health communications phd

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Indiana University Indianapolis

Department of communication studies.

Ph.D. in Health Communication

Preparing you for teaching and research in health and interpersonal relationships.

Choosing to pursue a doctorate in the Health Communications program will prepare you for teaching and research in the areas of health and interpersonal relationships, intercultural health, and mediated communication in healthcare contexts. You will be prepared to tackle the development of healthcare campaigns as well as the ethical questions surrounding the communication of healthcare messaging. Your coursework will prepare you to engage with clinical problems affected by communication and develop your ability to translate research into practice, putting you in a prime position for advanced work in academic and healthcare professions.

Course Requirements

IU requires a minimum of 90 credit hours of approved graduate coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree.

A maximum of 30 credit hours of approved graduate work completed with a grade of B or better may be transferred with the approval of the advisory committee and the Dean of the University Graduate School.

All coursework taken for the Ph.D. must be completed within seven years prior to the passing of qualifying exams, including any transfer courses. Coursework that does not meet this criterion may be revalidated.

Overall, the requirements include core courses (15 credit hours), seminars in content areas focused on (but not limited to) interpersonal relationship communication, intercultural communication, mediated/campaign communication (at least 15 credit hours), minor (9-12 credit hours), field work/research (6-9 credit hours), and dissertation credits (12 credit hours).

Students may select from the courses offered within Communication Studies.  In addition, other cross-listed seminars from affiliated faculty in departments or programs such as the International Center for Intercultural Communication (ICIC).  Medical Humanities, Medical Sociology, and other health-related areas may count toward the student’s degree with approval from the student’s advisor.

Minor Area of Emphasis (9-12 credit hours):

All students must complete a minor in an area related to their primary health communication focus. The minor area of emphasis must be approved by the student’s advisor and advisory committee and contain a minimum of three graduate level courses (9 credit hours) in accordance with the department or unit in which the minor is housed. Some departments require a 12-credit hour minor.

Comprehensive Examinations:

All students must take written examinations that cover both broad knowledge of the health communication field as well as specialized knowledge of a chosen area of health communication. Comprehensive exams are taken after the student has completed a minimum of 39 credit hours (beyond the Master’s) including the required core, seminars, and minor coursework.

Fieldwork /Research (up to 9 credit hours):

All students are required to initiate or participate in original research with the approval of advisor. This field/research work is geared to focus the student’s research interest to serve as a springboard for the dissertation work.

Ph.D. Dissertation (up to 12 credit hours):

Dissertation credits are structured so that the student is unencumbered with completing coursework and can focus completely on conducting research and writing the dissertation for completion of the degree.

Core Courses

COMM-C 500 Advanced Communication Theory (3) COMM-C 504 Pro-Seminar in Communication Graduate Studies (3) COMM-C 592 Advanced Health Communication (3) COMM-C 680 Doctoral Qualitative Research Methods (3) COMM-C 690 Doctoral Quantitative Methods (3) COMM-C 695 Seminar in Communication and Healthcare (3) Seminars in Content Areas (at least 15 credit hours)

Admission Requirements:

Required coursework:.

Students entering the program must have at least a Master’s degree (minimum of 30 credit hours) in Communication or a related social science or health discipline.

Preference will be given to those students with degrees from communication studies programs.

Students should have a GPA of 3.5 or higher in their Master’s coursework.

Students are expected to have taken some foundational coursework in Communication. For students entering the program with no background in Communication, additional preparatory coursework in the discipline may be required as a condition of admission.

Required Testing

Beginning in 2021, interested applicants are no longer required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Revised General Test (Quantitative, Verbal, and Analytical Writing).  Applicants may still want to submit their GRE scores to be considered in their application, and they may do so.

Successful candidates typically have scores between 150-170 in Verbal Reasoning and in Quantitative Reasoning and a score between 4.0-6.0 in Analytical Writing.

In addition, non-native English speakers who did not complete a degree at a college or university in the U.S. must take an English competency test. The student may complete either of the following:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The expectation for admission is a minimum score of 88 on the TOEFL iBT (internet based test). Please note that this score represents the minimum that will be considered. In practice, we look for scores above 100.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The minimum acceptable IELTS score is 6.5; in practice, we look for an IELTS of 7 or more. It is required that applicants take the academic reading and writing modules, not the general training reading and writing modules. Please note that this score represents the minimum that will be considered. In practice, we look for scores above 7.

Additional Required Materials

• A written statement of purpose for entering this Ph.D. program
• Three letters of recommendation from individuals in professional positions able to judge success
• Curriculum vitae
• Graduate and undergraduate transcripts
• A writing sample demonstrating academic writing ability

Undergraduate Record

Graduate School requirements include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, a minimum 3.0 grade point average on a scale of 4, and a minimum 3.0 average in the major field.

Applications will be viewed in their entirety. A candidate’s outstanding qualifications in one area can be balanced against more marginal qualifications in another dimension. Keep in mind that admission is competitive and financial support even more competitive. Most of the students admitted and supported will exceed the minimal requirements

Contact Kim White-Mills , Director of PhD Program and PhD Minors.

Related Links

• Master of Arts in Applied Communication
• Graduate Minor in Communicating Science
• PhD Minor in Health Communication
• Meet Our Doctoral Students
• Scholarships

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Missouri School of Journalism

University of missouri, health communication.

At the Missouri School of Journalism, we are dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding in the field of journalism, with a specific focus on health communication. Our researchers are actively engaged in a range of critical areas that have a direct impact on public health and well-being. We invite aspiring scholars to join us in our endeavors to analyze and address the pressing challenges in health communication. 

Our research efforts are centered around several key themes, all of which contribute to the improvement of health communication and its vital role in society: 

• Effects of health messages:  We investigate how health messages influence audience members and strive to enhance the effectiveness of public health messaging. By understanding the impact of different communication strategies, we aim to improve health outcomes and empower individuals to make informed decisions. 
• Public interest in medical research:  Our researchers explore innovative approaches to increase public interest and engagement in the field of medical research. By bridging the gap between scientific advancements and public understanding, we contribute to the dissemination of accurate and relevant health information. 
• Journalism’s response to misinformation and health inequity:  In an era of rampant misinformation, we investigate the roles and practices of journalists in combating false narratives and addressing health inequities. Through rigorous analysis and conceptual advancement, we aim to promote transparency, accuracy, and fairness in health journalism. 
• New communication technologies:  We explore the affordances of emerging communication technologies in enhancing health communication. From digital platforms to social media, we investigate how these tools can be effectively utilized to disseminate health information, engage communities, and promote positive health behaviors. 
• Narrative power in health news : Our researchers recognize the importance of narrative storytelling in health news. We study the use of narratives to improve comprehension, foster empathy, and effectively communicate health information to diverse audiences. 
• Cultural influences on health help-seeking:  Understanding the impact of cultural factors on health help-seeking behavior is crucial. Our research explores how cultural influences shape attitudes and behaviors related to seeking healthcare, aiming to develop strategies that promote inclusive and equitable health communication. 

By joining our team of dedicated scholars, PhD students will have the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research projects that address these critical aspects of health communication. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, rigorous analysis, and real-world impact, our program aims to shape the future of journalism and strategic communication in promoting public health and well-being. 

We welcome PhD students who are passionate about making a difference in health communication to join us in our scholarly endeavors. Together, we can drive positive change and create a healthier, more informed society. 

Call 573-882-4852 or email us at  [email protected] .

You are welcome to  explore your research interests  with  doctoral faculty  who  specialize  in this area.

• Associate Professor Amanda Hinnant
• Associate Professor Sungkyoung Lee
• Assistant Professor Monique Luisi
• Assistant Professor Zach Massey
• Professor Shelly Rodgers

Shop officially licensed merch at our J-School Store. All profits go toward our scholarship fund.

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Health and Risk Communication Interpersonal Communication Media, Technology, and Society Organizational Communication Public Relations Interdisciplinary Studies

Health and Risk Communication

Issues of health have become increasingly critical and complex, generating the need for individuals who can communicate effectively about health. The health communication program at Purdue University seeks to fulfill this growing need for trained health communicators by exposing students to the theory, research, and practice of health communication.

Program graduates pursue academic as well as professional careers in health communication.

Why Purdue for Health and Risk Communication?

• As a student in the Lamb School, you’ll work with some of the most productive scholars in the field.
• While you’re on campus, you’ll participate in stimulating and novel health communication courses that cover a wide variety of areas.
• You’ll have the opportunity to take additional courses across Purdue University in some of the nation’s leading health-related programs, including Purdue’s CEPH Accredited MPH. We’ll work with you to design a personally-tailored plan of study that best suits your needs and interests.
• Our program intentionally integrates theory and practice. While you’re studying here, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in internships and practical opportunities in health care settings.
• You’ll collaborate with faculty members and fellow graduate students on research projects.

Program Faculty and Areas of Interest

• Charlie Catalano :  Biopharmaceutical public relations, advertising and advocacy
• Bart Collins :  Health communication technologies, health behavior change models
• Ilwoo Ju :  Consumer decision making in health, branding strategies, marketing communication
• Marifran Mattson :  Health campaigns, health advocacy, and service-learning
• Evan Perrault :  Health campaign message design, healthcare marketing, program evaluation
• Felicia Roberts :  Provider-patient communication, human-animal interaction
• Hwanseok Song :  Risk Communication; trust and credibility; and social cognitive approaches to risk

Selected Graduate Course Offerings

Introduction to Health Communication, Health Campaigns, Health Advocacy Campaigns, Risk Communication, Interpersonal Communication in the Health Context, Provider-Patient Communication, Narrative Work of Health

Interdisciplinary Connections

In addition to courses offered within the Lamb School, students are encouraged to supplement their study of health communication with courses offered in the areas of  Human Development and Family Studies ,  Consumer Science ,  Health and Kinesiology ,  Health Sciences ,  Nursing ,  Pharmacy ,  Psychology ,  Sociology , and/or  Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies .

