Perelman School of Medicine

Penn Scientists Receive $24 Million from National Science Foundation to Establish Mechanobiology Center

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the University of Pennsylvania a $24 Million, five-year grant to establish a Science and Technology Center (STC) focused on engineering mechanobiology, or the way cells exert and are influenced by the physical forces in their environment. This award is part of an overall $94 million from NSF to support four new STCs.

Karen Kreeger, Evan Lerner

Penn Medicine: New Activity-Tracking App Could Improve Concussion Care

A new app may offer new insights for millions of Americans diagnosed with a concussion each year. Patients are usually advised to rest for the first several days after sustaining a concussion, based on what is known about the metabolic cascade that happens shortly after an injury.

Greg Richter

Penn Study: Lengthy ER Visits for Psychiatric Patients Often Result in Transfer, Not Treatment

Cutbacks in capacity at state and county mental hospitals have forced more and more psychiatric patients to seek treatment . But a new study led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, found that people who visit emergency rooms for mental health care were transferred to another facility at six times the rate of people who visit ERs for non-psychiatric conditions, and could wait almost two hours longer.

Katie Delach



In the News


Fox 29 (Philadelphia)

Cannabis reclassification could be game-changer for U.S. drug policy

Michael Cirigliano of the Perelman School of Medicine says that marijuana deserves to be removed from the same category as LSD, heroin, and fentanyl.

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The Washington Post

Americans are sleeping more than ever. See how you compare

Mathias Basner of the Perelman School of Medicine says that work and traveling are the major sleep killers, with the majority of traveling being commuting to and from work.

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Newsweek

Man does DNA test, not prepared for what comes back ‘unusually high’

César de la Fuente of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Perelman School of Medicine says that Neanderthal DNA provides insights into human evolution, population dynamics, and genetic adaptations, including correlations with traits such as immunity and susceptibility to diseases.

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Women’s Health

How does fat leave the body? Experts explain the weight loss process

Colleen Tewksbury of the School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine says that waist circumference is a more accessible and potentially more helpful measure for fat loss than stepping on a scale.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Cardiac arrest recoveries are great stories, but they’re rare. We can fix that

In an opinion essay, Raina Merchant of the Perelman School of Medicine says that low survival rates for cardiac arrest can be improved by increasing rates of CPR.

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