McCabe Fund Awards

Last year there were four winners of McCabe Fellow awards of $40,000 each:

Dr. Meeta Prasad Kerlin, medicine

Dr. Timothy Lucas, neurosurgery

Dr. Ivona Percec, surgery

Dr. Rachana Shah, pediatrics

There were 11 Pilot Award winners who received $22,056 each:

Dr. Peter Ahn, radiation oncology

Dr. Steven Allen, surgery

Dr. Meenakshi Bewtra, medicine

Dr. Bart De Jonghe, behavioral health sciences

Dr. Sara DeMauro, pediatrics

Dr. X. Sherry Liu, orthopaedic surgery

Dr. Sage Myers, pediatrics

Dr. Emily Carter Paulson, surgery

Dr. Sara Pinney, pediatrics

Dr. Michelle J. Smith, neurosurgery

Dr. Jesse A. Taylor, surgery

The McCabe awards were established in 1969 by a generous gift from Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. McCabe to the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine to support junior faculty who initiate fresh and innovative biomedical and surgical research projects and who have received no or limited external research funding while in their first through third years on the faculty at the Perelman School of Medicine or the School of Veterinary Medicine at Penn.

Kennel Club Award: Dr. Aguirre

Dr. Gustavo Aguirre of the Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine has received the International Canine Health Award from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and Metro Bank at Crufts, the club’s dog show held in Birmingham, England.

Dr. Aguirre is a professor of medical genetics and ophthalmology in Penn Vet’s department of clinical studies-Philadelphia. Dr. Aguirre, who earned his undergraduate, veterinary and doctoral degrees from Penn, has played a lead role in first identifying many of the genes and defects that cause inherited blindness and then developing gene therapy to treat these conditions. Modeling the visual disorders in dogs, he and colleagues have reversed retinal degeneration in the animals, breakthroughs that have laid the groundwork for human clinical trials.

This is the first year the International Canine Health Award has been presented. It was judged by a panel of veterinary professionals and scientific researchers, chaired by Dr. Alan Kelly, Gilbert S. Kahn Dean Emeritus at Penn Vet. The honor includes over $60,000, underwritten by the foundation of Vernon and Shirley Hill, for whom Penn Vet’s Hill Pavilion is named. Mr. Hill is founder and chairman of Metro Bank. Dr. Aguirre intends to use the prize money to support continuing research on studies of inherited blindness.

Honorary Doctorate: Dr. Harkavy

Dr. Ira Harkavy, associate vice president and founding director of the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Westfield State University in recognition for his career at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and as a respected educator, historian, government official and author. Dr. Harkavy’s citation stated: “Reflecting the rich legacy of Horace Mann and the wisdom of John Dewey, you champion civic engagement as a prime component of quality higher education. Connecting needs with resources and academics with community, you challenge and inspire us to problem-solve together to transform our neighborhoods, our schools and our society.”

The Horace Mann Awards for Public Service recognize civic leaders and community volunteers who have distinguished themselves with lives of service which reflect the values and beliefs of Westfield State founder, Horace Mann.

New Journalism Award From APPC

The Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) has named a new award for Brooks Jackson, director emeritus of FactCheck.org. The award called the Cronkite/Jackson Prize for Fact Checking Political Messages selects its recipients through a special jury convened by APPC, home of FactCheck.org

KUSA, Denver, CO, won for local station for the commitment of its reportorial talent to its 44 “Truth Tests.” The national winner was CNN, for Tom Foreman’s in-depth “Reality Checks.”

3M Nontenured Faculty Award: Dr. Lee

Dr. Daeyeon Lee, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, in SEAS, is the recipient of a 3M Nontenured Faculty Award for his proposal, “Bubble-Derived Light-Weight Materials with High Strength and Toughness.” This award was created by the 3M company to support new faculty in their path to tenure.

Dr. Lee leads the Soft Nanomaterials Lab, which works to develop a deep understanding of the interactions between soft materials (polymers, colloids and biologicals, etc.) near or at interfaces. His group seeks to extend the obtained knowledge to enable the assembly of nano-/micro-scale materials into macroscopic structures that have designed properties and functionality. The major research efforts in the lab include understanding the behavior of Janus particles at fluid interfaces, understanding and improving the assembly and mechanical properties of nanoparticle films, generating hierarchical structures using emulsions and bubbles as templates and developing catalytic systems for biomass conversion.

Club of Rome: Dr. Lior

Dr. Noam Lior, professor of mechanical engineering & applied mechanics in SEAS, has been elected to the Club of Rome, an interdisciplinary, international think tank dedicated to sustainability issues. Dr. Lior is also a faculty member of the Wharton School’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) and the Lauder Institute, as well as the Institute of Environmental Studies. It is this focus on international environmental collaboration that positions Dr. Lior in line with the Club of Rome’s mission.

