Volume 5
WHAT’Snew
Number 7
April 1, 2016
Pennsylvania Hospital
PRESERVING THE PAGES OF
History AT PAH
Of all the history inside Pennsylvania Hospital, from the paintings on the walls to the bricks that made them, some of the most historic pieces can be found stacked on shelves in the Old Pine building – the 13,000 volume collection of priceless reference books housed in the Historic Library. These volumes have been meticulously cared for and catalogued over the years, most currently by Stacey Peeples, the hospital’s curator-lead archivist. And over the next couple of months, the collection will receive a couple new layers of protection. First, a new heating and air conditioning system will be installed, giving staff greater control over temperature, but also, and maybe more importantly, the humidity. As some may remember, on a hot, humid day in August 2003 Philadelphia experienced a brief power outage — a little less than 12 hours. While it was a mere inconvenience for most people in the city, for Peeples, it was the beginning of a tedious six-month long battle.
INSIDE Preserving the Pages of History at PAH..................... 2 National Donate Life Month Kicks Off................................................ 2 Dr. Christina Washington Receives the SGO Best Clinical Practice Poster Award....................... 3 PAH’s School of Medical Laboratory Science............................. 3 Team Penn Takes on the Tour De Cure — Register Today!.............. 4 3rd Annual Million Dollar Bike Ride — Register Now!.............. 4 Penn Medicine Facts & Figures....... 4
The hospital was fine, it fell back on its generators, but the library’s HVAC system failed. Peeples said that within hours, the heat and humidity from the summer air crept in and volumes in one corner of the library were “sweating” — drops of water were actually forming on them as if the books themselves were perspiring. Then came the mold. The mold on the books lasted long after the power kicked back on and the damp, summer air was shoved back outside. To get things back to normal, Pennsylvania Hospital’s engineering team constructed a small “workroom” inside of the library in which Peeples and her team gently vacuumed mold spores off each of the 13,000 volumes. From that ordeal the team learned how to better control the library’s environment moving forward. The climate control system received an update and vents were installed at the bottom of each cabinet circulating air within the cabinets at all times. / / / Continued on page 2
1
/ / / Continued from cover
PRESERVING THE PAGES OF
History AT PAH
The system upgrade this summer will also give the library fire suppression for the first time in its existence. Fire systems in historic spaces with sensitive materials can be a complicated task. While sprinklers that put out water are great at knocking down fires, they’re also great at drenching absolutely everything in sight — which is particularly bad when everything in sight is fragile, hundreds of years old and priceless. Instead, Jeff O’Neill, senior director of facilities, said they opted for a pre-action sprinkler system, which provides a finer mist to deprive the fire of oxygen, while protecting the contents of the room. He said this type of system is widely used in museums and other sensitive areas, including many of the Smithsonian storage facilities in Washington, DC. “This is one more step to protect the historic value of the Pine Building,” O’Neill said. O’Neill said that should the system be triggered, the powder itself would cause a problem, but would be cleanable. The fact that the books are behind glass — the original leaded glass — would give them a good layer of protection as well.
Peeples said every modification to the room is carefully considered. Its value is weighed against how it would detract from the authentic feel of the room. Peeples said she worried about the vents that were added to the bookcases. They were obviously not original, but she said they were discrete enough and important enough to move forward. And Peeples said the upcoming work for the new air and fire systems will be carefully monitored. She and her team will work cooperatively with contractors, ensuring they have safe access to the areas they need without disturbing the delicate volumes which surround them. Now more than 250 years after receiving its first book — 1762, William Lewis’ An Experimental History of The Materia Medica — the library is receiving a major upgrade which will protect its one-of-a-kind collection well into the future.
While it’s true the collection hasn’t changed since hospital leaders decided decades ago to preserve it, small changes have thoughtfully been made to the room to keep it functional, yet preserved moving forward.
NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH KICKS OFF April marks National Donate Life Month, which was instituted by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003, in support of organ, eye and tissue donation. This year in celebration, Donate Life America has marked April 15, 2016 as Donate Life Day. We’re encouraging everyone at Pennsylvania Hospital, and across the health system, to wear blue and green in an effort to bring attention to organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation, and to encourage the public to register as donors. To learn more about Donate Life America, or to become an organ, eye or tissue donor, visit donatelife.net.
2
PAH’S SCHOOL OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE Strong Standing on Certification Exam
`` Pennsylvania Hospital’s MLS Class of 2015. From left to right: Kimy Patel, Coral Holly, Christine Thompson, Fathma Abdalla, Kelly King, Karen Gassmann, Jenni Asterino, Tori Gawel, and Ryan Stetz.
