The Center for Surgical Health

Supporting, educating, and advocating for vulnerable individuals with surgical diseases

Our Vision

To create sustainable infrastructure through which all members of our community can access high-quality, cost-conscious surgical care, despite socioeconomic, political, racial, cultural or gender-based disparities.

Clinic Schedule

Come see us at these locations!

Puentes De Salud
1700 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146

University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC) @ the Philadelphia Episcopal Church

23 S. 38th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

*UCHC is currently not open due to COVID-19

Can't make it at these times?

No problem! Call us at 267-702-5530 or email us at to set a time to visit.

Conditions Treated

We provide free consultation for adult surgical conditions including but not limited to those in the diagram.

About The Center for Surgical Health

The Center for Surgical Health was founded as the Agnew Surgery Clinic in 2016 under Dr. Jon Morris at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The Center was started with the goal of improving access to surgical care in Philadelphia, a goal that we continue to carry out every day. The clinic is student-run with surgery resident and faculty oversight. We partner with numerous community organizations to address all aspects of patient care, from the medical details to the socioeconomic components of health. 

Divisions

6 collaborative divisions encompassing all aspects of surgical care

Clinics

The Clinics rely on intimate partnerships with community organizations to co-locate surgical services alongside primary care. We pair patients with medical student personal patient navigators (PPNs), providing support throughout the perioperative continuum. Moreover, they connect patients with social and legal services that would otherwise be unavailable. 

Classroom

The Classroom is the curricular arm of the CSH and is the home of “Operation Equity: An Introduction to the Social Determinants of Surgical Health,” a campus-wide elective that equips students with a broad overview of factors that influence disparities in surgery and challenges them to consider systemic barriers that compromise access to high-quality healthcare. 

Research Lab

The Research Lab provides an infrastructure and mentorship model to train an interdisciplinary cadre of scientists to study the social determinants of surgical health. The goal of The Research Lab is to provide a space for young investigators to develop cross-disciplinary academic partnerships. The Research Lab liberates investigators from disciplinary norms and encourages creative problem-solving.

Policy Lab

The Policy Lab is the advocacy and policy division of CSH.  We screen clients for immigration-related issues and other public benefits opportunities, and work closely with Penn Law students to advocate for patients long after they receive much-needed surgical services. We also conduct legal and policy-focused research with an eye to effecting change at the local and state level.

DEI

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strives to be a driver and leader for DEI efforts via (1) collaboration with the other divisions of CSH with the aim of modeling a workforce representative of the patient population we serve and (2) creating inclusivity across the multitude of identities and experiences amongst individuals of our organization.

Special Initiatives

The Division of Communications and Special Initiatives supports all other CSH divisions by providing mechanisms to enhance interdivisional communication. We maintain the CSH website and social media presence, ensure that alumni CSH participants are kept informed about our work, and assist other institutions across the country with developing their own surgical clinics.

Get Involved

The Center for Surgical Health is always looking for additional people to help us achieve our goal of supporting, educating, and advocating for vulnerable individuals with surgical diseases. If you have an idea on how we can improve our Center, or would like to volunteer with us, please contact us at csh@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. We would also greatly appreciate any donations, which will go directly towards patient care (diagnostic testing, surgical services, transportation, surgical supplies) or supporting our educational, advocacy, and research efforts. 

Our Partners