PennCobalt provides mental health resources for Penn staff and faculty.

Stephen Avery, PhD, Director of Global Radiation Physics, hosted Ambassador Robie Kakonge, along with representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda, Washington, DC, including Jimmy Wataka, for a courtesy visit to the University of Pennsylvania. Building on the Scoping Workshop held in Uganda last November, discussions focused on global cancer care, workforce development, and the role of academic institutions in advancing sustainable, locally led partnerships, with leadership from Radiation Oncology, Radiology, and the Center for Global Health in attendance.

Awards & Grants

Good Catch Awards

What is a Good Catch: It is a condition that prevents harm to patient or employee, will prevent harm, was missed by multiple safety checks, and/or identified a root cause that will reduce the likelihood or severity of harm.  A good catch can be any severity level of a condition. Who nominates: Condition owners nominate a condition as a good catch as they are evaluating the condition.  They identify the reason for nomination and employees involved. Who decides: The QAQI Committee hears the presentation from the condition owner and makes the award decision.  These good catches were awarded 7/1/2025 – 12/31/2025. Sophie Rooks (2), Michael Salerno, Joseph Dearing (2), Mary Thomas, Brandon Koger, Katie Shillington, Irina Malajovich, Meghan Knelb, Lisa Wells, Chris Kennedy.

PMX Week Advocacy Award

The Breast and Gynecologic Team was award the PMX Advocacy Award for Outstanding Patient Care with Dr Vivek Ahya, CMO-CPUP, and Danielle Werner, Vice President-UPHS, to present the award to the team.

Leadership Essentials Alumni Spotlight

Shefali Gajjar, MD and Virginia Lockamy, PhD were both highlighted on the new Leadership Essentials Alumni Spotlight page. This recognition highlights alumni of the Leadership Essentials programs who stand out for their leadership, impact, and commitment to going above and beyond in their work at Penn.   They were chosen not only for their engagement in the Leadership Essentials program, but also for the meaningful ways their leadership has been recognized and demonstrated across the health system and University.

Quality & Safety

Voice of the Customer

Have you ever had questions about the Press Ganey survey but weren’t sure what to ask?

Here are some facts about Press Ganey that you may not know:  

• Press Ganey is a US company that provides validated satisfaction surveys to healthcare organizations, including Radiation Oncology and many other departments across Penn Medicine.
• Press Ganey surveys are designed to provide patient satisfaction data to departments, allowing us to hear the voice of our patients.
• Radiation Oncology patients receive the survey one time following each course of radiation therapy. The Radiation Oncology Press Ganey survey consists of seven sections and 59 questions.
• All patients receive the same survey, regardless of treatment location or modality.
• Radiation Oncology uses Press Ganey scores to drive improvements and celebrate areas of excellence.

Here are some scores to celebrate!

Patient ratings for their Radiation Oncology experience from 7/1/25-12/31/25. These are mean scores compiled as an aggregate for all locations and all modalities. These are measures for the whole team, whatever your role is in the patient experience, you are celebrated and recognized by patients!   All these are some of the areas where we had a mean score higher than 97/100:  

• Staff courtesy and respect: 98.24
• Likelihood to recommend: 98.19
• Staff worked together to care for you: 98.15
• Staff offered physical assistance: 97.76
• Staff concern for comfort: 97.56
• Caring and compassion by radiation department staff: 97.53
• Trust in the skill of your radiation department staff: 97.49
• Staff make time for you: 97.25

  Patients also add free-text comments when they complete their surveys. Here are just a few examples of the 700+ positive comments of what patients said about their Radiation Therapy experience between 7/1/25-12/31/25.  

