This event took place on Monday, April 20 in Los Angeles. Thank you to the alumni, parents, and friends who joined us for an evening of conversation and connection.
📸 View photos from the event
An Evening with Penn: Los Angeles
Program
Monday, April 20, 2026
Saban Theatre
8440 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm | Penn Spectrum Stories
7:00 pm – 7:30 pm | Welcome & Check‑In
7:30 pm – 8:15 pm | An Evening with Penn Program
Introduction: Julie Beren Platt, C’79
University Trustee Emerita
University Update: J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
Penn President
Conversation with: Frances Jensen, MD
Arthur Knight Asbury, MD Professor in Neurology
Chair, Neurology Department
Penn Medicine
Justin McDaniel, PhD
Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Professor of the Humanities
Penn Arts & Sciences
Closing Remarks: Julie Beren Platt, C’79
8:15 pm – 9:30 pm | Networking Reception
UNIVERSITY UPDATE BY
J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
President, University of Pennsylvania
J. Larry Jameson was named President of the University of Pennsylvania in March 2025 after serving as Interim President since December 2023. Previously, he spent 12 years as EVP for the Health System and Dean of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine. As President, Jameson champions Penn’s values and leads the implementation of Penn Forward, its strategic planning initiative. Milestones to date include a new home for interdisciplinary data science; new leadership roles to advance Penn’s work in artificial intelligence, climate science, and the arts; and pioneering academic programs and initiatives. As a physician-scientist, Jameson has studied the genetic basis of hormonal disorders, authored more than 350 articles and chapters, and edited the foremost internal medicine textbook. He holds medical and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina.
CONVERSATION WITH
Frances E. Jensen, MD
Arthur Knight Asbury, MD Professor in Neurology
Chair, Department of Neurology
Co-Director of Penn Translational Neuroscience Center
Under Frances Jensen’s leadership, the Department of Neurology has expanded its clinical volume and research enterprise more than four-fold in the last decade, positioning it as a national leader. Breakthrough discoveries in its signature strengths—including neurodegenerative disorders, neuroinflammation, neuromodulation, and gene therapies—are translating into clinically employed diagnostic measures and novel treatments. Dr. Jensen’s own widely published research is on the mechanisms of epilepsy and stroke and their links to disorders including autism and dementia. Former president of the American Neurological Association, she is also a leading advocate for the awareness of adolescent brain development; her book, The Teenage Brain, has been translated into more than 25 languages. Dr. Jensen holds degrees from Smith College and Cornell Medical College.
Justin McDaniel, PhD
Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Professor of the Humanities
Penn Arts & Sciences
Justin McDaniel, chair of Religious Studies at Penn, is known for his dynamic teaching and scholarship in Buddhist Studies, Religious Studies, and Human Flourishing. Named one of the top ten most innovative professors in America by the Chronicle of Higher Education (2019), he also received Penn’s Ludwig Award for teaching. His popular courses include “Living Deliberately: Monks, Saints, and the Contemplative Life” and “Existential Despair.” A widely published author, his upcoming book, This Will Destroy You, will be released next year. He holds a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School and a PhD in Sanskrit and Indian Studies from Harvard University.
