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Calendar of Events
Through the generosity of our donors and funders, most College lectures and programs are
free and open to the public, and we invite you to participate.
The College's Spring 2012 Calendar of Events is now available exclusively online!
Click the image above to be taken to our interactive online calendar. A plain text version follows below.
Sunday, February 26 | 3:00PM
"Understanding his peculiarities": Camp William Penn and the Health of the United States Colored Troops During the Civil War
Featuring:
- Robert D. Hicks, PhD (Director of the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia) will discuss the medical experience of the USCT and demonstrate tools and medicines used to treat these soldiers.
- Joseph Becton (musician, historian, and USCT re-enactor) will perform Civil War music on the guitar and harmonica and talk about the life of Joseph D. Anderson, principal musician of the 3rd Regiment USCT, and Francis Johnson, bandmaster and composer.
- James Paradis, PhD (educator, author/historian, CROHL Board member) will shine the Camp William Penn spotlight on Rev. Jeremiah Asher, 6th Regiment USCT chaplain.
This is a free event. Donations will be accepted. Please note: this event IS NOT at the College; the event will be held at:
La Mott Community Center
7420 Sycamore Ave.
La Mott, PA 19027
Sponsored by Citizens for the Restoration of Historical La Mott and Camp William Penn Museum.
For more information or in case of severe weather conditions, call 215-885-2258.
Saturday, March 3 | 1:00PM
Screening of Through the Weeping Glass, the latest film by the Quay Brothers
Be the FIRST to get the DVD of the Quay Brothers film about the Mütter Museum, Through the Weeping Glass!
Join us for a final viewing of Through the Weeping Glass, a reflective hybrid documentary on the collections of books, instruments, and medical anomalies at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, made by internationally-renowed filmmakers, the Quay Brothers. Following the film, there will be a discussion with Robert Hicks, PhD, Measey Chair for the History of Medicine, Director of the Mütter Museum & Historical Medical Library.
Choose from two price points:
- The $10 ticket gets you admission to the screening and a FREE copy of the DVD
- The $20 ticket gets you admission to the screening, a FREE copy of the DVD, plus FREE admission to the Mütter Museum
About the Film
The coupling of the Quay Brothers' vision with the collections of the College's Historical Medical Library and Mütter Museum has produced a riveting experience of contemplative set pieces exploring the College. This short film (running time: 31 minutes) is the first made in the United States by these internationally recognized artists. Adding to the film's visual strength is a powerful musical score by composer Timothy Nelson and a resonant voice-over by Derek Jacobi.
Through the Weeping Glass was commissioned by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia and jointly produced by Atelier Koninck QBFZ, Ltd., and PRO BONO films. This project has been supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative.
Wednesday, March 7 | 12:00n – 1:00PM
Food & Thought: "This Time It's Different? The Economics and Politics of the Great Recession"
Click HERE to purchase all remaining three Food & Thought lectures for only $30!
Mark Twain said that, "History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme." To what degree are the political and economic events that we are living through similar to the past, and to what degree are they different? In short, are things really getting worse, or does it just feel that way? In this talk, Dr. Kuperberg will explore these questions, focusing on the economic, political and legal issues that shape our collective civic experience.
Speaker: Mark Kuperberg, PhD, Professor of Economics, Swarthmore College
Tuesday, March 13 | 6:30PM
The Ethics of Using Prisoners as Sources of Cadaver Organs
The movement to try and close the ever-widening gap between demand and supply of organs by creative strategies has recently arrived at the prison gate in the USA and other nations. While there is some enthusiasm for using prisoners as sources of organs, there are both practical barriers and moral concerns which make it likely that the use of prisoners will not and ought not contribute in any way to relieving the problem of organ shortage through cadaveric donation. Indeed it is time for the medical community to speak up in protest of the continuing practice of execution to get organs in China and some other nations.
Speaker: Arthur Caplan, PhD, FCPP
Sponsored by the College's Section on Medicine, Ethics, and the Law
Wednesday, March 21 | 12:00n – 1:00PM
Food & Thought: "Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to Do the Right Thing or Can Empathy Be Taught?"
Click HERE to purchase all remaining three Food & Thought lectures for only $30!
