Dr. Karen Kim highlights College of Medicine accomplishments and priorities during State of the College Address
Dr. Karen Kim, dean of Penn State College of Medicine, shared a forward-looking vision for how the college is preparing future physicians and scientists to meet the demands of an ever-changing health care landscape during the annual State of the College address on Jan. 22.
“By integrating health systems science, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics and applied data science into education and training, the college will equip graduates to lead and discover in health systems that are increasingly complex, technology-enabled and team-based,” she said.
Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, Penn State president; Dr. Fotis Sotiropoulos, Penn State provost; and Dr. Andrew Read, Penn State senior vice president for research, attended the event. President Bendapudi highlighted the College of Medicine’s public health impact and the critical role it plays in creating a healthier commonwealth. Provost Sotirpolous shared his impression that the college is one of those rare places where vision and execution come together to create excellence.
Address highlights
Future-focused research
“Research continues to be a defining pillar of the college’s identity and impact,” Kim said. “Despite a challenging federal funding environment, the College of Medicine reached the highest level of National Institutes of Health funding in its history, crossing the $80 million threshold.”
“The college’s approach to research has been strategic and disciplined, reorganizing our basic science departments to reflect a more future-facing, interdisciplinary approach to scientific discovery; defining priority areas based on long-standing strengths; and strengthening the infrastructure that supports innovation.”
Power of integration
“Our strength is anchored in our identity as an integrated academic health system, which serves as an enabler for our collective future and provides capacity across all of our missions. Our transformation from a single hospital into a health system further amplifies that impact. A hallmark of our integration is our robust clinical trial portfolio, and our breakthroughs in first-in-human clinical trials that bring tomorrow’s therapies to Central PA and beyond.
Supporting community health
“A pillar of the College of Medicine is engagement, with an award-winning mobile medicine program, a rurally focused Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Area Health Education Center, Center for Advancing Health Equity in Rural and Underserved Communities and an ever-growing network of community partnerships. Especially exciting is the integration between the college and Penn State Health through the newly formed Office of Health Advancement and Community Engagement. This office ensures that discovery, education and clinical innovation are informed by community needs and delivered with equity and purpose.”
Record philanthropy
“The college’s philanthropic accomplishments have totaled a new record of more than $75 million.”
United in purpose
“Let’s lead with courage and conviction. Let’s pursue excellence, always. Let’s believe in ourselves and each other. And together, let’s shape a better and healthier future for our communities and the world.”
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