthritis incidence in working dog breeds. Before arriving at Penn Vet, she worked as a veterinary technician in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.

Robert “Zach” Cochran, V’26, is a 2020 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate. Before arriving at Penn Vet, Mr. Cochran was a post-baccalaureate researcher at the National Institute of Environment Health Science (NIEHS), a division of the National Institutes of Health that investigates the effects of the environment on human health.

Alaina Duessel, V’26, is a 2020 graduate of Allegheny College, where she majored in environmental science. Ms. Duessel was a veterinary technician in Butler County, Pennsylvania, before arriving at Penn Vet.

Laura Grant, V’26, from Mt. Arlington, New Jersey, is a graduate of the University of Maryland where she majored in animal science. Ms. Grant has a particular interest in the diagnosis, treatment, and health of small animals.

Julianna King, V’26, is a 2021 Ohio State University graduate. Ms. King is a NIH/BI veterinary research intern investigating the potential of canines to detect hemangiosarcoma through scent. She serves as treasurer of the student-run Canine Club and as a Purina student representative.

“The AKC Veterinary Outreach Scholarship is not only a testament to the hard work of these five Penn Vet students, but also a recognition of the potential they possess to make significant contributions to our profession,” said Claire Bruno, assistant dean of admissions and student life at Penn Vet. “I am incredibly proud to count Christina, Zach, Alaina, Laura, and Julianna among our students. Their success reflects the core values of Penn Vet, and I am confident that they will continue to achieve wonderful things.”

Founded in 1884, the AKC is the world’s largest and oldest not-for-profit all-breed canine registry, with over 200 recognized breeds. The AKC is a recognized and trusted expert in breed, health, and training information for all dogs, actively advocates for responsible dog ownership, and is dedicated to advancing dog sports.

The Penn Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory for Healthy Aging (Penn AITech) at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on identifying, developing, evaluating, commercializing and disseminating innovative technology and artificial intelligence methods and software to support aging. The collaboratory is an initiative involving Penn’s School of Nursing, the Perelman School of Medicine, and other departments across the University of Pennsylvania funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Collaboratory Pilot Cores invite applications for pilot studies using technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize care management and health outcomes for older Americans, including those with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) living in their homes independently, and those receiving clinical care or skilled home and community-based services.

The PennAITech pilot program solicits annually pilot studies that develop or test technology and AI to detect risk, predict needs, address disparities, improve access to care, and support decision making for chronic illness management and safe aging in place for older adults with or without ADRD and their caregivers. The pilots selected for funding receive guidance and mentoring from the PennAITech expert team.

In year three, through a competitive national grant review process, eleven applicants from academia, industry and health systems across the United States were selected for funding. The list of awardees selected for PennAITech funding include:

Total Year Three Awards: $2,583,609

• Pilot 1: Improved Algorithms for Wearable, Passive, Noninvasive BP Monitoring for Seniors (Investigators: Xina Quan and Keith C. Drake, PyrAmes)
• Pilot 2:  AI-powered Web Application to Analyze Knee Joint Space for Aging Population (Investigator: Soheyla Amirian, University of Georgia)
• Pilot 3: Task-Oriented Multimodal Conversational AI for Assisting Seniors with Daily Tasks (Investigator: Rui Zhang, Penn State University)
• Pilot 4:  Mobile Technology as a Cognitive Biomarker of Alzheimer’s Disease (Investigator:  Chun Lim, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
• Pilot 5:  Building Deep Digital Twins for Prediction of AD/ADR/MCI in Older Adults (Investigator: Mohammad H. Mahoor, DreamFace Technologies, LLC)
• Pilot 6:   Aliviado Dementia Care Machine Learning Algorithm Development for Caregiving (Investigator: Ab Brody, RN, FAAN, New York University)
• Pilot 7:  AI/ML Analyses of Mobility Changes Among Elderly Using Continuous Gait Data (Investigator: Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes, Foresite Healthcare)
• Pilot 8:  Developing a Home Cognitive Vital Sign to Detect Cognitive Changes AD (Investigator: Daniel Press, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
• Pilot 9:  Motor Function Assessment for Mild Cognitive Impairment, Frailty, and Fall Risk (Investigator: Trent M. Guess, University of Missouri)
• Pilot 10:  Detecting Cognitive Impairment Using Large Language Models from Speech (Investigator: Hualou Liang, Drexel University)
• Pilot 11:  MUSICARE-VR: Music Intervention with Virtual Reality for Alzheimer’s Care (Investigator: Xiaopeng Zhao, University of Tennessee, Knoxville)

