Several Penn administrators, faculty ranked among most influential people in Philadelphia

Penn administrators and faculty members have been named among Philadelphia Magazine's 76 most influential people in Philadelphia.

The ranked list featured Penn President Amy Gutmann and Penn Health System Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mahoney, along with Penn professors Ezekiel Emanuel, Osagie Imasogie, Carl June, Angela Duckworth, and Virginia Man-Yee Lee. The list emphasized the increased importance of doctors, innovators, and activists amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic and this year's protests for racial justice. 

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney topped the ranking, followed by Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts, and Philadelphia City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart. Second-term City Councilmember and 1993 College graduate Helen Gym ranked sixth. 

Labeled as a "Big (Ivy) Leaguer," Penn President Amy Gutmann ranked 19th on the list. According to Philadelphia Magazine, Gutmann's greatest achievement as President is tripling financial aid since 2004 and more than doubling the number of admitted students from low-income, middle-income, and first-generation-college families. On the other hand, the magazine noted criticism Gutmann has long faced from advocates pushing Penn to pay Payments in Lieu of Taxes, financial contributions that property tax-exempt organizations voluntarily make to local governments. 

Ranked 24th on the list, UPHS CEO Kevin Mahoney is responsible for a vast medical system, including the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Medicine's six hospitals, and 530 outpatient clinics. Next year, Penn Med is opening the largest inpatient hospital in Philadelphia across from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Ranked 30th on the list, Ezekiel Emanuel, Penn Vice Provost of Global Initiatives and Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, serves as a member of former Penn Presidential Professor of Practice and President-elect Joe Biden's Public Health Advisory Committee. Along with being a voice of expertise during the pandemic this year, Emanuel was a special advisor for health policy to the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget from 2009 to 2011.

Penn Law School professor and venture capitalist Osagie Imasogie, who recently donated $3 million to Penn Law for the Imasogie Professorship in Law and Technology, ranked 36th on the list. Professor of Immunotherapy at Perelman Medical School Carl June ranked 39th on the list, recognized for developing a breakthrough cancer treatment for patients with an aggressive type of leukemia.

Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author and renowned psychology professor, ranked 57th on the list for efforts to expand her research in psychology to advocate for equity in Philadelphia's public school system. 

Ranked 67th on the list, Director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at Perelman Medical School Virginia Man-Yee Lee has made several key discoveries related to Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s diseases that have informed improved treatments for millions of Americans.