The Club was formed in 1968 as an informal collection of scientists, economists, politicians and other public intellectuals and was primarily concerned with long-term ecological problems.

Cotrell Scholar Award: Dr. Schelter

Dr. Eric Schelter, assistant professor of inorganic and materials chemistry in SAS, has received a 2013 Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement (RCSA). He is one of only 13 Scholars named in the US this year.

Cottrell Scholars receive $75,000 each in recognition of their scientific research as well as their dedication to teaching. The awards are given to early-career science educators in the physical sciences and related fields. Originality, feasibility and the prospect for significant fundamental advances to science are the main criteria for judging the candidates’ research while contributions to education (especially at the undergraduate level), aspirations for teaching and the candidates’ proposed strategies to achieve educational objectives are factors in assessing their teaching plans.

Dr. Schelter was recognized for his work with rare earth elements, required in the manufacture of wind turbine generators, hybrid and electric vehicles, fiber optics, cell phones and flat-panel displays. The elements must be separated from their composite mineral sources, a process that requires the use of environmentally taxing acids and solvents. Dr. Schelter’s goal is to develop efficient, environmentally friendly separations processes for certain high-value rare earth metals based on their unique physical and chemical properties.

Described by the RCSA as “a tireless communicator for science,” Dr. Schelter sees this research project as an educational opportunity. Through continuing lectures both on- and off-campus, he is working to interest students and the general public in the urgent problems associated with rare earth metals mining and processing. He reaches out to high school and college chemistry students to highlight the dichotomy between renewable energy devices and the environmental damage done by mining and processing the rare earth metals used in those devices.

The Cottrell Scholar Awards are named in honor of Frederick Gardner Cottrell, a scientist, inventor, and philanthropist. In 1912 Dr. Cottrell founded Research Corporation, America’s first foundation dedicated wholly to science, providing means for scientific research and experimentation at scholarly institutions.

2013 MRS Fellow: Dr. Winey

Dr. Karen Winey, professor of materials science & engineering and chemical & biomolecular engineering, in SEAS, has been named a 2013 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fellow for “outstanding contributions to the understanding of polymer nanocomposites and ion-containing polymers through rigorous and insightful experiments and distinguished leadership in the materials community.” Fellows are exceptional MRS members whose sustained and distinguished contributions to the advancement of materials research are internationally recognized, and they represent excellence in science and engineering and dedication to the advancement of materials research.

Dr. Winey’s research group designs and fabricates polymer nanocomposites containing carbon nanotubes and metal nanowires with the aim of understanding how to improve their mechanical, thermal and especially electrical properties. More recently she has expanded her work to include simulations of electrical conductivity and polymer dynamics in the presence of nanoparticles. Dr. Winey pioneered the use of HAADF STEM to probe the nanoscale morphology in ion-containing polymers. Now her group focuses on correlating the structures in these materials, including block copolymers, with transport properties.

ABA Labor Mock Trial Winners

Penn Law second year students Brandon Harper, Philip May, Niketa Patel and Arianna Scavetti won the 2013 National Championship at the 9th annual American Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Trial Advocacy Competition. The Penn Law team was coached by attorney Robert Englert, a Philadelphia trial lawyer and a Penn adjunct lecturer in law. This year’s case involved a complex set of facts in which a 60 year-old plaintiff alleged that his employment was terminated as a result of age discrimination. 

The competition judges and Judge Bernice B. Donald of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit praised Penn Law’s advocacy skills, professionalism and courtroom presence. Judge Donald further honored the students when she observed that the advocates presented their case “much better than many attorneys who are currently being paid to try cases.”

Special Achievement Award: Mr. Bagnoli; Mr. Copeland

Mr. Al Bagnoli, the George A. Munger Head Coach of Football for the Penn Quakers, received a Special Achievement Award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (PSWA) at its January 28 awards dinner. Mr. Bagnoli, the winningest coach in Penn’s 136-year football history, guided the Penn Quakers to their ninth Ivy title this season.

Senior Brandon Copeland, defensive lineman for the Penn Quakers, the first sole team captain since 1997 and a three-time, first-team All-Ivy selection was given a Special Achievement Award by the PSWA. Mr. Copeland is a senior concentrating in management at Wharton.

PGA Philadelphia Teacher of the Year: Mr. Anderson

For the third time in his career, the Penn women’s golf coach Mark Anderson will be recognized as a leader in his field by the Philadelphia section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) at their April meeting, that named him the PGA Philadelphia Section’s 2012 Teacher of the Year.

Mr. Anderson is in his fifth season coaching the Penn women’s team. He led the Quakers to their only Ivy League Championships team title in 2010, and last year the team placed second at the Championship. In the fall, Penn won the team title at the Sacred Heart Fall Classic.

