2025 HEW

In support of improving patient care, Penn Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team


  • Monday

  • LGBTQ Health at Penn Medicine

    Monday, April 6, 10:00- 11:00 AM

       

    Description: Studies across health professions have documented that students feel inadequately prepared by their programs to care for LGBTQIA+ populations. This lack of training is mirrored in studies of patient experience, with LGBTQIA+ patients reporting negative experiences with health care providers and subsequent avoidance of care. This presentation shares findings from a 2025 study of Penn dental, nursing, and medical students examining their attitudes toward treating LGBTQIA+ patients and their sense of preparedness to do so. Results are compared with a similar 2014 assessment to explore changes over the past decade. The session will highlight effective teaching strategies across disciplines and identify opportunities to strengthen LGBTQIA+ health education moving forward.

    Speakers: Kevin Kline, MD of LGBTQ+ Health at UPHS, Faculty Director of the Gender and Sexuality Curriculum in the Perelman School of Medicine within the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

    Event location: Zubrow Auditorium, Pennsylvania Hospital and Virtual

    Hosted by: PAH

  • Tuesday

  • Research in Women’s Health Symposium with Poster Session

    Tuesday, April 7, 8:00 AM -1:00 PM

       

    Description: To showcase ongoing and recently completed research at Penn advancing women's health equity, with a focus on translational, clinical, and policy research - To disseminate such research from across researcher disciplines and levels back to Penn clinicians and research teams - To highlight advancement in community-engaged women's health research at Penn - To foster the future of innovative women's health equity research.

    Speakers: Keynote – Aasta D. Mehta, MD, MPP Director of the Division of Reproductive, Adolescent, and Child Health Department of Public Health, City of Philadelphia

    Learning Objectives:

    Event location: Smilow and Virtual

    Hosted by: Department of OBGYN

  • Take Action: Commit to Equitable Research Practices with the JRP

    Tuesday, April 7, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

     

    Description: An introduction to Joint Research Practices – who they are, what resources we offer, and how they can help, etc. Conducting research equitably can be challenging, and JRP is here to help.

    Learning Objectives:

    Hosted by: Joint Research Practices

  • Behind Bars, Beyond Health: Equity and Incarceration in America

    Tuesday, April 7, l2:00 PM – 1:00 PM

       

    Description: Join LDI for a lecture and discussion with Senior Fellow Jason Schnittker, PhD, Professor of Sociology, on his book Prisons and Health in the Age of Mass Incarceration. This work explores the complex and often contradictory relationship between incarceration and health in the United States, where more than two million people are currently behind bars. Drawing on extensive research, Prisons and Health in the Age of Mass Incarceration describes how incarceration shapes health outcomes not only for those who are confined but also for families, communities, and society at large. This Penn Medicine Health Equity Week conversation will delve into the broader implications of mass incarceration for health equity and public health policy.

    Speakers:

    • Jason Schnittker, PHD, Professor of Sociology

    Event location: CPC Auditorium and Virtual

    Hosted by: LDI

  • Wednesday

  • Penn Medicine Health Literacy Collaborative Paradigm Shift: Health Equity through Health Literacy Patient Advocacy

    Wednesday, April 8, 12:00 PM – 1::00 PM

    1.00 Credit Hours

     

    Description:

    Speakers:

    • Karen D. Ross, MSN, RN

    Learning Objectives:

    Hosted by: Penn Medicine Health Literacy

  • Youth Incarceration & Public Health: A Cross Sector Conversation

    Wednesday, April 9, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

       

    Description: The Penn Center for Public Health hosts a series of symposiums annually on relevant public health issues in Philadelphia and nationwide. This Spring, our symposium will bring together cross-sector perspectives to explore incarceration and the use of mural arts as a pathway to restorative justice and healing.

    Speakers:

    Learning Objectives:

    Event Location: Smilow and Virtual

    Hosted by: Penn Center for Public Health

  • Thursday

  • Health Related Social Needs, Changes Documentary

    Thursday, April 9, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

     

    Speaker: Director Helena Jeudin, Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Emergency Medicine, Urban Health Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine and Panel

    Description: The HRSN Cafe is a platform where staff can learn more about impact of social determinants of health, and other topics on diversity, inclusivity, and health equity. We have invited producer Helena Jeudin who is an emerging public health leader and budding filmmaker who believes in the power of multimedia storytelling to advance public health awareness, policy, and action. This short documentary spotlights the neighborhood of Frankford Philadelphia. The film seeks to uplift diverse perspectives and reframe how we identify and define environmental health priorities — centering community voices and advocating for equitable, neighborhood-driven change. Helena Jeudin grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and is an alum of the University of Pennsylvania MPH program. Helena currently is a research coordinator in the Center for Health Justice where she works on the IGNITE study, facilitating initiatives that address social determinants of health and wellbeing among Philadelphia’s most vulnerable communities. As a Haitian immigrant and nearly lifelong Philadelphia resident, Helena has keen interests in both global and local health outcomes.Helena is an emerging public health leader and budding filmmaker who believes in the power of multimedia storytelling to advance public health awareness, policy, and action. Helena’s past work includes several years as a behavioral health case manager where she helped individuals with substance use and co-occurring disorders navigate healthcare and social service systems, access treatment, and achieve their holistic recovery goals. Helena joined the Penn community in 2021 to support the Penn Go Vax team’s community outreach efforts, increasing COVID vaccine uptake and addressing vaccine hesitancy in underserved, predominantly Black and brown, communities of Philadelphia. Helena’s public health interests include intimate partner violence, maternal health, migrant health, behavioral health, gun violence, trauma informed care, and – more broadly – the impacts of health disparities and structural racism on vulnerable communities. Her current academic projects include evaluating a local migrant mental health program and a capstone study on the perceptions of behavior change among men who use violence in their intimate relationships with the goal of furthering our understanding of how to best engage this population towards change. Helena received a B.S. in Biology and a certificate in Health Studies from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.

