Wharton MBA student Nick Dockery awarded Medal of Honor
Major Dockery, who retired from active duty in May, received the award for acts of gallantry while serving as a platoon leader in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, in 2012.
Penn Engineers led by Xue ‘Sherry’ Gao have developed a gene-editing tool built specifically for fungi, unlocking a hidden library of molecules—including some with early anti-cancer promise—from one of biology’s most overlooked kingdoms.
Dolores Albarracín appointed new director of Annenberg Public Policy Center
Albarracín is a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication and the School of Arts & Sciences. She is assuming the role from Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the inaugural director since 1993.
CAR T cell therapy leads to 10-year remissions in B-cell lymphoma patients
A long-term follow-up from one of the earliest CAR T cell therapy clinical trials shows potential cures in more than one-third of patients treated at Penn Medicine.
The concept, popularity, and dismissal of the ‘beach read’
Penn Today talked about beach reads with comparative literature Ph.D. candidate Angelina Eimannsberger, whose dissertation focuses on women readers, social media, the romance genre, and bookstores.
Penn Today spoke with historian Daniel Richter, philosopher Jennifer Morton, and democratic governance expert Claire Finkelstein about the Declaration’s historical context, political ideas, and evolving legacy.
Nursing the Revolution: 250 Years of The Power of Nurses
Across three virtual panel discussions, leading historians and contemporary nursing researchers will examine how today’s most pressing nursing challenges—including the often “hidden” value of nursing, workplace safety, and nursing as a pathway for advancement—have deep historical roots dating back to the nation’s founding. This webinar highlights the lasting importance of nursing while exploring opportunities for innovation, policy advancement, and a stronger future for the profession. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.
As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, multidisciplinary artist Holly Wilson, Delaware Nation Lenape and descendent of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, was commissioned to transform the Penn Museum’s East Entrance lobby with a large-scale mixed-media installation themed “Native Futurism.” During this public dedication, attendees will learn how the new installation centers an Indigenous-led perspective, offering a layered and thought-provoking addition to the nation’s evolving story. Free with Penn ID.
A University-wide initiative to shape Penn’s future
Guided by Penn’s strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, Penn Forward launched in September 2025 with six working groups of faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral scholars who challenged legacy assumptions and proposed bold, actionable strategies to advance Penn’s mission and strengthen operations.
Penn Forward’s initial nine priority initiatives aim to build trust with those we serve, enable bold discovery, and extend Penn’s geographic reach and impact across a lifetime. Learn more about these initiatives and follow along with Penn Today as Penn continues to drive forward.
Penn’s community engagement progress at the turn of the century
The third installment in the limited series ‘Chapters of Change’ explores how Penn has led community engagement efforts in public education, economic development, and neighborhood prosperity during a time of widespread change in the nation’s cities.
Chapters of Change: Thirty years of life sciences transformation at Penn
In the fourth and final installment of the series, ‘Chapters of Change’ highlights another transformational moment in Penn’s past when the evolution of life sciences research sparked the University to commit to investing in new research facilities and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
How the Quaker Commitment empowered one student to create her path at Penn
Gabrielle Fine, a fourth year in the Wharton School and recipient of financial aid from the Quaker Commitment, will graduate in May with an interdisciplinary skillset and new perspectives from a global adventure and local engagement.
Chapters of Change: The blossom of Penn’s professional schools in the 19th century
‘Chapters of Change’ highlights key moments of change in Penn’s history, adapting to shifts in society. In the 19th century, the University faced industrialization and more by creating some of its first professional schools.
The next 250 years of American science depend on ordinary persistence, and the funding to sustain it
E. John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine writes that federal research support reflects a national decision that knowledge serving the public good is worth sustaining even when the payoff is distant.
How the ‘fresh start’ effect can help you stick to good habits
“If we can find a way to make goal pursuit enjoyable so it’s not something we dread and instead something we look forward to we’re dramatically more likely to persist,” says Katy Milkman of the Wharton School.
Pa. residents stand to lose an average of $520 a month in Social Security benefits in six years unless Congress acts
An estimated 225,000 Philadelphians receiving Social Security benefits would be affected if the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund were to deplete, according to Olivia Mitchell of the Wharton School.
A hot summer trend in the sharing economy? Rental swimming pools
“Because there is not an employer, as one typically thinks of, that you can say, ‘You have responsibility for the products that you are putting out into the world,’” says Lindsey Cameron of the Wharton School about the sharing and gig economy.