• "A large part of my overall keen satisfaction was the great care and concern and degree of efficacy of their advice and counsel in successful completion of the treatments."
• "Again, all my interactions professionally with staff were carried out at the highest level of concern that I be informed and concern for any effects of the treatments. Effects were addressed with suggestions for mitigating unpleasant effects."
• "Again, highly professional and courteous. Could not ask for anything more"
• "Again, the best staff! It looks like Penn knows how to hire the best, most caring people. I can't say enough about them!"
• "All of the above questions could only be answered by indicating the highest and best responses. Everyone was wonderful...knowledgeable and very caring."
• "All personnel were extremely friendly and helpful, made a difficult situation much easier to deal with."
• "As I told everyone upon completing my treatment, I wish I'd never had to meet you, but can't imagine having a better experience. Everyone was extremely pleasant, helpful, and kind. I was in shock that this had happened -- I'd been cancer free and somehow had forgotten that might not last -- and greatly appreciated the excellent care and caring."
• "Everyone was wonderful. I was fully taken care of by the staff. They are extremely courteous and respectful."
• "Having to go through a not pleasant situation I felt better with the entire staff from check in to treatment they should be commended."
• "I cannot express how impressed I have been with the entire team at Penn Medicine. The level of care and compassion that that they provide is unmatched."

A Sweet Gesture 🍪 Our staff at Penn Radiation Oncology Doylestown was delighted by a thoughtful gift of beautiful handmade cookies from a patient. We are grateful for this kindness and for the meaningful connections we share with those we care for every day.

Next Generation Art by the Children of Penn Faculty and Staff

Opening Reception: January 30, 2026 from 5-7pm Show Dates: January 26 - March 5, 2026

Our second edition of "Next Generation Art by the Children of Penn Faculty and Staff" will be on view from January 26 through March 5, with an opening reception on January 30 from 5:00–7:00pm. This joyful exhibition features artwork by many children from the RadOnc family, celebrating their creativity and imagination. We hope you’ll stop by to support our young artists and enjoy this special show.

The Beam of Life Team

https://www.breakthrough-challenge.org/

Save the Date: Next year's Breakthrough Challenge will be on Sunday, September 27, 2026

Five Questions With OncoLink...

Karen Arnold-Korzweniowski

1. What is a typical work day like for you? A typical work day for me starts with first checking in with the rest of the staff, ensuring the website is working as it should, then taking a look at my emails and tackling my to do list!
2. What led you to work at OncoLink? When I first started working as a floor nurse on what was Rhoads 3 at HUP, I wanted to learn more about oncology so I would read up about topics on OncoLink. A few years into my career, I helped precept a nurse named Molly, who happened to be the daughter of Maggie Hampshire, an employee of OncoLink. I met Maggie and the OncoLink team when I was presenting a poster at an ONS meeting. A few years later OncoLink was hiring, and Molly encouraged me to apply for the position. I was always passionate about patient education, and OncoLink was a great fit for me to continue to pursue that passion!
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? I think the coolest thing I am working on now is fostering an environment where each OncoLink team member can learn and grow through new projects and ventures. I love how creative and forward thinking the team can be.
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? Greece or Hawaii!
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? I am not the biggest fan of cold weather, so is staying inside an ok answer?! If it snows, I do enjoy shoveling. When the winter weather is more mild, I love to spend time outdoors with my kids, our dog, and our foster dogs enjoying some sunshine.

Christina Bach

1. What is a typical work day like for you? I spend a lot of time at my computer writing, reading, researching, teaching and looking at data. I also have some fun posting to OncoLink’s social media pages on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Facebook.
2. What led you to work at OncoLink? I started at OncoLink as a volunteer blogger in 2010. This turned into my full- time position in 2014. I was the first social worker to work full-time at OncoLink—before this, I worked as an inpatient and outpatient oncology social worker at Penn Medicine. I have worked at Penn Medicine for more than 25 years!
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? With my social work colleague Katherine Okonak, we started the OncoLink Oncology Social Work Learning Academy (OOSWLA), a social work continuing education platform offering web-based learning opportunities to social workers all over the world! OncoLink has long been a leader in healthcare professional education, and we are so proud to bring this expertise to social workers!
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? The Straits of Beagle and Patagonia. (if you know me, you know I have three beagles so—it fits!)
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? Sitting in front of a fire with a mug of coffee and my knitting. I also love watching my dogs play in the snow.

