The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) recently received the 1998 National Quality Health Care Award, one of the industry's most prestigious honors in the recognition of high-quality health care.

The award was created six years ago by the National Committee for Quality Health Care (NCQHC) and is co-sponsored by Modern Healthcare, a healthcare trade journal.

High-quality health care, low costs and streamlined efficiencies, which define UPHS's Health and Disease Management Program, provided the basis for the award. William Dwyer, chairman of the jury panel, identified UPHS as "an integrated system that demonstrates innovation and leadership in providing quality health care to its community."

Penn alum heads ADL

Howard P. Berkowitz, a Penn alum, was elected national chairman of the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL is the world's leading anti-semitism organization and combats hatred on many fronts through programs, education and services. Berkowitz has been active within the organization for 22 years.

A businessman and philanthropist, Berkowitz received his bachelor's degree from Wharton and continues to be active in the Penn community. He organized his class's 25th reunion, co-chaired the 250th Anniversary Celebration, and is currently on Wharton's undergraduate board.

Sugrue book wins awards

Thomas Sugrue's "The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit" was named to Choice magazine's list of outstanding academic books for 1997. It also won the 1997 Philip Taft Award for Best Book in Labor History and the 1997 Urban History Association Award for the Best Book in North American Urban History. And last year it won the 1996 President's Book Award from the Social Science History Association.

Historians honor Brown work

Kathleen M. Brown's book, "Good Wives, Nasty Wenches, and Anxious Patriarchs: Gender, Race, and Power in Colonial Virginia," won the 1997 John B. Dunning prize from the American Historical Association. The annual prize is for the best book in U.S. history by a young scholar. Brown is an assistant professor of history.

Biologist wins fellowship

Nancy Bonini, assistant professor of biology, has been awarded a five-year David and Lucile Packard Fellowship grant in the amount of $500,000.

Russians celebrate Penn link

Patrick Storey, associate dean of International Medical Programs, was named an "honored doctor" of the faculty of the St. Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University as part of the university's 100th anniversary celebration. Storey's citation for "outstanding services in educational activities" recognizes his work on a Penn-Pavlov affiliation that is now starting its second five-year phase.

Museum award for service

Penn Trustee Susan Catherwood is the fifth recipient of the University of Pennsylvania Museum's Marian Angell Godfrey Boyer Medal. The Angell award, first given in 1987 at the museum's centennial, was established to honor distinguished service to the museum.

-- Nathaniel Glasser and Henri Tetrault