    Hosted by: HUP Magnet

  • Building Trust, Breaking Barriers: Health Equity in Neurology at PAH

    Thursday, April 10, 12:00 – 1:30 PM

       

    Description:

    Speakers:

    • Nabila Dahodwala, MD, MHSP – Professor of Neurology in the Department of Neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine
    • Suzanne Reichwein, MSW – Manager of Research and Clinical Programs in Penn Neurology at PAH

    Location: Zubrow Auditorium at Penn Hospital and Virtual

    Hosted by: PAH

  • Disparities in Hypertension, Stroke, and Hypertensive Diseases of Pregnancy
    FOCUS Seminar

    ✓ Virtual attendance - Register here 

    Thursday, April 9, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

    Description: This talk will examine how structural inequalities - rather than biological differences – drive disparities in hypertension, stroke and maternal neurocritical illness, with a particular focus on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Using contemporary data and neurocritical care-relevant case examples, the talk will highlight how social determinants of health shape who presents to the ICU, when they arrive and with that outcomes. The sessions will conclude with practical, systems level strategies clinicians and institutions can implement to advance equity as a core dimension of quality and safety.

    Learning Objectives:

    1. This talk will frame health equity as a core neurocritical care issue.
    2. Review disparities in hypertension, stroke and maternal stroke.
    3. Discuss structural drivers and system level implications.
    4. Identify actionable strategies for clinicians and health systems.

    Speakers: Monisha A. Kumar MD FNCS Professor and Vice Chair for Quality and Safety
    Department of Neurology
    Medical Director, Neuro ICU at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
    Perelman School of Medicine

    • Speaker Bio:
    • Dr. Kumar is a distinguished neurointensivist and clinical researcher whose expertise focuses on coagulation derangements associated with severe brain injury. She has edited two textbooks of neurocritical care and is an expert in the study of ICU mobilization and in the practice of in situ simulation for clinical emergencies. She serves as Vice Chair for Quality and Safety in the Department of Neurology and Medical Director of the Neuro ICU at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Her leadership extends across Penn Medicine, where she has advanced equity and inclusion through initiatives such as the Neurology Department’s IDARE (Inclusion, Diversity, and Anti-Racism Efforts) Committee.

      A dedicated advocate for women in medicine, Dr. Kumar has served as Chair of the Penn Forum for Women Faculty and Gender Equity, bringing national attention to issues of pay equity, caregiving, and faculty advancement—particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has curated impactful programming, advised university leadership, and fostered networks that strengthen institutional support for women faculty.

      Her commitment to mentorship and leadership development is evident in her work as chair of the Anna T. Meadows Society, which was re-launched to support clinician-educator faculty, and in her service on the Neurocritical Care Society’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, where she advised the President of the Society and fervently championed diversity, equity, and inclusion.

      Dr. Kumar’s achievements have been recognized through her selection as a Penn Fellow, induction into the Penn Medicine Academy of Master Clinicians, and her fellowship in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program. These honors underscore her dual excellence in clinical care and leadership—hallmarks of her advocacy for women in academic medicine.

    Hosted by: FOCUS

  • Practicing Community Engagement in a Learning Health System
    FOCUS Seminar

    Thursday, April 9, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

    ✓ Virtual attendance - Register here 

    Description: Panel presentation with Penn PORTAL Scholars, moderated by Heather Klusaritz, discussing how to practice community engagement in a Learning Health System.

    Speakers:

    • Heather Klusaritz, PhD, MSW, - Director of Community Health Services, Penn Medicine Center for Health Equity Advancement; Director of Community Engagement, Penn Center for Public Health
    • Arina Chesnokova, MD, MPH, MSHP, MSCP - Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Rebecca Clark, PhD, RN - Assistant Professor of Nursing in Family Medicine and Community Health
    • Stephanie Van Decker, MD, MS - Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Lead of General Pulmonology

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Principles around health and healthcare equity and justice – how this is evolving in a changing world
    2. Methods for engaging diverse patients, community members, and caregivers
    3. Lessons learned from LHS initiatives at Penn

    Hosted by: Penn Portal

  • Friday

  • Perceptions of their preparedness to care for LGBTQIA+ patient populations

    Wednesday, April 10, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

     

    Description: ...

    Speakers:

    • Katherine France, DMD, MBE, Penn Dental (PI)
    • Abigail Green, DNP, RN, AGPCNP-BC, Penn Dental
    • Marissa DeCesaris-Siegel, DNP, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, RN, Penn Nursing,
    • James Wolfe, MS, NCC, Penn Nursing,
    • Edward (Ted) Kreider, MD, PhD, Penn Medicine,
    • M. Elle Saine, MD, PhD, MA, Penn Medicine
    • Eleanor Lustig, Penn Medicine, Sarah Syed, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

    Learning Objectives:

    Hosted by: Nursing

Back to
the Top
t