Volume 70 Number 16 | University of Pennsylvania Almanac

November 30, 2023

To the Penn Community,

I write you today to share In Principle and Practice: Penn’s Focus on the Future, providing a strategic framework to guide our path forward.  This document is the result of a year-long strategic planning process, shaped further by the initiatives we launched this fall. You can learn more at: https://in-principle-and-practice.upenn.edu/.

Articulating our ambitions for the future is especially crucial now, when urgent global challenges are provoking anguish, fear, and testing our community. We are responding exactly as we have so many times before, by working together to improve Penn for the future. That is the core and essential purpose of In Principle and Practice.

This framework is built around our values and our unique DNA. Our founding ethos is a Franklin-inspired striving to discover, disseminate, and employ knowledge for its own sake and for the benefit of humankind. In Principle and Practice will help us as we work, together, to strengthen our community and to achieve even greater excellence in all Penn does.

Penn’s principles are the essence of who we are, our enduring values and distinctive strengths. We are Anchored, Interwoven, Inventive, and Engaged. Our practices are how we will act on our principles with passion and urgency. We will accelerate interdisciplinary pursuits, lead on great challenges of our time, grow opportunity and strengthen community, deepen connection with neighbors and the world, and foster leadership and service.

This moment of challenge is exactly the time to recommit to our ambitions for the future and to further our connections as a community. Just as we are launching urgent University-wide efforts to combat antisemitism and interconnected forms of hate, including Islamophobia, and identifying ways to strengthen our bonds with one another, this strategic framework emphasizes strengthening community, deepening connections, cultivating service-minded leadership, and collaborating across divisions and divides.

In the months ahead, we will engage faculty, students, staff, and alumni in the implementation of this framework. I encourage you to offer any implementation ideas by emailing Strategic-Framework@upenn.edu. Some steps we take to implement In Principle and Practice will come soon. Some actions, more ambitious still, will take time to plan fully and enact to lasting, maximum effect.

Finally, a note of thanks. I want to express my deep appreciation once again to the members of the Red and Blue Advisory Committee, chaired by Provost John L. Jackson, Jr., who led this strategic planning process. I am equally grateful to the many members of the Penn family who engaged with the planning process and whose excellent ideas are reflected in this framework.

I will continue to keep you updated on our progress as we move Penn forward into a future of even greater excellence.

—M. Elizabeth Magill, President, Trustees University Professor and Professor of Law

See the In Principle and Practice: Penn’s Focus on Tomorrow supplement.

Penn Medicine researchers are seeking new biomarkers for traumatic brain injury (TBI), with the hope of testing new TBI treatments in clinical trials. By understanding the underlying pathology of different brain injuries and how they cause symptoms, clinicians may be able to provide informed counseling, potentially prescribe treatments that speed up recovery times, and prevent some long-term effects of TBI.

The work will be driven by Penn’s Center for Brain Injury and Repair (CBIR), using an $8 million grant from the Department of Defense, to identify and study the TBI biomarkers. Douglas H. Smith, a professor of neurosurgery, and Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, a professor of neurology, both of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, will establish the PROgram to Characterize Evolving Endophenotypes of Degeneration after TBI (PROCEED TBI).

“We currently treat individuals with brain injuries based on the severity of their symptoms, rather than by addressing their specific forms of brain damage,” said Dr. Smith. “It would be like treating patients with a fever depending on how high their temperature was, instead of treating the underlying infection. Common symptoms of brain injuries, like memory loss, headaches, problems with motor function or vision, can be caused by damage to several structures in the brain, such as blood vessels or nerves. If we can identify biomarkers of the different types of brain injuries, we hope to be able to enroll patients in clinical trials for treatments that address their specific injury, and hopefully develop treatments and protocols that help them recover more effectively.”