Marisa Healy

1. What is a typical work day like for you? Our team is great at communicating with one another throughout the day, so there is a lot of collaboration and brainstorming. Our editorial team works together to create, update, and edit the content on our site.
2. What led you to work at OncoLink? I have a Bachelors in English Literature and a minor in Writing, as well as a Bachelors in Nursing. Those combined with my past as an oncology nurse give me great purpose in creating patient-centered cancer education.
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? We are currently doing a major upgrade on our medication teaching sheets, which allows for a lot of collaboration and teamwork.
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? I would love to visit the Maldives.
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? I love to ski, take walks with my dog in the fresh air, and cuddle up with my 11 month old son for a movie to stay warm!

Lindsey Kellogg

1. What is a typical work day like for you? In a typical day, I am usually bouncing between editing course videos, building interactive courses, and meeting with my team about the latest plans for education initiatives across the department.
2. What led you to work at OncoLink? I spent five years as a learning designer at Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and I wanted to continue working in STEM learning design. I’ve always been interested in medicine, and the mission and culture of OncoLink really appealed to me in choosing the next step in my career!
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? Helping to build the OncoLink Oncology Social Work Learning Academy (OOSWLA) from the ground up was one of the most rewarding things I did last year, and we are currently planning to build more courses in this series in 2026.
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? Ireland or New Zealand 💚
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? I live in the city, and honestly I’ve been enjoying taking long walks in the cold though my neighborhood. (All you need is the right coat.) It’s easier to see Philadelphia now than in the heat of July!

Shanda Kennedy

1. What is a typical work day like for you? No two days are exactly the same, but most involve collaborating with the Global Education team and working with internal OncoLink team to make sure webistes is accurate and easy to navigate. Also creating new websites for the many wonder branches that the OncoLink teams continues to create.
2. What led you to work at OncoLink? To be honest, I was out of work for some time before joining the team and I looking for something more meaningful. When I learned about OncoLink’s mission to provide cancer information to those who need it most, I was impressed by its history and purpose. Joining a team that helps patients and caregivers felt like the right move. Also the fact that it was started and continues to remain one of the largest cancer information site is pretty cool!!!
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? OncoLink is creating some great things, I do not have one favorite project, but I love the freedom and the ability to be as creative as I like to create/work on new web sites.
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? Africa—any country! It’s been on my bucket list for a long time. I’d love to experience the culture, history, and natural beauty firsthand.
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? I’m a Capricorn, so nature is my happy place. I’ll try any new adventure at least once. But I also enjoy cozy time indoors with my dog or hanging out with my nieces and nephews. I also always ready to catch a game!!!

Courtney Misher

1. What is a typical workday like for you? No two days are the same, which is one of the things I love most about my role. My days often involve collaborating with educators and subject matter experts to develop educational content and programs, overseeing our learning management system, coordinating partnerships, and supporting initiatives that expand evidence-based cancer education for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals…including increased access to radiation medicine education.
2. What led you to work at Penn Radiation Oncology and OncoLink? I was drawn to Penn Radiation Oncology because of its strong commitment to innovation, education, and professional growth. After starting my career in Radiation Oncology and earning my Master’s in Public Health, my interest in global education continued to grow. When I learned about OncoLink’s mission… to provide up-to-date, evidence-based cancer education for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers across the cancer care continuum, I knew I wanted to pursue an opportunity in education, which is what led me to work at OncoLink.
3. What is the coolest thing you’re working on right now? One of the most exciting projects I’m working on is developing and delivering trauma-informed care education for healthcare professionals. Trauma-informed care recognizes that many patients have experienced trauma and that those experiences can influence how individuals respond to medical environments, communication, and treatment. This work involves collaborating with local and national partners to create training programs that help clinicians recognize signs of trauma, respond with empathy, and avoid re-traumatization during care. By using trauma-informed principles in everyday clinical practice, we can improve patient trust, engagement, and outcomes while also supporting staff well-being and resilience. Ultimately, it’s about creating healthcare environments where patients feel safe, respected, and empowered throughout their care journey.
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go? Greece has always been high on my travel list for its history, culture, and coastal beauty. I’d love to truly experience the local life…spending time on the beaches, exploring small towns, enjoying amazing food, and soaking in the culture.
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of the colder months in PA! During the cold weather season, you’ll usually find me enjoying hot coffee, spending extra time with my family, and embracing a slower pace that helps me recharge until warmer days return.

