Penn Nursing

09/15/2026

Ready to advance your expertise in medical aesthetics?

Join our new partner, LexRx, for a 30-minute information session this Thursday, September 17, at 12:30 p.m. ET to learn more about the new continuing education program in aesthetic injectables.

With aesthetic injectables in high demand, high-quality, evidence-based training is more important than ever. Through our partnership with Inject With Lex, participants receive a course that combines evidence-based theory with supervised, hands-on clinical training.

📅 Information Session: This Thursday, September 17 | 12:30 p.m. ET
📚 Courses begin in October and November

The program includes didactic instruction plus required in-person, skills-based clinical training on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Learn more about the upcoming courses and how to get started at this info session. Register here: https://bit.ly/4xYOWXV

09/15/2026

Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) invites the community to an international nursing symposium on September 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The program will open with an introduction by Kevin J. Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, and it will highlight Penn Nursing’s leadership and the global impact of the Magnet4Europe initiative. The symposium will bring together leaders from the International Council of Nurses and Penn’s academic and health system communities for a conversation about nursing leadership, workforce innovation, and the future of health care.

The event is open to everyone, and lunch will be provided. Students are especially encouraged to attend and take part in this opportunity to hear from nursing and health care leaders working across institutions and around the world. Learn more and RSVP: https://bit.ly/4ym8bdM

09/14/2026

Good sleep is essential to good health.

Join on September 23 at 12 p.m. ET for Sleep Well, Live Well: Creating Better Sleep Health Together, featuring Penn Nursing faculty member Dr. Alexa Watach.

Dr. Watach will join a conversation on advancing sleep health and improving well-being—and why better sleep is an important part of living well. Register today: https://bit.ly/4gyUhxk

09/10/2026

What can educators learn when they make space for the experiences, interests, and perspectives that each student brings to the classroom?

Penn Nursing’s Jie Deng, PhD, RN, FAAN, will explore this question as the 2026 Evan C. Thompson Chair Lecturer on Excellence in Teaching.

Drawing from her own teaching experiences, Dr. Deng will share approaches for incorporating students’ academic, professional, and personal experiences into the learning environment—creating opportunities for deeper engagement, broader perspectives, and meaningful connection.

Her lecture reflects an important principle of teaching excellence: when we recognize and build on what students bring with them, we can create richer learning experiences and open new possibilities for everyone.

Tuesday, September 29, 2026
4–5 p.m.
Class of ’78 Pavilion, Van Pelt Library
A reception will follow.

🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/4g6Vmxu

Congratulations to Dr. Deng on this well-deserved opportunity to share her expertise and commitment to teaching excellence with the Penn community.

2026 Evan C Thompson Chair Lecture on Excellence in Teaching University teaching increasingly involves working with students with a range of different backgrounds and who have many different types of preparation for college and graduate school. The dive...

09/10/2026

We are delighted to announce that Alexa J. Watach, PhD, RN, has been appointed Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at Penn Nursing, effective September 1, 2026.

Dr. Watach brings a deep commitment to evidence-based practice, mentorship, innovation and collaboration to this role. As an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Penn Medicine Sleep Medicine and a member of Penn Nursing’s Standing Faculty, she brings together expertise in nursing, implementation science, clinical practice and health-system innovation—with a focus on translating evidence into meaningful improvements in care.

Dr. Watach has already played an important role in shaping the DNP student experience at Penn. She has served as Course Director for Translating Evidence into Practice, led the development of Advanced Evidence-Based Practice and Contextual Inquiry and Implementation Planning for the revised DNP curriculum, and mentored DNP scholarly projects across Penn’s DNP majors.

As DNP Program Director, she will work closely with students, faculty and School leaders to strengthen the DNP experience and build on the success of the revised program. Her expertise and commitment will help prepare the next generation of nursing leaders to translate evidence into practice and transform health care.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Watach and welcoming her as Penn Nursing’s new DNP Program Director! 👏

09/08/2026

Building safer communities starts with knowledge, education, and action.

Join Penn Nursing’s Office of School and Community Engagement and the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program for Health Center Career Day: “Building Safer Communities: Advancing Fi***rm Safety and Prevention” on Sept. 17.

The evening will bring together students and local community health professionals for networking and a conversation about careers in community health, with a focus on fi***rm safety and injury prevention.

We’re also pleased to welcome Helen Castro, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing and Lead Trauma Nurse Practitioner at the University of Chicago Medicine. Dr. Castro will share insights from her work in trauma care, education, advocacy, and fi***rm injury prevention.

📅 September 17 | 4:30–7 p.m.
📍 Claire M. Fagin Hall | Penn Nursing
📝 Registration closes Sept. 9

Learn more and RSVP: Health Center Career Day

***rmSafety

09/02/2026

Today, Penn Nursing joins the nursing community in celebrating 130 years of the American Nurses Association.

Since 1896, ANA has played an important role in advancing the nursing profession—giving nurses a collective voice, advocating for the profession and the people nurses serve, supporting nurse leadership, and helping shape the future of health care. Professional organizations like ANA strengthen nursing by connecting nurses across specialties, settings, and generations around shared priorities. They create opportunities for advocacy, leadership, professional development, and collaboration while helping ensure that nurses' expertise is represented in conversations about health, policy, and care.

As we recognize ANA Founders Day, we celebrate not only the organization's history, but also the power of nurses working together to advance the profession and improve health for all. Read more: https://bit.ly/4qS1Nbz

Happy 130th anniversary, American Nurses Association!
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