• University of Pennsylvania Health System
• University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

The Department of Communications supports the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Health System, which includes:

• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
• Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
• Pennsylvania Hospital
• Clincal Care Associates
• Penn Home Care & Hospice Services

Our staff is available to support members of the press and media with...

PENN Experts
We're proud to be able to offer insight and commentary from our renowned physicians and researchers to the media -- simply call (215) 662-2560 to schedule an interview, or visit our staff beat list. We have experts who can answer your questions on any area of medicine and biomedical research, such as:

• cancer and cancer biology
• cardiovascular medicine
• neurosciences
• stem cell biology
• genetics
• neuromuscular disorders
• experimental therapeutics
• aging
• obesity, diabetes and metabolism
• infectious disease
• bioterrorism
• immuniology
• transplantation

In July 2004, U.S. News & World Report named the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to its Honor Roll of the best hospitals in the nation for the eighth straight year. U.S. News also consistently ranks the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and School of Nursing among the nation's best. And Philadelphia Magazine's May 2005 Top Docs issue recognized more physicians and surgeons from the University of Pennsylvania Health System than from any other hospital or health system in the region.

Patient Conditions and Patient Sources
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations are intended to protect the privacy of medical information. Our department is committed to providing excellent service to media while guaranteeing that we comply with HIPAA regulations and respect patient privacy.

Patient Conditions: Please contact our office at (215) 662-2560 to request patient conditions. You must provide the patient's first and last name, with the correct spelling, and, if possible, the patient's date of birth. In most cases, we will be able to provide a one-word condition -- Good, Fair, Serious, or Critical -- or indicate that the person is deceased or has been discharged. The term "stable" only refers to a patient's vital signs. We will not provide the time and date of a patient's death or discharge.

Patient Sources: Besides providing expert commentary, we also make arrangements for patients to speak about specific conditions or treatments. Please be aware that, because of HIPAA regulations, it may take some time to identify such patients. Of course, we will make every effort to meet reporters' deadlines.

Media Access
For our patients' safety and privacy, all media crews are required to have an escort from our department accompany them through University of Pennsylvania Health System hospitals and facilities and the School of Medicine campus. Please call (215) 662-2560 if you plan to visit our any of our facilities.

On-Campus Uplink
We provide on-campus uplink and studio facilities to the broadcast news media for live or live-to-tape interviews of faculty, administrators and staff. PennStudio's compact robotic studio, ReadyCam®, features experienced broadcast professionals who operate the studio remotely, controlling all camera and lighting from VideoLink's broadcast center in Center City Philadelphia.

Call (215) 662-2560 to schedule an interview.

For more information, visit the Penn Studio web site. Please note that our facilty is available exclusively to the Penn community.

Facts
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.

Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked #2 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.

The University of Pennsylvania 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.

Learn more about our history, accomplishments, and useful facts and figures from PENN Medicine Facts 2005 (PDF). Print copies can be ordered from AELitho (800-AEL-8888) for $15 per 50 copies.

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The University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA 1-800-789-PENN © 2008, The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania