Our Commitment

We’ve joined forces with the other schools at Penn to promote diversity and inclusivity in ways that make our community better for all who study here.

We are working to increase the diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives among our incoming classes at all levels, and continuing to grow that same diversity among our faculty through both local and global outreach efforts. We envision an environment that thrives on the diversity we cultivate here, and we invite anyone interested to become involved with our efforts.

Our Diversity Action Plan

There are four main tenets of our diversity action plan:

To change the face of academic nursing so that it reflects our global society.
To foster a climate that attracts, retains, and promotes a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives among our faculty members.
To make our school a preeminent model of diversity and inclusivity among top-tier institutions.
To support the integration of inclusivity, social justice, gender sensitivity, and cultural knowledge into nursing science, education, and practice.

Download the full plan (PDF)

Meet Our Team

Sydney Edelson, BS, CAAP

Program Coordinator, Office of Diversity and Inclusivity, and Community Engagement

Diversity and Inclusivity Advisory Committee

The Diversity and Inclusivity Advisory Committee (DIAC) serves as an advisory committee to the Dean and also as a catalyst for creating an inclusive School of Nursing environment.

Heather Kelley, Co-Chair
Deputy Director, RWJF Future of Nursing Scholars Past Chair, Penn Professional Staff Assembly

Angelarosa Didonato, Co-Chair
Associate Program Director, Nurse Anesthesia Program

Dionysia Petrakis, Administration Representative
Program Coordinator of Biobehavioral Health Sciences

Eleanor A Burke, Administration Representative
Program Coordinator of Family and Community Health

Sydney Edelson, Administration Representative
Program Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Engagement

Lucia Dinapoli, Administration Representative
Assistant Dean, Office of the Dean

Recent News

Inaugural Fellows Announced for the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing

Penn Nursing Dean Antonia M. Villarruel, along with 14 alums and associates of Penn Nursing, are among the inaugural class of 175 Fellows selected for the newly established Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing (ADLN). The inaugural ADLN Fellows have demonstrated expertise in one or more areas of nursing education, research, practice, policy, or administration as it relates to issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI).