April 29, 2025 Volume 71 Issue 33

The School of Arts and Sciences has announced the following recipients of 2025 SAS teaching awards. These honors will be presented on Thursday, May 1 at a reception that is open to the University community. The event will take place at 4 p.m. at the Penn Museum.

Listed below are the School of Arts and Sciences recipients of its 2025 teaching awards:

Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching

This year’s recipients of SAS’s highest teaching honor are Brendan O’Leary, the Lauder Professor of Political Science, and David W. Christianson, the Roy and Diana Vagelos Professor in Chemistry and Chemical Biology. The Ira H. Abrams Award was established in 1983 and recognizes teaching that is intellectually challenging and exceptionally coherent. The award honors faculty who embody high standards of integrity and fairness, have a strong commitment to learning, and are open to new ideas.

In the words of one of his students, “Professor O’Leary is one of the best Penn has to offer.” Citing his brilliance as a scholar, his eloquence as a teacher, and his boundless energy as an advisor, the department of political science strongly recommended Dr. O’Leary, while his undergraduate students credit Dr. O’Leary with sharpening their critical thinking skills and challenging them with critical and honest feedback. “This might be the hardest course you take at Penn,” one student wrote of Dr. O’Leary’s course Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Spaces, “but boy, is it worth it.”

A member of the department of chemistry for over thirty years, David Christianson does not seek to rest on his laurels; rather, he seeks innovation. His students report that he sets a high bar and motivates them with energy and verve. Reminiscing on their time, one student wrote that the entire class was “enchanted by Dr. Christianson’s excitement for biochemistry and its applications. Dr. Christianson took great care in cultivating our minds for critical thinking and careers in science.”

Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching

James F. English, the John Welsh Centennial Professor of English, is the 2025 recipient of the Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching. This award, which is named after Dennis DeTurck the Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor and former dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, recognizes exceptional creativity and innovation in instruction.

Dr. English is the founder of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, where he served as faculty director from 2015 to 2024. He also directed the Penn Humanities Forum from 2011 to 2018 and oversaw its relaunch as the Wolf Humanities Center. Students and colleagues praise Dr. English for his novel teaching, including an audiobook class—“no reading!”—and Novel of the Year, where students learn about what goes into the selection of a literary prize winner. As one student said, “he is an educator who wants to push his students towards fulfilling their academic potential and is someone who does not only encourage academic pursuits but actively helps students accomplish their goals.”

Dean’s Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research

This year’s Mentorship of Undergraduate Research Award goes to Arnold Mathijssen, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy. The award is given in recognition of faculty members who have excelled in nurturing undergraduate students’ desires and abilities to conduct meaningful research. Students and colleagues describe Dr. Mathijssen as “generous with his time,” engaged in outreach, and committed to broadening participation in science, including encouraging students with no prior laboratory experience to engage in research. He was instrumental in securing Penn’s participation in the American Physical Society’s Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics. As director of the “Kitchen Science” outreach series, he has organized monthly events at local Philadelphia high schools, hosted student visits to Penn, and led cooking workshops with local chefs.

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by an Assistant Professor

This award recognizes a member of the junior faculty who demonstrates unusual promise as an educator. This year SAS honors Secil Yilmaz, an assistant professor of history, who studies the sexuality, gender, and medicine of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey.

“Professor Yilmaz’s teaching methodology was revolutionary in how it wove together multiple forms of historical documentation,” one student said. She showed the class how to look at historical moments not just through textbooks, but also through songs, films, oral histories, and everyday objects. In the end, Dr. Yilmaz “fundamentally transformed not just my understanding of history, but my approach to knowledge itself,” the student said.

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Affiliated Faculty

Alyssa Bohen, a lecturer in chemistry, and Melissa Jensen, a lecturer in English, are the recipients of this award, which recognizes contributions to undergraduate education made by the school’s non-standing faculty.

Alyssa Bohen joined the chemistry department just as the University was returning to in-person instruction after the shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We could not have found a better person for the job,” her colleagues have reported, as Dr. Bohen offers experimental organic chemistry within a well-structured format for undergraduates.

As an author of children’s books, Melissa Jensen adds a unique perspective to teaching and learning at Penn. Students praise Ms. Jensen’s dedication, experience, and her commitment to students, saying that she both encouraged them and showed them how to improve.

Liberal & Professional Studies Award for Distinguished Teaching in Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Programs

Clay Colmon is the director of curriculum design in the College of Liberal & Professional Studies, using his skills in instructional design to help faculty to develop strong asynchronous online classes and develop and teach his own classes across three different subject designations: Digital Strategies and Culture, Social Difference, and English Literature. Students say that Dr. Colmon “teaches in a way that is engaging, thought-provoking and very hands on” and is “calming” and “engaging,” discussing challenging but rewarding material.

Liberal & Professional Studies Award for Distinguished Teaching in Professional Graduate Programs

Nazlı Bhatia is an associate professor of practice who researches and teaches negotiation and organizational behavior. Colleagues praise Dr. Bhatia as “an excellent educator and mentor” with “expertise, enthusiasm and teaching talent.” One student reported that Dr. Bhatia “made even the driest academic theories feel like a Netflix thriller” and used Dr. Bhatia’s teaching in practice to secure higher wages in her own job negotiations. 

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Graduate Students

This award recognizes graduate students for teaching that is intellectually rigorous and has a considerable impact on undergraduate students. This year’s awardees are:

• Krishan M. Canzius, Mathematics
• Jordan Carrick, Classical Studies
• Christy Dickman, Political Science
• James Paul Mesiti, Spanish and Portuguese
• Jacob K. Nielsen, English
• Henry Wright Noe, Chemistry
• Tyler Colby Re, Philosophy
• Gwendalynn Carlene Roebke, Philosophy
• Julian Noah Tash, History
• Andres Villatoro, Sociology

Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award

This year’s Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award was presented to Patricia Sertich. The Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award is the most prestigious teaching award in veterinary medicine. It is presented annually to a faculty member at each college of veterinary medicine in the United States. Its purpose is “to improve veterinary medicine education by recognizing outstanding instructors who, through their ability, dedication, character and leadership, contribute significantly to the advancement of the profession.” The entire Penn Vet student body votes on the recipient.

Patricia L. Sertich is an associate professor-clinician educator in reproduction and behavior at Penn Vet. Based at the Georgia and Philip Hofmann Research Center for Animal Reproduction at New Bolton Center since 1983, Dr. Sertich evaluates large animals for breeding soundness and develops treatment plans to optimize their fertility. Dr. Sertich provides consultation on reproductive issues of patients in the George Widener Large Animal Hospital and is a critical member of its high-risk pregnancy management team. As a diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists (ACT), she serves as its secretary and is on the ACT Examination Committee, which determines board certification for veterinarians specializing in animal reproduction. She received the 2022 David E. Bartlett Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theriogenology. Dr. Sertich has mentored many ACT Diplomates and received numerous teaching awards, including three Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teaching Awards and the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award (Almanac April 17, 2001). Grateful that she can teach students in all four years of veterinary school, Dr. Sertich identifies students with a strong interest in reproduction early. As faculty liaison for the student chapter of the Society for Theriogenology, she facilitates training for those students to develop excellent clinical skills, provides opportunities to gain clinical experience, and connects them with practices that will direct them to a satisfying and productive career in veterinary medicine. 

William B. Boucher Award for Outstanding Teaching at New Bolton Center

The Boucher Award honors a house officer at New Bolton Center for excellent teaching, as was exemplified by William Boucher over four decades at Penn Vet. The graduating class votes on the recipient. The selection criteria include teaching skills, knowledge in the candidate’s area of expertise, responsiveness to the needs of the students, willingness to participate in off-hour seminars and discussions, and general dedication to New Bolton Center and to the veterinary profession. Jessica Cathcart is a large animal internal medicine resident at New Bolton Center. She received her BS in animal science and chemistry from Berry College and her veterinary degree from the University of Georgia. In addition to teaching, she has clinical interests in neonatal intensive care, internal medicine, and emergency medicine.

Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 Best New Bolton Center Instructor Awards

Kyla Ortved is an associate professor of large animal surgery at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center. She received her DVM degree from the University of Guelph in 2006 and completed her large animal surgical residency training at Cornell University in 2010. Dr. Ortved was board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2011. Following her residency, she went on to obtain a PhD in gene therapy for equine cartilage repair at Cornell. In 2016, Dr. Ortved was board certified by the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She joined the large animal surgery faculty at New Bolton Center in 2016 as an equine orthopedic surgeon and was named the Jacques Jenny Endowed Chair of Orthopedic Surgery in 2019. Her research program focuses on understanding the pathophysiology of equine osteoarthritis and developing gene and cell-based therapies to improve cartilage repair and prevent osteoarthritis.   

Class of 2025 Best Ryan Instructor Award

Erin Gibson is an assistant professor on the clinician-educator track and the Pamela Cole Career Development Chair of Small Animal Minimally Invasive Surgery. Ms. Gibson graduated magna cum laude from California Polytechnic University with a BSc in animal science. She received her DVM from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California at Davis (UC Davis). After veterinary school, Ms. Gibson was a small animal medicine and surgery intern at the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Medical College. After her internship, Ms. Gibson returned to her veterinary school alma mater, UC Davis, as a surgery resident and a surgery fellow. She is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal) and has recently been named a fellow of the ACVS in recognition of her continued work on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of animal patients undergoing MIS therapies. Her research in minimally invasive surgery focuses on new techniques for embolization, or blocking blood vessels, to cancerous regions in the liver. An author or co-author of 15 peer-reviewed papers, Ms. Gibson is currently co-principal investigator on two grants investigating MIS techniques in companion animals with hepatocellular cancer.

Class of 2026 Best Ryan Instructor Award

Anna Massie is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital. She earned her veterinary degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. AFter graduating, she completed a small animal rotating internship at Purdue University, a surgical specialty internship at North Houston Veterinary Specialists, and a surgical residency at University of California, Davis. Dr. Massie is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. She is passionate about teaching students orthopedics, both in the classroom and in clinics. Her research interests include bone quality assessment and translation of the animal model to human implant design.

Class of 2027 Best Lecturer Award

Mark P. Rondeau is a professor of clinical medicine at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital. He is a graduate of Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Following a rotating internship at VCA South Shore Animal Hospital in Massachusetts, Dr. Rondeau completed his residency in small animal internal medicine at Penn Vet. He has been a member of Penn’s internal medicine staff since 2002 and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. His primary areas of interest include canine and feline gastroenterology and hepatology.

Class of 2027 Best Lab Instructor Award

Deborah Gillette attended Purdue University as an undergraduate, then completed veterinary school at Cornell University. After completing a pathology residency at Penn Vet, she earned a PhD in comparative pathology at University of California, Davis, and became board certified. Dr. Gillette joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin for one year before joining the pathology faculty at New Bolton Center. During this time, she received a master’s degree in health professions education from Penn’s Graduate School of Education. Dr. Gillette left Penn Vet to become a pathologist in the toxicology department of Rohm and Haas Company (now part of Dow Chemical). After retiring, she returned to Penn Vet in 2018, working in the pathology department on the Philadelphia campus. Dr. Gillette also serves as photo editor of the journal Veterinary Pathology.

Class of 2028 Best Lecturer Award

P. Jeremy Wang is a professor of developmental biology and the Ralph L. Brinster President’s Distinguished Professor, as well as director of the Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research. Currently, he teaches in the reproduction/development block and the digestion/metabolism block. Dr. Wang serves as editor-in-chief of Biology of Reproduction and was the recipient of the Society for the Study of Reproduction’s 2021 Research Award. His current research interests are in the study of reproduction in mice and humans: biology of mammalian germline stem cells, molecular genetics of meiotic recombination, regulation of meiotic cell cycle, piRNA biogenesis, RNA m6A epitranscriptomics, epigenetic control of transposable elements, and genetic causes of infertility in humans.

