Community Engagement

Community engagement isn’t just a form of service at Penn Nursing: it’s essential to who we are. Community engagement is a fundamental aspect of Penn Nursing’s social justice mission. Our research and clinical expertise benefit those who live and work around us. Our community, in turn, helps us truly understand what we seek to learn in the classroom, lab, and clinical setting. 

The heart of our work

At Penn Nursing, community engagement forms the backbone of how we communicate, translate, and apply nursing knowledge. For us, this is not only our mission but a heartfelt commitment to partner with our community to improve health and promote positive social change in communities around Philadelphia and the world.

Several Penn Nursing students have successfully incorporated community engagement as winners of the competitive President Engagement Prize. These prizes reflect Penn Nursing and Penn’s commitment to public service by rewarding students who demonstrate a purpose-driven desire to get out and make a difference — in their community, across the country, and around the world.

All Upcoming Events

 

September 3 | 6:00 PM EDT - 8:00 PM EDT

Documentary Screening: “Cleaning in the House of Healing”

 

September 19 | 3:00 PM EDT - 4:00 PM EDT

Narcan Training with The Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy

Documentary Screening: “Cleaning in the House of Healing”- 9.3.2025

Join the Office of School and Community Engagement for a documentary screening and talk back featuring real people and real stories that uplift the voices of those who clean in hospitals. 

Read MoreDocumentary Screening: “Cleaning in the House of Healing”- 9.3.2025

International Overdose Awareness Day Resource Guide 2025

This resource guide can serve as a foundation for increased awareness, outreach coordination, community engagement, harm reduction, resource finding or restorative healing tied to International Overdose Awareness Day—August 31, 2025. 

Read MoreInternational Overdose Awareness Day Resource Guide 2025

Meet Our Team

Sydney Edelson

Sydney Edelson, BS, CAAP

Program Coordinator, Office of School and Community Engagement
Monique Howard

Monique S. Howard, EdD, MPH

Senior Director of Community Engagement

Community partnerships and outreach

Working with our community partners has helped our outreach programs touch hundreds of thousands of lives, especially those of marginalized communities.

Our outreach efforts are supported through student-led initiatives such as Community Champions.

Part of the curriculum

Penn recognizes that putting theory to practice not only drives home academic concepts, it opens the eyes of students to related, real-life, human issues. Our Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses help you turn your knowledge into civic leadership, and are offered at Nursing and across the University.

 

All Upcoming Events

 

September 3 | 6:00 PM EDT - 8:00 PM EDT

Documentary Screening: “Cleaning in the House of Healing”

 

September 19 | 3:00 PM EDT - 4:00 PM EDT

Narcan Training with The Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy

Documentary Screening: “Cleaning in the House of Healing”- 9.3.2025

Join the Office of School and Community Engagement for a documentary screening and talk back featuring real people and real stories that uplift the voices of those who clean in hospitals. 

Read MoreDocumentary Screening: “Cleaning in the House of Healing”- 9.3.2025

International Overdose Awareness Day Resource Guide 2025

This resource guide can serve as a foundation for increased awareness, outreach coordination, community engagement, harm reduction, resource finding or restorative healing tied to International Overdose Awareness Day—August 31, 2025. 

Read MoreInternational Overdose Awareness Day Resource Guide 2025