Digital Edition of HUPdate - 10/2/2015

Volume 26

Number 20

October 2, 2015

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

`` (From left): Linda Collins (30), Robin Obelmejias (30), Judith Young (25), Laura Ball (35), Stephanie Stevenson (30), Noretta Fagan (25), and Patricia Meehan (30). `` (From left): Joseph Shea (30), Kheng Ong (25), Elsie Wright (30), Michelle Franklin (40), and Samantha Warner-Grimsley (25).

A Celebration O F COMM IT M E N T AN D Q U A L I TY

"You’ve been there every day for

25 years or more.

That type of perseverance is why this place is so great.”

At a special celebration, HUP, CPUP, and Corporate recognized the 75 new members entering the UPHS 25-Year Club, as well as those reaching later milestones — 30, 35, 40, and 45 years of service. Total active membership in the club is now up to 686 employees!

How different the world was when the new inductees started their careers here. From a technology standpoint, 1990 was the start of something big: Tim Barnes-Lee published the first web page on the World Wide Web (today there are millions… or possibly billions depending on who’s counting). And, while many people use computers, tablets or smart phones to read books, magazines or newspapers, in 1990, Frances Flaherty, then 84 years old, staffed HUP’s book cart which she would push up and down 16 floors, offering patients a variety of reading material. Top movies that year included Ghost, Home Alone and Dances with Wolves.

HUP eliminated smoking in its public and patient areas that year, although two out-of-theway employee smoking lounges remained (for the time being) within the hospital. Today, smoking — by anyone — is not allowed within 25 feet of the hospital building!

INSIDE A Great Way to Start the School Year.........................2 Abramson Cancer Center Earns "Exceptional" Rating.......2 A Tribute to Veterans................3 Free Onsite Nutrition Counseling for UPHS Employees.................................4

At the event, CEO Ralph Muller spoke of future changes on Penn Medicine’s expanded campus: the demolition of Penn Tower and potential construction of a new patient tower on the site; a new outpatient medical practice in Cherry Hill that will extend patient access to advanced, comprehensive services to that area; and an expanded outpatient facility in Radnor.

“People are coming to us more and more, a tribute to all you do,” he told the celebrants. “The quality of care keeps going up and Penn consistently receives national recognition for this.”

In thanking them for their commitment to Penn Medicine, Muller said, “Woody Allen said that 90 percent of life is just showing up. You’ve been there every day for 25 years or more.

That type of perseverance is why this place is so great.”

See page 4 for a list of new members of the 25-year Club.

1

A GREAT WAY

TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR! “ Thanks to some very generous donors and some very helpful ‘backpack stuffers' throughout the department, we reached our goal!”

Staff from Pathology and Laboratory Medicine partnered with Warm Hearts & Homes Charity Project, a non-profit organization founded by Chandra Deal of Anatomic Pathology, to collect back-to-school supply donations for underprivileged children at Families Forward Philadelphia, the city’s largest privately run shelter. The goal was to collect and fill 100 backpacks with school supplies and, according to Nichole Howard, MS, supervisor of Laboratory Medicine,“Thanks to some very generous donors and some very helpful ‘backpack stuffers' throughout the department, we reached our goal!”

The backpacks were filled with everything from notebooks and folders to crayons and highlighters.

“We also had $500 in cash that was donated towards uniforms for the kids,” she said. “A major thank-you goes out to everyone who helped make this drive possible. These backpacks will help local children from kindergarten through 5th grade be prepared for a successful school year and help provide brighter futures for local families in need.”

Abramson Cancer Center Earns

“EXCEPTIONAL” RATING

Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) has received an “exceptional” rating by the National Cancer Institute during an extensive peer-review process for its five-year competitive research support grant. The rating is the highest possible for an NCI cancer center and also signifies the renewal of the ACC’s status as a “comprehensive” center, designated to institutions that demonstrate an added depth and breadth of multidisciplinary laboratory, clinical and population-based research, as well as substantial trans-disciplinary research that bridges these scientific areas.

“ This is an extraordinary recognition and further testimony to all of the efforts and hard work put forth every day by the cancer center’s faculty, researchers, clinicians, nurses, and other staff.”

– CHI VAN DANG, MD, PHD, DIRECTOR OF THE ACC

2

SINCE THE LAST COMPETITIVE RENEWAL PROCESS IN 2010:

5,000+

CANCER-RELATED PUBLICATIONS AUTHORED BY FACULTY PHYSICIANS AND RESEARCHERS

1,000+

ACTIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS MAKING UNPRECEDENTED ADVANCES IN CANCER RESEARCH

550+

CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS, THE LARGEST PORTFOLIO IN THE PHILADELPHIA REGION

A TRIBUTE TO VETERANS " This yearly event brings together hundreds of volunteers to show these men and women how much their service and sacrifice mean."

Earlier this summer, a busload of veterans from Coatsville VA Hospital arrived at Gorgas Park in Roxborough–with Road Warriors Motorcycle Club and police escorts –for a celebration, in the vets’ honor. Upon their arrival, the vets did the “Walk of Honor,” with people from the community on either side greeting them with handshakes and waving flags. Then they were treated to a catered meal and live music before returning to the hospital (with plenty of goodies for those who couldn’t come).