Class of 2028 Best Lab Instructor Award

Nancy Gartland teaches on the histological basis of pathology and developmental biology at Penn Vet and is the director of their respective labs. After earning her undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology at Rutgers University, Dr. Gartland taught there for ten years. She then came to Penn, where she has taught for 25 years; she has also taught at Camden County College for the last 15. She also recently completed a doctorate in education from Rowan University. In 2006, Penn Vet gave Dr. Gartland its Best Teacher of the Decade award, and in 2024, she received the Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty from the University of Pennsylvania (Almanac April 2, 2024). “I am truly grateful to be able to come to work with such a wonderful group of faculty, staff, and administrators,” said Dr. Gartland. “However, I am mostly honored and truly lucky to be able to teach so many wonderful, brilliant, and hardworking students, who I expect will change the world for the better.”

Researchers from the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN, which includes physicists in the Penn ATLAS group, have received the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for their work studying high-energy collisions from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). ATLAS shares the $3 million award with three other experiments at CERN—CMS, ALICE, and LHCb—recognizing the efforts of some 13,500 scientists worldwide.

More than two dozen members make up the Penn ATLAS team, which includes Joseph Kroll, the Robert I. Williams Endowed Term Professor of Physics and Astronomy; Evelyn Thomson, a professor of physics and astronomy; Elliot Lipeles, a professor of physics and astronomy; Dylan Rankin, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy; and Brig Williams, an emeritus professor of physics and astronomy, as well as numerous PhD students, postdocs, and technical staff in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences.

“To do this great science you need a really big team,” Dr. Lipeles said. “The LHC is the most complicated piece of equipment ever built. I don’t think anything even comes close. Which means in the end, all the different bits and pieces have different groups responsible for them.”

The Breakthrough Prize, one of science’s highest honors, is awarded annually in the categories of life sciences, mathematics, and fundamental physics. Presented as an Academy Award–style honor for scientists, the prize—and the event around it—frequently attracts big names from Hollywood and Silicon Valley. But for all the glitz and glamor, the award itself honors intensive, painstaking work.

At Penn, that has meant a variety of efforts. The ATLAS group played a leading role in the discovery of the Higgs boson particle 12 years ago and continues to make precision measurements of the particle’s properties. One of the most intriguing ongoing searches entails looking for signs that the Higgs boson can decay invisibly to dark matter. “Searches are also underway for signs of new particles that are partners to the Higgs boson,” Dr. Thomson said.

In addition, the research team is confirming and investigating facets of the Standard Model, an extraordinarily successful model in particle physics that can be used to describe elementary particles and their interactions in a range of environments, from proton collisions in labs to the early universe.

Yet scientists understand that the model is incomplete. To that end, Drs. Lipeles, Kroll, and Thomson are all working on aspects of something called supersymmetry, which tries to fill in some of the Standard Model’s holes. “Supersymmetry could offer explanations for the nature of dark matter, why the Higgs boson has the mass it does, even whether we’re in a stable or unstable universe,” Dr. Kroll said.

Then there is the extensive data coming out of this project. Dr. Rankin, for example, uses machine learning to analyze whether the Standard Model’s predictions match the outcomes. “We have the Standard Model, which we use to predict what should happen when we collide protons,” Dr. Rankin explained. “We can look at the data and say, is this what actually happens? The signals we are looking for are hidden in this enormous volume of data, and machine learning is allowing us to look in places and in ways that we simply wouldn’t have been able to look otherwise.”

Thousands of patients with severe limb injuries will benefit from advanced surgical techniques and potential limb-saving procedures, thanks to a $4.9 million donation establishing the Wyss Orthoplastic Global Education and Innovation Hub at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The donation from the Wyss Medical Foundation will fund research, create fellowships, and establish a conference in the emerging field of orthoplastic surgery, which combines expertise from both plastic and orthopaedic surgery to improve patient outcomes.  

“Orthoplastic surgery transforms how we treat and reconstruct severe limb injuries, and the creation of this new hub will allow for us to spread knowledge and training that could help tens of thousands of people,” said L. Scott Levin, chair emeritus of orthopaedic surgery, the Paul B. Magnuson Professor of Bone and Joint Surgery, and a professor of plastic surgery at Penn Medicine. 

A pioneer in the field of orthoplastic surgery, Dr. Levin has helped develop many new techniques in “limb salvage,” in which severely injured arms and legs are treated to avoid amputation when possible, optimize treatment and recovery, and potentially return function.  

Among the hub’s planned offerings are: 

• Orthoplastic and limb salvage surgery fellowships: Preparing and training the next generation of surgeons and surgical leaders in orthoplastic surgery techniques and tools
• A global orthoplastic surgery conference: Hosting surgeons from around the world to increase opportunities for collaboration and to advance understanding of the field and the opportunities it provides to patients for improved quality of life
• Funding for orthoplastic surgery research: Seed money to support multiple new projects in the field, allowing scientists and surgeons the opportunity to study novel ideas and techniques 
• “Flap” education: An annual course taught by Penn Medicine faculty in the practice of restoring limb function after injuries via microvascular surgery to bring “flaps” of healthy tissue with their intact blood supply from one part of the body to another 

“Having a greater opportunity to pass on knowledge and increase the chance that a patient who needs orthoplastic services will come across a trained surgeon is fantastic,” said Dr. Levin. “What is now possible with this hub in place is thrilling.” 

Spread over five years, the new donation means that the non-profit Wyss Medical Foundation, founded by Swiss businessman Hansjörg Wyss, has now donated more than $11 million to Penn’s orthopaedic surgery program.

Curtis Randall Reitz, C’51, L’56, an emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Penn’s provost from 1971 to 1972, died on April 2. He was 95.

Mr. Reitz was born in 1929 in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from high school in 1947. He then came to Penn, where he received an AB in history in 1951, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. After his graduation, he served in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps as a second lieutenant during the Korean War. After being discharged, he attended Penn’s Law School, completing his LLB degree in 1956 and graduating first in his class, summa cum laude. While at Penn Law, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Law Review from 1955 to 1956 and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. He then served as a law clerk for US. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren for one year.

Mr. Reitz joined Penn Law’s faculty in 1957 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 1960 and to a full professor in 1963. Mr. Reitz accepted the position of vice president and provost of the University in January 1971. Mr. Reitz was Penn’s first provost to also be appointed vice president as part of a reorganization by President Emeritus Martin Meyerson, which was intended to clarify the roles of the two chief officers of the University and to, in effect, appoint a deputy president. Mr. Reitz resigned as provost in December 1972, citing his desire to focus on the field of law (Almanac September 5, 1972). As provost, Mr. Reitz helped to improve the undergraduate experience by establishing the college houses, University Scholars, and freshman seminars. He also changed the financial structure of the University to end the running of annual deficits, requiring the deans to take on more financial responsibility for their schools.

