Regina S. Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Nursing Assistant Dean for Clinical Practice, has been selected to receive the Norma M. Lang Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy. The award is given biennially to a Penn Nursing faculty member or a graduate from the school’s doctoral program who has made a distinguished contribution to nursing through scholarly practice. It honors Norma M. Lang, the professor and Dean Emerita of Penn Nursing, for her world-renowned contributions to health policy and practice. The 7th Norma L. Lang Lecture will take place on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 3-5 p.m. in the Ann L. Roy Auditorium.

Dr. Cunningham was selected for this award because of her impressive and extensive scope of influence on practice and health policy that is evident from her national and local executive leadership. She has excelled in an executive leadership role of a complex health system overseeing the new Patient Pavilion and HUP Cedar at Penn Medicine. Her clinical expertise in oncology and her commitment to patient and family centered care have made her an exemplary Chief Executive Officer. She has a prominent standing in the scientific and practice communities and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing 2020-2030 committee.

Dr. Cunningham’s contribution to the improvement of healthcare is substantial and includes key contributions to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the Macy Foundation, and other leading organizations. She has used her unique positions to exert her national leadership in shaping practice and health policy. Her expansive list of invited national presentations is an indication of her high-profile status in healthcare. Throughout Penn Medicine and the region, Dr. Cunningham’s work serves as a national model for health system integration and expansion.