Dear HUP Nursing Alumni,

Every five years, the HUP Nursing Alumni Association hosts an amazing reunion weekend to reconnect and remember. One hundred and twenty-five years ago – one year before the founding of the National Institutes of Health, several years before the discovery of penicillin and even longer before the establishment of Medicare – the University of Pennsylvania was breaking boundaries in nursing education. Since the very first class of nurses at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Training School for Nurses, nurses at Penn have embodied dedicated healthcare professionals, innovative scientists and inspiring leaders. That tradition set the tone for the past 125 years, and in my three years as President of the Penn Nursing Alumni Association, every alumnus I have met upholds the traditions of critical thinking, patient advocacy, compassionate care and a zest for discovery.

The first graduates of the HUP program would marvel at this alumni website – complete with stories about classmates, professional resources and tips for when and how to connect with classmates – and our new joint 125^th website. I hope that you will find their legacy and yours within these pages. In this 125^th year of Penn Nursing education, learn about our history, stay up-to-date on the special events that will highlight this incredible year, and of course, share with all of your classmates the wonderful things you are doing to improve the lives of patients and advance the profession today.

Thank you for being one of our more than 14,000 alumni who has continued the 125-year tradition of excellence and innovation in nursing.

Sincerely,

Naomi Higuchi, Nu'86, GNu'92, GNC’97
President, Penn Nursing Alumni