5/18
Public Health
Is climate change making the allergy season worse?
The timeline for seasonal hay fever has expanded in recent years. With the warmer temperatures, and a longer frost-free season, we may be exposed to more allergenic plants, leading to longer and more severe allergy seasons.
For Kennett Square’s mushroom farmworkers, healthy interventions come directly to the workplace
With the President’s Engagement Prize, seniors José Maciel and Antonio Renteria plan to bring subjects like nutrition and sleep to the workers, reinforcing preventive screenings already provided by a local, federally qualified health center.
An epidemic that affects us all
Public officials and medical experts meshed on stage for this year’s Silfen Forum, discussing the complex issues surrounding the nation’s opioid crisis.
Taking wellness up a notch
The University has spent the past three years working with the Healthier Campus Initiative of the Partnership for a Healthier America, implementing 23 new policies that improve nutrition, physical activity, sustainability, and overall wellness.
An implant to blunt opioid effects
A study by Penn Medicine researchers finds a slow-release naltrexone implant helps HIV patients with opioid dependence adhere to medications and prevent relapse.
Barriers and facilitators in treating opioid addiction in the ER
Despite effective medications for opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine and methadone, few people receive treatment. The ongoing challenge is to expand access to these lifesaving treatments to people who need them the most.
Patients discharged to home care have higher rates of hospital readmissions
A Penn study highlights important tradeoffs between home versus nursing facilities as the cost for post-acute care rises and payment models shift.
Behind the scenes, complex disease surveillance is protects the campus community
Beyond promoting vaccines and overall health education, Campus Health, the public health arm of Student Health Service, is watching for clusters of common illnesses, unusual diagnoses, and anything out of the ordinary.
Shining a (UV) light on hospital infections
A rolling, six-foot-tall UV light device assigned to each floor of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania rids hospital rooms of harmful organisms after every discharge, preventing infection.
Bringing healthy smiles to Philadelphia communities
In health care facilities embedded around Philadelphia, students and faculty from the School of Dental Medicine are ramping up the care they provide to underserved populations.
In the News
UPenn hosts free online panel for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion
The Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative, led by José Bauermeister and Jessica Halem of the School of Nursing, will host a free online panel in April on the integration of LGBTQ+ people in the workforce.
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Mayor Parker’s plan to ‘remove the presence of drug users’ from Kensington raises new questions
Shoshana Aronowitz of the School of Nursing and Ashish Thakrar of the Perelman School of Medicine comment on the lack of specificity in Philadelphia’s plan to remove drug users from Kensington and on the current state of drug treatment in the city.
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Posts mislead about COVID-19 vaccine safety with out-of-context clip of FDA official
Jeffrey S. Morris of the Perelman School of Medicine says that many adverse medical events, even those clearly unrelated to vaccines, have been reported an order of magnitude more for COVID vaccines during the pandemic than any time before.
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Philadelphians hope a cleaner city will reduce gun violence. Will Oh or Parker make it a reality?
A $3 million blight reduction project in Philadelphia is informed by Penn research showing that cleaning up trash and revitalizing vacant lots can reduce gun violence rates by as much as 29%.
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Universal basic income is working—even in red states
Researchers at Penn concluded that a basic income program in Stockton, California, could have profound positive impacts on local public health.
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NJ’s Camden County deploying virtual reality to teach students about naloxone
Penn partnered with New Jersey’s Camden County to create a virtual reality training video for administering the opioid-reversing drug Narcan.
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