What we now know as Penn Presbyterian Medical Center started out, in 1871, as a 45-bed charitable institution called the Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia that was located on 2 ½ acres at 39th Street and Powelton Avenue.
Department store magnate John Wanamaker was one of the founders of the original hospital and he stayed involved until his death in 1922. His wife, Mary, who was particularly concerned about needy children, donated $30,000 to build a pediatric ward, which was finished in 1888. A novel design, the ward was built “in the round,” with 18 beds on the first floor arranged around the perimeter, each placed in front of a large window. On sunny days, patients could be carried directly through the windows onto the porch. The ward’s unusual shape ensured that it received sunlight throughout the day, as well as cooling breezes. In the winter, the porch was enclosed with screens and heated for use as a sun parlor. Two large, open fireplaces in the center of the ward kept it warm and toasty.
This photograph was taken in 1948. Six years later, the children’s ward was demolished.
Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell investigates the use of a lettuce-based, plant-encapsulated delivery platform as a new oral delivery of two GLP-1 drugs previously approved by the FDA in injectable form.
No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise
Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies.
In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted.
In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love.
Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion
Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.
