A landmark $8 million gift from the RTW Foundation will launch a major effort to redesign the curriculum at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, aimed at preparing future physicians for a rapidly changing clinical and scientific landscape. Penn Medicine said the commitment, led by Penn Medicine Board of Trustees member Rod Wong, M’03, and Marti Speranza Wong, C’98, is the largest donation in the school’s history dedicated specifically to curriculum innovation.
The initiative is intended to reshape how Penn trains medical students as advances such as gene therapies, artificial intelligence, remote monitoring, and telemedicine transform the practice of medicine. The new curriculum plan centers on integrating technology, AI, and data more deeply into training, with an emphasis on flexibility and customized learning plans through a concept described as “precision education,” modeled on precision medicine’s individualized approach to patient care.
Penn said emerging tools, including ambient listening technology, are expected to support the development of clinical reasoning skills and team-based care. The redesign also envisions expanded use of customized AR/VR simulations for anatomy, diagnostic training, and procedural practice, including skills like ultrasound and suturing. The broader goal is to build a data-rich ecosystem of interwoven AI tools, potentially drawing insights from how students use Penn’s electronic medical record system during clinical education, to tailor each student’s educational pathway.
The gift also deepens Penn’s focus on entrepreneurship and health care innovation. The funds will establish the Roderick Wong, M’03 Endowed Lectureship in business and entrepreneurship, with events planned twice per year to bring leaders in medicine and innovation to campus. In addition, the gift names and supports the Roderick Wong Entrepreneurship Pathway, designed to provide mentorship, workshops, and project-based learning, building on Penn’s tradition of cross-disciplinary opportunities across its 12 schools.
Penn also linked the gift to earlier efforts supported by Wong and the RTW Foundation, including the creation of PennHealthX in 2013, a student-led program focused on health care management, entrepreneurship, and technology. The university said PennHealthX has backed more than 50 student-run startups spanning a range of health-related use cases.
Leadership for the curriculum redesign will come from Penn Medicine education leaders Lisa M. Bellini, MD, Executive Vice Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, and Jennifer R. Kogan, MD, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. Penn said research and testing will be central to the effort, with an intent to share new tools in an open-source format that could be adopted by other medical schools.
Penn positioned the overhaul as the next chapter in a longer arc of curriculum evolution that included “Curriculum 2000,” a late-1990s initiative that emphasized professionalism, patient-centered care, and humanism, and expanded training methods such as standardized patient programs. The new curriculum initiative is designed to push further into technology-enabled training while supporting student well-being and personalized educational journeys.
KEY QUOTES
“I see interdisciplinary work in motion all across Penn, and it’s powerful when students and faculty have the runway to expand their thinking. This gift from the RTW Foundation, powering a leading approach to medical education with an entrepreneurial model will be another groundbreaking way that the Perelman School of Medicine is the setting the standard for the future of medicine. Rod and Marti exemplify the very best of Penn—visionary alumni leaders whose commitment to advancing medicine will shape generations to come.”
J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, President, University of Pennsylvania
“I believe medical innovation is the key to life being better in the future than it is today. And as science accelerates, to train physicians for the future, so should education. Penn has the courage and the team to pursue this, which is why I am so excited to have the opportunity to support this effort.”
Rod Wong, M’03
“I’ve been at Penn for 30 years, and I’m so proud of the doctors who’ve trained here, whether they have pursued clinical care, research, entrepreneurship, or other paths. But much has changed in that time, both in the information we must teach and in the ways students can learn best. This generous gift empowers us to experiment with cutting-edge teaching methods and tools to build a curriculum that keeps pace as medicine continues to evolve.”
Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, Dean, Perelman School of Medicine; EVP, University of Pennsylvania for the Health System
“Training the next generation of physicians who will shape and advance medicine requires weaving new technologies into education while helping students understand both community needs and the power of highly personalized care. We are building on Penn’s legacy of leading in education to create a more flexible, personalized journey that fuels curiosity, supports student well-being, and prepares them to give every patient the very best care.”
Jennifer R. Kogan, MD, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, Perelman School of Medicine