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Health Communication Courses

Students in the PhD program are invited to take courses across any of our areas. A complete listing of courses in the PhD program can be found here .

Regularly scheduled courses in health communication include:

COMS 8400 – Health Communication in Organizing This course introduces students to research on health communication issues in organizing and provides a forum for developing a research agenda in this area. Underscoring course reading and assignments is the assumption that health, wellness, illness, and healing acquire meaning through symbolic interactions located within social, political, economic, and cultural structures.

COMS 8420 – Health Communication and Culture The purpose of this course is to examine the influence of culture on communicative aspects of patient and public health. The course explores theories of communication medical anthropology, and health education to understand the conceptual foundations of intercultural health. The course analyzes how peoples’ health beliefs play out in interactions with patients and providers, and examines how public health strategies can be designed for specific cultural contexts. The larger purpose of this course is to train graduate students to communicate more effectively with patients, providers, and the public in multicultural health care settings.

COMS 8430 – Relational Issues in Health Communication This course provides an overview of theory and research within the broad scope of relationships and health communication. Specifically, students gain an understanding of health communication in personal, peer, and provider/caregiver relationships, including research on how health conditions shape communication in these relationships, as well as how every day communication in these relationships influences health.  

COMS 8440 – Health Communication and Society

Seminar exploring the relationships among communication, public culture, and public perceptions of health and wellness. Surveys theoretical approaches (i.e., cultural studies, rhetorical analysis) and emphasizes the application of theory through writing and criticism. There is a strong emphasis on exploring current issues and challenges facing the health care industry and the public’s understanding of health and wellness.

COMS 8450 – Health Communication Campaigns

This course explores the theory and practice of communication campaigns that attempt to influence awareness, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to health. Students examine theories and research that inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of campaigns with an emphasis on practical implications. The course also focuses on values and ethical dilemmas in the design and conduct of campaigns.

COMS 8460 – Persuasion and Social Influence in Communication

This course focuses on the processes through which attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are shaped, reinforced, and changed via communication. The course provides a survey of theories and research in persuasion as well as analysis of contemporary examples of persuasive communication.

COMS 8470 – Communication and Uncertainty in Health and Illness

Uncertainty is common in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment for many illnesses, and in relationships among patients, care providers, and family members, where illnesses experiences are addressed. Communication is a source of illness-related uncertainty, a resource for dealing with such uncertainty, and most generally the medium through which the presence and meanings of uncertainty are constructed. This course examines the nature of illness-related uncertainty, and theory and research on communication and uncertainty related to instrumental, identity, relational, and affect management; it examines these issues in contexts such as health information seeking, health screening and genetic testing, diagnosis and medically unexplained symptoms, treatment decisions, including end-of-life care, and social support.

COMS 8480 – Environmental Communication

This course focuses on how we communicatively construct and affect the environment. Students analyze and critique a wide range of voices (e.g., citizen and community groups, Greens, corporations and lobbyists, scientists, anti-environmentalists, public officials and regulators, journalists) on a variety of environmental disputes. Students learn about environmental decision making and conflict resolution, advocacy, climate and environmental justice movements, science communication, and risk communication in the context of current environmental issues. The course is designed to accommodate primarily communication studies doctoral students, but it reviews foundational theories in sufficient detail to equip students from other programs to participate effectively. The course equips students to conduct original research on environmental communication and to engage in activism as appropriate to interests and exigencies.  

COMS 8490 – Special Topics in Health Communication Advanced seminar focusing on the role and dynamics of communication employed across a range of health contexts. Topic varies with instructor. Students may repeat the course as topics rotate for a total of 12 credits.  

Health Communication

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Health Communication in the OU Department of Communication has three major areas of research as our strength: (a) health communication in interpersonal contexts, (b) health promotion and campaigns, and (c) organizational and health communication. Health communication in interpersonal contexts examines how individuals manage their illness events effectively and appropriately through social interactions. Faculty members in this area of research have examined how health literacy, communicative competence, and social support play a critical role in individuals’ illness management with their support network, including health care providers, family members, and supportive others.

The area of health promotion and campaign adopts a perspective similar to that of public health researchers in exploring best practices in modifying individuals’ health behaviors (e.g., risk aversion/management and smoking cessation) through health education and implementation of different campaign strategies. Faculty members in this area of research have explored the effectiveness of campaign messages (e.g., message features), factors influencing individuals’ evaluation and interpretation of campaign messages (e.g., psychological and emotional factors), and different message outcomes (e.g., message effects and campaign evaluation).

The area of organizational and health communication focuses on research such as community organizing and health, the emotion experiences of health professionals, healthcare ethics (e.g., informed consent, privacy), healthcare teams, managed care, physician assimilation, and health professionals’ coping with stress and burnout. Currently, faculty members’ research includes community organizing and health, healthcare ethics, and physician assimilation. Because the OU-Norman campus is 20 minutes away from the OU-Health Science Center campus at Oklahoma City and 2 hours away from the OU-Community Medicine campus at Tulsa, faculty members, physicians (including medical residents), and graduate students often collaborate on research projects across campuses. In addition, due to the strength in our intercultural communication program, many of our faculty members and students often conduct their studies in international settings, highlighting the culturally and socially constructed nature of health/illness management.

Typical Graduate Level Course Offerings

Comm 5263 Health Communication Comm 5393: Risk and Crisis Communication Comm 5453: Social influence Comm 5553 Persuasive Communication Campaigns Comm 6423 Communication in Health Organizations Comm 6023 Communication Research Task Groups Comm 6960 Directed Readings

Current Faculty with Research and/or Teaching Interests

Elena Bessarabova Mengfei Guan Claude Miller James Olufowote Norman Wong

Recent Dissertations in Health Communication

Ma, Haijing (2021). “I felt completely turned off by the message”: The effects of controlling language, fear, and disgust appeals on responses to COVID-19 vaccination messages (Graduate Student Dissertation Grant Award, and H. Wayland Cummings Quantitative Dissertation Proposal Award, OU Department of Communication).

Recent Representative Faculty and Graduate Student Publications in Health Communication

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Banas, J. A., Bessarabova, E., Penkauskas, M., & Talbert, N. (2023). Inoculating against anti-vaccination conspiracies. Health Communication , 1-9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2235733

Bessarabova, E., & Massey, Z. B. (2023). The effects of death awareness and reactance on texting-and-driving prevention. Risk Analysis . https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.14107

Bessarabova, E.,  & Massey, Z. B. (2020) .  Testing terror management health model and integrating its predictions with the theory of psychological reactance,  Communication Monographs ,  87 (1), 25-46,   doi:10.1080/03637751.2019.1626992

Bessarabova, E.,  Banas, J. A., & Bernard, D. R. (2020). Emotional appeals in message design. In D. O’Hair & M. J. O’Hair (Eds.),  Handbook of applied communication research.  Sage.

Guan, M. , Li, Y., Scoles, J. D., & Zhu, Y. (2023). COVID-19 message fatigue: How does it predict behavioral intentions and what types of information are people tired of hearing about? Health Communication, 38 (8), 1631-1640. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.2023385.

Guan, M., Jennings, F. J., Villanueva, I. I., & Jackson, D. B. (2022). Delineating antecedents and outcomes of information seeking upon exposure to an environmental video opposing single-use plastics. Environmental Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2022.2102048

Guan, M. , & So, J. (2022). Social identity theory. In E. Ho, C. Bylund, & J. van Weert (Eds.), The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119678816.iehc0667

Guan, M. , Han, J. Y., Shah, D. V., Gustafson, D. H. (2021). Exploring the role of social support in promoting patient participation in health care among women with breast cancer. Health Communication, 36 (13), 1581-1589. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1773704

Guan, M. , & So, J. (2020). Tailoring temporal message frames to individuals’ time orientation strengthens the relationship between risk perception and behavioral intention. Journal of Health Communication , 25 (12), 971–981. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2021.1878310

Kim, N, Leshner, G. M., & Miller C. H. (2022). Native Americans’ responses to obesity attributions and message sources in an obesity prevention campaign. Journal of Health Communication , published online, https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2022.2153289

Li, Y., Guan, M. , Hammond, P., & Berrey, L. E. (2021). Communicating COVID-19 information on TikTok: A content analysis of TikTok videos from official accounts featured in the COVID-19 information hub. Health Education Research, 36(3), 261-271. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyab010.

Lookadoo, K., Hubbard, C., Nisbett, G., & Wong, N. (2021). We’re all in this together: Celebrity influencer disclosures about COVID-19. Atlantic Journal of Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2021.1936526

Lookadoo, K. L., &  Wong, N. C. H.  (2020). Searching for a silver lining: Mediated intergroup contact and mental health perceptions.  Studies in Media and Communication, 8 (2), 1-13.  doi:10.11114/smc.v8i2.xx .

Ma, H. & Miller, C. H. (2021). The effects of agency assignment and reference point on responses to COVID-19 messages , Health Communication, 36 (1), 59-73, https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1848066

Ma, H., &  Miller, C. H.  (2020). Trapped in a double bind: Chinese overseas student anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Health Communication.  DOI:  10.1080/10410236.2020.1775439

Ma, H., & Miller, C. H . (2022). Threat type moderates agency assignment: A partial matching effect. Health Communication . Published online. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2065746.

Ma, H., & Miller, C. H.  (2022). “I felt completely turned off by the message”: The effects of controlling language, fear, and disgust appeals on responses to COVID-19 vaccination messages. Journal of Health Communication .

Ma, H., Miller, C. , & Wong, N. (2020). Don’t let the tornado get you!: The effects of agency assignment and self-construal on responses to tornado preparedness messages. Health Communication . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1712038 .