A TBI can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or by a penetrating injury (such as from a gunshot) to the head. There are several ways a TBI can damage the brain, such as diffuse axonal injury (DAI), damage to the nerve fibers in the brain’s white matter, or a hemorrhage, which is bleeding caused by shearing and laceration of blood vessels.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were more than 214,000 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2020, and over 69,000 Americans died from TBI-related injury in 2021. Anyone can experience a TBI, but data suggest that some groups are at greater risk of dying from a TBI or experiencing long-term health problems after the injury, including service members and veterans, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals with lower socioeconomic status. Many individuals who survive a TBI experience long-term health problems, such as seizures, neurodegenerative diseases, dementia, psychiatric diseases depression, sexual dysfunction, and bladder and bowel control problems.

PROCEED TBI builds on foundational research from Penn Medicine over the past several decades that identified the mechanisms causing DAI, the most debilitating aspect of traumatic brain injury and cause of post-injury comas. The program will evaluate pathological changes over six months after a TBI, using a large database of human TBI post-mortem brains, MRI scans and blood samples from living humans with TBIs, and large animal models.

PROCEED TBI has four parts: First, researchers aim to identify major forms of brain damage after a TBI, including degeneration of nerve tracts and persisting damage to blood vessels; second, they will evaluate how effectively imaging techniques, like an MRI, can detect these pathologies; third, researchers will identify which blood biomarkers indicate the presence of each different brain injury; fourth, the project will determine how imaging and blood biomarkers correspond to the severity of injury and symptoms, and identify targets for future therapies.

“Our hope is that with these advanced brain imaging and blood biomarker tools, we can understand how a traumatic brain injury impacts each individual’s brain and their recovery process,” said Dr. Diaz-Arrastia. “In a perfect world, these biomarkers would be able to help us measure the degree to which each person’s brain is injured, and whether or not they are at higher risk for long-term effects, so that we could prescribe the proper treatments right away, rather than treating symptoms as they present down the line.”

Diane Waff has been named director emeritus, Amy Stornaiuolo has been named faculty director, and Jen McLaughlin Cahill has been named director of the Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP).

Dr. Waff joined the writing project in 1991 while working as a School District of Philadelphia (SDP) English and special education teacher and became director in 2010. Amid significant personnel changes, including Penn GSE’s new dean Katharine O. Strunk and new SDP superintendent Tony Watlington, and Drs. Stornaiuolo and McLaughlin Cahill joining PhilWP, Dr. Waff wants to offer continuity and will remain involved for a transition period.

This academic year, Dr. Waff will work closely with Drs. Stornaiuolo and McLaughlin Cahill on three key areas: developing and sustaining projects for students and educators, building grant writing and fundraising to support and expand programming, and expanding and strengthening professional development in the School District of Philadelphia schools and community partnerships.

After building close ties across the Penn and Philadelphia communities, Dr. Waff will continue to liaise between PhilWP and its partners. She will focus on professional development and expanding ties with local partners, including the SDP, institutions like the Weitzman Museum of American Jewish History and the African American Museum, and Penn partners such as GSE’s Office of School and Community Engagement, Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Penn Museum, Teachers Institute of Philadelphia, and GSE’s Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership.

Among her many professional accomplishments, Dr. Waff led PhilWP in receiving an NEH grant from the National Writing Project’s Building a More Perfect Union, recognizing PhilWP’s work to support teachers using digital historical records and current publications.

As director emeritus, Dr. Waff would like to expand PhilWP’s local programs, including a new collaboration providing writing support for kindergarten and first grade teachers at two SDP schools, the Henry C. Lea Elementary School and the Andrew Hamilton School, and tutoring at the Lea School. She also envisions expanding PhilWP’s signature annual conference, the Celebration of Writing and Literacy, with its current partners, including the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia, GSE’s Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, and the Penn Museum, as well as new collaborations.

Amy Stornaiuolo, an associate professor in the division of learning, teaching and literacies and chair of literacy studies in Penn GSE, has long admired PhilWP’s programs and its role in local and national dialogue about writing and supporting educators. She has served on the project’s advisory board for over a decade and now, as faculty director, is positioned to help shape the program’s future.

“PhilWP is a thriving, vibrant community of educators with deep roots and histories in Philadelphia schools, and I am so fortunate to have this opportunity to support and participate in those efforts,” Dr. Stornaiuolo noted.