When our social institutions—hospitals, schools, courtrooms, or banks—are not giving us what we need, we reach for two tools to make them work better—more and stricter rules, and smarter incentives. In this talk Dr. Schwartz will argue that neither rules, no matter how strict, nor incentives, no matter how smart, can get us what we need. They are no substitute for virtue, and for the particular virtue that Aristotle called “practical wisdom.” Indeed rules and incentives typically make the problem worse. Rules prevent people from developing the skill they need to do the right thing, and incentives undermine people's will to do the right thing. The argument will draw on examples from a variety of different social institutions, including medicine.
Speaker: Barry Schwartz, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Swarthmore College
Thursday, March 22 | 6:30PM
Catastrophe and Survival: Yellow Fever and Philadelphia, 1793
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, in cooperation with History Making Productions, is pleased to present a screening of the newest episode of the documentary series, Philadelphia: The Great Experiment, entitled Fever: 1793 which chronicles the devastating and nearly catastrophic yellow fever epidemic which engulfed the city in the summer and fall of 1793 and returned in 1797, 1798 and 1799. The fever terminated Philadelphia's hopes to retain its role as the nation's capital, badly split the medical community over causes and cures, exposed major rifts in society over race and class and threatened to unravel the precarious threads that bound a young nation together. Only through heroic action and assumption of great personal risk, was Philadelphia even able to survive as a viable community. Matthew Clarkson, a relatively powerless mayor, organized volunteers including Richard Allen and Stephen Girard to take actions to care for the suffering, bury the dead and restore a measure of calm. Physicians like Benjamin Rush and William Currie persevered in the face of enormous patient caseloads, nearly total gloom and vicious personal attacks from with the medical community to treat victims and administer their therapies. Former slave Sarah Bass was on the front lines helping mostly white families in anticipation that she and many other black nurses would earn the respect and appreciation of their white neighbors, an aspiration not realized in the aftermath of the epidemic. In the end it was the public and civic response to the fever that most characterized the city, through the development of the first municipal water system, reclaiming the areas first planned by William Penn as public squares, implementing a quarantine hospital for immigrants and surging ahead with medical research and innovation.
In addition to presenting the episode and one or two accompanying webisodes, Sam Katz, Executive Producer and Director of the film, will speak about the project and engage in a Q&A session. Sam will be joined by Robert Hicks, PhD, Measey Chair for the History of Medicine, Director of the Mütter Museum & Historical Medical Library, and Helen C. Koenig, MD, MPH, an expert in infectious diseases, each of whom will bring a unique perspective to understanding the threat of major epidemics to urban populations.Sponsored by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, its Section on Medicine & the Arts, and History Making Productions.
Wednesday, March 28 | 11:00AM - 12:00n
The Public Health Agenda for Pennsylvania
Eli N. Avila, MD, JD, MPH, FCLM, Secretary of Health, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will join the Section on Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the College to outline his perspective on the public health issues of importance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Secretary Avila will then join a panel discussion with other public health physicians on the public health priorities for the Commonwealth as well as the Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania region. Beginning his post on January 18, 2011 as Pennsylvania's top health regulator, Dr. Avila is responsible for carrying out the Health Department's mission to promote healthy lifestyles, prevent injury and disease and to assure the safe delivery of quality health care for all Pennsylvania citizens.
Speaker: Eli N. Avila, MD, JD, MPH, FCLM, Secretary of Health, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
This event is sponsored by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the College's Section on Public Health and Preventive Medicine as part the Section's periodic programming highlighting matters of public health significance and interest to the public health community.
Wednesday, April 4 | 6:30PM
Merger Games
Merger Games: The Medical College of Pennsylvania, Hahnemann University, and the Rise and Fall of the Allegheny Healthcare System by Judith P. Swazey (Temple University Press, 2011) is the riveting story of the ill-fated merger between Allegheny Healthcare System and Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University. The case remains a controversial and highly-debated landmark in academic medicine mergers to this day. Join us as we host the author discussing her book and sharing her insight on this historic event.