Host Committee
Lyndsi C. Allsop, C'13
Juan E. Alva, ENG'92, W'92, PAR'28
Naeem H. Arastu, W'04
Sanlie Auyeung, C'15
Bita Bagheri-Dastgheib, C'93, M'97, PAR'26
Elizabeth Banks, C'96, HON'25
J. Terry Baris, C'84
Christine Yang Belgrad, W'87, PAR'15, PAR'23
Arie Belldegrun, PAR'05, PAR'08, PAR'12
Rebecka Belldegrun, PAR'05, PAR'08, PAR'12
Tom Bevan, GEd'92, WG'01, PAR'27, PAR'29
Kavitha Bhatia
Sunny Bhatia, C'96
Charles X Block, C'85
Mason X. Bryant, C'17
Tyrone Chang, W'96
Robert W. Cort, C'68, G'70, WG'74
Liz Day, C'07
Fielding Edlow, C'95
Marissa Rosen Ehrenberg, C'10
Steven J. Eidelman, C'07
Josh Eisenberg, W'09
Keith D. Eisner, L'93
Rebecca M. Elman, C'12
Carolyn J. Enenstein, C'95, PAR'25
Craig Lawrence Enenstein, G'95, WG'95, PAR'25
Nicholas Escobar, C'18
Adil N. Esmail, M'96, RES'02, PAR'26
Abigail Nachtomi Feldman, C'96, WG'03
Dan Feldman, G'99, WG'99
Irfan M. Furniturewala, WG'01, PAR'23, PAR'25, PAR'27
Michael A. Gomez, C'94, WG'99, PAR'26, PAR'28
Whitney Kane Gomez, WG'98, PAR'26, PAR'28
Angie P. Gonzalez, WG'20
Michael Andrew Green, W'95, PAR'25
Risa Rosenthal Green, C'94, PAR'25
Jane Gutman, CW'73, PAR'14, PAR'16
Max Handelman, C'95
Jesse Jacobs, C'97, WG'04, PAR'28
Brooke S. Jaffe, C'01
Michael D. Karz, C'89, W'89, PAR'28
Allison Kasirer, ENG'09
Danielle Kasirer, C'08
Debra S. Kasirer, PAR'01, PAR'06, PAR'08, PAR'09, PAR'11
Joanna L. Kasirer, C'01
Robert A. Kasirer, PAR'01, PAR'06, PAR'08, PAR'09, PAR'11
Jordan W. Katz, W'96, PAR'29
Ahsim R. Khan, ENG'02, W'02, GEN'03
Andrea M. Khan, C'03, W'03
Scott M. Klein, C'88, W'88, PAR'27, PAR'29
Andrew P. Kowell, C'01
Masha Kowell, G'07, GR'13
Jin K. Lee, C'92
Aileen Level, C'99, GEd'00
Amanda C. Lewis, C'99
PJ Lewis, C'99
Heather Zeegen Lieberman, C'94, PAR'27
Ilona Limonta-Volkova, C'11, W'11
Nicholas McAndrew, M'12, GR'18, RES'15, FEL'18
Hillary Greenman Milken, C'99, PAR'28
Lance A. Milken, W'98, PAR'28
Kevin Michael Misher, W'87
Mohit Mittal, WG'07
Erik I. Moreno, W'95
Carlye Morgan, C'96
Donna Shralow Nadel, C'82, PAR'13, PAR'15
Logan Richmond Nantais, C'21
David F. Nathanson, C'98
Catherine Kim Ohr, C'91
Michael J. Paolini, W'09
Michael A. Persaud, W'90
Meesh Joslyn Pierce, W'93, WG'98
Stacy Lynn Pineles, M'04, FEL'10
Julie Beren Platt, C'79, PAR'05, PAR'08, PAR'12, PAR'21
Marc E. Platt, C'79, PAR'05, PAR'08, PAR'12, PAR'21
Ramanan Raghavendran, ENG'89, W'89, LPS'15
Christopher B. Rankins, C'23
Eric G. Reiter, W'97, PAR'26, PAR'29
Harold L. Rosenberg, W'79, PAR'10, PAR'12
Michael S. Rosenblum, W'83
Matt Rosler, C'96
Erin (Cooper) Rotgin, C'93, PAR'25, PAR'27
Michael Rotgin, C'91, W'91, PAR'25, PAR'27
Andrew N. Schwartzberg, C'94
Edward Scott, GEX'10
Rajesh M. Shah, W'96
Peter V. Shoemaker, C'86, PAR'23
Omid Shokoufandeh, C'09
Corey G. Singer, C'10
Taylor Mariel Tieman, C'11
Warren L. Wang, ENG'00, W'00
Maureen P. Weatherall, GRD'06
Paul C. Williams, W'67, PAR'03
Denise Green Winner, W'83, PAR'21
Mark M. Yoshitake, ENG'01
Marc Zachary, C'91
As of March 31, 2026