In partnership with Drs. Waff and Cahill, Dr. Stornaiuolo hopes to expand some of PhilWP’s existing programs and partnerships, including Kid Writing, the Black Girls Literacies Project, the Digital Discourse Project, and Project Write, and work on digital writing and how generative artificial intelligence will reshape writing and instruction.

Additionally, she hopes to expand partnerships within Penn GSE and SDP schools, particularly around early elementary literacy, and bring PhilWP resources to more schools.

“Our work with Kid Writing, for example, is a powerful means of supporting early literacy and reading development and has shown promising results,” Dr. Stornaiuolo said. “We would love to expand that program.”

After 22 years as an English teacher in New York City public middle and high schools, Dr. McLaughlin Cahill brings significant classroom experience to her new role as director of the Philadelphia Writing Project. The program reflects her commitment to education, literacy, and supporting educators as a seasoned practitioner.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to keep doing work I deeply care about, which includes amplifying voices of practitioners, teachers, practitioner researchers, and children and young adults,” said Dr. McLaughlin Cahill, a lecturer in educational practice.

Since joining Penn GSE in July, Dr. McLaughlin Cahill jumped headfirst into programming, including summer events and the program’s recent Celebration of Writing and Literacy conference. She said PhilWP’s impact is evident across the Philadelphia community, including youth programs, teacher development and training, and providing grants.

Dr. Cahill McLaughlin will work closely with Drs. Waff and Stornaiuolo and plans to absorb their institutional knowledge. She aspires to continue PhilWP’s commitment to literacy and writing to build bridges and advance public education.

“I want to center the voices of the teachers and the work they’re doing with their children and young people,” she said. “Writing is such a powerful form of amplifying the voices of the people who are not always centered in educational research or discourse to impact their new community directly.”

Jennifer Pinto-Martin, University Ombuds
Waged Jafer, Deputy Ombuds

Introduction

The Office of the Ombuds is a confidential, informal, impartial, and independent resource available to assist faculty, students, and staff who are endeavoring to address issues involving conflicts, disputes, and obstacles to one’s successful engagement as a member of the Penn community.

The Year in Review

The number of visitors to the Office of the Ombuds rose by 10% from the prior year. Employment-related matters continue to represent the majority of issues brought to the office, representing nearly 40% of issues discussed. As seen in Table 1, staff made up 39% of all visits to the office and graduate and professional students made up 19%.

The proportion of visitors from the faculty ranks remained steady at 16%, while visits from graduate and professional students dipped somewhat from 24% to 19% of total visits. We saw a doubling in the proportion of undergraduates using our services.

As shown in the graphic summary in Table 2, the most common concerns brought to the office included employment-related issues (nearly 40%) and academic-related issues (25%). Common employment-related issues included poor management and lack of support from managers, lack of transparency about processes/procedures, and inconsistency in the application of such policies leading to an unfair outcome. In addition, we heard of significant behavioral issues that included verbally abusive, demeaning interactions, and microaggressions.

Among faculty, some of the key issues we heard about included job security, tenure/promotion, faculty recruitment, and related issues. Reports of lack of collegiality as well as challenging, abusive, demeaning, bullying, and demoralizing behaviors and microaggressions, were also common.

With respect to graduate and professional students, we heard of challenges in relationships between principal investigators and students, and complaints of poor communication and poor management. Specifically, we heard that the lack of or poor management of the lab setting led to an absence of constructive feedback. Issues related to authorship and intellectual property were also raised.

In summary, some of the main concerns across all categories for visitors include:

1.    Lack of empathetic leadership and management.

Work-related stress and work-life balance continue to be a major concern for staff (burnout/stress and increase in mental and physical health needs)

2.    Lack of clear communication and positive feedback.

Feedback must be constructive in order to avoid being perceived as a personal attack.

There is value in goal setting by managers in collaboration with employees. Such clarity reduces the likelihood of interpersonal conflicts.

Ombuds Office Outreach

The office has delivered a series of talks addressing the issues detailed above to graduate student groups as well as to specific programs and departments across campus in an attempt to prevent and mitigate the impact of these workplace challenges.

