September 13, 2011, Vol. 58 No. 3
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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Tuesday September 13, 2011 Volume 58 Number 3 www.upenn.edu/almanac $10 Million Gift to Create Center for $12 Million Gift to Establish Orphan Disease Research and Therapy Center and Prize for The Raymond and Ruth Perelman School ed for orphan diseases,” explained Dr. Glen N. Financial Research of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Gaulton, executive vice dean and chief scientif- announced the launching of a first-of-its-kind ic officer at the Perelman School. “Penn’s new interdisciplinary center focused on discover- Center for Orphan Disease Research and Ther- ing novel treatments for orphan diseases. The apy will build not only strong collaborative re- Center will bring together, without institutional lationships throughout Penn, but also with oth- walls, all necessary approaches to attacking and er leading academic medical centers, as well as treating orphan diseases: establishing dedicated public and private institutions—all designed research support facilities, translating findings to translate innovative research into the clinic. into therapies, fostering targeted grant awards, There’s simply nothing else like it.” and educating physicians and researchers. “This is a wonderful example of philanthro- Formation of the new Penn Center for Orphan py in action,” said Dr. J. Larry Jameson, exec- Disease Research and Therapy was catalyzed by utive vice president for the health system and a $10 million gift from an anonymous donor, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. “The whose vision matched that of Penn Medicine in Center will be a natural extension of Penn’s ex- Bruce Jacobs Kenneth Levy developing treatments for these diseases. The pertise in orphan diseases, and this strategic in- The Wharton School of the University of Center will fill a crucial need by providing the vestment will galvanize support for orphan dis- Pennsylvania announced a $12 million gift from core laboratories, techniques, collaborative rela- ease research around the globe. I am proud that Bruce Jacobs and Kenneth Levy, classes of 1986 tionships, and expertise to lead an international, Penn Medicine is taking a clear leadership posi- and 1982. The gift will include $10 million to es- coordinated effort in the eradication of orphan tion in transforming the health of millions.” tablish the Jacobs Levy Equity Management Cen- diseases. Key among these resources is a state- Dr. Jameson added that he is delighted that ter for Quantitative Financial Research and $2 of-the-art, robotically controlled drug screening his predecessor, former dean Dr. Arthur H. Ru- million to fund the Wharton-Jacobs Levy Prize laboratory that enables researchers from around benstein, has agreed to serve as acting director for Quantitative Financial Innovation. This com- the world to rapidly probe existing compound li- for the Center, while an international search is mitment marks one of the largest gifts to The braries for effective orphan disease treatments. conducted for a permanent director. Campaign for Wharton, the school’s ambitious Diseases are classified as orphan when they The Center will be a nexus for connecting: $550 million fundraising effort. affect fewer than 200,000 people. However, as • Researchers and clinicians at Penn with The Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center there are approximately 7,000 diseases now iden- other public and private institutions to work on for Quantitative Financial Research will enable tified in this population, more than 25 million projects aimed at finding and testing treatments the school to develop and expand its resourc- Americans are currently afflicted. Many of these for orphan diseases; es in an important field of study within finance. diseases are caused by genetic mutations and are • Approaches to treatment that are common The Center will support faculty research proj- diagnosed in children. Research in many orphan among various orphan diseases; ects in quantitative finance and will fund PhD diseases has lagged behind other major disease • Researchers with organizations that fund dissertation fellowships for doctoral students categories, such as diabetes and cardiovascular biomedical research for orphan diseases; and pursuing dissertations in quantitative financial disease, in part because of a relative lack of tech- • Investigators within small and large phar- research. It will disseminate its research through nical expertise and funding mechanisms. Penn’s maceutical firms to develop and test treatments a White Paper Series hosted on its website, as Center will specifically address these needs. for orphan diseases. well as an annual conference that will bring to- “The research and development marketplace