Katherine Okonak

1. What is a typical work day like for you? A lot of time at the computer! Between updating articles and drug sheets for OncoLink.org, developing content for the Oncology Social Work Learning Academy, and meetings, I spend a lot of time at my desk. I just put my walking pad back in my office so I can at least walk or stand some of the time!
2. What led you to work at Penn Radiation Oncology? I’ve been working in healthcare my entire career- clinically as a social worker, in psychosocial research, and now at OncoLink. I was ready for something new when I saw my supervisor from graduate school post the job listing on LinkedIn. I hadn’t connected with her in years, but I knew she had been with OncoLink happily for at least 10 years and I was looking for the kind of role I could be happy in long term too. It was the best career move I’ve made yet!
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? The OncoLink Oncology Social Work Learning Academy. Over the last year, our team has developed a continuing education platform for social workers. Christina Bach (the other OncoLink social worker and my supervisor from when I was a student) and I both saw a gap in continuing education for oncology social workers. There is just not a lot of CEU opportunities out there specific to social work in the oncology setting, and we both wanted to change that! It’s been a really exciting project and I’m excited to see where it leads- we launched our first 5 courses in November 2025 and already have a number of people enrolled in courses!
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? This is a tough one.. there are a lot of places I want to go. Right now I’m being called to Greece!
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? Cozying up by a fireplace, reading a good book, baking sourdough!

Alex Rodriguez

1. What is a typical work day like for you? A typical day involves translating content, working with our tech team to update and upgrade our core platform systems, identifying ways to improve our service, engaging in lots of communication between team members to help each other meet our daily and weekly goals and keeping up with changing technology within our learning and content systems.
2. What led you to work at OncoLink? My wife, an oncology nurse practitioner, called up the OncoLink office one day and asked if she could translate the OncoLink patient education content into Spanish to use with her patients in Camden, NJ. The team at OncoLink loved the idea and so began an effort to translate the content fully into Spanish. As OncoLink’s tech platform grew in complexity, one day in 2018, they called to ask her if she knww someone with a medical background, information technology experience and who was bilingual in Spanish to work full-time at OncoLink. She said, “I sure do — my husband.” When I spoke to the leadership team, I found them to be passionate about patient care, excited about the mission at PennMed and couldn’t wait to join the team and do my part to create resources and technology to advance our oncology patient education missions.
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? I am working on an enhancement to our web site that will allow patients and educators to personalize the way they find, store and consume content on our web site. I’m excited to see this tool come online in 2026.
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? I’ve always wanted to go to Greece. The weather, coastal regions, colorful homes and beaches, historical sights and the food all seem like wonderful things to experience. I also wouldn’t mind taking some brushes, acrylic paint and a portable easel to paint outside while enjoying the beautiful weather.
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? Well lately, it’s been doing my best to stay warm and to stay out of the cold!! Chicken soup, hot chocolate with lots of whip cream and a good book is my favorite cold weather activity, preferably next to a crackling fireplace with lots of spare firewood.

