Volume 9
Issue 17 August 22, 2014
PRESBYbulletin Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Penn Establishes Ocular Therapy Center On July 14, 2014, Penn Medicine announced the creation of the Penn Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics (CAROT). This $30 million institute, led by Director Jean Bennett, MD, PhD, and Co-Director Albert Maguire, MD, seeks to facilitate and expedite the development of novel therapies for retinal and ocular disorders. The announcement was made at a reception attended by almost 200 faculty, staff, collaborators, donors, and chairmen, and even several children who participated in Drs. Bennett and Maguire’s gene therapy clinical trials. Just a decade ago, gene therapy was a field with few promising research results. It was at this time that Dr. Bennett and Dr. Maguire, despite all obstacles, pursued researching genetic approaches to restore vision in blinding conditions. They originally showed that vision could be restored in dogs blind from Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) with mutations in the RPE65 gene. Clinical trials in patients for LCA due to RPE65 mutations followed, with similarly astounding results. Efficacy was
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Just a decade ago, gene therapy was a field with few promising research results.
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reported in all twelve subjects, including five children. As a result, children who were once blind, navigating with white canes, could now ride their bicycles, read books, play sports, and lead normal lives. “In the whole 140 years of UPenn Ophthalmology, numerous important historical discoveries have been made, but these innovations by Dr. Bennett and by Dr. Maguire are the most life-altering,” said Joan O’Brien, MD, chair of the department of Ophthalmology. “When presenting the Pioneer Award to Dr. Bennett, Frances Collins, director of the NIH, correctly stated: ‘This work (continued on back)
Penn Program for Mindfulness Fall 2014 The Penn Program for Mindfulness is a Mindfulness-Based Stress Management program that teaches individuals how to use meditation as the primary tool for long-term stress management. Mindfulness meditation is taught in a completely practical way as a powerful tool to manage the physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms of stress.
Public Programs • Introduction to Mindfulness: 2-hour workshops in University City (Sep 3rd) and in Radnor (Sep 9th). • Foundation Stress Management Program: 8-week courses starting week of September 22nd - 7 Locations in PA & NJ
Mindfulness Training (Pre-requisites apply) • Practicum in Mindfulness: 10-week program, Tuesdays, starting September 16th For more information or to register, please visit www.pennmedicine.org/ mindfulness.
Penn Establishes Ocular Therapy Center (continued from front)
has the potential to profoundly change our understanding of science and of nature.’” CAROT provides Drs. Bennett and Maguire with the opportunity to reverse the blindness of more children and adults. The co-directors hope to build a scientific team to advance therapies through platform technologies such as biobanking, genotyping analysis, cell and animal model assay development, gene therapy and molecular delivery approaches, and drug screening systems.
BOXERS AND BRIEFS HIT PHILLY STREETS Turn your underwear into outerwear for the upcoming Philadelphia Undy Run/ Walk. On September 13th, participants will hit the pavement on Martin Luther King Drive donning family-friendly, underwear-themed outfits. Annually, the Undy Run/Walkk benefits the Colon Cancer Alliance, but a portion of this year’s proceeds will also go to Penn Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center’s West Philadelphia Gastrointestinal Health Outreach and Access Program, a patient navigation program which helps West Philadelphia patients complete their screening colonoscopies – a powerful way to prevent colon cancer. The Undy Run/Walkk isn’t just your everyday run. Instead of receiving a race day t-shirt, participants will receive a stylish pair of boxer shorts and will have the opportunity to take a stroll through a larger-than-life inflatable colon. This creative and educational inflatable is a unique way for visitors to understand the disease. A fun twist on a serious topic, the Undy Run/ Walkk is sparking muchneeded conversations. In Pennsylvania, colon cancer has left a bigger gap than some may think; there have been 6,790 diagnoses and 2,490 colon cancer deaths in the past year alone. Colon cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, yet it Team Penn Medicine at the 2013 Undy Run/Walk is still the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Nearly 140,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014, and more than 50,000 will die from this disease.
Apply Today for the 2014 UPHS Quality and Patient Safety Awards Do you have a great project that you want to share with others? Sttart Gathering Your Data! Quallity & Pa atientt Safety Aw ward Subm missio on Tim me Is Heree! Thhis aw ward has been a long standingg oppportuunity for teeams to formally doocume ent their achieveme ents in n quaality annd pattient safetty over thee last 12 months. Thhe Quality and Patient Safety Awarrd haas beeen designeed to acknnowleedge Penn Medicine departments or teamss whoo have exxhibiteed leadersship and innnovaation in acctivitiees that ensure high quality clinical ouutcom mes, patiennt satisfaction, patieent sa afety, and/or operational impro ovement. A multidisciplinary committtee will reeview the appplications using a sta andard sc coring me ethoddology. Gu uidelines in Appplying for the 20014 UPHS Qu uality and Patieent Safety Awarrds: •
The project must have occurred during the last 12 months
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Measurement of the intervention must be submitted in order for the application to be considered
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Applications can be found on CEQI website Click here
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All applications and projects must be submitted electronically by September 16, 2014
Fo or morre informa ation, please coontacct Finnnah Pio, senioor quality analysst, at 215.6622.8646, or fifinnah.pio@ @uphhs.upenn. eddu. Vissit the Preesby Bullettin onnline for a dirrect link to apply today.
For more information or to register, visit www.undyrunwalk.org and click on Philadelphia, PA. For a direct link to the Penn Medicine team page, please see the Presby Bulletin n online. Contact Us: Katie Delach | katie.delach@uphs.upenn.edu | http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/presbybulletin/