Miller, C. H. , & Ma, H. (2021). How existential anxiety shapes communication in coping with the coronavirus pandemic: A terror management theory perspective. In H. D. O’Hair and M. J. O’Hair (Eds.),  Communication Science in Times of Crisis (pp. 54-80) .  Wiley.

Miller, C. H.,  Massey, Z. B., & Ma, H. Psychological reactance and persuasive message design. (2020) In H. D. O’Hair & M. J. O’Hair (Eds.),  Handbook of applied communication research . NY: Wiley. DOI: 10.1002/9781119399926.ch27

Olufowote, J. O. (2021). Taking culture and context seriously: Advancing health communication research on HIV/AIDS prevention in Tanzania with the PEN-3 cultural model. Howard Journal of Communications , 32(4), 394-412.

Olufowote, J. O. , Adebayo, C. T., Livingston, D. J., & Wilson, K. K. (2022). An alternative entry point into health communication research: Introspections on learning, applying, and future uses of PEN-3. In C. O. Airhihenbuwa & J. Iwelunmor (Eds.), Health, culture, and place: From the tree to the forest (pp. 105-120). U-RISE, LLC.

Olufowote, J. O. , & Livingston, D. J. (2021). The excluded voices from Africa’s Sahel: Alternative meanings of health in narratives of resistance to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in northern Nigeria. Health Communication . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1895416

Richards, A. S., Bessarabova, E., Banas, J. A., & Bernard, D. R. (2022). Reducing psychological reactance to health promotion messages: Comparing preemptive and postscript mitigation strategies.  Health Communication , 37 (3), 366-374, https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1839203

Richards, A. S., Bessarabova, E., Banas, J. A., & Larsen, M. (2021). Freedom-prompting reactance mitigation strategies function differently across levels of trait reactance.  Communication Quarterly Communication Quarterly, 69,  238-25.  https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2021.1920443

So, J., Ahn, J., & Guan, M. (2022). Beyond depth and breadth: Taking “types” of health information sought into consideration with cluster analysis. Journal of Health Communication, 27(1), 27–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2022.2029978

Terui, S., Huang. J., Goldsmith, J., Blackard, D., Yang, Y., &  Miller, C. H.  (2020). Promoting transformative community change for equitable health: Peer education and intervention for pre-exposure HIV prophylaxis.  Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives.

Turner, M. M., Richards, A. S.,  Bessarabova, E.,  & Magid, Y. (2020). The effects of anger appeals on systematic processing and intentions: The moderating role of efficacy.  Communication Reports, 33 , 14-26, doi:10.1080/08934215.2019.1682175

Zhao, X., Guan, M. , Liang, X. (2022). The impact of social media use on online collective action during China’s COVID-19 pandemic mitigation: A social identity model of collective action (SIMCA) perspective. International Journal of Communication, 16, 85-106. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/17576

Zhu, Y., Guan, M. , & Donovan, E. (2020). Elaborating cancer opinion leaders’ communication behaviors within online health communities: Network and content analyses. Social Media + Society, 6(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120909473

Zhuang, J., & Guan, M. (2022). Modeling the mediating and moderating roles of risk perceptions, efficacy, desired uncertainty, and worry in information seeking-cancer screening relationship using HINTS 2017 data. Health Communication, 37(7), 897-908. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1876324

Recent Funding in Health Communication

Claude Miller; Co-PI, “Peer Training and Intervention for Pre-exposure HIV Prophylaxis,” Waterhouse Family Institute ($10,000), 2018-2020 – Funded

Faculty Achievements

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Communication Social Media

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Health Communication

Effective communication among and between healthcare providers, policymakers, the media, and the public plays a major role in determining the quality of personal and public health. Annenberg faculty and students examine the role of interpersonal and mass-mediated communication on health-related attitudes, opinions, and behaviors.

Photo Credit: Alessandro Biascioli / Shutterstock

Dolores Albarracín Elected to 2023 Class of AAAS Fellows

Albarracín is being recognized for her contributions to social psychology, public health, and science communication.

Collaborating to Advance Health Communication

State Laws Shape the Social Norms Around Vaccines — and Get People Vaccinated

Research in Brief: Anti-Smoking Messages for LGBTQ+ Young Women

Professor Andy Tan and Community Partners Receive 2023 Provost/Netter Center Faculty-Community Partnership Award

Dolores Albarracín, Ph.D.

Joseph N. Cappella, Ph.D.

Man-pui Sally Chan, Ph.D.

Nicole Cooper, Ph.D.

Emily Falk, Ph.D.

Bita Fayaz-Farkhad, Ph.D.

Jessica Fishman, Ph.D.

Robert C. Hornik, Ph.D.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Ph.D.

Patrick E. Jamieson, Ph.D.

John B. Jemmott III, Ph.D.

DeMarcus A. Jenkins, Ph.D.

Kevin B. Johnson, M.D.

Aviv Landau, Ph.D., M.S.W.

Yue Li, Ph.D.

Sixiao (Vivian) Liu, Ph.D.

David Lydon-Staley, Ph.D.

Matthew Brook O'Donnell, Ph.D.

Christina A. Roberto, Ph.D.

Dan Romer, Ph.D.

Xi Shen, Ph.D.

Alyssa (Allie) Sinclair, Ph.D.

Andrew A. Strasser, Ph.D.

Andy Tan, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., M.B.B.S.

Jiaxi Wu, Ph.D.

Graduate students.

Mary E. Andrews, Ph.D.

Danielle Clark

David S. Cordero

Vishwanath E.V.S.

Darin Johnson

Thandi Lyew

Ben Muzekari

Kate Okker-Edging

Brittany Zulkiewicz

Health Communication, Certificate

Bloomberg school of public health, health communication certificate program, educational objectives.

Students completing the certificate program will be exposed to and have a basic understanding of the theoretical and applied aspects of Health Communication. Competencies achieved will include, but are not limited to:

• Awareness of behavior change and communication theories.
• K nowledge of media effects and audiences' uses of media/communication modes.
• Recognition of quantitative and qualitative methods used in the study of Health Communication.

Additionally, the Health Communication certificate program will familiarize students with the design and evaluation (formative, process, and summative) of communication messages, campaigns, and programs.

SPONSORING DEPARTMENT

Health, Behavior and Society

Contact information and information about admissions to the certificate program can be found on the Bloomberg School of Public Health  certificate program page .

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION

The certificate program requires a minimum of 18 term credits. All required and elective courses must be taken for a letter grade; a minimum grade of C is required in all certificate coursework, and students must maintain a 2.75 or better overall GPA for all certificate coursework. Any request to substitute a course that the faculty sponsors consider essential to meet the certificate program competencies must be given serious consideration. The student must propose the course to be substituted and present a rationale for the request. In no case will more than one substitution be permitted.

The certificate program length is flexible and varies from student to student. However, the certificate must be completed within three years. The student should review the  section of the website that addresses completion  before completing certificate program requirements. The student's transcript will not indicate that the certificate was earned until the Notification of Completion has been submitted, verified by the certificate program, and processed by the Registrar.

COURSE OF STUDY

Students should check the Bloomberg School of Public Health  course directory  to confirm when courses are offered. The term may change from what is listed in the table below and some courses are only offered every other year. Students should also check for prerequisites and whether instructor consent is required. 

Note: It is  STRONGLY RECOMMENDED  that students interested in this certificate program take  410.653  (Contemporary Issues in Health Communication) as a way to familiarize themselves with the different faculty and course offerings in Health Communication.

Note: Students who started the certificate program prior to AY21-22 may count 410.620 Program Planning for Health Behavior Change towards their total credits since it was included in the curriculum before that year. 

Cathy Hughes School Of Communications

Health communication, health communication | graduate.

Concentrates on mediated and interpersonal communication in relation to health issues, particularly in communities of color.

Monica Ponder

Frances gateward, program details.

• Degree Classification: Graduate
• Related Degrees: Ph.D.
• Program Type: Major

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About the Health Communication Certificate Program

Students completing the certificate program will be exposed to and have a basic understanding of the theoretical and applied aspects of Health Communication. Competencies achieved will include, but are not limited to awareness of behavior change and communication theories; knowledge of media effects and audiences uses of media/communication modes; and recognition of quantitative and qualitative methods used in the study of Health Communication.

Additionally, the Health Communication certificate program will familiarize students with the design and evaluation (formative, process, and summative) of communication messages, campaigns, and programs.

Curriculum for the Health Communication Certificate Program

Please visit our Academic Catalogue to see the full certificate curriculum requirements. Please also review the certificate completion requirements .

Admissions Requirements

Degree students.

All Johns Hopkins University graduate students are eligible for admission to this certificate program, with the exception of BSPH MAS students, who are not eligible to apply until they have completed their primary degree program.

Applying to the certificate program as a JHU graduate student

Students already enrolled in a graduate program at JHU are not required to submit the School's electronic admissions application, but must email the  Certificate Program Contact  prior to starting coursework for the certificate program.

Eligible Start Terms :

1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

Non-Degree Students

Students with at least a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and a strong academic record are eligible for admission to this certificate program.

Applying to the certificate program as a non-degree applicant

Students who are not currently enrolled in a graduate program at JHU are required to apply to certificate programs using SOPHAS Express . 

Prerequisites or special requirements

Application for Non-Degree Students

Information regarding the cost of tuition and fees can be found on the Bloomberg School's Certificate Programs Tuition page.

Questions about the program? We're happy to help.

Sponsoring Department Health, Behavior and Society

Certificate Program Contact [email protected]

Faculty Sponsor Meghan Moran, PhD

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Events See all →

Investigating homelessness.

Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk

Earth Week 2024

This is a campuswide week of events, lectures, and volunteer opportunities designed to educate and inspire action related to environmental justice, climate, and nature-based solutions. This year’s theme is Restore & Regenerate.

Various locations

Take Our Children to Work Day

Excellence in Graduate Teaching Reception

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Penn Graduate Student Center, 3615 Locust Walk

Health Sciences

How Penn Medicine is going green for good health

The university of pennsylvania health system prioritizes sustainability in its day-to-day practices, while envisioning novel approaches to greening efforts..

The health care sector has an outsized impact on the Earth’s changing climate, responsible for an estimated 8.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. At the same time, the mission of health care—to improve an individual’s health—sits at odds with its negative contributions to the environment and public health.

But does providing health care to patients have to contribute to worsening the health of other people and the planet?

Increasingly, health care professionals and organizations are saying no. A green health care system is attainable, and a three-way win: a win for a patient’s health, a win for the health of the planet and public health, and a win in the form of cost savings.

For example, an initiative from Penn Medicine anesthesiologists to reduce the flow rate of anesthesia gases for patients—while still delivering safe care—slashed greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 30 metric tons of carbon in the space of only three months at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania last year.

Surgery and anesthesia teams address climate impacts in the OR :  From anesthesia gases that have outsized greenhouse effects, to medical waste disposal, operating rooms at Penn Medicine are greening health care.

Health care teams ‘act locally’ to support Penn Medicine sustainability goals :  Teams across Penn Medicine are working hard to “think globally, act locally” when making environmentally friendly changes in their day-to-day operations.

Health research on a warming planet :  Climate change affects human health, from viral transmission to the effectiveness of medications. Researchers at Penn Medicine are discovering how and seeking solutions.

How the next generation of physicians will combat climate change:  Through a new Planetary Health curriculum, Penn medical students are learning about the impact of climate change on human health.

From large-scale efforts, like a commitment to sustainable building design and a massive renewable power purchase agreement in collaboration with the University, to more localized initiatives in hospital operating rooms and offices, the changes are meant to move toward the same goal,  articulated in the organization’s recent strategic plan : making Penn Medicine the most environmentally friendly health care organization in the nation.

“Health care is dedicated to healing, but the industry has played a role in the changing climate,” says Kevin B. Mahoney , chief executive officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). “It’s our responsibility now to balance health care with impact. We can do this by fostering engagement around climate-related initiatives, improving sustainability within our own health systems and beyond, and setting an example for the field. It’s the right thing to do for our patients, the community, and the generations to come.”

Penn Medicine, which encompasses UPHS and the Perelman School of Medicine , currently has a climate footprint that rivals the rest of the University combined. The health system has committed to the University’s  Climate and Sustainability Action Plan , which includes adopting the “audacious yet achievable” goal of reaching 100% carbon neutrality by 2042, says Greg Evans, UPHS corporate director of sustainability.

Read more at  Penn Medicine News .

Picturing artistic pursuits

Campus & Community

Penn celebrates operation and benefits of largest solar power project in Pennsylvania

Solar production has begun at the Great Cove I and II facilities in central Pennsylvania, the equivalent of powering 70% of the electricity demand from Penn’s academic campus and health system in the Philadelphia area.

Education, Business, & Law

Investing in future teachers and educational leaders

The Empowerment Through Education Scholarship Program at Penn’s Graduate School of Education is helping to prepare and retain teachers and educational leaders.

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.

25 years of ‘LOVE’

The iconic sculpture by pop artist Robert Indiana arrived on campus in 1999 and soon became a natural place to come together.

April 16, 2024 Volume 70 Issue 30

Patricia m. ruiz: executive director of student health and counseling, marylyn d. ritchie: inaugural vice dean of artificial intelligence and computing for the perelman school of medicine, 2024 u.s. news graduate school rankings, dipti pitta awarded grant from the gerstner philanthropies for research and to mitigate dairy cattle methane emissions, emily falk: director of appc’s climate communication division, willys kent silvers, psom, from the senate office: faculty senate executive committee actions, ppsa 2024 call for board and committee nominations, of record: salary guidelines for 2024–2025, school of arts & sciences names 20 dean’s scholars, roopali kulkarni: ada and pda awards, cerianne robertson: george gerbner postdoctoral fellow, paul sniegowski: penn-made president, antonia villarruel: above & beyond award, penn nursing: #1 nursing school by qs world university, nurses cite poor working conditions as their top reason for leaving, understanding the northeast earthquake, a hopeful time for cryptosporidium research, provost’s lecture on diversity: april 24, earth week 2024: april 20-26, update: april at penn, weekly crime reports.

• April 16, 2024
• vol 70 issue 30

“I am thrilled to join the Wellness at Penn team and look forward to collaborating on this work with the incredibly talented clinical staff within Student Health and Counseling,” said Dr. Ruiz. “In my role, I hope to facilitate a culture of collaboration to inspire innovation, ensuring that health care is meaningful, high quality, and responsive to the needs of the entire student community.”

Before coming to Penn, Dr. Ruiz served as the director of the Student Health Center at Montclair State University, where she was responsible for planning and directing all areas of clinical care, regulatory compliance, fiscal responsibilities, and overseeing the public health of the students and campus. She received her bachelor of science in nursing from Fairfield University, her master of science from Columbia University, her doctor of nursing practice from Rutgers University, and her post-master’s teaching certificate from Penn.

“Dr. Ruiz is an exciting addition to our Wellness team,” said Benoit Dubé, associate provost and Chief Wellness Officer. “Her extensive experience in caring for the student community at Montclair, matched with her dedication to collaboration and innovation will serve our student community well—furthering our vision of a campus that integrates the science, theory, and practice of wellness.

In her role, Dr. Ruiz will lead the student-facing clinical team and help to advance Wellness at Penn’s mission to infuse wellness across its eight domains throughout the Penn experience through inclusive, innovative, and impactful initiatives.

Through this role, Dr. Ruiz will oversee the medical care and behavioral health services that nurture the resilience and success of the more than 26,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at Penn.

Dr. Ritchie is the Edward Rose, MD and Elizabeth Kirk Rose, MD Professor of Genetics; director of the division of informatics in the department of biostatistics, epidemiology, and informatics; and director of the Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBI). She is also co-director of the Penn Medicine BioBank and vice president of research informatics in the University of Pennsylvania Health System. She will continue to serve in these roles as she expands her leadership to encompass artificial intelligence (AI) and computing.

As part of Penn Medicine’s recent strategic plan, Serving a Changing World , the importance of AI and computing was underscored in the many discussions of Penn Medicine’s research pillar: to make breathtaking discoveries and put them to work. As the co-lead of this pillar, Dr. Ritchie uniquely understands how technological advances require Penn to lead in data-driven research, teaching, and applications while also deploying powerful technologies beneficially and responsibly. 

In this vice dean role, Dr. Ritchie will work with Penn Medicine leadership to develop and implement Penn Medicine’s strategy for AI and computing across its integrated missions: research, education, and healthcare delivery. She will also serve as an ambassador with the Health System, other schools across the University of Pennsylvania, CHOP, and external and internal partners as we build and foster greater connections and collaborations in AI, machine learning, and research computing. Her continued leadership of the IBI, which will serve as a coordinating center for AI activities across PSOM, will provide the necessary cross-department/cross-school infrastructure and expertise to advance Penn’s work in this rapidly changing and impactful domain.

“Dr. Ritchie is a valued colleague whose meaningful contributions have greatly enriched our PSOM community,” said Interim EVP Epstein. “I am grateful that she will be serving in this new and important role, and please join me in congratulating her on this appointment.”

Each year, U.S. News & World Report ranks graduate and professional schools in business, medicine, education, law, engineering and nursing. 

Seven of Penn’s schools are in the top 10 list. Specialty rankings in the top 10 are listed below; for more, see U.S. News’ website: www.usnews.com .

(-) Indicates not ranked.

Dipti Pitta, the Mark Whittier and Lila Griswold Allam Associate Professor of Ruminant Nutrition at Penn Vet, has received a $508,884 grant from Gerstner Philanthropies to support her continuing work to imprint the rumen function and prevent methanogen colonization in dairy calves. This research has the potential to permanently curb methane emissions from dairy herds in the United States. Dr. Pitta’s study represents a vital step towards developing novel microbial interventions to not only curb methane emissions, but also to improve the performance of the American dairy system and the sustainability of animal agriculture.

“Methane is a contributor to rising land temperatures across the world, and it’s important that we pursue methods that can significantly reduce methane emissions,” said Dr. Pitta. “Developing innovative mitigation strategies to reduce enteric methane formation, while working at the interface of microbiology, agriculture, and dairy nutrition, is the primary area of my research.”

This newly funded study builds upon Dr. Pitta’s prior work. Along with her team of investigators, Dr. Pitta will validate a special probiotic “cocktail” on commercial herds. According to Dr. Pitta’s earlier pilot study in calves, the mixture, cultivated from natural gut bacteria, contributed to significant health benefits and a reduction in methane production in these calves. Over the course of eight weeks, dosed calves gained approximately 20 pounds more body weight than their control counterparts. They experienced lower stress levels, reduced inflammatory responses, and exhibited minimal methanogen populations. The goal of this latest phase of research is to validate the persistency of methane mitigation later in life and scale-up probiotic supplementation for commercial use on livestock farms to permanently curb enteric methane emissions.

The grant was awarded through Gerstner Philanthropies’ environment program, which fosters the translation of academic innovations for practical implementation to address climate change. It funds solutions-oriented research that reduces methane emissions from agricultural sources. Since its launch, Gerstner has awarded over $230 million in grants distributed across four program areas.