This yearly event brings together hundreds of volunteers to show these men and women how much their service and sacrifice mean. One of them was Cindy Ross, a sonographer in Maternal Fetal Medicine. “The therapeutic value to building self-esteem for veterans with PTSD [posttraumatic stress disorder] is immeasurable.”

Volunteering for the event with the Daughters of the American Revolution (“Several members of my mother’s family fought in the American Revolution.”), Ross has connected with these veterans before. “We went to the VA hospital last Christmas and spent time with the veterans and gave them gifts,” she said. “We met many veterans with PTSD, including young women. It was a memorable day in so many ways.”

Ross used her Penn Medicine CAREs grant to help sponsor this year’s Gorgas Park tribute. “They purchased large tents for the veterans to eat under and also a small speaker system.” She also set up a Penn Medicine table, giving out information about our programs to hire veterans. “A lot of people came by and thanked me and shared stories about friends and family and how happy they were with their Penn Medicine experience.”

While this year’s tribute is over, Ross is looking forward to next year’s event.

Heartfelt Thanks

I have had two liver transplants since 2009. My physician prescribed two new medications being used to cure my chronic illness…. The medications are $1,000 each pill and I was prescribed two medications for 12 weeks…. Laura Buzy provided the assistance to secure the medications from the Pharmacy Dept. She went through the process to contact the right people and made

ALL EMPLOYEE MEETINGS

it easy for my wife and myself to get

Be sure to attend an All Employee Meeting to learn more about HUP and the Health System and have your questions answered by hospital leaders.

The next three will be held:

All Employee Meetings are held in

T HURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 Noon to 1:00 pm

Medical Alumni Hall, on 1 Maloney.

T HURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 8:30 to 9:30 am

M ONDAY, DECEMBER 14 5:00 to 6:00 pm

these medications. Laura went out of her way to make sure no mistakes were made and understood the stress of being so ill. After 15 weeks, my chronic disease is no longer detectable. Without Laura and my MD’s assistant I don’t know what would have happened.

3

Congratulations

THIS YEAR’S NEWEST MEMBERS IN THE UPHS 25-YEAR CLUB: Corporate

Maureen Ginnane Phyllis Hoff Mary Zupko Leslie Powell

Carol Ann Pierce Roslyn Ballard Marguerite Gissendanner Donna McGraw

Onsite Nutrition Counseling for UPHS Employees

Michelle Grainger Genevieve Hollis Yolanda Lee Roslyn Levit Rosemarie McCaffrey Regan Miles-Sapnas Barbara Moses Colleen O’Malley

Kheng Ong Michael Snyder Karen Swider Madeline Turner Samantha Warner-Grimsley Judith Young Demetra Zalman

Onsite nutrition counseling is being offered at several locations throughout the Health System. Any employee covered under the Penn Care PPO medical plan is eligible for six free visits with a Registered Dietitian per year. The next sessions at HUP will be held in Conference Room A on Silverstein 1, from 9 am to 5 pm, on the following dates:

Lindsay Hunte Rodney Johnson Elizabeth Knight Joseph Leavey Kevin Lumley James Mansfield Regina McCoy Leon Moses Patricia Munoz Mary Lou O’Hara Christopher O’Keefe Marybeth O’Malley Elisabeth Pak Karen Pitter

Sonya Pitts Dawn Powers Jeanne Sabree Charlotte Sanders Marleise Sanders Yvonne Schaefer Cynthia Skotnicki Zbigniew Sopylo Vides Vital-Westcott Mark Wall Stephanie Wiley Mei Yu

Sharen Iszard-Thomas Paul Junker Diane Franklin Michelle Hinshaw

CPUP Grace Bailey-Miller Ellen Bannister Russell Bowers Jr Darlene Brown Nancy Evangelista Noretta Fagan Dawn Gilbert Margaret Giles

HUP Carmencita Ames Saba Amsalu Karen Anderson Jennifer Barger Nancy Blumenthal Janet Bryant Susan Cadiz Doreen Cowie James Culin Regina Davies Donna Descano Dexter Espalto Alexa Forsey Anthony Hanible

FREE

v

`` Harihar Patel (35) and Susan Caiz (25).

• TH U RSD AY, O CTO BER 2 9 • TU ESD AY, NO VEMBER 3 • TU ESD AY, D ECEMBER 2 9 To find out more information or schedule an appointment with an onsite Registered Dietitian, call 800-203-8657 or visit http://www.familyfoodllc.com/ and click “Book Now.”

HUPdate EDITORIAL STAFF Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer Lisa Paxson Graphic Designer

ADMINISTRATION

Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Director of Communications CONTACT HUPDATE AT: 3535 Market Street, Mezzanine Philadelphia, PA 19104

`` (From left): Elda Henningham (40), Wanda Byrd (45), Jennifer Barger (25), and Alexa Forsey (25). `` (From left): Bernard Foreman (30), Rodney Johnson (25), Ann Marie Morris (30), Frances Woodlin (40), Patricia Haygood (40), and Regina McCoy (25).

4

phone: 215.662.4488 fax: 215.349.8312 email: sally.sapega@uphs.upenn.edu HUPdate is published biweekly for HUP employees. Access HUPdate online at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate.