Faculty Senate Leadership 2016-2017
Faculty Senate Leadership 2016-2017
The Faculty Senate announced its leadership for the upcoming academic year (left to right)—Past Chair: Reed Pyeritz, William Smilow Professor of Medicine and Genetics, chief, Division of Medical Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine; Chair: Laura Perna, James S. Riepe Professor, executive director, Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, chair, Higher Education Division, Graduate School of Education; Chair Elect: Santosh Venkatesh, associate professor of electrical & systems engineering, Penn School of Engineering and Applied Science.
See the May 10 issue of Almanac for the Supplement containing the annual Senate Committee reports.
2016 PennDesign Teaching Awards
2016 PennDesign Teaching Awards
These awards were presented by Dean Marilyn Jordan Taylor at the School of Design Awards Ceremony on May 15 on Meyerson Plaza.
G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Teaching Award for Standing Faculty
This award is given annually based on input from graduate students at PennDesign, in recognition of distinguished teaching and innovation in the classroom, seminar or studio. This year’s recipient, Amy Hillier, a professor in the department of city planning, teaches courses relating to geographic information systems, the built environment, public health and community development. She explores issues of geographic disparities and access to services and resources in disadvantaged communities, such as redlining and housing discrimination, affordable housing and public health access. One student said, “Amy is a truly inspirational lecturer. She cares passionately about everything she teaches but she also cares passionately about her students. She challenges us to think outside our own experiences and to consider the lives and situations of others.”
G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Teaching Award for Associated Faculty
This award is given annually based on the input from the graduate students in recognition of distinguished teaching and innovation in the classroom, seminar or studio. This year’s recipient, Cindy Sanders, an adjunct professor in the department of landscape architecture, is chief executive officer/partner at OLIN and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Her prominent projects include the Carnegie Hall Rooftop in New York City and the Delaware River Waterfront Master Plan in Philadelphia. A student said, “It’s easy to have many instructors, hard to get one mentor. Cindy took on this path with her revolutionary new course Transformational Leadership, and generously shared her personal experiences to guide us to find our own voices deep within.”
G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
This award is given based on the input of undergraduate students to recognize distinguished teaching and innovation in the classroom, seminar or studio. It rotates each year between the architecture and fine arts undergraduate departments. This year’s recipient, Joshua Freese, a lecturer in the department of architecture, is an architectural designer. He teaches design studios and seminars in graduate and undergraduate architecture and has also taught in the landscape architecture department. He recently established Studio JF and has previously collaborated with offices like HWKN and !Melk. His teaching and design work explore the range of aesthetic effects and computational techniques of geometric tiling and tessellation systems and their application in architecture and design. One student said, “Josh was the most caring and dedicated professor I’ve had at Penn. He has a special talent for bringing out the best in his students, and helping them to become the types of designers they wish to be.”
2016 Penn Dental Medicine Teaching Awards
Penn Dental Medicine faculty members were honored for excellence in teaching at the School’s Senior Farewell, held on May 10 at the Hyatt at the Bellevue in Center City Philadelphia. Each academic year, the graduating class recognizes members of the faculty with teaching awards, presented at this annual event that celebrates the passage of students to professional dentistry and welcomes them into the Penn Dental Medicine Alumni Society.
The Basic Science Award
This award is presented for excellence in teaching within the basic sciences. This year’s recipient is Faizan Alawi, an associate professor of pathology and assistant dean for curriculum. A member of the Penn Dental Medicine faculty since 2001, Dr. Alawi teaches oral and maxillofacial pathology for students in the School’s predoctoral and postdoctoral programs, as well as to Penn Medicine students and residents. Dr. Alawi also serves as director of Penn Oral Pathology Services. He was previously recognized with the Basic Science Award in 2010.
The Robert E. DeRevere Award
This award is presented for excellence in preclinical teaching by a part-time faculty member. The award is named in honor of Dr. DeRevere, a member of the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 1945, who served on the School’s faculty. This year’s recipient is Francis J. Smithgall, C’79, D’83, a clinical associate professor of restorative dentistry. A member of the School’s faculty since 1984, Dr. Smithgall is course director for Removable Partial Dentures and teaches predoctoral dental students in the general restorative dentistry laboratory. He was previously recognized with the DeRevere Award in 1990, 2010 and 2011.