Speaker: Judith P. Swazey, independent scholar and an Adjunct Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health
Sponsored by the College and its Section on Medical History
Tuesday, April 10 | 6:30PM
Viewing of I Remember Better When I Paint
Join us for a viewing of I Remember Better When I Paint (French Connection Films and the Hilgos Foundation), an exceptional internationally noted documentary highlighting the positive impacts of the creative arts on Alzheimer’s patients.
Following the film, there will be a discussion with Berna G. Huebner, one of the film’s writers and directors, and Anjan Chatterjee, MD, FAAN, FCPP, Professor of Neurology, and a member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and the Center for Neuroscience and Society at the University of Pennsylvania. The evening promises to be a dynamic exploration of the intersection between the creative arts and medicine. The film is narrated by Hollywood legend Olivia de Havilland.
Speakers:
- Anjan Chatterjee, MD, FAAN, FCPP, Professor of Neurology, and a member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and the Center for Neuroscience and Society at the University of Pennsylvania
- Berna G. Huebner, President, Chair and Founder of the Hilgos Foundation
Sponsored by the College and its Section on Medicine and the Arts.
Tuesday, April 17 | 6:30PM
The Robert L. Sadoff, MD, FCPP Lecture: A Prosecutor Takes a Hard Look at Ethical Issues
In this year’s annual Sadoff Lecture, Lynne Abraham will discuss the ethical issues she believes are essential for prosecutors to embrace and practice. Ms. Abraham will call on her many years of service as both Common Pleas Judge and District Attorney of Philadelphia to illustrate her concerns.
Speaker: Honorable Lynne Abraham, partner in Archer & Greiner, PC
Sponsored by the College's Section on Medicine, Ethics, and the Law
Wednesday, April 25 | 6:30PM
Boy of Bone: Twelve Stories Inspired by the Mütter Museum
"This latest horn was Madame Sunday's third." So begins Boy of Bone, K.R. Sands' collection of stories, each inspired by one of the exhibits at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. In a remarkable feat of atmospheric storytelling, K.R. Sands imagines the lives of the people suffering the conditions now on display. Horns grow on the face and hands of a seamstress in 1835 Paris. The sister of a fallen Civil War soldier endeavors to honor him with a book bound in his skin. And in the haunting title story, a little boy in Philadelphia, afflicted with a rare genetic disease, waits years for death as his muscles slowly turn to bone. In imagining the lives of those now on exhibit at the Mütter, K.R. Sands has created thrilling, utterly original stories that get to the heart of what it means to be human, with all its complications: suffering, joy, love, sorrow, and ultimately, death.
Join us for an illustrated talk on this new book and the exhibits in the Mütter Museum that inspired it. Artwork featured in the talk will include that of nationally acclaimed artist Jon Lezinsky, whose original digital collages illustrate the book, which will be sold on site. After the talk, author K.R. Sands will sign copies of the book, and the Mütter Museum will be open for free admission. Sales of this book benefit The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Speaker: K.R. Sands, Author, Boy of Bone: Twelve Stories Inspired by the Mütter Museum
Sponsored by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Thursday, April 26 | 6:30PM
Science of Death: What Lies within Mütter and beneath Laurel Hill
Curiosity is a wonderful thing and this trip through the mysterious and bizarre is sure to keep you riveted from beginning to end. Join Anna Dhody, Curator of the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, as she regales you with an informative talk on the historic rise of embalming during and after the Civil War. Let your inquisitive side be your guide as you learn about chemicals, equipment and just what makes the science of death. Attendees will also have the opportunity to check out some of the Museum's great objects during the lecture.
Afterwards, Alexis Jeffcoat of Laurel Hill Cemetery will lead participants on a twilight journey through the site, visiting the gravesites of those residents with stories both odd and unforgettable, including a prominent industrialist's strange and fatal dental visit; a victim of an Old West cook nicknamed "Red Bill;" and the woman who simply left behind her heart. No tour on this subject would be complete without greeting a few of Philadelphia's famed undertakers as well.
This program for the Philadelphia Science Festival (www.philasciencefestival.org) is presented by the Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery in collaboration with the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. It will take place on Thursday, April 26 at 6:30pm, departing from Laurel Hill Cemetery's Gatehouse entrance at 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132, and concluding with refreshments, wine and beer. Free parking is located in the lot across the street from the Gatehouse.