“As our portfolio of funded projects continues to grow, we are excited about the potential of these new solutions to advance ways to support older adults and significantly improve the aging experience in the coming years,” said George Demiris, a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with joint faculty appointments in Penn Nursing’s department of biobehavioral health sciences and in the department of biostatistics, epidemiology, and informatics in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, and one of the principal investigators of PennAITech. “Our team is excited about these new collaborations and looking forward to supporting the new cohort of awardees.”

Jason Karlawish, a professor of medicine, medical ethics and health policy, and neurology, co-director of the Penn Memory Center and associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in the Perelman School of Medicine, and co-principal investigator of PennAITech, added, “PennAITech offers a nurturing environment for the implementation and evaluation of groundbreaking technologies and innovative approaches to aging. We are looking forward to providing our support to this group of awardees as they advance the development of their innovative solutions.”

Joanna Piotrowska: Unseeing Eyes, Restless Bodies Through December 10

This presentation marks the first U.S. solo museum exhibition dedicated to Joanna Piotrowska (b. 1985), a Polish artist based in London whose work examines the human condition through performative acts, photography, and film. Self-defense manuals and psychotherapeutic methods are used as reference points as Ms. Piotrowska explores the complex roles that play out in everyday life. The exhibition features large-scale, silver gelatin prints of subjects that probe human behavior and the dynamics of domestic relations, exploring intimacy, violence, control, and self-protection with an emphasis on gesture and touch. Throughout the galleries, the artist creates a space with domestic references from which contrasting image placement and content create an uncanny experience that reveals moments of care as well as hierarchies of power.

Joanna Piotrowska: Unseeing Eyes, Restless Bodies is curated by Hallie Ringle, the Daniel and Brett Sundheim Chief Curator.

Where I Learned to Look: Art from the Yard Through December 10

This exhibition celebrates the foundational role of yards in shaping contemporary art in America. Building upon existing scholarship on yard art, artwork created to exist in the transitional space between the home and wider world, artist and art historian Josh T Franco examines the lineage of this robust American art form, which has historically existed outside of museum and gallery spaces. Featuring over 30 works, the exhibition spotlights both community- and academically-taught artists over the past five decades including David Driskell, vanessa german, Donald Judd, Noah Purifoy, and Finnegan Shannon, revealing connections across communities in creative world-building with what is available. This exhibition is part of ICA’s Sachs Guest Curator Program, which since 2007 has funded artists and interdisciplinary creatives to curate ambitious contemporary art presentations and actualize projects that leverage the space of resources of ICA to examine emerging and underrecognized creative practices.

Where I Learned to Look: Art from the Yard is curated by Josh T Franco, the Sachs Guest Curator, in collaboration with Hallie Ringle, the Daniel and Brett Sundheim Chief Curator, with support from Denise Ryner, the Andrea B. Laporte Curator.

The 2024 Milken-Penn GSE EBPC finalists will present their pitches on September 10 in New York City as part of HolonIQ’s Back to School Summit. 

The finalists are Games & Learning, Hilight, Honest Game, Saturday Art Class, SAT IT Labs, Start Lighthouse, and trubel&co.

This year’s finalists use artificial intelligence, video games, visual arts, and cutting edge technology to promote literacy, social-emotional learning, college access, and more. 

Attendees can watch the final pitches, Q&A with judges, and vote in real-time for the Audience Choice Prize winner. They can network with education entrepreneurs and edtech investors, and gain insights from industry leaders.