In 1973, Mr. Reitz became the Algernon Sidney Biddle Professor of Law. He continued to teach at Penn Law until retiring in 2008 and taking emeritus status, teaching courses that focused on contracts and commercial transactions, professional responsibility, sentencing and post-conviction remedies, and international commercial law.

For more than 25 years, Mr. Reitz was a member of the Uniform State Laws Conference, where he represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. His work as a commissioner, complementing his teaching interests, included participation in the revision of the Uniform Commercial Code. Mr. Reitz also served on the board of Glen Mills Schools, the International House of Philadelphia, and the Committee of Seventy, a civic watchdog agency in Philadelphia.

Mr. Reitz is survived by his wife of 42 years, Judith Renzulli; his children, Kevin, Joel, and Whitney; his three stepdaughters, Amy, Beth, and Sara Renzulli; ten grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will be held in August in Keene Valley.

The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives.  Please communicate your comments to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions
Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Tri-Chairs’ Report. Faculty Senate chair Eric Feldman informed SEC members of a statement issued by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, “A Call for Constructive Engagement,” which was signed by several college and university leaders, including Penn President J. Larry Jameson.

Update from the Office of the Provost. Provost John L. Jackson, Jr., responded to questions from SEC members on funding cuts, academic freedom, impacts on graduate student funding, faculty governance, the impact of attacks on DEI on students and faculty, and providing support for international students.

Proposed Resolution on Shared Governance and Graduate Admissions. A revised proposal for a “Resolution on Shared Governance and Graduate Admissions” was considered by SEC members.  Following debate, a vote was conducted. The motion failed with 17 in favor, 23 against, and one abstention, by a show of hands vote.

Impact of Federal Research Funding Cuts. Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) Dean Jonathan Epstein informed SEC members about the impact that federal research funding cuts are having on the financial health of PSOM and the broader University. Penn Medicine is in a relatively strong financial position compared to many of its peers, and the unified structure of Penn Medicine with the University provides some resilience in that regard. In several instances, it is unclear why specific Federal grants have been discontinued, and it is not known to what extent additional actions may occur making financial planning difficult. PSOM officials are continuing to advocate for the protection of research funding and are in communication with peer institutions and national organizations. They are also keeping abreast of potential changes to healthcare reimbursements and are developing strategies to mitigate the impact of these changes on the Health System and the University.

Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 4-6 p.m.
Hall of Flags, Houston Hall

1. Welcome
2. Approval of the minutes of April 2, 2025.
3. Follow up comments or questions on Status Reports.
4. Reminder to submit possible Focus Issues for next year.
5. Chair Report, Committee on Committees.
6. Chair Reports, University Council Committees.
7. Update on the work of the Open Expression Task Force.
8. Responses to the New Business topics raised at the April 2, 2025 University Council meeting.
9. New Business.
10. Adjournment.

The Rules Governing Final Examinations at the University of Pennsylvania are published each semester as a reminder to the academic community.

Information about spring 2025 final examinations can be found at https://srfs.upenn.edu/registration-catalog-calendar/final-exams.

—John L. Jackson, Jr., Provost

1. No instructor may hold a final examination nor require the submission of a take-home final exam except during the period in which final examinations are scheduled; when necessary, exceptions to this policy may be granted for postponed examinations (see 3 and 4 below). No final examinations may be scheduled during the last week of classes or on reading days.

2. No student may be required to take more than two final examinations on any calendar day during the period in which final examinations are scheduled. If more than two are scheduled, the student may postpone the middle exam. If a take-home final exam is due on a day when two final examinations are scheduled, the take-home exam shall be postponed by one day.

3. Examinations that are postponed because of conflicts with other examinations, or because more than two examinations are scheduled on the same day, may be taken at another time during the final examinations period if the faculty member and student can agree on that time. Otherwise, they must be taken during the official period for postponed examinations.

4. Examinations that are postponed because of illness, a death in the family, for religious observance, or some other unusual event may be taken only during the official periods: the first week of the spring and fall semesters. Students must obtain permission from their dean’s office to take a postponed exam. Instructors in all courses must be willing to offer a make-up examination to all students who are excused from the final examination.

5. No instructor may change the time or date of a final exam without permission from the appropriate dean.

6. No instructor may increase the time allowed for a final exam beyond the scheduled two hours without permission from the appropriate dean.

7. No classes or required class activities may be held during the reading period.

8. The first examination of the day begins at 9 a.m. and the last examination concludes by 8 p.m. There will be one hour between exam time blocks.

9. All students must be allowed to see their final examination. Exams should be available as soon as possible after being graded with access ensured for a period of at least one regular semester after the exam has been given. To help protect student privacy, a student should have access only to their own exam and not the exams of other students. Therefore, for example, it is not permissible to leave student exams (or grades or papers) in publicly accessible areas.

10. Students may not be asked for their social security numbers. Instructors may not publicly display a student’s Penn ID or any portion of the social security number, nor use names, initials or any personally identifiable information to post grades. Even when an identifier is masked or absent, grades may not be posted in alphabetical order, to protect student privacy.

11. Final exams for College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) courses must be given on the regular class meeting night during the week of final examinations. No change in scheduling is permitted without unanimous consent of all students in the class and the director of LPS. LPS final exams may not be administered during the last week of class or on a reading day.

In all matters relating to final exams, students with questions should first consult with their dean’s office. Faculty wishing to seek exceptions to the rules also should consult with their dean’s office.

Marcia Chatelain of the department of Africana studies and Matthew Levendusky of the department of political science, both in the School of Arts & Sciences, have been named 2025 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellows.

Drs. Levendusky and Chatelain are among 198 fellows chosen in the United States and Canada, working across 53 disciplines, from nearly 3,500 applicants to this 100^th class of Guggenheim Fellows. Dr. Chatelain is one of three awardees in the category of intellectual & cultural history, and Dr. Levendusky is one of two in the category of political science.

