The Office of the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives provides strategic direction for Penn’s global endeavors with a focus on efficient investment of university resources for global activities. The Office collaborates with Schools and Center across Penn and seeks to catalyze cross-school collaborations to integrate knowledge that addresses key issues. We partner with leaders from Penn and around the world to develop innovative interdisciplinary global strategies, initiatives and programs.
In addition, the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and its reporting offices provide important services in support of Penn’s global endeavors, including academic year study abroad, immigration services for international students and operational and compliance support for international projects. The four reporting offices are Penn Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, Global Support Services and Global Strategic Partnerships.
The Office of the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives also manages the Global Engagement Fund, Penn’s Global Information System, and international agreements with partner institutions.
OUR Team
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Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine and The Wharton School
After completing Amherst College, he received his M.Sc. from Oxford University in Biochemistry. He received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D. in political philosophy from Harvard University. After completing his internship and residency in internal medicine at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital and his oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, he joined the faculty at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Emanuel has published widely on the ethics of clinical research, health care reform, international research ethics, end of life care issues, euthanasia, the ethics of managed care, and the physician-patient relationship. He is also an Op-Ed contributor to the New York Times. Read more.
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Gayle Christensen, Ph.D.
Executive Director for Global Initiatives
Gayle Christensen is the Executive Director for Global Initiatives. She manages global initiatives and directs strategic international priorities for the Vice Provost. She came to Penn from the Urban Institute where she served as a researcher and principal investigator in the Education Policy Center. Gayle's primary research area is international migration and educational equity issues. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and Masters Degrees from Stanford and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She has been an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation German Chancellor Scholar at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin; a Fulbright Scholar; and has worked with such groups as the World Bank, the Migration Policy Institute, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the UNESCO Institute for Education and Georgetown Public Policy Institute.
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Anna Wu, CA
Program Manager for Global Initiatives
Anna Wu is the Program Manager for Global Initiatives. She holds a BBA from the University of Toronto, Canada and a CA from the ICAO. Before joining Penn she lived in London, United Kingdom where she was a Business Manager at HAYS International leading their Public Practice team. In 2010, she volunteered with Free the Children Organization in Kenya to help build an all girls school for the Masai Mara community. Living, working, volunteering and travelling abroad to over 30 countries has allowed her to immerse herself in different cultures and gain valuable insight on different perspectives.
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Kha Trinh
Fellow for Global Initiatives
Kha Trinh is the Fellow for Global Initiatives. Kha manages the global inventory, complex agreements, and various seed funds for the Vice Provost. He holds a BA in American History, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania. Kha returned to Penn after working for a law firm in New York where he advised a wide range of clients in litigation matters with major financial services firms, pharmaceutical companies, and other multinational corporations.
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Beth Walker, M.A.
Assistant to the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives
Beth Walker is the executive assistant to the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives. She holds a MA in Adventure Education from Prescott College and a BA in English from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Beth came to Penn in 2011 from the University of Denver where she was the Assistant Director for Living and Learning Communities. She has also directed programs for Outward Bound, The Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, Colorado, and CoachArt in Los Angeles, California. Beth keeps up with the vice provost by training for long distance running events and riding her bike all over Philadelphia.
OUR REPORTING OFFICES
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Barbara Gorka, Ph.D.
Director of Penn Abroad
Barbara Gorka has served as the Director of Penn Abroad since 2010. Previously, she held administrative positions in international programs at Colgate University and Temple University, and teaching positions in Spanish at Muhlenberg College and Dickinson College. She has her B.A. in Spanish from Dickinson College, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. She studied abroad in Spain as an undergraduate (Madrid) and as a graduate student (Santiago de Compostela), and has led short-term programs in Spain and Costa Rica.
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Rodolfo Altamirano, Ph.D.
Director of International Student and Scholar Services
Rudie Altamirano is the Director of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). He provides overall leadership in determining and implementing organizational and campus-wide strategies for ISSS including the delivery of quality services and programs to international students, scholars, faculty, staff, and exchange visitors at Penn. Dr. Altamirano has held regional and national leadership positions in NAFSA: The Association for International Educators. He has presented and conducted more than 300 immigration, cross-cultural communication and conflict resolution workshops. Dr. Altamirano is coordinating Penn’s International Students Advisory Board (ISAB) and International Partners Outreach Group (IPOG). He also conceptualized the Intercultural Leadership Program (ILP).
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Artemis Koch, M.S., CPA
Executive Director of Global Support Services
Artemis Koch is the Executive Director of Global Support Services (GSS). Artemis joined Penn in October 2012 from KPMG LLP, where she spent 15 years, most recently as Senior Manager, International Services. She has consulted numerous clients in various aspects of their international activities, including compliance, employment, payroll, tax, relocation, benefits, compensation policy and international assignment program issues. Artemis has presented on global mobility issues at client roundtables, International Chamber conferences, and internal training sessions. She was a member of KPMG’s Culture of Inclusion Strategy Board as well as a recent graduate of the KPMG’s Executive Institute for Women. Artemis is a Pennsylvania CPA with a M.S. in Taxation.
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Joe Powers, Ph.D., MBA
Managing Director of Global Strategic Partnerships
Joe Powers is the Managing Director of Global Strategic Partnerships (GSP). Joe is responsible for developing cross-School partnerships with industry focusing on collaborative research, teaching, and service projects in foreign countries. Prior to joining the Penn community in 2009, Joe spent nearly a decade in a variety of business roles within the pharmaceutical industry, where he has developed an expertise in business strategy, global commercialization, and academia-industry partnerships. In his last industry role, Joe gained extensive experience in Asia developing institutional and academic relationships in China and Japan. He has also worked on projects in Canada, France, and the UK. Joe earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Exercise Psychology and has Master degrees in business administration, education, bioethics, and organizational dynamics.
