UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Tuesday March 31, 2020 Volume 66 Number 28 www.upenn.edu/almanac Ignacio Javier López: Edwin B. and Leonore R. Williams Professor of Arnold Ventures’ $6 Million Grant Romance Languages to Study Replication of Penn Ignacio Javier López, professor and chair of tor of Hispanic Review, a position he has held for Nursing’s Transitional Care Model romance languages in nine years. A $6 million grant Penn’s School of Arts His scholarship and service have been rec- from Arnold Ven- & Sciences, has been ognized with many honors, awards and fellow- tures will support appointed Edwin B. ships, including awards from the Ministerio de replication and rigor- and Leonore R. Wil- Cultura y Deporte, Spain and the Program for ous study of the out- liams Professor of Ro- Cultural Cooperation US/Spain. Dr. López has comes of the Tran- mance Languages. A served as the department chair for 15 years. sitional Care Model highly distinguished The late Edwin B. and Leonore R. Williams (TCM) in four US scholar of the literary established this chair through their estate in 1982. health-care systems. history of Spain from Edwin B. Williams served on the faculty of the Designed by a team the 19th century to the department of romance languages (1919-1962). at the University of present, Dr. López has He served as chair of the department of romance Pennsylvania School authored six books on languages (1931-1938), dean of the Graduate of Nursing, the TCM the modern Spanish School of Arts & Sciences (1938-1951) and Pro- has been proven in novel, including Rev- Ignacio Javier López vost of the University (1951-1956). Leonore R. multiple National In- olución, Restauración Williams was an active member of University stitutes of Health– Mary Naylor y novela and La novela ideológica, 1875-1880, life for more than 60 years. She was a founder of funded randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to im- and dozens of articles exploring a range of top- the Faculty Tea Club and was an honorary board prove health outcomes, reduce rehospitalizations ics in romanticism, the modern period, surrealism member of the Penn Women’s Club. The Edwin and decrease total health-care costs among the (Prados, Larrea, Dalí and Buñuel), and Spanish B. and Leonore R. Williams Humanities and Lan- growing population of Medicare beneficiaries. post-modernity. Currently he is the general edi- guages Hall was named in their honor in 1972. “To achieve positive outcomes for older adults with complex health and social needs, an Colgate-Palmolive’s $1 Million Gift to Penn Dental for Support Care Center advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) col- for Persons with Disabilities, Establish Innovation Laboratory laborates with patients, their family caregivers Penn Dental Medicine has received a $1 mil- lack access to properly trained dentists and den- and health-care teams to design and implement lion gift from the Colgate-Palmolive Company tal specialists, and to the equipment and products individualized plans of care that extend from to help advance patient care through the new required for successful treatment. In addition to hospital to home,” explained the project’s lead, Penn Dental Medicine Care Center for Persons providing the highest quality of patient care and Mary Naylor, the Marian S. Ware Professor in with Disabilities and the development of the support, the center’s comprehensive education- Gerontology and the director of the NewCourt- Colgate Innovation Laboratory there. Through al program will train Penn Dental Medicine stu- land Center for Transitions and Health. Dr. Nay- the Innovation Laboratory, to be embedded dents to confidently provide safe, effective and lor is the architect of the TCM at Penn Nursing. within the Center, Colgate experts will work empathetic care to patients with disabilities. The study will evaluate the effects of the side by side with Penn Dental Medicine facul- “A key goal of the center will also be to ed- TCM in nine hospitals located in five states ty, students and researchers throughout Penn to ucate practicing dentists, hygienists, teachers, which are part of Swedish Health Servic- assess needs and develop and refine new dental nurses and caregivers on how preventive prac- es, Trinity Health, University of California products that facilitate optimal dental care for tices and teamwork can improve the quality of San Francisco Health and the Veterans Health patients with disabilities. life for both the disabled and their families,” Administration. Together, these systems will re- “This dynamic partnership with Colgate- added Dean Wolff. “We plan to develop and re- cruit 1,600 Medicare patients to participate in Palmolive, a global leader in oral care, will help port on best practices through targeted publica- this RCT. Mathematica will conduct an inde- Penn Dental Medicine address the diverse den- tions as well as organized dental and research pendent evaluation. tal needs of patients with a full spectrum of dis- groups nationwide.” Penn Dental