Dr. Chatelain is the Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies and the undergraduate chair of Africana studies. Her research emphasis is 20^th-century African American life and culture, including women’s and girls’ history, the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, and Black capitalism. Her current research project is an examination of the contentions around who would succeed Martin Luther King, Jr. after his assassination in 1968 and how those debates have informed Black politics. Her most recent book, Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, won the Pulitzer Prize in History in 2021, as well as many other awards. Her first book, South Side Girls, focused on the history of African American girls in Chicago during the Great Migration. She joined Penn’s faculty in the fall of 2023 after 12 years at Georgetown University, where she earned several teaching awards. Dr. Chatelain holds a PhD and master’s degree in American civilization from Brown University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and religious studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dr. Levendusky is a professor of political science and the Stephen and Mary Baran Chair in the Institutions of Democracy at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. He researches how institutions and elites influence the political behavior of ordinary citizens, including mass polarization, the impact of partisan media, and voter cue taking. Dr. Levendusky’s books include Partisan Hostility and American Democracy: Explaining Political Divisions and When They Matter and Our Common Bonds: Using What Americans Share to Help Bridge the Partisan Divide. He previously served as the Penny and Robert A. Fox Director of the Fels Institute of Government. Dr. Levendusky holds a PhD in political science from Stanford University and a BA in political science from Pennsylvania State University. His current project examines the political impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision and how it has reshaped the American political landscape. Dr. Levendusky will study survey data, campaign finance records, and other data sources to document how Dobbs has led to further polarization of U.S. politics. He argues that it has polarized trust in state courts and changed voter turnout, campaign fundraising, and more.

Founded in 1925, the fellowship was created by Simon and Olga Guggenheim in memory of their son John Simon. The award is designed to support a project lasting six to 12 months and to allow fellows to pursue independent work at the highest level under the “freest possible conditions,” according to the foundation.

Jina Ko, a professor of bioengineering in Penn Engineering and of pathology and laboratory medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine, was awarded the 2025 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for her expertise across bioengineering, molecular biology, and chemistry in developing transformative technologies for molecular diagnostics of diseases, especially with respect to how brain-related conditions are diagnosed and treated.

Dr. Ko earned her PhD in bioengineering from Penn in 2018, during which time she developed machine learning-based microchip diagnostics that can detect blood-based biomarkers to diagnose pancreatic cancer and traumatic brain injury. For her postdoctoral training, she worked at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University as a Schmidt Science Fellow and a NIH K99/R00 award recipient.

Penn Dental Medicine’s Michel Koo is the 2025 recipient of Columbia University College of Dental Medicine’s Birnberg Research Medal Award. One of the longest-running research awards, the Birnberg Research Medal Award was established in the early 1950s to recognize and encourage research excellence. Since 1954, 65 leaders in dental medicine have received this honor, selected for their important interdisciplinary contributions to the profession through research and education.

Dr. Koo, a professor in the department of orthodontics and in the divisions of community oral health & pediatrics at Penn Dental Medicine and in the department of bioengineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, is the co-founder and co-director of the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD), a joint center between the two schools that bridges clinicians/scientists and engineers to advance oral-craniofacial health through research, training, and entrepreneurship. He also co-directs a National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) T90R90 training program at the interface of dental medicine, engineering, and computational sciences to study disease mechanisms, develop affordable therapies and precision diagnostics for susceptible populations.

The Koo laboratory focuses on understanding how biofilms are formed and cause oral diseases and develops new therapeutic strategies by fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations. Dr. Koo has employed engineering and computational approaches to investigate microbial interactions in biofilms and has applied nanotechnology to develop antibiofilm nanoparticles against dental caries. Using small-scale robotics, his group developed the first microrobots capable of automated biofilm removal.

Dr. Koo is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the recipient of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Distinguished Scientist and Innovation in Oral Care Awards.

“It’s an incredible honor and privilege to receive the same award that my mentor, William H. Bowen, received 35 years ago; he was the single most influential person in my career,” said Dr. Koo.

The presentation of the award is part of Columbia University College of Dental Medicine’s annual Birnberg Research Program, where recipients also present the Birnberg lecture. This year’s program and award presentation took place on April 2.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has announced that Annenberg School for Communication associate professor Yphtach Lelkes has been awarded a 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, one of the most prestigious honors in the social sciences and humanities.

Dr. Lelkes is one of twenty-six fellows who will receive stipends of $200,000 each for research that seeks to understand how and why our society has become so polarized and how we can strengthen the forces of cohesion to fortify our democracy. The 2025 class marks the second year of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program’s focus on building a body of research focused on political polarization. 

Dr. Lelkes studies the structure, dynamics, and causes of political attitudes, with a particular emphasis on polarization and American politics. His project, “Rethinking Partisan Animosity as Strategic Identity Signaling,” reframes partisan animosity not as genuine hatred but as a strategic signal people use to navigate an increasingly chaotic information environment.

“I’m deeply honored to receive the Carnegie Fellowship. It’s a meaningful recognition of my work on political polarization—and a signal that society is taking this challenge seriously,” he said. “I’m especially proud to follow in the footsteps of past Annenberg fellows like Duncan Watts and Sarah Jackson, whose contributions I deeply respect. I’m grateful for the time and support this fellowship provides, and excited to use it to better understand how we can bridge divides in an increasingly fractured political landscape.”

Dr. Lelkes is the co-director of the Polarization Research Lab, a collaboration between the Annenberg School, Dartmouth College, and Stanford University, which looks at affective polarization, social trust, and political violence. He is also the co-director of the Center for Information Networks and Democracy at the Annenberg School, which researches the benefits and risks that information networks have for democracy

“In a world overloaded with data and impersonal interactions, individuals use visible expressions of out-party hostility to demonstrate trustworthiness, group loyalty, and credibility,” he said. Drawing from political science, communication, psychology, and economics, the project theorizes that negative partisan signaling functions as a shortcut for identity and relevance. Dr. Lelkes added that his project examines how information overload and identity uncertainty drive these behaviors with new experiments and observational data. “The goal is to shift how we understand polarization—moving beyond simple narratives of tribalism to show how political hostility is shaped by broader structural forces in the information landscape.”

Also included in the 2025 class of fellows is Annenberg alumnus Jennifer Henrichsen, PhD ‘21, an assistant professor at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University and an affiliated fellow of the Media, Inequality, and Change Center at Penn’s Annenberg School. She studies journalists, journalism, and news organizations.

Liza Vick, head of the Penn Libraries’ Otto E. Albrecht Music Library and the Eugene Ormandy Music & Media Center, is co-recipient of the 2025 A. Ralph Papakhian Special Achievement Award from the Music Library Association (MLA). 

According to the MLA, the award “recognizes extraordinary service to the profession of music librarianship over a relatively short period of time.” Ms. Vick and co-recipient Susannah Cleveland were both honored for their leadership as past presidents of the MLA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At Penn, Ms. Vick oversees the operations of the music library, including the Ormandy Music & Media Center. She is responsible for the collection development of music materials and serves as the liaison to the department of music. Ms. Vick has served as a member-at-large on the board of directors of the Music Library Association, and as chair of the MLA Publications and Nominating Committees. She has also been chair of the New England Chapter of MLA. 

Ms. Vick served as book review editor for Notes, the journal of the Music Library Association, from 2013 to 2017. She is a contributor to the monograph Information Literacy in Music: an Instructor’s Companion and associate editor for world music of the fourth edition of A Basic Music Library (both in 2018). She was elected to the Council of the American Musicological Society and is a past president of the Music Library Association. 

Before coming to Penn, Ms. Vick was the reference and research services librarian in the music library of Harvard University. Prior to that, she was the research librarian for music, dance, drama, and German at the University of California, Irvine. She holds graduate degrees in library science and ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Five faculty at the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an honorary society and independent research center founded in 1780. They are Dennis E. Discher of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Michael Jones-Correa of the School of Arts & Sciences, Cherie Kagan of the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Engineering, Sophia Rosenfeld of the School of Arts & Sciences, and Susan R. Weiss of the Perelman School of Medicine. They are among nearly 250 new members honored in 2025, recognized for their excellence, innovation, leadership, and broad array of accomplishments.

Dennis E. Discher is the Robert D. Bent Professor at Penn Engineering. He is director of the Physical Sciences Oncology Center at Penn, which is supported by the National Cancer Institute, and holds a secondary appointment in the graduate groups in pharmacology at the Perelman School of Medicine. A member of both the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering, Dr. Discher has been part of the Penn community since 1996. His research lab has published over 250 papers, covering topics such as how physical forces affect stem cells and tumors, how the immune system recognizes the body’s own cells, and how specially designed nanoparticles can help treat disease.

Michael Jones-Correa is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Political Science in the School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on immigrant political incorporation, Latino politics, and coalition-building in urban settings. He is the author or co-author of several books, including Holding Fast: Resilience and Civic Engagement Among Latino Immigrants and Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in New York City, and has published widely in leading political science journals. Dr. Jones-Correa has led major research projects such as the Philadelphia-Atlanta Project and the 2006 Latino National Survey. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Russell Sage Foundation and was elected in 2025 as a Robert A. Dahl Fellow of the National Academy of Political and Social Science.

Cherie Kagan is the Stephen J. Angello Professor in the department of electrical and systems engineering with secondary appointments in the department of materials science and engineering at Penn Engineering and the department of chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences. She is widely recognized for her pioneering research on nanostructured materials and their use in advanced devices for electronics, photonics, and sensing. Dr. Kagan directs the National Science Foundation-supported Engineering Research Center for the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture. Since joining Penn in 2007, Dr. Kagan has explored how to design and integrate materials with unique optical, electrical, and mechanical properties into functional technologies. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and of several major scientific societies and has received numerous honors, including the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award and the Heilmeier Award.

Sophia Rosenfeld is the Walter H. Annenberg Professor and chair of the department of history in the School of Arts & Sciences. She specializes in European and American intellectual and cultural history, with a focus on the Enlightenment, the Age of Revolutions, and the roots of modern democracy. Her latest book, The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life, was published in February 2025 and recently was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice. She is also the author of Common Sense: A Political History, winner of the Mark Lynton History Prize, and co-editor of the award-winning, multi-volume A Cultural History of Ideas, among other books. Her articles and essays have appeared in both academic and non-scholarly outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Susan R. Weiss is a professor and vice chair of the department of microbiology and director of the Penn Center for Research on Coronaviruses and Other Emerging Pathogens at the Perelman School of Medicine. Over the last four decades, she has worked on many aspects of coronavirus replication and pathogenesis, making contributions to understanding its basic biology, as well as organ tropism and virulence. Her recent research has focused on human and murine coronavirus interaction with the host innate immune response and viral innate antagonists of double-stranded RNA-induced antiviral pathways. Dr. Weiss’ other research interests include the activation and antagonism of the PKR and OAS/RNase L antiviral pathways and pathogenic effects of host endogenous double-stranded RNA. Dr. Weiss is a fellow and currently a governor of the American Academy of Microbiology and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2023, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

The 2025 May AT PENN calendar is now available. Click here to view the calendar, and click here to view a printable PDF.

Conferences

30        Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering Symposium Honoring Kurt Petersen: Small Tech, Big Impact: The Development and Commercialization of MEMS Sensors & Actuators; 8:30 a.m.-noon; Glandt Forum, Singh Center for Nanotechnology; register: https://www.ese.upenn.edu/ese-events/kurt-petersen-symposium/ (Electrical & Systems Engineering).

            Franklin Awards Symposium: Honoring Professor Naomi J. Halas (Rice University), Recipient of the 2025 Franklin Medal in Chemistry; 8:30 a.m.-noon; room 121, Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology; register: https://viest.upenn.edu/events/nanomaterials-and-light-address-grand-challenges-honoring-professor-naomi-j-halas (Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology).

Fitness & Learning

Penn Libraries

Various locations. Info and to register: https://www.library.upenn.edu/events.

30        Lunch & Learn about Copyright & AI; Stephen Wolfson, the Penn Libraries' copyright advisor, will discuss copyright and artificial intelligence; noon; main reading room, level 2, Levy Dental Library.

Readings & Signings

Kelly Writers House

In-person events at Arts Café, Kelly Writers House. Info and to register: https://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/0425.php.