The cost is $20/person general admission. Advance registration is requested. Tickets can be purchased by calling (215) 228-8200 or online at www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org.
Please note that this event is at Laurel Hill Cemetary, not The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Friday, April 27 | 6:00PM - 10:00PM
Murder at the Mütter™ : President Lincoln Is Shot!
Join us for an interactive night of fun as we explore the forensics behind the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln! Following a live re-enactment of the assassination, there will be a two-part investigation of the crime. In the first portion, guests will participate in the examination of the crime scene using forensic methods of the 1860s; in the second portion, guests will hear from a roster of contemporary forensic experts covering everything from ballistics, crime scene investigation, and blood analysis. The activities will be followed by a reception.
Sponsored by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Science Festival. You must be 21 years-old or older to attend this event.
Tuesday, May 8 | 6:30PM
Bones, Books, & Bell Jars: A Conversation with Photographer Andrea Baldeck, MD, FCPP
What is it like to go behind the scenes at the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia? It is an opportunity to venture from basement to attic, encountering treasures in storerooms and library stacks. It is the chance to open books rare and beautiful, to hold instruments wielded long-ago in laboratory and clinic, to encounter specimens floating in fluid-filled glass jars, to marvel at articulated skeletons, to keep company with history. It is to become aware of the vanished lives of countless caregivers and patients when surrounded by visible and palpable evidence of the past.
With a physician's training and a photographer's sensibility, Andrea Baldeck, MD, FCPP, Fellow and Trustee of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, explored the wealth of materia medica, selecting and combining objects in still life compositions that speak of the art, science and history of medicine. By capturing the eye, stimulating the imagination and provoking questions, these arrangements are intended to engage the viewer in a visual dialogue about the nature of illness, suffering and the healing arts.
Come celebrate the new book and exhibit with an illustrated talk by Dr. Baldeck, introduced by Robert Hicks, PhD, Measey Chair for the History of Medicine, Director of the Mütter Museum & Historical Medical Library, followed by question and answer session. After the program, Dr. Baldeck will sign copies of the book, and the Mütter Museum will be open, free of admission, for lecture attendees. To learn more about Dr. Baldeck, click HERE.
Wednesday, May 16 | 12:00n – 1:00PM
Food & Thought: “Snakes, Sex, Sushi, Saunas, and Spinach”
Click HERE to purchase all remaining three Food & Thought lectures for only $30!
Although we don’t often think about it, changes in society can have profound impacts on patterns of disease. In fact, our seemingly ordinary life choices can have harmful and lasting effects on the health of our communities. In this colorful, story-filled talk, Dr. Lorber uses real-life examples to show how travel, dietary patterns, use of leisure time, sexual behavior, medical progress, alternative medicine, the weather, and even politics can change patterns of infectious diseases.
Speaker: Bennett Lorber, MD, FCPP, MACP, Thomas M. Durant Professor of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Temple University School of Medicine; President of the Board, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Wednesday, May 16 | 4:00PM - 8:00PM
Spring 2012 Public Health Poster & Awards Session
Regional public health activities and research will be showcased using posters by professionals and students from public health and related disciplines. The Section will also recognize specific individuals and organizations for their distinguished leadership in the field of public health. This event serves to increase the awareness of the public health work in the Philadelphia region. Open to the public, interested individuals will have an opportunity to meet and discuss important public health issues with public health and medical professionals, community organizations, faculty and students.
Come to network with other public health professionals in the area, learn of recent goings-on, and of course, have a great time!
Sponsored by the College's Section on Public Health & Preventive Medicine.
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REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Pre-registration for all programs and events is strongly urged. For further information regarding events and registration, please e-mail info@collegeofphysicians.org or call 215-399-2341.
FEES INFORMATION
College lectures & programs are free and open to the public. Any applicable reception fees are indicated on the event registration pages.
COLLEGE BUSINESS HOURS
Monday through Friday, 9:00AM to 5:00PM
215-563-3737 | www.collegeofphysicians.org
MÜTTER MUSEUM HOURS
10:00AM to 5:00PM daily. Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25 and January 1.
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