“Dr. Pitta’s research portfolio has demonstrated continued success in the reduction of methane flows, a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions,” said vice president of Gerstner Philanthropies Elizabeth Gerstner. “Gerstner’s investment will accelerate the commercial viability of agricultural solutions to ensure our world’s climate security.”

“The support provided by Gerstner Philanthropies will be instrumental in our ongoing investigation of the ruminant mechanisms of methane formation,” said Dr. Pitta. “Gerstner’s investment will enable us to push the boundary of what we know and understand, paving the way for innovations to permanently knock-out methanogens and stabilize our warming planet. I want to express my sincere appreciation to Gerstner for their unwavering commitment to advancing scientific research with real-world impact.”

Dr. Pitta is a founding member of Penn Vet’s Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security. Through her Agricultural Systems and Microbial Genomics Laboratory, Dr. Pitta’s seminal work in controlling methane production from dairy cows has also been awarded a prestigious USDA-NIFA IDEA grant of $995,000, in addition to other current grants and research awards from the USDA, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), the Center for Poultry and Livestock Excellence, and the industry, totaling over $5 million. 

“This moves the policy center into an important new area in which communication plays a critical role,” said APPC director Kathleen Hall Jamieson.

The new climate division joins APPC’s communication science and institutions of democracy divisions, which are led, respectively, by Penn Integrates Knowledge professor Dolores Albarracín and political science professor Matt Levendusky.

Dr. Falk, a professor of communication, psychology, and marketing and the associate dean for research at the Annenberg School for Communication, directs Penn’s Communication Neuroscience Lab and studies the science of behavior change, using tools from psychology, neuroscience, and communication to explore the characteristics of persuasive messaging, and successful communication more broadly. She has been recognized as an outstanding early-career researcher by the International Communication Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the National Institutes of Health, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The climate communication division is envisioned as a hub for interdisciplinary, translational research on climate communication and the neural, psychological, and sociological mechanisms that motivate climate action. Its work will focus on topics at both local scales (for instance, environmental justice initiatives in West Philadelphia) and global scales (such as the development and evaluation of media campaigns that communicate climate science knowledge).

“We’re hoping to bring together people from across Penn, the local community, nationally and internationally to create cutting-edge science about climate communication,” Dr. Falk said. She added that two areas were of special interest.

“One is focusing on the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors relevant to climate in areas such as transportation, food, and energy,” she said. “The second is resilience and social connection. We’re particularly interested in working with young people to create the tools and psychological resources they need to innovate and develop new ways of thinking about climate and address the challenges we face as a global community.”

Dr. Falk said the division would collaborate closely with other research centers at Penn, including the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, under the leadership of Michael Mann, and her own Communication Neuroscience Lab.

Born and raised in New York, Dr. Silvers graduated from the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in 1946. He pursued his premedical studies at Johns Hopkins University, where he remained until 1950. While at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Silvers spent several summers at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, as part of the laboratory’s summer program. He worked with psychologist Joseph Royce on dog behavioral studies, earning scholarships for his contributions. Afterwards, he earned his PhD from the University of Chicago. Dr. Silvers dedicated himself to research upon graduating, embarking on a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship funded by the National Institute of Health at Brown University.

Dr. Silvers and his wife moved to Philadelphia in 1957. He took a position at the Wistar Institute while his wife, Abigail Silvers, began her studies at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Dr. Silvers was recruited to the University of Pennsylvania to help develop the department of human genetics, where he served as the chair of the genetics graduate program. His research primarily centered on pigment cell biology and transplantation biology. He coauthored The Immunobiology of Transplantation in 1971 before authoring Coat Colors of Mice , a book focusing on the genes that influence coat color in mice.

Dr. Silvers received recognition for his substantial contributions to academia, earning accolades such as the Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Dean’s Award in Graduate Teaching. He retired from his position at Penn in 1996 but remained active in research at the Chase Cancer Center, where he focused on the development and treatment of melanomas.

Dr. Silvers is survived by children, Deborah and Kent; and grandchildren, Nicholas and Willys Kent, III.

Dr. Silvers expressed his wish for no funeral services. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be directed to the Abigail Adams Silvers Scholarship Fund, care of the Baldwin School at 701 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.

To Report A Death

Almanac appreciates being informed of the deaths of current and former faculty and staff members, students and other members of the University community. Call (215) 898-5274 or email [email protected] .

However, notices of alumni deaths should be directed to the Alumni Records Office at Suite 300, 2929 Walnut St., (215) 898-8136 or email [email protected] .

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 [email protected] .

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Report from the Tri-Chairs. Faculty Senate Chair Tulia Falleti reported that the second “roundtable” sponsored by the Faculty Senate will be held on Thursday, April 18, at 4:30 p.m., in the Penn Carey Law School’s Fitts Auditorium. The entire Penn community is welcome to attend. Panelists include Risa Lieberwitz (professor of labor and employment law, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University), Geoffrey Stone (Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law, former dean and provost, University of Chicago), and Keith Whittington (William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics, department of politics, Princeton University), with moderation by Sophia Rosenfeld (Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History and chair, Penn department of history). Registration and more information is available here: https://button.provost.upenn.edu/senate/are-academic-freedom-and-open-expression-under-siege . 

Update from the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. Commission co-chairs Vijay Kumar (Nemirovsky Family Dean of SEAS) and Katharine Strunk (dean of GSE), offered an update on the commission’s work to-date and sought feedback on four discussion questions: (1) What values do you think Penn must uphold in order to ensure every member of our community feels they belong? Put another way, what should be Penn’s core values? (2) What makes you feel part of the Penn community? What has made you feel more included? Has anything made you feel excluded or feel like you did not belong? (3) If Penn were to be the ideal place to be, what would it look like? and (4) What can constituents do on campus and beyond to help move Penn towards this vision?

Nominations are open to all monthly-paid, full-time Penn staff for election to positions on PPSA’s Executive Board, as well as for potential appointment as PPSA representatives to University committees.   

PPSA is a volunteer organization operated by and for all monthly-paid, overtime-exempt, University staff members. PPSA’s mission is to support and focus staff engagement and collaboration within the University of Pennsylvania community. Involvement with PPSA activities allows you to network with your colleagues through numerous workshops and events that enhance your professional development and work life at Penn.  

• Provides a forum through which staff can engage in dialogue about issues facing the University and higher education
• Participates and collaborates in University governance through University Council and other committees and task forces
• Serves as an informational network to promote seminars and programs that enrich the quality of experience and work life for professional staff
• Provides a supportive network to assist the University in achieving its goals and objectives  

Executive Board members assist with program development and coordination. The board meets monthly. University committee members meet regularly and are expected to report to the Executive Board periodically. Service through PPSA is a rewarding and enjoyable experience that requires only a couple of hours per month. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet colleagues from across the University who will help to enrich your work life at Penn.

Executive Committee Nominations

The following positions are open for nomination:

• PPSA Chair-Elect  (1 position, three-year term of service): The chair is the principal executive officer who calls for and presides over meetings, prepares agendas, and provides leadership and representation of PPSA at University Council and University-level bodies. After one year, the chair-elect automatically succeeds to the office of chairperson.
• Members At-Large  (4 positions, two-year term of service): The members at-large participate in Executive Board meetings, manage PPSA projects and events, and serve on other University committees as needed.

All monthly-paid, full-time University staff members are encouraged to self-nominate or nominate colleagues for consideration using the form by no later than May 10, 2024.  

All nominees will be asked to complete a brief candidate bio and written personal statement. The final list of candidates will be announced via PPSA’s mailing list before the election.

The 2024-2025 election for officers will occur following PPSA’s annual meeting, to be held on Thursday, May 23, at noon in the Irvine Auditorium’s Café 58. Our election meeting guest will be Reverend Chaz Howard, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity & Community. Lunch will be served.

All full-time, monthly-paid University staff members are welcomed and encouraged to attend the meeting as guests of PPSA. A registration form will be sent via email to members of the PPSA listserv. You may register for the listserv by visiting  http://ppsa.upenn.edu .

University Committee Nominations

PPSA invites you to nominate yourself or others for a one-year service term on other University committees, including the 2024-2025 University Council Committees. The Council committees, which also include faculty and student members, serve as advisory bodies, and play important roles in shaping academic and administrative policy across the campus. Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity to learn about the administrative structure of the University and have input into its decision-making.  

For more information on the work of the University Council committees, visit  https://secretary.upenn.edu/univ-council/committees .

University committee members will be appointed by the PPSA tri-chairs from among all applicants following the election.  

Questions on the nomination and election process can be directed to  [email protected] . The election process is governed by the PPSA Bylaws, available on the PPSA website at  http://ppsa.upenn.edu .

To nominate yourself or someone else, please fill out the form here:  https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9ujkxzN3paXj5rM .

—Penn Professional Staff Assembly (PPSA)

The University’s merit increase program is designed to recognize and reward the valuable contributions of faculty and staff to the University’s commitment to the highest levels of excellence in teaching, research, and administration by paying market-competitive salaries in a fiscally responsible manner.

Presented below are the merit increase guidelines for July 1, 2024. 

Faculty Increase Guidelines

Below are the standards for faculty increases that the deans are asked to follow. The deans will give the department chairs their guidelines at the school level regarding available resources.

• The minimum academic salary for new assistant professors will be $88,914.
• Merit increases for faculty should be based solely on performance as evidenced by scholarship, research, teaching, and service to the University and the profession.
• The aggregated merit increase pool for faculty will be 3.75 percent. Some schools and centers may have financial constraints that can only support budget growth of less than 3.75 percent. Salary increase recommendations that are below 1.0 percent for non-meritorious performance, as contrasted with general limits applied to an entire class of faculty, must be made in consultation with the Provost. Likewise, salary increases that exceed 5.0 percent must also be made in consultation with the Provost. Deans may wish to give careful consideration to salary adjustments for faculty who have a strong performance record but whose salaries may have lagged behind the market.