30        Creative Writing Honors Thesis Reading; 3:30 p.m.

Talks

30        Neurosymbolic Program Synthesis: Bridging Perception and Reasoning in Real-World Applications; Işil Dillig, University of Texas at Austin; noon; room 414, Amy Gutmann Hall, and Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95763386582 (SEAS ASSET Center).

            Ethnic Politics and State Foreign Policy in the Middle East and Neighboring Regions; Sirwan Renas and Daniel Shapiro, Middle East Center; 3:30 p.m.; room 135, Fisher-Bennett Hall (Middle East Center).

            The Abele Lecture; Angela D. Brooks, Chief Housing and Urban Development Officer, City of Philadelphia; 6 p.m.; Kleinman Energy Forum, Fisher Fine Arts Library; register: https://forms.office.com/r/VHfuzq8U8c (City & Regional Planning).

Economics

In-person events. Info: https://economics.sas.upenn.edu/events.

29        The Impact of Publicly Funded Home Based Care on Nursing Home Quality; Brady Smith, economics; noon; room B13, Meyerson Hall.

30        Artificial Intelligence, Recommender Systems and Competition; Emilio Calvano, LUISS University; 3:30 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

            Robust Bounds on Optimal Tax Progressivity; Anmol Bhandari, University of Minnesota; 4 p.m.; room 101, PCPSE.

Leonard Davis Institute

Various locations. Info: https://ldi.upenn.edu/events/.

30        Healthcare AI in an Evolving Regulatory Environment; Christopher Longhurst, University of California San Diego; 12:30 p.m.; Colonial Penn Center Auditorium.

Mathematics

Info: https://www.math.upenn.edu/events.

29        On a Conjecture of Simpson; Panagiotis Dimakis, University of Maryland; 3:30 p.m.; room 4C4, DRL.

30        Resolution By Torus Actions; Jaroslaw Wlodarczyk, Purdue University; 3:30 p.m.; room A6, DRL.

Medical Ethics & Health Policy

Various locations. Info: https://medicalethicshealthpolicy.med.upenn.edu/events.

29        Why Federalism Matters for Health Care; Leslie Francis, University of Utah; noon; room 251, BRB.

Microbiology

Info: https://www.med.upenn.edu/micro/seminars-and-events.html.

30        HIV as a Model for Immune Control and Immune Failure: Insights from Africa; Bruce Walker, Harvard University; noon; Austrian Auditorium, CRB.

Physics & Astronomy

Info: https://www.physics.upenn.edu/events/.

30        Formation and Evolution of Brightest Cluster Galaxies: Nature vs Nurture? Yen-Ting Lin, Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica; 3:30 p.m.; room 4E19, DRL.

This is an update to the April AT PENN calendar, which is online now. To submit events for the monthly AT PENN calendar or weekly calendar updates, email almanac@upenn.edu.

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 April 14-20, 2025. 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 April 14-20, 2025. 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: 5 incidents were reported for April 14-20, 2025 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 specialservices@publicsafety.upenn.edu
• 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.

Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. and Deputy Provost Beth A. Winkelstein invite nominations and expressions of interest from standing faculty members at Penn to be faculty director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF).

CURF was established in 2001 to:

• Support students pursuing transformative experiences through undergraduate research and fellowships in one centralized office serving the entire University
• Promote connections between faculty and students, encourage mentorship, and educate the Penn community about opportunities for all students and alumni
• Provide administrative oversight for the Benjamin Franklin Scholars and University Scholars programs, which have their own faculty directors and faculty councils.

CURF provides programs and resources to help undergraduate students get started in research—from connecting with faculty to writing a grant application to communicating their research—and administers signature research programs such as the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program and Grants for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Research.

The Nationally Competitive Fellowships team in CURF supports undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni through the application process for fellowships such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, Truman, and Goldwater scholarships. In addition to providing an extensive database of fellowship opportunities, CURF fellowship advisors conduct outreach across campus to promote the benefits of applying for nationally competitive fellowships and guide students through the application process. Faculty members from all 12 schools support this work by interviewing applicants for nationally competitive scholarships and reviewing grant applications for undergraduate research opportunities. The new faculty director of CURF will succeed and bring together the work of the previously separate positions of faculty director for research and faculty director for fellowships. We encourage applications from faculty members who have experience with research and/or fellowships, especially former recipients of national fellowships or scholarships, and advising Penn students on research and/or fellowships. Inquiries and nominations should be sent to Deputy Provost Beth A. Winkelstein at Deputy-Provost@upenn.edu by May 30, 2025.

The new minimum stipend levels established by Penn for postdoctoral researchers, fellows, and NRSA fellows, effective July 1, 2025 (FY2026), are shown below. These levels are set annually by the Vice Provost for Research in consultation with the Provost’s Council on Research, representing all the schools of the University.

The new stipend levels take effect starting July 1, 2025. Departmental and school administrators must ensure that stipends are adjusted for hire or reappointment dates occurring on or after July 1, 2025.

These increases coordinate the strategy of the University with the NIH to raise the minimum stipend level for the first year of postdoctoral training to begin at $70,000 over the next 2-4 years, as recommended by the NIH Advisory Committee to the director. Postdocs currently paid the minimum stipend level for their years of experience will receive a 3% increase if reappointed and adjusted to the next stipend level. 

Please note the following:

• Additional increases to stipend amounts can be negotiated at the discretion of the PI or mentor.
• Prior years of experience as a postdoc at another institution should be included when determining the appropriate stipend level for a new appointee at Penn.
• In cases where a funding sponsor mandates stipend levels higher than the University minimum, mentors must pay the higher amount.

Questions about stipends can be directed to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at opa@provost.upenn.edu. 

—Dawn Bonnell, Senior Vice Provost for Research

Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Security, Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy

Information Systems and Computing (ISC) has changed the PennKey and two-step support processes to provide a more secure and convenient experience.

The PennKey support team now assists members of the Penn community via a Zoom video call, allowing support agents to perform real-time remote ID inspections and provide immediate help with PennKey setup codes, registration issues, forgotten usernames, two-step verification/Duo questions, and Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) enrollment. This new contact method replaces the prior web intake form and two-step hotline [(215) 746-2222], allowing the PennKey support team to complete requests securely and significantly faster.

