125 Years of Nursing at Penn

One hundred and twenty-five years ago -- one year before the founding of the National Institutes of Health, several years before the discovery of penicillin, and many decades before the establishment of Medicare -- the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was breaking boundaries in nursing education.  Since the creation of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Training School for Nurses in 1886, one of the first formal nursing education programs in the country, and the founding of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in 1950, Penn has been home to dedicated healthcare professionals, innovative scientists, and inspiring leaders in nursing.

To commemorate this milestone, the Nursing Alumni Association of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania commissioned alumna and artist Kathleen Shaver to create an art installation. “The History of Nursing As Seen Through the Lens of Art” in the Ware Lobby of Fagin Hall will be formally unveiled this weekend. The event launches a year-long celebration of 125 years of nursing at Penn.

All year we will pay tribute to the greats in nursing education who devoted themselves to HUP and to Penn.  We hope you will join us! For a preview of the art installation, a listing of 125th celebratory events, and a look at the history and future of Penn Nursing, visit www.nursing.upenn.edu/125th