Perelman School of Medicine celebrates renaming

Last night, the University applauded a step toward its goal to “heal the world.”

At the Translational Research Center, nearly 350 guests attended a reception honoring businessman and 1940 Wharton graduate Raymond Perelman. Though the event was held primarily to celebrate the naming of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, Perelman was also presented the University of Pennsylvania Medal for Distinguished Achievement.

Last spring, Perelman and his late wife, Ruth, made a gift of $225 million to name Penn’s School of Medicine. The gift was both the largest-ever single donation to the University and the largest gift to name a medical school in the country. The Perelmans intended their donation to improve financial aid for medical students, attract eminent faculty and educators and, in Gutmann’s words, “speed the pace of progress toward realizing life-saving and life-enhancing medical breakthroughs.”

Director of Communications for Penn Medicine Development Susan Johnson referred to the evening event as the “formal ‘coming-out’ party for the Perelman School of Medicine.” She added, “Something like this doesn’t happen very often, not in a lifetime or in a school’s history.”

Both Penn’s history and future were well represented among the guests, which included select faculty, trustees, friends and family of the Perelmans. Many first-year medical students, donning white lab coats and drinking champagne, also attended.

The students, who were accepted to the Perelman School of Medicine before its change of name, felt honored by Perelman’s enormous influence on their school.

“It’s a part of the environment we’re in now, so it feels appropriate to celebrate it,” Adam Gigliotti, a first-year medical student, said. “I kept the acceptance letter with the original name. Now it’s kind of vintage in a way.”

During a brief break in the reception, guests were invited to sit while several speakers issued high praise both for Perelman and for Penn at large.
Outgoing Chairman of the Board of Penn Medicine James Riepe, who spoke first, noted the School of Medicine’s transition from the “first medical school in the 13 colonies” to the “culture of innovation that became so characteristic of our school.”

Other speakers, like Medical School Dean Larry Jameson, expressed their optimism for the school’s future.

“Ray only picks winners,” said Jameson. “And you have created a juggernaut among the medical schools in this country.”

Then after Gutmann formally awarded the Medal for Distinguished Achievement, Perelman made his own remarks.

“This is a great day for my family,” he said. “Great things happen at Penn, and I am thrilled to have you all here to share this with me.”

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