Registration for the Milken-Penn GSE EBPC finals is free, but space is limited. Visit https://www.educationcompetition.org/finals/ to register. 

Fitness & Learning

8/25      Sunday Reset with Hava Rose ; explore the art of journaling as a meditative practice in a workshop that will jump-start your meditation and creative practices; 2-4 p.m.; ICA; register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/991391989127?aff=oddtdtcreator (Institute of Contemporary Art).

College of Liberal & Professional Studies

Online webinars. Info and to register: https://www.lps.upenn.edu/about/events .

8/24      Global Master of Public Administration Virtual Information Session ; 10 a.m.

Morris Arboretum & Gardens

In-person events at Morris Arboretum & Gardens. Info and to register: https://www.morrisarboretum.org/see-do/events-calendar .

8/25      Peppers & Peaches Tasting ; sample some peaches and summer herbs and hear tips from produce suppliers on how best to store and cook your stone fruits; 11 a.m.

Readings & Signings

8/22      Book Launch: Biennial Boom: Making Contemporary Art Global ; Paloma Checa-Gismero, Swarthmore College; 6 p.m.; ICA; RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/checa-gismero-aug-22 (Annenberg School for Communication).

8/24      NSO Speakeasy Open Mic Night ; features performances by the Class of 2028; no need to sign up ahead of time—just show up with your work, ready to share your talents with your classmates; 9:30 p.m.; Arts Café, Kelly Writers House (Kelly Writers House).

Special Events

8/21      Later @ ICA with Heyday Athletic ; us for an evening of art, games, cocktails, and light snacks at ICA’s newly launched monthly after-hours night; 6-9 p.m.; ICA; register for cornhole tournament: https://icaphila.org/events/later-ica-with-heyday-athletic/ (Institute of Contemporary Art).

8/21      Programmable Strain-responsive Biopolymer Networks Adapt to High Magnitudes of Mechanical Loading ; Yan Luo, mechanical engineering & applied mechanics; 10:15 a.m.; room 337, Towne Building (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

8/26      Decoding Opioid Receptor Antagonism in the Context of Cellular Signaling Dynamics ; Cornelius Gati, University of Southern California; 11 a.m.; Gaulton Auditorium, BRB (Biomedical Graduate Studies).

This is an update to the Summer AT PENN calendar , which is online now. The September AT PENN calendar will be published next Tuesday, August 27. To include events in a future AT PENN calendar or weekly update, send the salient details to [email protected] .

Division of Public Safety University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

About the Crime Report: Below are the Crimes Against Persons and/or Crimes Against Property from the campus report for August 5-11, 2024 . The Crime Reports are available at: https://almanac.upenn.edu/sections/crimes . Prior weeks’ reports are also online. –Eds.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety (DPS) and contains all criminal incidents reported and made known to the Penn Police, including those reported to the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) that occurred within our patrol zone, for the dates of August 5-11, 2024 . The Penn Police actively patrol from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30 th Street to 43 rd Street in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police.

In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call DPS at (215) 898-7297. You may view the daily crime log on the DPS website .

Penn Police Patrol Zone

Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30 th Street to 43 rd Street

Philadelphia Police 18th District

Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 11 incidents were reported for August 5-11, 2024 by the 18 th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

The Division of Public Safety offers resources and support to the Penn community. DPS developed a few helpful risk reduction strategies outlined below. Know that it is never the fault of the person impacted (victim/survivor) by crime.

• See something concerning? Connect with Penn Public Safety 24/7 at (215) 573-3333.
• Worried about a friend’s or colleague’s mental or physical health? Get 24/7 connection to appropriate resources at (215) 898-HELP (4357).
• Seeking support after experiencing a crime? Call Special Services - Support and Advocacy resources at (215) 898-4481 or email an advocate at [email protected]
• Use the Walking Escort and Riding services available to you free of charge.
• Take a moment to update your cellphone information for the UPennAlert Emergency Notification System
• Download the Penn Guardian App which can help Police better find your location when you call in an emergency.
• Access free self-empowerment and defense courses through Penn DPS.
• Stay alert and reduce distractions; using cellphones, ear buds, etc. may limit your awareness.
• Orient yourself to your surroundings. (Identify your location, nearby exits, etc.)
• Keep your valuables out of sight and only carry necessary documents.

