Penn Medicine

09/10/2025

A professional hair wash and cut can make anyone feel good, but for patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, free services from professional stylist Richard Cornish can make a world of difference.

"People who I encounter in a hospital are just so incredibly grateful to have something other than medical issues to talk about and services to receive," Cornish said. "So this work in the hospital is much more my calling, although I do love being in the salon."

🎥: CBS Philadelphia

09/03/2025

Researchers have pioneered a new strategy that may keep breast cancer from coming back. A first-of-its-kind clinical trial has shown it's possible to identify breast cancer survivors who are at increased risk of their cancer returning due to the presence of dormant cancer cells. The trial also found a way to effectively treat these dormant cancer cells with repurposed, existing drugs.

“We want to be able to give patients a better option than ‘wait and see’ after they complete breast cancer treatment,” said principal investigator Angela DeMichele MD. “We’re encouraged by these results that we’re on the right track.”

08/29/2025

Micaela Alpert's journey to medical school began in 8th grade, when she was undergoing treatment for cancer at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"As a child with cancer, I was often living in fear that there wouldn’t be a tomorrow," she said.

"Today, I am profoundly humbled and grateful to begin my medical education in the very community where I came to learn the true meaning of healing, a place that ensured I would have countless tomorrows to be able to secure the same for others."

08/27/2025

From Doylestown to Dakar: Penn Medicine Doylestown Health urologist Albert Ruenes, MD is changing lives through global collaboration. Partnering with Serigne Gueye, MD in Senegal, their nonprofit ASSISTS is training surgeons, fighting prostate cancer, and expanding access to care across West Africa.

08/26/2025

In the neuro ICU, some patients are privileged to have loved ones devoted to their care. For those without, social worker Kate Genzer is in their corner—tracking down out-of-state family members, trying to rescue animals from their homes, and making sure they don’t die alone.

“If I can do even the smallest thing to bring assistance, compassion, and dignity to a patient, I can say my work is meaningful,” says Genzer, a Penn Medicine Experience Advocacy Award winner.

08/21/2025

Every revolutionary new treatment starts with a "first". Dr. David Porter recalls the moment he discovered that Bill Ludwig, the world's first CAR T cell therapy patient, had no evidence of leukemia just one month after his infusion at Penn Medicine - Abramson Cancer Center.

08/20/2025

08/19/2025

Camp Erin is a compassionate space where kids and teens who have experienced the loss of a significant person can explore their feelings of grief and learn to cherish their memories.

With the support of trained volunteers from Penn Medicine Hospice, this summer camp has created a nurturing environment that helps campers navigate their journey through loss.

08/15/2025

When they're not working at the hospital, these employees of Penn Medicine Princeton Health are working on their set list.

After seeing each other perform at an employee talent show in 2019, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Craig Gronczewski, Dr. David Barile, Dr. Jasmeet Bajaj, Dr. Gabe Smolarz, Dr. Kevin Skole, and director of Spiritual Care and Well Being Samuel Yenn-Batah, decided to form a group called Full Code, managed by lab courier Alan Stefanowicz.

“That’s what is unique about the band,” said Barile. “We’re all in different fields of medicine, but our interests in music are all varied as well, so we bring different kinds of spice to the band.”

08/14/2025

Ed and Tyler Schumacher are bonded by more than just their father-son relationship. They also share a genetic heart condition called bicuspid aortic valve, and each had successful valve repair surgery at Penn Medicine within a year.

Read their full story, where they detailed how this shared experience made their relationship even stronger: http://spr.ly/6185fSdHW

08/07/2025

Joe O’Pella was a young, active dad when he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

Now, he’s sharing his story — and how screening helped save his life.

08/05/2025

It's official! Our new mobile mammogram van is out on the road putting in work. We had a great time in West Philly at last month's Community Health Fair, offering a variety of free health screenings, food and raffle prizes.

We're excited to keep the momentum going across the region!