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Teaching Doctors in the New Millennium: Penn's Perelman School of Medicine Opens New Home for Medical Education

Henry A. Jordan M'62 Medical Education Center is Among First in Nation to Fully Integrate Education Facilities with Clinical and Research Space

PHILADELPHIA — With the opening of the Henry A. Jordan M’62 Medical Education Center, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has expanded its urban campus with an innovative new facility that’s redefining medical education for 21st century doctors. Just steps away from the Smilow Center for Translational Research and the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, the Jordan Center is among the first in the nation to fully integrate education facilities with active clinical care and research lab space, placing students in the midst of the dynamic practice of medicine.

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The opening of the new facility is a highlight in a year of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation’s oldest medical school.

“With its prime location, the Henry Jordan Center will continue Penn's tradition of close collaboration between faculty and students, and support the Perelman School of Medicine’s mission to embody the highest standards in education, research and patient care,” said J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. “It is ideally suited to play a prominent role in advancing innovation in every aspect of medicine.”

The three-story, 55,000-square-foot Jordan Center will maximize the power of the Perelman School of Medicine’s pioneering learning model, an integrated, multidisciplinary curriculum which emphasizes small-group instruction, self-directed learning and flexibility. Now, from their first day, students will share space with faculty researchers and clinicians as they engage in the team-based curriculum that has helped the medical school remain in the top 5 U.S. News & World Report best medical school rankings for the past 17 years.

The $38 million Jordan Center will offer state-of-the-art technology, including high-tech recording and simulcast capabilities to support global conferences, telemedicine, and creation of online courses and lectures available to millions across the globe.  Such technologies will facilitate constant collaboration between Penn Medicine laboratories and other schools, centers, and institutes. 

“Graduates of the Perelman School of Medicine are prepared to be not only exceptional physicians but also leaders,” said Gail Morrison, MD, senior vice dean for Education, professor of Medicine, and director of Academic Programs for the Perelman School of Medicine. “The Henry Jordan Center is designed to keep us at the forefront of medical education.”

Two 3,000-square-foot flexible, technology-rich learning studios can be converted into two or four smaller spaces, and an additional eight wired classrooms form the core of the educational space.   The Jordan Center also features a rooftop patio and garden, numerous team learning spaces, and the Joseph and Loretta Law Auditorium and Law Family Pavilion thanks to a gift from brothers and medical alumni Dennis, Ronald, Christopher, and Jeremy Law, who among them hold seven degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. The Measey Foundation continued its support of the medical school by providing major funding for the Measey Learning Commons.

The Lauren J. Wylonis, MD, and Joseph R. Zebrowitz, MD, Center for Student Services will be the new, centralized home for Admissions and Financial Aid, the Curriculum office, and the program for Diversity and Inclusion. Student Affairs, the Combined Degree program, and Continuing Medical Education will also be housed in the Jordan Center.

Philanthropy from graduates played a large role in funding, with more than 250 gifts from alumni and friends. The University of Pennsylvania Health System also contributed matching funds to support its partnership with the Perelman School of Medicine.

The building is being named both in recognition of the legacy of the late Henry A. Jordan, who was a Perelman School of Medicine faculty member and alumnus, and in honor of the Jordan family’s whole-hearted support of the center.  One of the Perelman School of Medicine’s most devoted alumni, Henry Jordan was a steadfast champion of Penn Medicine and its students.

“Henry was passionate in his advocacy on behalf of Penn Medicine,” said Morrison. “He saw in our faculty and students a very bright future for medicine. His energy and optimism drew others in and got them excited about supporting medical research, innovative clinical care, and the next generation of health care leaders.”

The newly-erected Jordan Center is the first major renovation to Penn Medicine’s educational facilities in more than three decades. The medical school has a long and illustrious history around the City of Brotherly Love. After nearly 100 years east of the Schuylkill River, occupying different parts of Old City and Washington Square, the medical school moved to its current location in West Philadelphia, where it grew over the next 150 years into what we see today.