Additionally, Mr. Anderson was recently awarded Trackman University Master certification. He joins a select group of 22 professionals worldwide, with only 11 certified in the US.

100 Top Hospitals: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

For the second consecutive year, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center has ranked among the nation’s top 100 hospitals, according to the annual study by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the Healthcare Business of Thomson Reuters. The study identifies the 100 Top Hospitals based on their overall organizational performance in 10 areas including mortality, patient safety, patient satisfaction, adherence to clinical standards of care and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia. Penn Presbyterian was recognized in the category of Major Teaching Hospitals and is one of only two in the state of Pennsylvania to be included in the new study. In October, Truven Health also named Penn Presbyterian one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation.

“Being listed among the top 100 hospitals is further proof of Penn Presbyterian’s positive impact to the community and our dedication to providing the highest-quality patient care,” said Michele Volpe, executive director and CEO of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. “This honor, in conjunction with our other accomplishments over the last year—including achieving Magnet recognition, Primary Stroke Certification, and the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission in Orthopaedics—are great reminders of the extraordinary faculty and staff who give so much of themselves here every day. We look forward to continuing to foster this culture of excellence and growth in the years to come.”

Innovation at Penn Nursing

Students at Penn’s School of Nursing have taken top prizes for their healthcare technology inventions.  

Students David Bendell and Kerry McLaughlin took top prizes for their healthcare innovation projects at Startup Weekend Health 2.0 in Philadelphia in February. The 54-hour event allows aspiring entrepreneurs to learn the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. 

Mr. Bendell, currently earning his master’s degree at Penn Nursing, won first place for his application, mICE (my In Case of Emergency). The mICE app aggregates and provides vital personal information, such as name, blood type, allergies and major medical conditions, for a person experiencing a health emergency via an easy-to-scan QR code.  

Mr. McLaughlin, a senior, took third place for KnowMe, an app that develops profiles of nursing home residents to advance three goals: increase family members’ peace of mind, enhancehealthcare providers’ workflow and improve health outcomes for nursing home patients. 

“At a time when there is an urgent need for innovative solutions to healthcare challenges, we are preparing a generation of students who can think outside the box and expand on the interconnectivity among healthcare science, research, and clinical practice,” said Penn Nursing Professor Dr. Nancy Hanrahan. She leads Penn Nursing’s Healthcare Innovations initiative aimed at improving healthcare through applications, simulations and gaming.

National Public Policy Challenge: reMind

First, Penn Nursing doctoral student Molly Kreider Viscardi and Penn student colleagues won recognition at Penn’s School of Nursing Startup Weekend health 2.0 in February. Then they took their app re:Mind to the fourth annual Penn Public Policy Challenge. Team re:Mind’s mental healthcare proposal moved on to the National Invitational Public Policy Challenge at the National Constitution Center on March 16 and 17. There they won it all.

Competing against nine teams from top universities spanning the country, team re:Mind competed in the initial round on Saturday, March 16. From that pool, four finalists were chosen for Sunday’s final competition. All four of the finalist teams won $5,000 to support their proposals.  After the four interactive presentations, re:Mind of the University of Pennsylvania emerged as the winner.

“This was basically a doubling in size of the competition. Last year we invited four schools to compete against Penn, and this year we had eight,” said Public Policy Challenge Executive Director Sarah Besnoff. “And what we saw was just an amazing sharing of ideas. All nine teams had fantastic ideas of great value to their communities.”

Fels Institute Executive Director David Thornburgh said, “re:Mind, through their presentation and their responses to the questions, clearly knew their stuff. They were excited about what they were doing, and did a great job reaching out to leadership in the community and the city.”

re:Mind’s proposal involves an appointment reminder system for mental health patients, with the ultimate goal of curbing the number of costly and preventable re-hospitalizations. On the eve of the competition, the team officially partnered with Community Behavioral Health (CBH), a not-for-profit 501c (3) corporation contracted by the City of Philadelphia for mental health services.

“We just received confirmation on March 15 that CBH will partner with us,” said Meghan O’Brien, an MD/Master in Bioethics candidate and lead presenter of re:Mind. “We’re hoping to use some of the funds from the winnings to really get re:Mind off the ground and running, and do that in collaboration with CBH so that we can move this forward.”

“Then, hopefully we can create a solid framework for a local model that can be recreated in other realms of healthcare and nationally.”

re:Mind won the $15,000 grand prize. Those sums supplement the $10,000 that the team previously obtained by winning the Penn Public Policy Challenge Finals.

“We’ve definitely gotten further than we expected in only three months,” said Kayla Cheatham, a Master of Social Work candidate and member of re:Mind. “It is an initiative where we’re hoping that even in the next week there will already be groundbreaking.”