RETIREMENT of Karen Grasse

As many of you know, Karen Grasse recently retired after a longstanding career in the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) and Office of Inclusion, Diversity, & Inclusion, Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM).

Karen had primary oversight of PSOM’s faculty search and recruitment processes.  She provided thoughtful consultation and guidance to department administrators and leaders ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and best practices for attracting and hiring the highest caliber of faculty to PennMedicine.  Karen was our resident expert on visa requirements for academic appointments and was instrumental in the development of the Diversity Search Advisor Program in addition to many other valuable initiatives over the years.  Her level of professionalism, keen judgement, and problem-solving skills allowed her to excel in every area.

Karen’s bright personality and work ethic has left a mark on all of us and set a standard for her successor.  We are grateful for her years of dedication, sharing her wealth of historical knowledge and making every second at work count.  I personally owe her a debt of gratitude for helping during my transition.  Karen’s retirement is our loss, but a well-deserved respite for her and we wish her well

NEW HIRES

We are pleased to let you know that Kimberly (Kim) Haebel accepted the position of Assistant Director of Academic Affairs & Diversity and Priscilla Duncan joined our office as Program Coordinator

Kimberly Haebel

We are excited to share that Kimberly Haebel has accepted the position of Assistant Director of Academic Affairs & Diversity.  Kim joined OAA in 2014 in the role of Sr. Faculty Affairs Coordinator, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Liaison.  Prior to joining OAA, Kim was a Faculty Affairs and Human Resource Coordinator in the Department of Emergency Medicine and a Human Resource Coordinator in Space Planning and Operations, PSOM.  She brings with her 15 years of experience with Penn and PSOM and has broad expertise in faculty affairs, human resources, and policy and procedure. Her interpersonal skills and comprehensive approach to understanding complex situations will be to all of our advantage.  Kim has a BA in Media Arts from Temple University and a certificate in Business Essentials from Wharton School.  She is currently a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. 

We look forward to Kim applying her combined years of experience to help us reach new heights in search and recruitment, OIDE, and other areas.

Priscilla Duncan

Another exciting addition is Priscilla Duncan as Program Coordinator.  Priscilla has over 15 years of administrative experience in the retail and education industries.  As the Workforce Development Coordinator for Philadelphia OIC, she led the charge in the development and implementation of a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program, which supports diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts amongst skilled trades for young adults who reside in the Opportunity Network within the School District of Philadelphia.  Priscilla’s most recent role has been as Administrative Coordinator to the Office of Academic Affairs where she has seamlessly worked across and added value to almost every area in OAA.

As she transitions into the role of Program Coordinator, among other duties, Priscilla will provide support for the Academic Foundations Certificate Program, a longitudinal mentoring program for PSOM CE faculty, in addition to several faculty committees and faculty affairs programs.

Both Kim and Priscilla look forward to working with you in their new roles.