The Joseph L. T. Appleton Award
This award is presented to a part-time faculty member for excellence in clinical teaching. This year’s recipient is Marianne Contino. Dr. Contino, a dental hygienist, has been instructing students in the predoctoral clinics since 2008. The Appleton Award is named in honor of Dr. Joseph Appleton, a 1914 alumnus of Penn Dental Medicine, who served as dean of the School from 1941 to 1951. The award was founded in 1979 by Abram Cohen, a member of the Class of 1923 and father of Dean Emeritus D. Walter Cohen, Class of 1950.
Senior Class’s Outstanding Teaching Award
This award is presented to a faculty member who has gone beyond the scope of his/her responsibilities to significantly impact the class’s education at Penn Dental Medicine. This year the Senior Outstanding Teaching Award was presented to Dr. Scott Odell, D’82, an instructor in the department of oral medicine. A member of the School’s faculty since 2007, Dr. Odell teaches diagnostic radiology and is chief of emergency care and clinical director of the Medically Complex Clinic. Dr. Odell was previously recognized with the Outstanding Teaching Award in 2012, received the Appleton Award six times and has twice won the Executive Student Council’s Outstanding Service to Students Award.
The Earle Bank Hoyt Award
This award is presented for excellence in teaching to a faculty member who is a Penn Dental Medicine graduate. The award was established by a grateful patient in honor of Dr. Hoyt, a distinguished clinician and educator and member of the Class of 1918. This year’s recipient is Bruce Fisher, D’92, M’97, GD’00, RES’00, a clinical assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Dr. Fisher has served on the faculty since 2009. During his tenure, he also held the post of director of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic at Penn Dental Medicine.
Supporting Penn Vet Initiatives to Provide Care for Shelter Dogs with Cancer and Subsidize Cancer Treatments
With generous grants from the Petco Foundation and Blue Buffalo Foundation, Penn Vet will advance its Shelter Canine Mammary Tumor Program and launch a cancer treatment support fund at Ryan Hospital for owners who cannot otherwise afford the full cost of cancer treatment for their pets. The announcement coincides with Pet Cancer Awareness Month in May.
“Penn Vet’s remarkable frontline research efforts and treatment options are helping to change the way we approach cancer in both animals and humans,” said Susanne Kogut, executive director of the Petco Foundation. “Through these investments, we are proud to support efforts that will help countless pets and families impacted by this disease.”
“Through our partnership with the Petco Foundation, we’re thrilled to support outstanding pet cancer research and treatment initiatives at work across the country,” said David Petrie, president of the Blue Buffalo Foundation. “The inspiring work taking place at Penn Vet exemplifies the critical role that universities and research centers play in understanding and eradicating pet cancer.”
Helping Shelter Dogs with Mammary Tumors and Women with Breast Cancer
Since 2009, Penn Vet’s Shelter Canine Mammary Tumor Program has provided care for shelter dogs with mammary tumors while advancing knowledge of both canine and human breast cancer. Founded and led by Karin Sorenmo, a professor of oncology, the program aids homeless dogs without access to the care they need to survive. The program covers surgery and follow-up care costs and helps facilitate adoption.
Shelter dogs provide an ideal population for studying mammary tumors because only 10 percent of animals received into shelters have been spayed or neutered. The incidence of mammary tumors in unspayed female dogs is at least four times greater than in spayed dogs.
Mammary tumors in dogs and breast cancer in women have many similarities, both in terms of risk factors and biology. Many of the dogs in Penn Vet’s program have multiple tumors, often in different stages of malignant transformation, providing a unique opportunity to research cancer progression.
The two-year, $525,000 grant from the Petco Foundation and Blue Buffalo Foundation will enable Dr. Sorenmo to continue her work in improving understanding of how cancer develops and finding better and more efficient drugs to treat and prevent cancer in both dogs and humans.
“Thanks to this very generous support, we can elucidate the complex biology of breast cancer while at the same time saving the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of animal shelter populations,” said Dr. Sorenmo. “It truly is a win-win situation.”