Penn Parking & Commuter Services has moved to the first floor of the Penn Bookstore (near the Sansom Street entrance).

Operations began on Tuesday, July 30 at the new location, where the team assists the University community with its parking and commuting needs in an expanded space. The location is open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The move from 3401 Walnut, the department’s home of nearly 30 years, coincides with the launch of an expanded menu of flexible permits and programs for new parkers, which are being offered based on community feedback.

Parking & Commuter Services joins the PennCard Center and Onboard@Penn at the bookstore, solidifying the site as an accessible one-stop hub for a variety of Penn services.

Keep up with Penn Parking & Commuter Services at the department’s streamlined website .

Online full-text access to The Atlantic has been a perennial request of Penn Libraries. The magazine has a long, distinguished history as a cultural reporter and opinion-maker since its start in 1857 as a showpiece for Boston literati. Faculty in the political science department and other Penn academic programs frequently include Atlantic articles in their course reserve lists, and diligent students often report frustration over the website’s metered paywall access. Additionally, title changes over the years have made The Atlantic one of the more difficult items to find in the Penn Libraries catalog.

The Penn Libraries’  Atlantic  website subscription  provides web-only content and print-magazine content. Faculty can now easily share URLs to specific articles with students, and all students, faculty, and staff can enjoy everything The Atlantic has to offer, from cultural commentary to  the Caleb’s Inferno crossword . Currently, the subscription does not include  The Atlantic ’s mobile app.

Additionally, PDF versions of whole monthly issues (advertisements included) are available for download from the latest issue back to the first issue published in November 1857. While some of this content is currently available through Nexis Uni and Factiva, the new Atlantic website subscription provides images and publisher’s formatting. That said, readers interested in discovering and viewing specific articles in older issues of  The Atlantic  may still find it easier to use Penn Libraries’ searchable full text subscription to  The Atlantic Magazine Archive, covering 1857 through 2014.

How To Access

Accessing  The Atlantic  online is easy.

• Visit the Sign In page from anywhere on  theatlantic.com .
• Click on “Sign in through your institution.”  Do not create a personal account or sign in using the Facebook or Google options.
• When prompted, type University of Pennsylvania where it asks you to enter your institution name and click “Continue.”
• Enter your PennKey when prompted.
• Enjoy  The Atlantic.

Dear Penn Community,

Thank you for your spirit of volunteerism. Many benefit from your willingness to share. We receive many expressions of gratitude from community members and agencies with whom we partner. The Penn community continues to work towards being good neighbors in our shared community.  We thank you for your overwhelming support and for your generosity.

We are pleased to report that the Penn VIPS Change Drive collected approximately $500 for the MK Bogle Scholarship Program, which supports graduating high school students with a history of performing community service and who have been accepted at an accredited college or university. This sum was added to the many donations from our sponsors. We thank all our sponsors.

Please also see below for a list of different volunteer activities, both on and off campus. Let us help you volunteer.

The following volunteer activities are available to the Penn community:

August 7–August 21 School Supplies Drive

Don’t forget to collect school supplies for the annual Penn Volunteers in Public Service (VIPS) school supplies drive. Donations are shared with West and Southwest Philadelphia public schools involved in the University Assisted Community (Sayre, Lea, Comegy’s West, for example), as well as students from Mastery Charter School. We also receive requests for items from local shelters, day care centers, and directly from families.

Support school children by providing books, pens, pencils, book bags, calculators, crayons, rulers, dictionaries, elementary school story books and other items children need to help them be successful in school.  Below is a complete list of suggested items for donation: Agendas or planners, backpacks, binder dividers, small binders, feminine products, hand sanitizer, hygiene products, stickers, paper towels, highlighters in different colors, tissues, pencils, erasers, glue, glue sticks, lined paper/notebooks (hard and spiral), three-ring binders, three-hole punches, loose-leaf paper or spiral notebooks, subject dividers, index cards, folders, blue and black pens, mechanical pencils, pencil pouches, rulers, tape, reams of paper for duplicating, scissors, books (fiction/nonfiction), and certificates and other incentives.