Staff Increase Guidelines

• The aggregated merit increase pool for staff will be 3.75 percent. The merit increase range is zero to 5.0 percent. Individual merit increases may not exceed 5.0 percent regardless of a staff member’s performance rating.
• Staff in monthly-paid, weekly-paid, or limited service positions are eligible for a merit increase if their time type is full-time (including phased retirement) or part-time and they were employed by the University on or before February 29, 2024. The following groups are not eligible: student workers, contingent workers, temporary workers, interns, residents, staff on unpaid leave of absence, staff on long term disability, and staff who are covered by collective bargaining agreements.
• The merit increase program is designed to recognize and reward performance. The foundation of this program is the Performance Review in Workday. Salary increases should be based on performance contributions within the parameters of the merit increase budget. The Performance Review in Workday documents each staff member’s performance and contributions and establishes performance goals for the new fiscal year. All staff must receive a performance review for the next review cycle whether or not they receive merit increases. Schools and centers are requested to submit performance reviews by June 7, 2024. The Division of Human Resources/Staff and Labor Relations is available to discuss performance management issues.
• Aggregated merit increases within a school or center may not average more than 3.75 percent regardless of staff performance rating distributions, however, may average less if a school or center establishes a lower percentage merit pool based on financial constraints. Performance expectations should be raised each year as staff grow in experience and job mastery. Performance ratings and merit increases should reflect a normal distribution for all staff. Staff members with unacceptable performance are not eligible for a merit increase.
• The merit increase program does not include bonuses, the same as in prior years. 

Division of Human Resources/Compensation is available to discuss specific merit increase parameters with schools and centers. 

— John L. Jackson, Jr., Provost —Craig Carnaroli, Senior Executive Vice President

Penn Arts & Sciences has named 20 students from the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Liberal & Professional Studies, and the Graduate Division as 2024 Dean’s Scholars. This honor is presented annually to students who exhibit exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise. The students will be recognized at the Stephen A. Levin Family Dean’s Forum on April 17.

College of Arts & Sciences

Natascha Barac, C’23, English and Physics Rema Bhat, C’24, Political Science Sophie Faircloth, C’24, Linguistics, submatriculation in Linguistics Andreas Ghosh, C’24, VIPER: Physics, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Sophia Mwaisela, C’24, History William (Zijian) Niu, C’24, Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Biophysics Liam Phillips, C’24, Russian and East European Studies and Comparative Literature William Stewart, C’25, Music Yijian (Davie) Zhou, C’24, Philosophy and Psychology, submatriculant in Philosophy College of Liberal & Professional Studies—Undergraduate Program Joe Daniel Barreto, LPS’23, Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences

Professional Master’s Programs

Abigail P. Blyler, Master of Applied Positive Psychology Graduate Division—Doctoral Programs Adwaita Banerjee, Anthropology Charlie Cummings, Physics and Astronomy Cianna Z. Jackson, Classical Studies Ryann Michael Perez, Chemistry Rashi Sabherwal, Political Science Timmy Straw, Comparative Literature and Literary Theory Elena Gayle van Stee, Sociology Christine Soh Yue, Linguistics Oscar Qiu Jun Zheng, East Asian Languages and Civilizations

Developed by the ADA New Dentist Committee in 2017, the ADA 10 Under 10 Award recognizes 10 dentists nationwide who graduated from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation within the last 10 years. Winners are selected for demonstrating excellence in their work and inspiring others in science, research & education, practice excellence, philanthropy, leadership, and advocacy. This year’s awardees were chosen from over 145 submissions reviewed by the ADA.

“Being a national ‘10 Under 10’ Award winner is a dream come true,” said Dr. Kulkarni. “It is such an honor to be recognized alongside so many inspiring new dentists who have already influenced the landscape of our profession.”

Last year, Dr. Kulkarni was recognized with a similar award at the state level, receiving the inaugural 10 Under 10 Award from the PDA. The PDA award highlights and celebrates the outstanding contributions of new dentists who have made significant contributions to their professions, their communities, and organized dentistry.

Dr. Kulkarni was honored again by the PDA this year with the 2024 PDA Recognition Award. Each year, this award is given to a member of the PDA who has contributed original research, whose achievements and high standards have aided and advanced the science and art of dentistry, or whose public life and activities reflect great credit upon the health profession.

The George Gerbner Fellowship, named in honor of the school’s second dean, is awarded in alternate years to a graduate of Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication or USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The faculty of the opposite school selects the recipient from the group of applicants.

Ms. Robertson will earn her PhD in communication in May 2024 after completing her dissertation, “The Stadium and the Community: Refusal, Resistance, and Negotiation Around Los Angeles’ Olympic Stadiums.”  

Her research investigates the politics of stadium-centered development in Los Angeles in the context of the region’s preparations to host the Olympics in 2028. At USC, she received the Haynes Lindley Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for 2022-2023 and the Annenberg Graduate School Fellowship for 2023-2024. 

Before beginning her doctoral work at Annenberg, Ms. Robertson completed a master’s degree in sociology at the University of Cambridge, where her thesis also related to the Olympics: “Contesting the Media Event: Alternative Media at the Rio 2016 Olympics.” She also holds a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Harvard University.

Ms. Robertson focuses on how power is formed, networked, wielded, and challenged in contests over cities’ futures. She researches spectacular urban development projects and sports mega-events, as well as everyday struggles for survival and dignity.  

Ms. Robertson’s work has appeared in academic journals such as International Journal of Communication , Journal of Urban Technology , Interface , and Communication & Sport . She has been invited to write book chapters that have been published in Oxford University Press and Routledge.

She has worked in the United States, South Africa, Botswana, Germany, and Brazil. Her academic service includes ad hoc reviews for the Journal of Urban Affairs and International Journal of Communication. In May 2022, she co-organized a panel at the International Communication Association conference, “Olympics, Media, Discourse, and Power.” She has also presented at other conferences, including those of the American Association of Geographers, North American Society for the Sociology of Sport, and American Sociological Association.

Dean Sniegowski, a professor of evolutionary biology, has been a member of the Penn faculty for 27 years. He oversaw the College’s transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. His accomplishments include the creation of the First-Generation, Low-Income Dean’s Advisory Board and overseeing the creation of the environmental humanities and data science minors.

From 2012 to 2016, Dean Sniegowski chaired the school’s Committee on Undergraduate Education. He has also chaired the Faculty Senate Committee on Students and Educational Policy, served on the faculty advisory boards of the College of Liberal & Professional Studies and the Center for Teaching and Learning, and chaired the School of Arts & Sciences’ Teaching Awards Committee. From 2011 to 2017, he served as the disciplinary hearing officer for Penn’s Office of Student Conduct and the Sexual Violence Investigative Office.

“Paul has promoted inclusion in the undergraduate learning experience through a number of means,” Dean Fluharty said in an announcement. “Being named to a college presidency is a tremendous honor, and Paul’s appointment at Earlham is a well-deserved tribute to his devotion to student learning and to liberal arts education.”

Earlham College is a Quaker college located in Richmond, Indiana.

Dean Villarruel was honored with this designation because she has had a career of firsts. She was the first Latina dean at an Ivy League nursing school, Penn Nursing, which she has led for nearly a decade. Dean Villarruel was also the first (and to date, the only) Latina nurse inducted into the National Academy of Medicine. She was in the first generation of her Detroit Mexican American family to go to college. Now she is part of the first generation of American nurses to earn a PhD, reaching the top echelon of academia with her groundbreaking research on sexual health.

At Penn Nursing, Dean Villarruel was the first dean to secure her own National Institutes of Health research funding. Her cross-cultural investigations of sexual health, which she began as a graduate student at Penn, led to an intervention program used as a national model.

“I’m proud of being able not only to do that research, but also disseminate it in vulnerable communities,” said Dean Villarruel, who directs the WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership. She received her award in late March at the annual City & State Pennsylvania Above & Beyond Awards Gala at the Fitler Club in Center City, Philadelphia.

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) holds its number one spot as the world’s leading nursing school, according to a recent ranking by QS World University . The rankings highlight the world’s top universities in 55 different subject areas from 1,559 institutions, of which 64 universities are new to the rankings.

 “All of us at Penn Nursing are incredibly proud to be ranked the #1 nursing school in the world for the ninth consecutive year,” said Penn Nursing dean Antonia M. Villarruel. “This ranking affirms our school’s leadership in advancing health equity and meeting the educational needs of the broader health care community—needs that continue to rapidly evolve. Penn Nursing is prepared to solve care challenges and advance health equity by innovating. It’s the throughline in everything we do, and this ranking is an indicator of our success.”

A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR)—published in JAMA Network Open —showed that, aside from retirements, poor working conditions is the leading reason nurses leave healthcare employment. These study findings come at a time when hospital executives cite staffing problems as their most pressing concern.

“Prior studies evaluate nurses’ intentions to leave their job. Our study is one of the few evaluating why nurses actually left healthcare employment entirely,” said lead author K. Jane Muir, a CHOPR postdoctoral research fellow, an associate fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, and a National Clinician Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. The study surveyed 7,887 registered nurses in New York and Illinois who left healthcare employment between 2018 and 2021.

Across a variety of healthcare settings including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and ambulatory care, planned retirement was the most cited reason nurses are leaving healthcare employment. Closely behind retirements, insufficient staffing, burnout, and poor work-life balance topped the list. Among retired nurses in the study, only 59% stated that their retirement was planned, suggesting nearly half of nurse retirements are premature exits due to poor working conditions.

“Nurses are not principally leaving for personal reasons, like going back to school or because they lack resilience,” said senior author Karen Lasater, an associate professor of nursing, the Jessie M. Scott Term Chair in Nursing and Health Policy, and a senior fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics. “They are working in chronically poorly staffed conditions which is an ongoing problem that predates the pandemic.”

