Scott Halpern (pointing) and Elizabeth Cooney-Zingman (4th from left) with staffers from their research centers who work with SUMR Scholars.
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Perelman Medical School Professor Scott Halpern, MD, PhD, and colleague Elizabeth Cooney-Zingman, MPH, have been mentoring SUMR Scholars for the last 12 years. Halpern is the Director of Penn's Palliative and Advanced Illness Research Center (PAIR) and the Fostering Improvement in End-of-Life Decision Science Program (FIELDS). Cooney-Zingman is Chief of Staff of PAIR, where SUMR Scholars are integrated into underway research projects.

"A key area of importance for health services research is to identify and surmount disparities in access to and outcomes following health care," said Halpern. "We couldn't possibly meet this goal fully without actively working to diversify the pool of scientists doing this work. The SUMR program is an important way to do just that."