A Message on Penn Medicine’s Ongoing Response to Antisemitism and Other Forms of Hate

December 07, 2023

Dear Penn Medicine Community, The events of the last several months have been among the most difficult in recent memory. Across our community, people are grappling with intense, heightened emotions as we witness painful words and activities that threaten, harass, and intimidate individuals among our colleagues, patients, families, and friends. Like you, we are alarmed and devastated each time we hear about an incident of antisemitism, Islamophobia, or hate in any form. The fear and traumatic effects are acute but can also be long-lasting.

We are reaching out to provide support and make our position clear.

Calls for genocide, echoing horrors of the past, violate our behavioral standards and remind us that we must forcefully condemn, prevent, and respond to hate in all forms. Hate has no home at Penn Medicine, whether expressed in word or in deed. Harassment, bias, intimidation, and discrimination will not be tolerated. Hateful actions based on race, religion, identity, or nationality must be rooted out and eliminated on our campuses.

We have heard from faculty, staff, students, patients, and alumni inquiring about steps we are taking at Penn Medicine to ensure safety and provide patient care that is free of bias. You may be facing similar questions and having your own discussions about these issues.

Penn Medicine’s diverse workforce includes more than 45,000 people. We care for millions of patients, and our science touches the lives of those across the globe. Every member of our community has a right to flourish without fear. Our clinical care, research, teaching, and community missions are powered by trust, respect, and collaboration. Every day, we hear stories of support for one another, our patients, and our community that reflect our aspirations as an institution. But we also must acknowledge that incidents of antisemitism and other hateful actions have occurred within our community.

We do not, and will not, tolerate them.

Our values and policies call for us to meet these hateful actions with thorough investigation and concrete responses. Although outcomes are often confidential, please be assured that we act with resolve: We will continue to protect individuals, our community, our culture, and our reputation with appropriate action. Ensuring the health and safety of each individual at Penn Medicine is paramount. If you feel unsafe, please reach out to your supervisors or public safety on your campus. If you are experiencing mental health issues, support is available through Cobalt and EAP.

These are indeed difficult times – we feel that personally and as institutional leaders and members of our broad and diverse society. We call on each of you to renew your commitment to the values that underpin our missions and unite us. We are stronger when we stand together against hate.

Sincerely,

J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
Executive Vice President
University of Pennsylvania for the Heath System
Dean, Perelman School of Medicine

Kevin B. Mahoney
Chief Executive Officer
University of Pennsylvania Health System