Penn’s School of Nursing is establishing a Center for Global Women’s Health effective July 1. Lynn Sommers, professor of medical-surgical nursing at Penn Nursing, will be the new Center’s director.

The opening of the Center corresponds with the United Nations initiatives regarding the empowerment of women globally, and Penn President Amy Gutmann’s policy paper and presentations to UN Women on behalf of the colloquium on empowering women. “The proposed domains of safety from violence and harm, equity, empowerment and advocacy, and health promotion and disease prevention are translated in the proposal to reflect our tripartite mission and our increasing focus on the future impact of urbanization on populations,” says Afaf Meleis, dean of Penn Nursing.

Sommers will present the Center’s vision and goals in a school-wide forum in early September.