NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, to Join Penn Celebration Dedicating New Smilow Center for Translational Research

PHILADELPHIA - National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, will join Penn scientists and physicians in celebrating the opening of the new Smilow Center for Translational Research (SCTR) Tuesday. The SCTR is the first medical research building on the Penn campus - and one of the first anywhere - to be physically integrated into facilities for patient care, namely the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. Collins will deliver the keynote address at the event, which will honor the many basic researchers and clinicians who have made this interdisciplinary center for learning, discovery, and healing a reality.

Just a month ago, the first of several hundred researchers started moving into the $370 million facility. Among other translational research activities, SCTR will now be the home for three Penn institutes created in early 2005: the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism; the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics; and the Penn Cardiovascular Institute. The aim of research in the SCTR is to look for new approaches to understanding and treating a wide spectrum of diseases that are most prevalent in society, including cancer, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. In 2010, the SCTR also received $159 million for lab construction from ARRA, or “stimulus,” funds from NIH.

WHERE:

The Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104

WHEN:

May 3, 2011, 5:00 to 8:00 PM

WHO:

5:00 to 5:10
Welcome Remarks
Amy Gutmann, PhD, President of the University of Pennsylvania
Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCh, Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

5:10 Keynote Address
Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD,
Director of the National Institutes of Health

6:15 Panel Discussion
Moderator Glen N. Gaulton, PhD, Executive Vice Dean and Chief Scientific Officer, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Panelists: Carl June, MD; Mitch Lazar, MD, PhD; Jonathan Epstein, MD; Michael Parmacek, MD; Amita Sehgal, PhD; and Shelley Berger, PhD

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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.