The study authors say that healthcare employers could also retain more nurses through solutions that enhance nurses’ work-life balance. This includes greater flexibility in work hours, such as shorter shift-length options, higher pay-differentials for weekend/holiday shifts, and on-site dependent care.

“Nurses are retiring early and leaving employment in the healthcare sector because of longstanding failures of their employers to improve working conditions that are bad for nurses and unsafe for patients,” said Dr. Muir. “Until hospitals meaningfully improve the issues driving nurses to leave, everyone loses.”

Adapted from a Penn Nursing news release , April 9, 2024. 

On April 5, people in the Northeast, including many at Penn, experienced an unusual disruption to their day as the ground beneath and walls around started to shake for about half a minute. The magnitude 4.8 earthquake was, for some, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Centered in New Jersey, the quake did little damage.

To learn more about the mechanics of earthquakes and to discuss this rare event, Penn Today spoke with David Goldsby, a professor and department chair of Earth & environmental science in the School of Arts & Sciences, and Robert Carpick, the John Henry Towne Professor in the department of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

What is an earthquake, and what causes quakes like the one that hit the East Coast?

Dr. Carpick: Simply put, an earthquake is a sudden and dynamic geologic event caused by the movement of pieces of the Earth’s crust pushing against each other.

Imagine standing on a sidewalk where there’s some dirt and small pebbles between your leading foot and said sidewalk. If you try push that foot forward, it won’t move at first, but with more and more force it’ll eventually slip and might slide quite suddenly.

Dr. Goldsby: Over time, as force accumulates, these pieces can no longer withstand the energy without moving, leading to a sudden slip; this is the essence of an earthquake. An earthquake occurs when there’s a sudden displacement along a fault, a crack in the Earth’s crust. Before the earthquake, this fault is “locked,” accumulating stress over time until the force surpasses the fault’s frictional strength, leading to a rapid slip. This process not only causes the ground to shake, but also releases accumulated elastic strain energy from the surrounding rocks, which is then partly transformed into seismic waves that propagate from the earthquake’s origin.

Does Philadelphia lie near a fault line?

Dr. Carpick: Philadelphia is about 70 miles south of the Ramapo fault zone, which runs through New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The closest parts of that fault system are between Doylestown and Easton, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Goldsby: Overall, there are certainly myriad faults below and near Philly, but there are no major fault lines that would produce major devastating earthquakes.

Do your research interests overlap with earthquakes?

Dr. Carpick: David and I have been funded by the National Science Foundation to look at the underlying physics and mechanics of earthquakes, trying to get at the atomic-level processes that precede the sliding events. It will take a lot of work, but eventually we hope what we’re learning can, combined with the work of many others, lead to ways to actually predict earthquakes and how they will behave.

Adapted from a Penn Today article by Nathi Magubane, April 9, 2024. 

Due to the many technical difficulties studying Cryptosporidium, scientists have struggled for many years to advance research on the single-celled parasite, which is one of the leading causes of deadly diarrheal disease. Multiple breakthroughs in the past decade, said biologist Boris Striepen of Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, have made this a tractable pathogen and disease.

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, the Striepen Lab and others have pursued an ambitious research agenda. Genetic engineering of the parasite, along with new culture and animal models, enabled progress toward drugs and vaccines. For the first time in many years, new candidate drugs have now entered human trials.

Dr. Striepen and Christopher Hunter, also of Penn Vet, sought to amplify these advances by organizing the First Biennial Cryptosporidium Meeting, held at Penn. It included academic researchers from across disciplines, scientists from leading pharmaceutical companies, representatives of United States and international public health agencies, and leading clinicians from some of most impacted countries, including Zambia, Kenya, Colombia, Bangladesh, and India.

“There had been transformational progress, and we thought this a great opportunity to bring everybody together to ask,” Dr. Striepen said. “Now that we have the tools to address this problem, where is the field and what should we do next?” 

He stresses the gravity of cryptosporidiosis—the disease caused by the parasite—and the importance of finding drugs and vaccines. The conference spanned the field, from the fundamental biology of the life cycle of Cryptosporidium to the state of drug development and challenges of clinical trials for the disease, which is most prevalent in highly vulnerable babies and toddlers.

Dr. Striepen said 10% of child mortality worldwide comes from diarrheal disease, and, after rotavirus, Cryptosporidium is a main cause. The disease tracks with poverty, and low-income regions are most affected. “It has this vicious cycle relationship with malnutrition, so malnourished kids are very susceptible,” he said, “but having this infection also sets kids up for future malnutrition.” 

Dr. Striepen is hopeful not only because of how much progress has been made on Cryptosporidium but also because of how many young scientists and physicians attended the conference. Two such people are fifth-year immunology PhD student Breanne Haskins and postdoctoral fellow Aurelia Balestra, who both came to Penn specifically to work on Cryptosporidium.

Ms. Haskins works on the T cell response to the parasite, which she said is important because people who lack T cell responses can remain chronically infected or suffer from repeat infections. Ms. Haskins adds that the lone FDA-approved drug is not effective in some individuals, such as those with HIV/AIDS. Specifically, Ms. Haskins researches the components from the parasite and host that are necessary to induce T cells, which she said could potentially identify future vaccine targets.

Along with the negative impact Cryptosporidium infection has on children and the need for a vaccine, one of Ms. Haskins’ takeaways from the conference was that many cases go undiagnosed because diagnostic tools aren’t accessible in lower-income countries. Ms. Balestra added that cryptosporidiosis is not on the World Health Organization’s list of neglected tropical diseases, despite meeting the criteria. She argues that including it is critical to increasing awareness, securing funding, and improving disease monitoring.

In a session with other molecular biologists at the conference, Ms. Balestra gave a talk about sexual development and fertilization in Cryptosporidium. She explains that, just as humans have sperm and eggs, Cryptosporidium produces male and female gametes. However, these parasite gametes differ significantly from human ones, so scientists don’t know how the male and female gametes fuse to form a zygote. Her research focuses on finding out, and she has demonstrated that sexual development is essential for the parasite’s growth. 

Adapted from a Penn Today article by Erica Moser, April 2, 2024. 

On Wednesday, April 24 at 3 p.m., Jamila Michener, an associate professor of government at Cornell University and this year’s Provost’s Distinguished Visiting Faculty Fellow, will deliver the Provost’s Lecture on Diversity: Power From the Margins and the Promise of Democracy .

Pundits, scholars, and ordinary people alike lament the decline of democracy in the contemporary United States. Trust in democratic institutions is at a nadir while political cynicism and support for authoritarianism are on the rise. In this broader context of political malaise, where are the avenues for building a more robust democratic polity? Drawing on insights from qualitative research, Dr. Michener will highlight how building power within racially and economically marginalized communities around issues directly related to their material interests (like health and housing) is a promising pathway. Grassroots political organizing is (perhaps unexpectedly) an antidote to the social cleavages that accelerate democratic backsliding. Such organizing can forge a route to transforming both the polity and the political economy so that both are more attuned to communities that teeter at the margins of the existing power structures. 

The lecture will be held in Michael A. Fitts Auditorium at the Penn Carey Law School and is sponsored by the Office of the Provost. 

Please register at https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e3euXcpGXKgbH0i .  

April 20-26

Earth Week presents an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to engage in cross-disciplinary events designed to educate and inspire action. This year’s theme is  Restore & Regenerate —to inspire us to think of what replenishes and revitalizes our planet’s natural systems while building community. Earth Week elevates our collective impact by encouraging involvement from all schools and centers at Penn.

A  calendar of events  is available on the Penn Sustainability website. Activities include campus tours, panel discussions, craft projects, e-waste drives, and exhibits. Some highlights:

• April 22– Create and print  your own greeting cards with Penn Libraries.
• April 23 and 25– Dispose  of your e-waste and learn about composting at Penn Carey Law.
• April 24– Volunteer  to help prepare Penn Farm for a new growing season.
• April 26– Learn  about the impacts of lead exposure to people, wildlife, and the environment.
• April 26– Visit  GreenFest, a long-running Penn tradition for student organizations to share their visions and projects related to environmental sustainability.

There is still time for your school or center to host an event for Earth Week. Use this  online submission form  to participate, or email  [email protected] .

Children’s Activities

Penn Museum

Info: https://www.penn.museum/calendar .

23         K-12 Archaeology Talk with Dr. Steve: The Sphinx That Moved to Philadelphia ; gives students exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to Dr. Phillips’ own work as a team member excavating Petra’s Temple of the Winged Lions; 11 a.m.; Rainey Auditorium, Penn Museum; tickets: $15.

Conferences

17         Physics of Soft Matter: Self-Assembling, Responsive, Smart (and Squishy!) ; conference honoring David Weltz, recipient of the 2024 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science; 8-11:15 a.m.; room 419, Fisher-Bennett Hall; info: https://www.lrsm.upenn.edu/event/fi-award-david-weitz/ (LRSM).

19         To Make the Revolution Irresistible: The Role of the Artist in the 21st Century ; seeks to address the question of political artmaking practices, and shed light on artists that make community-oriented and public-facing work; 7-8 p.m.; Public Trust, 4017 Walnut Street; info: https://wolfhumanities.upenn.edu/events/make-revolution-irresistible (Wolf Humanities Center, Cinema & Media Studies). Also April 20 , 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, Van Pelt Library.

18         Early Access Screening: Robot Dreams ; Dog lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone; one day he decides to build himself a robot; their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the rhythm of 80’s NYC; 7 p.m.; Heyer Sky Lounge in Harrison College House; RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/robot-dreams-apr-18 (Cinema & Media Studies).

