Nov | Dec 2020
Volume 119, No. 2
Features
The Museum Prescription
Doctors are worn down by paperwork and long hours, forced to focus on computer screens instead of their patients, plagued by feelings of eroding autonomy, traumatized by a pandemic—and trained to endure suffering with stoicism. What ails physicians bodes ill for their patients. Can the visual arts help revive their well-being? A year-long initiative from Penn Medicine and Philadelphia’s flagship art museums aims to test the theory at internet scale.
By Trey Popp
The Mother of Coronaviruses
When SARS-CoV-2 struck, Susan Weiss was ready. The decades of work that she and a small cohort of fellow researchers have devoted to coronaviruses, despite limited funding and little respect, have been invaluable in speeding the search for treatments and vaccines. It’s been a rare stroke of good fortune in the current crisis—and a lesson in the importance of supporting basic science in anticipation of future ones.
By Julia M. Klein
Lapping Up a Final Act of Love
When the time came to say goodbye to our dog, Brad Bates V’10 arrived at our doorstep. A palliative care veterinarian specializing in in-home euthanasia, he meets strangers every day at their saddest moments—and it somehow gives him strength.
By Dave Zeitlin
A Reset for Cities?
The novel coronavirus has been especially tough on America’s cities—stripping away cultural and social amenities and spotlighting stark realities of income inequality, inadequate healthcare, and punitive policing. Alumni and faculty experts weigh in on whether and how they can be reimagined for a post-pandemic world.
By JoAnn Greco
Departments
From the Editor | Art aid, coronavirus pioneer, urban renewal.
Letters | Omissions corrected, ethics debated, record defended.
Views
Notes From the Undergrad | Looking at America from 11 hours ahead.
Alumni Voices | “Oy vey, it’s Groundhog Day.”
Elsewhere | A living lesson in multiculturalism.
Expert Opinion | Community is more than a place.
Gazetteer
Milestones | When Penn Band women first marched onto Franklin Field.
Educational Access | VPUL to VPSE: Val Cade takes on student engagement.
Gift | $50 million for Toll Public Interest Scholars and Fellow Program.
Convocation | The Class of 2024 gathers together from all over.
Health | In multiple roles, Gina South Gr’12 fights racism in medicine.
Research | LDI-led effort aims to dismantle racism and advance health.
Computer Science | Q&A on how, and why, to make algorithms ethical.
Research | Penn Vet is training dogs to sniff out spotted lanternfly eggs.
Sports | Fond farewells: Peggy Kowalski C’78 and Dave Johnson.
Arts
Calendar
Public Art | Why we build monuments—and destroy them.
Art | Arthur Ross Gallery’s Citizen Salon 2 (virtual, pandemic edition).
Music | Evan Thomas W’20’s Foundations explores multiple identities.
Briefly Noted
Leadership | Introducing ICA’s new director, Zoë Ryan.
Music | Alex Pantelyat C’04’s life “of rhythm, melody, and patient care.”
Alumni
Paul Vogel C’95 is Spotify’s CFO, so his kids think he’s cool (he says).
The Brister Society promotes diversity on campus and in Penn leaders.
Ancil George CGS’76 loves libraries—and helping students use them.
Old Penn | Old Penn, new format.