The following is a sample of the areas where you can conveniently drop your donations:

Become a Mentor in the Penn Workplace Mentoring Program

Encourage 7th graders to do well in school. Talk to them about the importance of college, share your area of expertise in your job with them, and help them to think about their futures. Make a difference in the life of a young person.

 Mentors meet with students once a month from September to May. All sessions are held on Penn’s campus. Training is held in September.

Teach at the Nonprofit Institute sponsored by the Netter Center

Have a special knowledge on advisory boards, grant writing, risk management, strategic planning, etc.? Want to teach members of the surrounding community how to more effectively manage/create their nonprofits?

The Nonprofit Institute, a five-day program offering a variety of classes designed to help start-up nonprofits gain important skills needed to create a successful organization. Classes range from 1.5 hours to 3 hours. The institute is held twice a year, in the fall and spring.

Teach at the University Assisted Community School (UACS Nights)

Have a special talent? Want to teach it to members of the surrounding community? Do so through our exciting program called University Assisted Community Schools Nights. Teach adult learners your expertise in areas such as resume writing, interview skills, computers, professional development, dance, cooking, and/or a subject you are passionate about.  Teach once a week for a one- or two-hour period for four to six weeks. We also welcome classes that can be taught in a single two-hour session. Classes are normally held from 6–8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Adopt A Classroom

An exciting opportunity for you and your colleagues to “adopt” a Philadelphia school classroom and help teachers with needed supplies.

Provide needed classroom items like reams of paper, pens, pencils, tissues, hand sanitizer, notebooks, folders, glue sticks, disinfecting wipes, calculators, index cards, scissors, backpacks, pencil sharpeners, dividers, protractors, highlighters, markers, construction paper, book covers, combination locks, personal organizers, Post-It notes, tape, and staplers and staples.

Work with classrooms involved in community schools operated by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. Schools include Lea, Sayre, West, Hamilton, Comegys, and more. You would have the opportunity to select the age group you prefer. A classroom would be assigned to you and a wish-list provided.

You and your colleagues can spend the summer collecting the supplies. Arrangements will be made in September for you to make your donations to your adopted class.

Dropsite Volunteers

Become a dropsite volunteer and participate in the various drives held throughout the course of the year. Assist with collecting donated items that are shared with a variety of agencies in the community. 

Penn VIPS provides the collected donations to local agencies and schools, which makes a huge difference to members of the surrounding community.

Drives take place as follows:

• March –Change Drive to Benefit the Scholarship Program
• August –School Supplies Drive
• November –Food Drive
• December –Toy/Gift Drive
• December –New Coat Drive

Dropsite volunteers advertise the various drives, help designate the beneficiaries of the drives, and help with the distribution of the donated items.

Leftover conference bags, tee-shirts, pens, etc.?

Donate them to Penn VIPS. We will share them with school children and members of the community.

Contact Isabel Sampson-Mapp at  [email protected] for additional information about any of these opportunities.

—Isabel Sampson-Mapp, associate director, Netter Center for Community Partnerships

Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP)

The Stanford School of Medicine Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP) was established to provide medical students greater opportunities for engaging in biomedical research while taking the required coursework and clinical practice leading to the MD degree.

To enable that goal, a curriculum was created that embodies substantial periods free from formal classwork during the second and third academic years (see description of the “split” curriculum below). That format provides students with opportunities to engage in scholarly investigation and laboratory or clinical research within the medical school or on the university campus.

We believe that electing the combined academic/research opportunity provides students with a foundation for careers as physician investigators, a depleted but urgently needed phenotype. We have dubbed the program described above as the “Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP)” because throughout the period of studying and exploring, students will be guided and aided by faculty mentors committed to their progress and success.

