Honors and Other Things

Dr. Davitt: Hartford Faculty Scholar

Dr. Joan Davitt, assistant professor in the School of Social Policy & Practice, was chosen as one of the 2005 John A. Hartford Foundation Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars. Dr. Davitt was chosen for her research on Racial Disparities in Medicare Home Health Care. With funding from the John A. Hartford Foundation, the program will provide her with opportunities for professional development and $100,000 in funding over the next two years.

Now in its fifth year, the program aims to improve the well-being of older adults by increasing the number of adequately trained geriatric social workers.

Dr. Gutmann: Doctorate of Laws

President Amy Gutmann was one of three university presidents who were awarded a Doctor of Law degree at Rochester University’s inauguration of President Joel Seligman on October 24.

Ms. Figueroa: Franklin Leadership Award

Cynthia F. Figueroa, executive director of Women Against Abuse, Inc., is the 2005 recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Leadership Award  which was presented to her at the School of Social Policy & Practice’s first annual Benjamin Franklin Leadership Symposium last month. Women Against Abuse operates the only domestic violence shelter in Philadelphia. Ms. Figueroa has served as the lead in a collaborative process to develop the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline. She was instrumental in obtaining new federal resources through the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women; this resulted in over $1.3 million for 2006.

Dr. FitzGerald: Boyle Medal

Dr. Garret A. FitzGerald, chair of the department of pharmacology and director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapuetics, has been awarded the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Boyle Medal. Dr. FitzGerald was recognized by the Royal Dublin Society in association with the Irish Times for his contribution to scientific discovery— specifically, his work on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including low dose aspirin and COX-2 inhibitors.

Created in 1899, the Boyle Medal is awarded biennially–alternatively to a researcher based in Ireland (who receives a cash prize to fund a Ph.D. student) and to an Irish researcher based abroad.

Dr. Hecht: Distinguished Andrologist

Dr. Norman Hecht, professor of human reproduction in the School of Medicine, is the recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Andrologist Award presented by the American Society of Andrology. These awards will be presented at the annual meeting in Chicago next spring.

The Distinguished Andrologist Award is presented to a senior investigator who has made outstanding contributions to the progress of andrology. Dr. Hecht has been one of the pioneers in the use of molecular biology to understand the pathways that control spermatogenesis. In addition to his prolific and groundbreaking research accomplishments, he has served the ASA and the broader scientific community in a variety of capacities, and has trained many students who have gone on to successful independent careers.

Dr. Norman: National American Cancer Society Awards

Dr. Sandra Norman, research associate professor of epidemiology in the department of biostatistics and epidemiology, and a senior scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), was the honored recipient of the National American Cancer Society’s St. George Award and the Pennsylvania ACS’s Sword of Hope Award. These are the highest service awards bestowed upon a member for distinguished, exemplary, and inspirational leadership. Dr. Norman is the first individual to have received both of these awards together at the annual ceremony.

Six Professors: AAAS Fellows

Six Penn faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Newly elected fellows are acknowledged with a rosette and certificate. The AAAS is an international non-profit organization. AAAS also publishes the journal Science.This year’s AAAS Fellows were announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of  Science on October 28. The new Penn AAAS Fellows are:

Dr. Ian A. Blair, professor of pharmacology, School of Medicine

Dr.Dawn A. Bonnell, professor of material sciences and engineering, SEAS and director of Penn’s Nano/Bio Interface Center

Dr. Richard L. Doty, professor of otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine and director of Penn’s Smell and Taste Center.

Dr.Howard Kunreuther, professor of decision sciences and business and public policy, Wharton School and co-director of Penn’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center

Dr. Irwin B. Levitan, professor and chair of neuroscience, School of Medicine

Dr. Michael J. Therien, professor of chemistry, SAS

Six Professors: Institute of Medicine

Six Penn professors are among the 64 researchers and physicians named to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to honor professional achievement in the health sciences and to serve as a national resource for independent analysis and recommendations on issues related to medicine, biomedical sciences and health.

The new Penn faculty members in IOM are:

Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, dean of the School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Larry R. Kaiser, professor and chair, department of surgery, School of Medicine. 

Dr. Virginia M.-Y. Lee, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, School of Medicine

Dr. Mary D. Naylor, professor of gerontology, School of Nursing

Dr. Stanley A. Plotkin, emeritus professor of pediatrics, School of Medicine

Dr. Virginia A. Stallings, professor of pediatrics, School of Medicine

Wharton #1: Financial Times Ranking

In the Financial Times 2005 Global Ranking, Wharton’s international executive MBA program is ranked #1 for the fifth year in a row.

Commission on the Higher Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has invited Penn GSE Professor Dr.Robert Zemsky to serve on the newly established Commission on the Future of Higher Education.

The commission has been charged with considering how best to improve the country’s system of higher education and to ensure that graduates are prepared to fully participate in the changing economy and in our democracy. To that end, the Commission will examine federal, state, local, and institutional roles in higher education and analyze whether the current goals of higher education are appropriate and achievable.

The commission, which has been charged with examining key components of the higher education system such as access, affordability, accountability, and productivity, will make recommendations and submit a report to Secretary Spellings in August 2006.

Dr. Zemsky is a professor at Penn GSE, the chair of The Learning Alliance for Higher Education, and the founding director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Research on Higher Education.

CHOP: Best Hospital for Children

U.S. News & World Report ranked Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) the best hospital for children in the U.S. for the third consecutive year. “While this ranking is certainly a great external affirmation, what really matters is our responsibility to care for our patients and to advance the field of pediatric medicine,” said Dr. Steven M. Altschuler, CHOP’s president and CEO.

The rankings are reported in the July 18 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report. Rankings are done by reputation among board-certified physicians randomly selected from the American Medical Association database.

CHOP was also named the number one children’s hospital three consecutive times by a comprehensive data-based study conducted by Child magazine in 2001, 2003 and 2005.