DR. CHRISTINA WASHINGTON RECEIVES THE SGO BEST CLINICAL PRACTICE POSTER AWARD Society of Gynecologic Oncology Recognizes Christina Washington, MD Last weekend during the opening ceremony at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s 47th Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer in San Diego, Christina Washington, MD, an Obstetrics and Gynecology resident, was presented with the Best Clinical Practice Poster award. Washington’s poster abstract Incidental uterine malignancy following laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy in a national cohort was presented at the 2015 SGO Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer in Chicago last spring. This presentation was aimed to determine the rate of incidental uterine malignancy after laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy procedures (LASH) and any associated risk factors within the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Washington and a team of researchers evaluated all LASH procedures using the prospectively collected NSQIP database from 2007-2012. They reviewed specific codes and any associated or concurrent procedures to identify patients undergoing LASH for non-malignant conditions. Patients’ demographics, comorbidities, 30-day postoperative outcomes and complications, and postoperative diagnosis were also detailed, and data were analyzed using descriptive tests and various statistical analyses. Through this evaluation, Washington and team concluded that the rate of incidental uterine malignancy was 2.5 percent in this national cohort. They also found that increasing age, BMI and comorbidities should be taken in consideration when assessing the risk of incidental uterine cancer in patients undergoing LASH.
“I am very excited and appreciative to have been selected for this award,” Washington said. “After the research team and I put in so much hard work on this study, it’s very exciting to be acknowledged by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.” Congratulations, Dr. Washington!
The 2015 graduating class of Pennsylvania Hospital’s School of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) has achieved outstanding results on the national certification exam. Each year the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) releases annual statistics on first-time examinee scores for the MLS Board of Certification (BOC) exam. Statistics from university and hospital MLS programs are reported, with hospital programs consistently scoring the highest. Pennsylvania Hospital’s MLS Class of 2015 scored higher than the national and hospital program statistics on their overall score and for all seven subsections of the exam.
“These are great results! After hearing from the operations managers at HUP, I know that the quality of students coming from the program is top notch. The success of the students is very much attributed to the great program run by the PAH staff.“ –R obert Challender, Chief Operating Officer, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Eight of the 2015 nine graduates – Holly, Thompson, Abdalla, King, Gassmann, Asterino, Gawel, and Stetz – are now employed by the University of Pennsylvania Health System, in various divisions. Thank you to the graduates and the bench and lecture instructors for all their hard work! Join us in congratulating the Class of 2015!
3
3RD ANNUAL
TEAM PENN TAKES ON
THE TOUR DE CURE Register Today!
The Orphan Disease Center’s 3rd annual Million Dollar Bike Ride (MDBR) will take place on Saturday, May 7, 2016.
The American Diabetes Association’s Tour De Cure is in its 25th year, and it’s coming to the Philadelphia area on Saturday, June 4, 2016.
Beginning and ending in the city of Philadelphia, the MDBR is the only charity bike ride of its kind. We expect over 600 cyclists who will ride 12, 33, or 73 miles in support of rare disease research. In just two years, the MDBR has raised over $2 million to fund pilot grants for research on 20 different rare diseases, for which there are no existing cures.
In 1991, the American Diabetes Association made the decision to harness the thrill of cycling for fundraising, and the Tour de Cure came to life. In just 25 years, event participants have raised over $250 million towards the mission of the Association to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. This year, we’re inviting you to join Team Penn on this beautifully scenic ride across the Delaware Valley — for a good cause. To join your fellow Penn Medicine riders, sign-up and register at main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TourAdmin?team_id=725181 &pg=team&fr_id=11069.
PENN MEDICINE
FACTS & FIGURES The 2016 edition of Penn Medicine Facts & Figures is now available. This pocket-size brochure targeted for the general public contains a wealth of publicly reported, statistical information about our organization, from details about our latest building projects to quick facts about our economic impact, workforce, and student community. The publication also highlights selected Penn Medicine research, education, and patient care activities and achievements over the past year. Staff from across Penn Medicine report using the publication for a variety of purposes, including: • Training program • Recruitment • Grant and award applications • Local and global outreach activities
Facts & Figures can be ordered in packages of 50 for $16.65 each from AELitho.com using item #UPHS-041-13. The publication is also available online at uphs.upenn.edu/news/facts.htm.
4
MI L L I O N D OLLAR B I KE RI D E Register Now!
Join us May 7 to honor the rare disease community and enjoy a special day cycling in the city! Register today: milliondollarbikeride. org/cyclist-registration.
WHAT’Snew EDITORIAL STAFF Abbey Anderson Editor
Lauren Hochenberger Graphic Design
ADMINISTRATION
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Director of Communications Sally Sapega Director of Internal Communications CONTACT WHAT’Snew at: Department of Communications Pennsylvania Hospital Philadelphia, PA 19106 phone: 215.349.8369 email: abbey.anderson@uphs.upenn.edu WHAT’Snew is published biweekly for PAH employees. Access WHAT’Snew online at news.PennMedicine.org/inside/whats-new.