• In the news:
• CZ Biohub Announces Physician-Scientist Fellowship Program
• $2.5 million Award to Support Physician-Scientist Training 
• AAMC National MD-PhD Program Outcomes Study

The Split Curriculum

The “Split Curriculum”.   While many American medical schools are decreasing the extent to which medical students study basic science, advances in molecular medicine, and research in general, Stanford created a curriculum – the “Split Curriculum”- that restores vigor to the basic courses and provides opportunities to engage in other scholarly activities available at Stanford University. An important feature of the split curriculum is to provide to students who aspire to careers as physician-scientists the opportunity and means for acquiring an in-depth research experience concurrently with the academic coursework required to become a doctor. Thus, the split curriculum permits students who have completed the first-year course work to use the unscheduled blocks of time in the ensuing years to pursue a research project while they complete the remaining preclinical course requirements. Students choosing to pursue research in the split curriculum can immerse themselves in challenging problems, follow the research wherever it leads, and, possibly, be a part of solving the problem they set for themselves.   Further, we believe that the concentrated focus on a challenging, longitudinal research project made possible by the split curriculum is more beneficial for gaining research experience than taking a gap year following completion of the preclinical coursework.

Students formally decide whether to split the curriculum at the end of their first year of medical school. Students who do so will begin their research during the Summer Quarter after their first year.   Splitting their remaining pre-clerkship curriculum amounts to 3 half days per week spent in classroom lectures or clinical activities (Mondays and Tuesdays in the second year, called “M2A”), Thursdays and Fridays in the third year (called “M2B”). The remaining 7 half days per week and summers are available for the student’s research project, as overseen by their selected research mentor. Funding is provided by Med Scholars, to ensure that no additional medical school debt accrues when spreading education and research over 5 years.

The split curriculum may appeal to medical school applicants and matriculated students who already have substantial research experience. However, students with only limited research experience but who have participated in summer research programs before applying to medical school are also strongly encouraged to consider research opportunities and to join the PSTP.   Any MD student who matriculates at Stanford is eligible to pursue the split curriculum, even if they choose not to participate in PSTP activities.

The 5-Year MD Program Timeline

Research training and career development for all PSTP students, regardless of pathway chosen, include :

• Significant, immersive research training for students who matriculate for 5 or more years, either as “splitters” or as gap year students
• Weekly lab meetings
• INDE 217 – Physician Scientist Hour (3 total units - 1 unit each for autumn, winter, and spring quarters)
• INDE 267 - Planning and Writing a Research Proposal (1 unit, winter quarter of first year of medical school)
• MED 255 – Responsible Conduct of Research (1 unit, available all quarters)
• Other coursework is tailored to a student’s chosen Scholarly Concentration
• Poster presentations at the annual Stanford Medical Student Symposium - Students will be expected to attend the Symposium during their first year, and present during their second or third year
• Annual research conferences in the discipline most closely associated with their lab research project
• A full day of career development topics bringing together MD-only medical students, MSTP students, research residents & fellows, and physician-scientist faculty
• “How to find a research mentor” programming led by the Associate Dean for Medical Research begins the summer prior to matriculation
• Quarterly meetings with PSTP director(s)
• Monthly Physician-Scientist Work-in-Progress (WIP) Seminars
• Stanford Women’s Association of Physician Scientists ( SWAPS ) quarterly events (organized together with MSTP)
• Preparation for application to research clinical residencies after graduation
• Student-led social events including, lunches, dinners, PSTP Happy Hour, and other gatherings
• Annual PSTP welcome barbecue

Physician-Scientist Opportunities

Stanford MD program students can pursue their interests in laboratory or biomedical informatics research as an integral part of their Stanford experience. Although many medical schools are decreasing medical students' exposure to basic science, molecular medicine, and research, Stanford has an attractive option for students who wish to pursue becoming physician-scientists. Stanford’s unique 5-year Discovery Curriculum  enables research-oriented students to complete their pre-clinical curriculum in three years instead of two years. The three year pre-clerkship schedule creates unscheduled blocks of time to pursue longitudinal research, early clinical experiences, and student wellness activities.