PennKey live support is available via the PennKey Support website at https://upenn.edu/pennkey from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Selecting “Contact Us” will generate a Zoom video call waiting room until a PennKey support agent is available. To receive help, you will need an internet connection with a browser, a device with a camera, and identity documentation such as a PennCard, driver’s license, passport, etc. The support team will verify your identity by looking at your ID on camera and will provide immediate help upon confirmation.

PennKey Support website: https://upenn.edu/pennkey.

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For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: https://isc.upenn.edu/security/news-alerts%23One-Step-Ahead

Katherine France

Ethics and professionalism, long recognized as pillars of student education in healthcare professions, have increasingly become topics in discussions of curricula and educational culture. This shift mirrors general recognition of the hidden curriculum (tacit assumptions not every student knows) in professional education. In healthcare fields, setting expectations for ethical behavior allows students to use their academic and personal strengths to learn how to build relationships with their patients while they learn the knowledge and techniques that receive more direct attention.

During the Penn Dental Medicine curriculum overhaul in 2015, the school added ethics to the didactic curriculum in the form of both lectures and seminars during each of the first three years. By all measures (faculty experience, student feedback, board exam results in relevant topics, and others), the addition of this subject matter has made a positive impact. Students can then apply that knowledge in clinical encounters as they practically evaluate ethics dilemmas and practice decision making. 

In the clinics I teach in, I spend a few minutes before students begin each patient’s care raising questions around topics such as capacity, informed refusal, patient choice in determining treatment options, or related ethical considerations as applicable. These are examples that are relevant almost every day, both in my teaching and in my own practice, and therefore are opportunities to improve student learning, care, and patient outcomes.

For example, questions about surrogate decision-making are intimately related to care. In these situations, I talk with the student about how to engage a patient while also addressing the desires of the surrogate decision maker, apply substituted judgment together with a caregiver if the patient cannot express symptoms or desires, or even consider when to decrease attention on a family member’s desires and instead attend to the primary patient’s stated concerns. This becomes particularly poignant, for example, when an elderly patient who retains decision making capacity may disagree with a child or other younger caregiver. Holding a discussion ahead of time allows students to intentionally consider ethical issues around who makes decisions about treatment, what are the different possibilities, and the impact of various options. 

I also encourage students to consider the patient’s own desires and remind students about their responsibility to the principles of autonomy and justice. Throughout their careers, students will frequently treat minors, patients with cognitive deficits or developmental differences, and patients who for a variety of reasons may have limited or no independent capacity to decide the course of their dental care. In discussing our approach to these patients, I encourage students to consider our ability to do good in cases where patients may lack full ability to express themselves, as well as limits to that principle. This occurs regardless of specialty given its breadth. 

Similarly, questions of informed consent and refusal are central tenets of bioethics, both in theory and practice. Despite this, students may not fully think through them, even when considering some of our most serious procedures, whether according to risk, irreversibility, or investment. Indeed, academic dentistry needs to understand the variety of reasons why patients might refuse our treatments, or why they might want to shape the treatment plan differently based on their own priorities. I help students consider how education may help patients understand the value of the treatment being proposed, especially in the common dental case of asymptomatic disease that may progress to worse outcomes such as dental caries and periodontitis. I also help students talk through how to address patients’ rational or irrational reasons for refusing treatment. For example, patients who have learned to distrust healthcare may be suspicious of applications of fluoride, despite the clear scientific benefits. Students must learn not to dismiss these anxieties. Additionally, I encourage students to consider their own biases when proposing treatment, asking them to be aware of ageism (not providing as many options in a patient who may not be able to maintain the results), classism (suggesting different treatments based on presumed ability to pay), and other factors. Alongside these considerations, I try to have the student consider their own background, experiences, and preferences and reflect on how to treat patients who are different from them. Identifying these identities and how they apply will allow students to better explain options to their patients and engage with basic and advanced ethical principles instead of knee-jerk reactions. 

I hope to get students to use an ethics framework to consider if they should always treat conditions as they arise. Students regularly encounter asymptomatic variations of normal or mildly uncomfortable conditions such as aphthous ulcers (canker sores). Instead of automatically assuming that more treatment is better, I ask students to consider what the true balance of good and harm would be: what might be the expected benefit of treatment and are there any risks of progression or other untoward events if not treated? In these conversations, students come to understand the impacts of action as well as wise monitoring, and can engage questions of critical thinking, not just applying biomedical principles.

Students are capable, if hesitant, to take on both straightforward and murky applications of these and other ethical dilemmas. While they might prefer to stand back and be told an answer, I find that if I push them to think, they are able to and interested in choosing and supporting a firmer decision. To help students, I create a growth-minded learning environment. I begin by building community and treating my students as valuable and capable moral actors. I spend time with them outside of patient appointments to build personal relationships so that in stressful moments, I can challenge them with questions: how should we deal with our discomfort if a patient refuses the fluoride we recommend? How do we think about the approach of allowing a caregiver to make the decisions for a patient who cannot communicate independently? Takeaways from these conversations can allow students to manage charged moments and to build a trusting connection. 

Because students face these debates in practice daily, ethical dilemmas should have equal standing with questions of differential diagnosis and determination of etiology. All clinical faculty members should name and discuss the ethical considerations always present in discussion of treatment options. Just as students have opportunities to grow in this field, clinical faculty can develop their ability to facilitate these conversations through the excellent courses offered through the department of medical ethics and health policy at the Perelman School of Medicine and the many applicable sessions hosted by the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation (CETLI). In fact, CETLI has recently established a semesterly series on teaching ethics in professional schools that has provided me with excellent practical tools to apply in both clinical and didactic teaching. Just as we do in patient care, our teaching should be ever evolving and improving, and ethics is a low hanging fruit where new skills materially result in good for our students and their future patients.

Katherine France is an assistant professor of oral medicine in the department of oral medicine at Penn Dental Medicine.

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This essay continues the series that began in the fall of 1994 as the joint creation of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Lindback Society for Distinguished Teaching. 

See https://almanac.upenn.edu/talk-about-teaching-and-learning-archive for previous essays.