Working together with other academic institu- gether academics and practitioners. Donald B. is not designed to optimally support research tions, the National Institutes of Health, Pharma, Keim, Wharton’s John B. Neff Professor of Fi- to develop the therapies so desperately need- (continued on page 2) nance, will be the director of the Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Fi- nancial Research. The Wharton-Jacobs Levy Ombudsman: Thadious Davis Prize for Quantitative Financial Innovation will Dr. Thadious M. Davis, Geraldine R. Segal Professor of Ameri- recognize one or more persons who have pub- can Social Thought and professor of English, has agreed to serve as lished peer-reviewed journal articles that dem- the University Ombudsman, effective on September 1, 2011, President onstrate outstanding research that has contribut- Gutmann announced recently. Dr. Davis will succeed Dr. Joan Good- ed to a particular innovation in the practice of man. “Dr. Davis’ excellent judgment and exemplary record as a Uni- (continued on page 2) versity citizen and mentor will be employed to very good effect on be- half of the Penn community. I am delighted that she has agreed to take IN THIS ISSUE on this important role.” 2 SENATE: SEC Actions; SON Diversity and Cultural Affairs; ASEF and PASEF Schedules Dr. Davis joined Penn’s faculty on July 1, 2004. Previously, she 3 Deaths and Memorial; WiFi Means AirPennNet; held tenured faculty positions at the University of North Carolina Cha- OF RECORD: Secular and Religious Holidays pel Hill, Brown University, and Vanderbilt University where she was 4 Honors & Other Things the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English. Dr. Davis is the 5 Annual Report of Committee on Manufacturer Responsibility and Response from President author of five books, including the forthcoming Southscapes: Geogra- 6 Convocation 2011 phies of Race, Region, & Literature. She has served as the editor of nu- 8 University Research Foundation Thadious Davis merous reference books and edited collections. Dr. Davis has lectured 9 Seoul National University; and taught in Europe and Asia, including the International Falkner Sym- OF RECORD: Nursing Mothers Program posium at Chuo University in Tokyo, Japan. She also served as the Walt Whitman Chair in Amer- 10 New Commuting Options; New Campus Loop; New Travel Agency; Constitution Day at Penn ican Civilization, a Fulbright Distinguished Chair, at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. 11 A Music Legend’s Swan Song; Update; CrimeStats; Dr. Davis has served as a fellow at the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Cullman Center for Schol- Classifieds ars and Writers at the New York Public Library, and the Huntington Library in California where she 12 Faculty Open Access Statement of Principles held the R. Stanton Avery Distinguished Fellowship. Pullout: Annual Security & Fire Safety Report ALMANAC September 13, 2011 www.upenn.edu/almanac 1 School of Nursing: Diversity and SENATE From the Senate Office Cultural Affairs: Nancy Tkacs Dr. Nancy Tkacs, associate professor in the department of biobe- The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, havioral and health the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and sciences, has been ap- their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Sue White, executive assistant to the pointed Assistant Dean Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943, or by email at [email protected] for Diversity and Cul- tural Affairs at the School of Nursing. Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions In her new role, Dr. Wednesday, September 7, 2011 Tkacs will help in the development of the Welcome and Introductions: Faculty Senate Chair Camille Charles welcomed the 2011-2012 School diversity ac- Faculty Senate Executive Committee and brief introductions from members in attendance followed. tion plan in response Faculty Senate Chair Camille Charles reported that the October SEC meeting Chair’s Report: Photograph by Karen Gowan to President Amy will be held at the University Club with a reception following the meeting at 5 p.m. She stated that Nancy Tkacs Gutmann and Provost the October meeting will feature two discussions: one discussion on the Action Plan for Faculty Di- Vincent Price’s Uni- versity and Excellence lead by Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Lynn Lees and Vice President for In- versity Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and stitutional Affairs Joann Mitchell, followed by a conversation with the Provost. Dr. Charles reported Excellence. Dr. Tkacs will be the official diver- that the ad hoc Faculty Climate Review Subcommittee met this summer and submitted a list of sug- sity search advisor while continuing her role as gested revisions to Vice Provost Lynn Lees for the faculty climate