Students participating in a physician-scientist curriculum participate in laboratory or biomedical informatics research for 7 consecutive quarters beginning in the Summer Quarter after their first medical school year.  Funding is provided by the Medical Scholars Research Program  (Medscholars). This option may appeal to medical school applicants and matriculated students who already have substantial research experience. However, students with only limited research experience, but have participated in summer research programs before applying to medical school are also encouraged to consider research opportunities. 

The defining philosophy for our physician-scientist oriented curriculum is that students should immerse themselves in a longitudinal bench or biomedical informatics research project for 2 years. Students will start research the Summer Quarter after their first medical school year, then will “split” their remaining pre-clerkship curriculum, which amounts to only 3 half days per week spent in classroom lectures or clinical activities. The remaining 7 half days per week will be devoted to hypothesis-driven experiments in their research mentor’s lab. Three academic quarters have no coursework (two summer quarters and spring quarter of year 2).

PSTP Admissions

How does a prospective student seeking such an opportunity join PSTP? For students seeking admission to Stanford MD in 2022-2023, they can apply on the Stanford Secondary application. To facilitate the MD Committee on Admission’s ability to assess the applicant’s aptitude for, and interest in, pursuing the PSTP option, two additional essays are required. Applicants who are accepted into the MD program through the AMCAS portal are automatically accepted into the PSTP.

Applicants who apply through the traditional MD portal (e.g., who do not select the PSTP option in the application) and who are accepted for MD admission are also eligible to apply for the PSTP after matriculation. PSTP application following matriculation is not competitive, and we strongly encourage students to participate. Stanford PSTP’s guiding philosophy is simple – matriculate to Stanford and know that once you arrive, we will help you determine which of the many paths available will allow you to best reach your full potential as a physician-scientist.

PSTP Research Opportunities

Almost all PSTP students pursue one or more additional years of research, usually funded through the Medical Scholars Research Program  (Med Scholars). Deciding whether to pursue the “split curriculum” 5-year program, or add a full gap year for research, typically occurs in the first year of medical school. This is a highly individualized decision, made with guidance from the Associate Dean for Medical Research, research faculty, and advising deans. A subset of students will choose to apply for a longer, more focused training, either as Berg Scholars (6 years) or through the internal MSTP track (7+ years).

Research Residency Programs

Stanford University School of Medicine's Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP) serves as an umbrella program designed to integrate and maximize career development of physician-scientists across the career continuum. The program's goal is to increase the number and diversity of successful physician researchers in the U.S. workforce. The focus of the PSTP is on trainees participating in each of Stanford’s 14 individual Research Residency PSTPs (below) across the School of Medicine as well as the  Advanced Research Training at Stanford  (ARTS) and Translational Research and Applied Medicine (TRAM) programs. The ARTS program enables research residents and fellows to pursue PhD training as part of their postgraduate clinical training.  The TRAM program focuses on removing barriers and communication gaps between scientists and clinicians.

• FARM program
• Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgical Training Program
• ACLAM Residency
• Clinical Scholars Track
• ACCEL Program
• Translational Investigator Pathway
• Neuroscience Scholar Tracks
• Neurosurgery Research Programs  (Enfolded Clinical Fellowship and/or Basic/Clinical Research)
• SOAR Research Program
• Clinician-Scientist Training Program
• Physician-Scientist Scholars Program
• Physician Scientist Track
• Research Track
• Radiation Oncology

Other ways to be a part of the PSTP Community

Students who enter with substantial research experience (e.g., have already earned a PhD) are also encouraged to participate in PSTP activities but typically complete their MD studies in 4 years. Students who are concurrently enrolled in MS programs often participate in a subset of PSTP career development activities that complement their MS coursework.

FAQ and Additional Resources

Why train to become a Physician-Scientist?

Physician-scientists (PS) play central roles in the basic science discovery process, testing new diagnostics and therapeutics in clinics and hospitals, and delivery of discoveries to individual patients (or even large populations of patients) as practicing clinicians.  A physician scientist shortage already exists in the United States and is expected to worsen over the next decade. As a result, PS career opportunities in academia, government, world health, and industry will expand over time, offering the thrill of discovery and the flexibility to effectively combine both laboratory research and patient care. Finally, clinicians with training as physician-scientists who later focus primarily as caregivers benefit from rigorous research experiences and acquisition of foundational basic science skills.

