This fall marked a significant milestone: the fourth anniversary of the Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs, located on the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania campus. In just a few short years, the Clifton Center has become a landmark for Penn Medicine and a national model for how innovation, compassion, and philanthropy can transform patient care.
The Art of Care
At the Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs, art is an integral part of the healing process
Winter 2026
This transformation was made possible thanks to a visionary investment from Penn Medicine Board member Catherine Clifton, CGS’72, GCP’74, and her husband Anthony—one of the largest gifts to a U.S. hospital system on record. It is now enabling Penn Medicine to accelerate research into lifesaving medical breakthroughs and, perhaps unexpectedly, to use art to redefine what healing can look like.
In a patient lounge at the Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs, Chincoteague and Saint Michaels by Saskia Fleishman help create a space for quiet pause and comfort.
“From its inception, the Clifton Center embodied the idea that wellness is nurtured not only through medicine, but also through inspiration and humanity,” says Penn President J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD. “Thanks to Catherine and Anthony Clifton, this philosophy is present in every corner of the facility, where world-class medical care and world-class art converge to create an environment unlike any other hospital in the nation.”
Among the building’s most striking features is Decoding the Tree of Life by renowned architect and sculptor Maya Lin, who achieved national recognition for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Tree of Life is an ethereal two-story sculpture of blown glass and stainless steel that is suspended from the atrium ceiling. As Lin herself expressed, “I wanted to do something wondrous and very life-affirming”—a sentiment that perfectly captures the Clifton Center’s mission.
In the Clifton Center’s main atrium, Decoding the Tree of Life by Maya Lin is suspended as a two-story glass and steel sculpture.
Equally moving is Field and Sky, an expansive mural by Philadelphia-based artist Odili Donald Odita. Originally painted across two areas of the lobby, this vivid work transports viewers from the clinical setting to an outdoor scene bursting with color and possibility. In September, Odita completed the third and final segment of Field and Sky, bringing his full composition to life.
Art offers patients a moment of reflection, hope, and respite—the opportunity to see something beautiful and get recharged. In a hospital setting, these moments matter immeasurably.”Kevin B. Mahoney
CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System
Distillery Pine by Arden Bendler Browning, on display at the Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs.
Thanks to an ongoing partnership with the Philadelphia Art Museum, even more new works are being installed throughout the Clifton Center. From evocative sculptures made from materials recovered from the Schuylkill River to works inspired by the sound of the forests of Puerto Rico, the selected pieces will invite quiet contemplation and offer patients and families a meditative experience during what may be the most challenging time of their lives.
As a result of the Cliftons’ extraordinary generosity, the Clifton Center now stands as a national model for how to transform patient care and reimagine the nature of healing spaces.
Header image: Field and Sky by Odili Donald Odita