Fitness & Learning

17         Trans-Affirming Pedagogy in Language Classrooms: Creating and Modifying Course Materials ; participants will learn practical approaches to trans-affirming pedagogy in language classrooms and discuss specific strategies for creating and modifying course materials that rely on gendered terms across languages; noon; room 134, Van Pelt Library; register: https://tinyurl.com/cetli-workshop-apr-17 (Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Innovation).

Graduate School of Education

Info: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/events-calendar .

18         Crisis, Capacity, Cognition, & Collective Intelligence ; 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; 5 th floor, 3440 Market Street.

            Penn Chief Learning Officer Virtual Information Session ; noon; online webinar.

23         Education Entrepreneurship Virtual Information Session ; noon; online webinar.

19         (Deep) Listening: Reflection ; soulful (deep) listening session that will contain spacious and sultry explorations of jazz, R&B, and hip-hop histories by a range of exciting experimental artists, including performances by keiyaA, St. Sol, and DJ Love; 7 p.m.; Institute of Contemporary Art; register: https://tinyurl.com/ica-listening-apr-19 (Institute of Contemporary Art).

18         Theatre Arts Program: She Kills Monsters ; tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly; when Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge; 7 p.m.; Bruce Montgomery Theater, Annenberg Center; free admission; register: https://tickets.pennlivearts.org/0/89142 (Penn Live Arts). Also April 19 and 20 , 7 p.m.; April 21 , 2 p.m.

Readings & Signings

22         The Paradox of Violence in Venezuela: Revolution, Crime, and Policing During Chavismo ; David Smilde, Tulane University; Verónica Zubillaga, Brown University; noon; room 403, McNeil Building (Center for Latin American & Latinx Studies).

Kelly Writers House

Unless noted, in-person events at Arts Café, Kelly Writers House. Info: https://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/0424.php .

22         New Translations from Kharkiv, Ukraine ; Katerina Derysheva, Ukrainian poet; noon.

16         Activation and Incorporation of Rare Sugars Into Bacterial Surfaces ; Tania Lupoli, New York University; noon; Carolyn Hoff Lynch Lecture Hall, Chemistry 1973 Building (Chemistry).

            What’s Gender Got to Do With It? ; Kate Gilmore, Planned Parenthood; 12:30 p.m.; World Forum, Perry World House; register: https://tinyurl.com/gilmore-talk-apr-16 (Perry World House, Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies).

            The Enemy’s Property ; Theodore Hughes, Columbia University; 5:15 p.m.; room 402, Cohen Hall (East Asian Languages & Civilizations).

17         Why Listening Matters ; Matthew Levendusky, political science; 11:50 a.m.; Ben Franklin statue, College Hall (60 Second Lectures).

            Engineering in the Age of AI ; Michael Kearns and Surbhi Goel, computer & information science; René Vidal, Rachleff University; noon; online webinar; register: https://pennengdean.wufoo.com/forms/q1ierf5b1j1s59o/ (Penn Engineering).

            The James Webb Space Telescope: A New Era for Space Exploration ; Mike McElwain, NASA; 3:30 p.m.; room 4E19, DRL (Physics & Astronomy).

            Miguel De Cervantes Meets Pedro Almodovar ; Bruce Burningham, Illinois State University; 5:30 p.m.; room 401, Fisher-Bennett Hall (Spanish & Portuguese, Cinema & Media Studies).

            Decolonization, Ethnonationalism, and the Soviet Union: A View from South Africa ; Hilary Lynd, University of California, Berkeley; 6 p.m.; room 543, Williams Hall (Comparative Literature).

            Evolution of HIV/AIDS Research: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives ; Steven Meanley, Penn Nursing; Ron Collman, Center for AIDS Research; Alfred Giosa, Penn Nursing; 8 p.m.; LGBT Center; register: https://tinyurl.com/lgbt-center-talk-apr-17 (LGBT Center).

18         Molecular and Micro-Structural Mechanics and Design of Soft Materials ; Mary C. Boyce, Columbia University; 11 a.m.; Glandt Forum, Singh Center for Nanotechnology (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            Living the Hard Promise: Understanding Social Media Discourse in Times of Crises ; Guobin Yang, communication; noon; Café 58, Irvine Auditorium; register: https://tinyurl.com/yang-talk-apr-18 (Knowledge By the Slice).

            Miniaturized Biomedical Devices for Navigation, Sensing and Stimulation ; Saransh Sharma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; noon; room 327, Towne Building (Electrical & Systems Engineering).

            “We Will Put Them Out”: The Legal and Imperial Formations of Anti-Asian Violence in Twentieth Century America ; Hardeep Dhillon, Asian American studies; noon; room 240A, Silverman Hall, and Zoom webinar; join: https://tinyurl.com/dhillon-talk-apr-18 (History, Carey Law School).

            Using Computers to Derive Protein Structure from Sparse Data – A Case Study for Mass Spectrometry ; Steffen Lindert, Ohio State University; 3:30 p.m.; room 225, Towne Building (Bioengineering).

            Epigenetic Analysis of Lung Progenitor Function During Development, Regeneration, and Disease ; William Zacharias, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center; 4 p.m.; room 11-146, Smilow Center (Penn-CHOP Lung Biology Institute).

            The Labors of Resurrection: Necromancy and the Democratic Storytelling of W.E.B. Du Bois and Toni Morrison ; Shatema Threadcraft, Vanderbilt University; 4:30 p.m.; room 250, PCPSE (Africana Studies).

            Temple Tracks: Labor, Piety, and Railway Construction in Asia ; Vineeta Sinha, National University of Singapore; 5:15 p.m.; room 110, Annenberg School (Center for East Asian Studies, South Asia Center).

            Narratives of the Deluge ; Emma Mendel, McHarg Fellow; 6 p.m.; room B3, Meyerson Hall (McHarg Center).

19         Semantics, Typology ; Dorothy Ahn, Rutgers University; 10:15 a.m.; room 401, Fisher-Bennett Hall (Linguistics).

            Physics-Compatible Kinetic-Energy and Entropy Preserving (KEEP) Scheme for High-Fidelity Simulation of Compressible Turbulence ; Soshi Kawai, Tohoku University; 2 p.m.; room 534, 3400 Market Street (Penn Institute for Computational Science).

             “Kikrevou”(kì ire aiku): Sickness, Death, and Survival in the Jamaican Smallpox Epidemic of 1768 ; Elise Mitchell, Princeton University; 3 p.m.; McNeil Center for Early American Studies; more info: https://www.mceas.org/events/2024/04/19/kikrevouki-ire-aiku-sickness-death-and-survival-jamaican-smallpox-epidemic-1768  (McNeil Center).

23         Flows About Superhydrophobic Surfaces ; Ehud Yariv, Technion; 10 a.m.; room 101, Levine Hall (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            Genetic Testing for Obesity Risk: Ethical & Social Considerations ; Cassie Houtz, medical ethics & health policy; noon; room 1402, Blockley Hall, and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/houtz-talk-apr-23 (Medical Ethics & Health Policy).

            Sex, Courtship, and Bird Behavior Go High Tech ; Marc Schmidt, biology; 6 p.m.; Morris Arboretum & Gardens; register: https://tinyurl.com/schmidt-talk-apr-23 (Penn Science Café).

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

17         Sustainable Pension Plans ; Artemii Korolkov, economics; 12:45 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

            Voting as Differentiated Products: Estimates from Multi-Level Data ; Steven Berry, Yale University; 3:30 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

19         Bond Market Views of the Fed ; Luigi Bocola, Stanford University; 4 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

22         How the Ramsey Formula Came to Define Discounting in Economics (1950-2000) ; Beatrice Cherrier, CNRS, CREST and Ecole Polytechnique; noon; room 250, PCPSE.

23         Collective Upkeep ; Erik Madsen, New York University; 4 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

            Asymmetric Shocks and Heterogeneous Worker Mobility in a Monetary Union ; Joseph-Simon Goerlach, Bocconi University; 4 p.m.; room 250, PCPSE.

This is an update to the April AT PENN calendar , which is online now. Email [email protected] to submit events for a future AT PENN calendar or weekly update.

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 1-7, 2024 . 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 1-7, 2024 . 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 1-7, 2024 . 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 [email protected]
• 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.

Connell School of Nursing honors Adelene Egan

Adelene (Addie) Egan ’18, whose photographs of health care workers on the front lines during the COVID pandemic went viral, will receive the Connell School of Nursing’s 2024 Dean Rita P. Kelleher Award . Named after the school’s first faculty member and former dean, the Kelleher Award recognizes a graduate of the Connell School who embodies the BC nurse: an accomplished nurse leader, an ethically aware scientist, and inquisitive clinician.

The award will be presented to Egan by Connell School Dean Katherine Gregory at a private event on April 22. That evening, Egan will join other BC graduates on a panel for a networking and mentoring event for CSON students, sponsored by The Council for Women of Boston College.

Since graduating from BC with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, Egan has worked at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, first as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department. She then shifted to Neonatal Intensive Care, where she is currently a senior staff nurse. She also became a sexual assault forensic nurse examiner. Egan has said that being a nurse during COVID was “humbling, heartbreaking, and beautiful.”

It was during her time as an ED nurse that Egan drew national attention for her photos of colleagues working at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Her photo collection, “ Faces of the Frontlines, ” featured various hospital personnel, from transport staff, environmental services workers, and patient service representatives to nurses and doctors.

The photo project, Egan explained, was her way to “uplift my co-workers through photography and storytelling during a trying and unprecedented moment in history. Despite uncertainty about the virus and fear surrounding personal health, my co-workers show up day after day, completely prepared to give everything they can for their patients.”

Her photos were featured in the book COVID-19: Inside the Global Epicenter: Personal Accounts from NYC Frontline Healthcare Providers by Krutika Raulkar, M.D.