How do I become a Physician-Scientist?

The most common route to become a physician-scientist is through research residencies and fellowships following MD/PhD training. Stanford PSTPs actively recruit from Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTPs) across the country, including our own MSTP. Stanford has an exceptional MSTP with over a 50 year history of sustained funding and successful trainee outcomes. Most trainees equate physician-scientist training with MD/PhD programs. However, there are many other potential paths to becoming a physician-scientist along the career continuum. Abundant examples exist of MD-only physician-scientists doing cutting-edge, NIH-funded basic research. These individuals often became interested in research during a short medical school research experience, later receiving more intensive research training as part of a clinical or research fellowship prior to starting their academic careers.  Many Stanford medical students “try out” research for the first time in medical school through the Medical Scholars Research Program . For these students, this is when the “research bug” is caught. They then choose to take advantage of the 3-year pre-clerkship curriculum for Physician-Scientists.

Alternatively, Stanford medical students may choose to take 1 or more gap years to study deeper research questions or to pursue advanced degrees in various disciplines. Other Stanford medical students arrive on campus with substantial research experience already and continue to pursue their goals as MD-only physician-scientists. Still other Stanford medical school graduates will become “late bloomers” who choose to pursue research as a career during residency or fellowship training, in “research residencies” or “short-track residencies”. Some late bloomers even choose to pursue a PhD during clinical training through the Advanced Residency Training at Stanford (ARTS) program.

What opportunities can I pursue?

Students may choose to continue research training after graduation by matching to research residencies at Stanford or elsewhere. A database of research residencies can be found on the American Physician Scientist Association (APSA) website. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund has established a Physician Scientist Institutional Award to fund 10 centers in North America that promote physician scientist careers. Stanford University is one of the 10 institutions.

Stanford's goal for MD program students who wish to pursue physician-scientist careers is to provide trainees with foundational skills that will enable them to succeed. A subset of Stanford MD program students will apply to the  Berg Scholars Program  to pursue an MS in Medicine in Biomedical Investigation or apply for participation in  MSTP  to pursue a PhD.

Why choose Stanford?

Stanford currently offers 14 different research residency programs across a wide variety of different disciplines. Each residency offers discipline-specific curricula, individualized mentoring, and career development opportunities. An umbrella PSTP through Stanford Medicine has been created to develop cross-disciplinary career development opportunities, including a full day PSTP Symposium that is open to all research residents and fellows, MSTP and Berg Scholars students, and junior faculty. Stanford’s umbrella PSTP is partially funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and is in the process of linking to a national PSTP consortium. Stanford’s commitment to developing physician scientists from medical school up through faculty is one of the best reasons to choose Stanford.

For medical students, Stanford has specifically designed flexibility in our curriculum to increase the number of medical students who wish to pursue careers in laboratory or biomedical informatics research areas.

Our philosophy is that MD program students should immerse themselves in a longitudinal bench or biomedical informatics research project for 2 years.  The Discovery Curriculum's pathways allow students to start research the summer after their first medical school year, "spliting" their remaining pre-clerkship curriculum.  Their schedule has 3 half days per week spent in classroom lectures or clinical activities. The remaining 7 half days per week are devoted to hypothesis-driven experiments in their research mentor’s lab. Three academic quarters have no coursework (two summer quarters and the spring quarter of year 2) in order for students to devote themselves to biomedical investigation.

Mentoring and Training Opportunities

Stanford also strives to provide “near peer” mentoring and training opportunities for the following educational levels:

• Residents and Fellows
• Residency & Fellowship Programs
• Medical Students
• Berg Scholars Program
• Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
• Stanford Women Association of Physician Scientists (SWAPS)
• Undergraduates
• SSRP-Amgen Scholars Program
• High Schools
• Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
• Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP)

For inquiries about our program, please contact:

[email protected]

updated August 2022