November 15, 2004

Penn Addictions Expert, Charles P. O’Brien, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious, International Honor
Delivering ‘The Anatomy Lesson’ Dates Back to the 16th Century

(Philadelphia, PA) – Charles P. O’Brien, MD, PhD, Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Director, Center for the Study of Addictions at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Director of Psychiatric Research at the Philadelphia Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (VAMC), has been invited by the Academisch Medisch Centrum (Academic Medical Center) and the University of Amsterdam in Holland to present The Anatomy Lesson – a tradition dating back to the 16th century.

The modern Anatomy Lesson is a weeklong event consisting of a presentation by an internationally prominent scientist of a subject on the cutting edge of science to the people of Amsterdam. This year’s topic is addiction. The tradition started in 1563 as a way to educate the Amsterdam community about science – specifically, anatomy – with the hopes of reaching those not formally enrolled in school. It was revived in the 20th century and formalized through the Medical Center. This event is a community affair marked by weeklong series of events leading up to The Anatomy Lesson.

This year’s lecture, to be held on November 18th, will address the potential benefits of recent neurobiological findings in addiction research for the treatment of alcoholism and other forms of drug dependency. Dr. O’Brien will be presenting the work of his team at the Philadelphia VAMC and Penn’s Department of Psychiatry dealing with brain mechanisms of addiction and the development of new treatments for these disorders.

“I am humbled by the people of Amsterdam for choosing me to continue the tradition this year. This is a society that values learning and believes everyone should have an equal chance in bettering themselves,” says Dr. O’Brien. “Addiction is a modern problem facing the whole world. It’s wonderful to have an opportunity like this to actively share what you know with people who want to learn it. We all have the capacity to become addicted and we are all affected by it in one way or another.”

Dr. O’Brien’s presentation will be given at the prestigious Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and will be attended by an audience of approximately 2000 doctors, biomedical researchers, health professionals, members of the Government and Parliament, civil servants, journalists, students and interested members of the community.

This presentation will be heard beyond the lecture hall as the lecture receives national attention from the Dutch paper, The Volkskrant. As is the tradition, the occasion will also include a concert by the Symphony Orchestra of Amsterdam and a presentation by city officials of the new pieces of art purchased by the city this year.

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PENN Medicine is a $2.7 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System (created in 1993 as the nation’s first integrated academic health system).

Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked #3 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

Penn Health System is comprised of: its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, consistently rated one of the nation’s “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; Presbyterian Medical Center; a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities; and home health care and hospice.

This release is available online at http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/nov04/OBrienAnatomyLesson.htm