Medicine will “TCM has very promising evidence of siz- abilities. For some, that may include the creation also measure the impact of this type of innova- able reductions in rehospitalizations and net of entirely new types of personal care products,” tion model on student learning and build data health-care costs among Medicare beneficia- said Penn Dental Medicine Dean Mark Wolff. on how a prevention-focused approach can im- ries,” said Erin Crossett, evidence-based policy “Together, we will work to make the lives of this prove the care experience, oral health and qual- manager of Arnold Ventures. The grant is part of underserved population easier and healthier.” ity of life for patients. the organization’s Moving the Needle initiative A fall 2020 opening is projected for the new “The creation of the Colgate Innovation Lab- to expand delivery of programs that have been Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, to be oratory and innovation team at Penn Dental rigorously shown to improve important life out- located within the School’s Robert Schattner Medicine marks an unprecedented opportunity comes, ensuring significant headway against US Center at 240 S. 40th Street. The 3,500-square- to help overcome the disparity in oral health care social problems. “The successful replication of foot center will be dedicated to providing pre- for patients with disabilities by developing inno- TCM would provide convincing evidence that ventive and interceptive oral health care for vative, cost-effective products that will improve TCM could be used in hospitals nationwide patients of all ages living with all forms of dis- the quality of their lives,” said Patricia Verduin, (continued on page 2) ability and is estimated to serve approximately chief technology officer at Colgate-Palmolive. INSIDE 10,000 patients per year in the 12-chair facility. “We look forward to joining forces with our 2 Deaths; Message from the Provost and EVP; The center will be outfitted to serve patients in esteemed colleagues at Penn Dental Medicine Speaking Out wheelchairs as well as on a gurney. In addition, to aid in the development and implementation 3 Glandt Faculty Fellow; PENNCAP Assoc. Director; there will be a stimulation room with low light- of novel preventive and therapeutic strategies to Penn Press Editor-in-Chief; APPC/CERL Alliance 4 Penn Museum from Home; Virtual Art Tour of Philly ing and sound baffling to accommodate patients address the oral care needs of people with dis- 5 PWH Grants; Holiday Generosity with sensory sensitivities. abilities in collaboration with their caregivers 6 HR April Programs; One Step Ahead; HSA Change; Worldwide, millions of people—as many as and health-care providers, ultimately improving PWH Coronavirus Podcast 7 Update; CrimeStats; Athletics Online Auctions; 57 million in the United States alone—live with their oral and overall health,” said Maria Ryan, Tax Deadline; SON Coronavirus Podcasts acquired and developmental disabilities. Many chief dental officer at Colgate-Palmolive. 8 April AT PENN ALMANAC March 31, 2020 www.upenn.edu/almanac 1 March 27 Message to SPEAKING OUT Penn Faculty and Staff Importance of Reliable News in Regarding University Operations This Upended World Thanks for keeping the Almanac go- Today we are announcing that the University of Pennsylvania’s interruption of all on- ing in this upended world. It’s nev- site operations, except for those that are life-sustaining essential employees, will continue er been more important to have reliable until further notice. We will keep you updated well in advance when more information is news about and from Penn. I applaud the available on an exact date for returning to onsite operations. president, the provost and the rest of the During this period, those employees engaging in life-sustaining activities will continue on-campus community, especially the to work onsite, following social distancing guidelines and taking other recommended pre- health-care faculty and staff, for their cautions. (Please refer to the University Notification from March 20, 2020,https://tinyurl. steady leadership and sacrificial dedi- com/mar20pennoperations, for additional information about life-sustaining activities at cation. Studying the varied global re- the University.) sponses to COVID-19 and the economic, All other employees should continue to work remotely, if possible. Those who are un- social, political and cultural upheavals be- able to work remotely will continue to remain in paid status. ing wrought by it will surely occupy Uni- versity scientists and scholars for years to When scheduling those employees expected to be onsite, staffing should not be in ex- come. I have no doubt that their work will cess of what is necessary to support life-sustaining operations. Practice social distancing help my grandchildren, now doing their and other healthy habits. lessons online and FaceTiming me, bet- We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your cooperation during this very ter understand this time of plague—and, I challenging time.