The Office of the Ombuds strives to provide effective collaborative resolution of workplace concerns in addition to prevention services with the goal of advocating for fairness and prompting respect for all members of the Penn community. We invite you to think of the Ombuds Office as your thinking partner. We can offer you expertise in how to manage a conflict. Our services include conflict coaching, dispute resolution including mediation, facilitated conversations, as well as professional consultation and guidance on University policies and processes. We also offer personalized workshops based on the needs as well as group facilitation. Our presentation services include various trainings and workshops on how to manage conflict, including “how to have difficult conversations,” “giving and receiving feedback,” “effective communication,” and many more. All members of the Penn community are welcome to contact us to inquire about our services.

We reiterate our statement from last year: members of the Penn community who are in a position of influencing the culture and climate of the organizational unit to which they belong or lead are encouraged to be mindful of the importance of collegiality and respectful treatment of others, to model those behaviors, and to take action when they observe or learn of breaches of behavioral expectations. Penn is a collection of over 50,000 human beings and conflicts and disputes will inevitably occur, but the problematic behaviors we learn about in the Office of the Ombuds could be prevented. We encourage members of the Penn community who find themselves in conflict or a dispute with others to reach out to the Office of the Ombuds before the matter escalates, when an amicable resolution can still be achieved. A description of the types of assistance we provide is available in Table 3.

Closing

In closing, we want to recognize the value of an Office of the Ombuds, especially in light of the current challenges we face. It is critical that we respect the opinions and beliefs of others in our campus community as the world presents us with global horrors and dissonance. The office represents a safe and confidential place to engage in discussions among campus community members who may differ in their beliefs and we welcome the opportunity to help.

Finally, the Office of the Ombuds would like to extend a warm welcome to Waged Jafer, who assumed the role of Deputy Ombuds in December 2022. Waged brings to Penn a wealth of ombuds experience, including a particular interest and expertise in restorative justice practice, along with a positive spirit, energy and commitment to the role. We are very fortunate to have her as part of the team. Welcome, Waged!

Table 3: Types of Engagement with Visitors

The Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice, a nonpartisan national research and policy hub at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, has announced that Rebecca Brown will join its team in the role of policy advisor, where she will expand and enhance the impact of the Quattrone Center’s data-driven research and criminal justice reform.

“Rebecca has a lengthy track record of developing nonpartisan policy strategies and has relationships throughout the nation to power and accelerate emerging policy campaigns,” said John Hollway, executive director of the Quattrone Center and associate dean of Penn Carey Law. “She has developed strategies for hundreds of policy efforts, testified in dozens of legislative hearings, and led national policy working groups. Adding her skill set to our growing body of impact-oriented criminal justice research and reporting will dramatically improve our ability to bring about thoughtful real-world quality improvements to jurisdictions around the country. Her experience will also have a positive impact in shaping our research portfolio so we can focus on areas with the greatest impact and need.”

Ms. Brown joins the Quattrone Center after 18 years at the Innocence Project—a transformative criminal legal reform organization—where she helped to build and lead its policy department and direct its federal and state policy agenda. During her tenure, the Innocence Project successfully lobbied for the passage of more than 250 criminal legal reform laws. Earlier this year, Ms. Brown received the “Hero of Justice Award” from the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, which honors an individual who has shown sustained commitment to achieving criminal justice for all.

“The Quattrone Center is a world-class policy hub whose groundbreaking research is helping to reform our nation’s criminal justice system,” said Ms. Brown. “I’m excited to join the team to help develop influential strategies and educate legislators and policymakers on the real-world impact of the Quattrone Center’s work.”

Ms. Brown has presented at judicial and legal trainings and at diverse criminal justice and academic conferences, and has been sought out as a subject matter expert by The New York Times, BBC News, ABC News, Slate, NBC News, CBS News, BNC News, Politico, NPR, and the American Bar Association Journal. Most recently, Ms. Brown appeared on a special episode of “Meet the Press” regarding police accountability. She sits on the advisory board of Roc Nation’s United Justice Coalition and serves on the board of directors of For the People.