Helping Pets with Cancer Whose Owners Cannot Afford Care
Cancer is a diverse and complex disease with a wide range of clinical outcomes. Treatments can include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and supportive care. Many patients require a combination of these treatments. In addition to navigating these options, clients also face significant financial considerations. Thanks to the three-year, $350,000 grant, Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital will launch the “Petco Foundation & Blue Buffalo Foundation Cancer Treatment Support Fund” to provide financial assistance to pet owners who cannot afford cancer treatments.
“As a veterinarian who is trained to deliver the best in compassionate care, it is profoundly difficult, on both a professional and personal level, to experience the grief of a pet owner who has to euthanize a pet because the treatment is unaffordable,” said Erika Krick, assistant professor of oncology. “Thanks to this generous grant, these emotionally overwhelming and devastating experiences can now be transformed into moments of hope.”
Owners will now have access to top cancer experts and treatments at Ryan Hospital. The fund will cover initial treatment costs for cats and dogs needing recommended, standard-of-care, urgent cancer treatment. The pets must be in otherwise adequate health and be expected to have a good quality of life following treatment. Additional parameters may apply.
Arthur Ross Gallery: Susan T. Marx Distinguished Lecture Series
The Arthur Ross Gallery is pleased to announce an important new initiative—the establishment of the Susan T. Marx Distinguished Lecture Series, which will feature a major and exciting figure (museum director, curator, gallery owner, artist) in the art world to address timely issues in the arts. Through this annual lecture series, Susan T. Marx, CW’66, and the Arthur Ross Gallery seek to inspire Penn students across disciplines to develop an interest in or a passion for art and to attract regional and national attention. This lecture series will bring prominence to the Arthur Ross Gallery and the University.
Funding for the Susan T. Marx Distinguished Lecture Series is provided by a gift of $25,000 to the University of Pennsylvania from Ms. Marx to fund the series over the next five years. The lectures will be presented in the Gallery, followed by a reception. Invitations will be sent to Penn students, faculty, ARG donors, regional alumni, donors’ guests and the greater Philadelphia and New York art communities.
Ms. Marx founded S.T. Marx + Associates in 1980 after working at a variety of non-profits, which included the Legal Aid Society and Recording for the Blind. Since that time, her company has raised millions of dollars from foundations, corporations and individuals for the benefit of social service, health, education and arts organizations.
She is a cum laude graduate of Penn and she attended New York University School of Law.
She serves on the Advisory Board of Penn’s Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research. Also in a volunteer capacity, she serves as president of the Penn Club of New York. She recently spearheaded a year-long celebration of the Club’s 20th anniversary, with a successful membership drive, revitalization of programming and member benefits and a renewed sense of community.
She was chosen for membership in the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women. She has been the Council’s Fundraising Committee Chair and has chaired its Grants Committee as well. This Committee considers myriad requests and awards grants, which have made a lasting impact on student initiatives, faculty retention and the quality of life on campus.
She served as a longtime member of the Board of Women in Development, New York, and has facilitated its strategic planning retreat. She also served on the Board of Transfair, USA, an organization that works toward community empowerment for farmers and consumers in developing regions through fair trade product certification.
She received Penn’s Alumni Award of Merit for her outstanding service—the highest honor bestowed by Penn Alumni.
In her spare time, she is an avid sculptor and stone carver.
In the fall of 2016 the Susan Marx Distinguished Lecture will focus on Penn’s theme of the Year of Discovery and Penn’s 2020 goal of impact and accessibility.
Penn’s Parking Services would like to thank its valued permit holders for their patronage at the University’s parking facilities. As part of its ongoing commitment to invest in its campus lots and garages, Parking Services made significant facility improvements this past year. These enhancements focused on general maintenance, safety and security upgrades, and improving ingress and egress at lots and garages around campus. Some of the improvements included resurfacing, resealing and restriping several lots; adding a second exit lane to improve egress in one heavily trafficked garage; completing major renovations in two garages; installing a number of additional payment kiosks; and adding security cameras and upgrading lighting. In the coming year, Parking Services will continue to identify ways to continue these investments in support of your parking experience.
Effective July 1, 2016, these FY17 rates apply to faculty and staff of the University and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. These rate changes will be implemented in the July payroll.
For more information:
Please contact Penn Parking Services if you have questions or would like additional information. You may do so by visiting www.upenn.edu/parking, emailing parking@upenn.edu or visiting the Penn Transportation and Parking Office, Suite 447A, 3401 Walnut Street. Business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.