Mai Thammavong

1. What is a typical workday like for you? My typical workday consists of giving access to any new accounts within our LMS. Organizing and making sure that all our account finances are up to date with payments and invoices with our AP/AR teams. Making sure that all the Oncolink team is ready for any upcoming events (conferences, meetings, events) as necessary.
2. What led you to work at Oncolink? I’ve always wanted to work behind the scenes with “Penn Medicine” (outside of the healthcare industry) and accidentally happen to stumble upon a position with Oncolink, but I couldn’t be happier with this opportunity and extended family that I found.
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? I would have to say my most current coolest thing I’ve worked on recently would be helping with the build and launch of our “OncoLink Oncology Social Work Learning Academy” (OOSWLA) the end last year.
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world, you've never been, where would you go? There are so many places in this world that I’ve never been and want to go but the two top spots would have to be Iceland and The Maldives.
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? I just love being outside with fresh fallen snow and coming inside to warm hot chocolate. I don’t really have any specific activities to label as a favorite.

Allyson Van Horn

1. What is a typical work day like for you? A typical work day for me includes working on articles that need to be updated on Oncolink. I work with the editorial team to make plain language edits and make sure that each article has the most up to date information. For medication teaching sheet updates, I check the package inserts to ensure the information is up to date. I also write new articles and medication teaching sheets, and I work on testing and updating some of the tools on Oncolink.
2. What led you to work at Oncolink? After getting a master’s degree in public health and working as a health educator in the primary care setting, I saw how beneficial patient education is and developed a passion for it. I feel very grateful to be part of the Oncolink team.
3. What is the coolest thing you're working on right now? I am working on adding more cancer types to one of the tools on Oncolink called Catt (Cancer Teaching Tool).
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go? I would love to visit Greece!
5. What are some of your favorite cold weather activities? Summer is my favorite season, so during the cold weather months, I like to find new soup recipes to make and sit by my fireplace.

Rad Recommendations

Michele's Menu Musings by Michele Kim, PhD

EMei - 915 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Philadelphia’s Chinatown is here to stay, thankfully, and there are so many gems to discover. I was finally able to stop by EMei, a staple of Philly that has been around since 2011. Sichuan cuisine has risen in popularity over the years, and EMei is serving high-quality food and authentic flavors in a bustling restaurant. The menu at EMei is extensive, so this may be a restaurant best attended with a larger group to fully take advantage of the family-style dishes. One of the things EMei is known for is their array of whole fish. We ordered the crispy sweet and sour sea bass with pine nuts. Not only was this dish delicious, but it was visually stunning as well. A whole sea bass was filleted, scored, and fried until slightly crisp. It was dressed in a homemade sweet and sour sauce and topped with toasted pine nuts and thin ribbons of chopped scallions. There are several other whole fish dishes on the menu, and I’m excited to go back and try more of them, as they all sound unique and full of flavor. We also ordered a cold appetizer of cucumber with garlic sauce. Fresh and crunchy cucumber slices were tossed in smashed raw garlic, scallions, and sesame oil. This is a great add on for those spicy dishes you may order. The garlic is potent but never overwhelming, and this was a great bite to add some freshness to the meal. Next up, the pork belly was braised in a soy sauce broth until ultra-tender and seared and sauced before being served. The large chunks of pork belly were served on a bed of bok choy. We ordered a lamb dish as well, where slices of thinly cut lamb were seasoned with cumin and chili flakes and wok-fried with bell peppers, onions, chilies, and topped with cilantro. Definitely on the spicier side, but the intensity can be adjusted as needed. But if you love spice, EMei might have to be on your hit list. Overall, this was a great meal full of flavor and spices. I do recommend going with a bunch of friends so that you can try several dishes together. My friend has also mentioned that they do deliver and have a decent amount of options for those that are gluten free. I have some new goals for 2026, and one of them is to explore more of Chinatown. EMei is a great spot to check out if you’re looking for good Sichuan cuisine in a modern setting without breaking the bank.

Do you have any recommendations you'd like to share with the Spotlight? Email your reviews for movies, TV shows, books, and podcasts to RadOncSpotlight@uphs.upenn.edu