News Archive | Penn Today

Introducing Wharton dean Erika James

On July 1, James began a new chapter in her career as the first woman and first person of color to be appointed dean of the Wharton School in the institution’s 139-year history.

Pregnant person looks out the window with a hand on their stomach.

Pregnant Black and Hispanic women more likely to be exposed to coronavirus

Penn researchers found the rate of virus exposure among pregnant Black and Hispanic women to be five times higher than among white and Asian women.

Old-fashioned alarm clock on top of an empty plate with a table setting

How our body’s internal clocks communicate may impact our overall health

Most cells contain molecular clocks, but the requirement of peripheral clocks for rhythmicity, and their effects on physiology, are not well understood. Now, a new study reveal the roles of the hepatocyte clock in cell communication and metabolism.

Oil painting depicts two men in 18th century dress and powdered wigs at a desk, one sitting down, the other standing.

Gouverneur Morris: A Founder, disabled American

Best known for writing the “We the People” preamble to the Constitution, Gouverneur Morris also lived with painful disabilities. History doctoral candidate Jennifer Reiss looks at him through this underexplored lens.

patient working out on a stationary bike

Increasing community impact through Penn Medicine CAREs grant program

Outside of hospitals and clinics, Penn Medicine physicians, nurses, staff, and students are serving their neighborhoods through volunteerism.

James Primosch continues to compose during COVID

The professor of music, who won an award and released two new albums during the pandemic, discusses composition, text as music, and embracing electronic music in the absence of concert halls.

Bottle of liquid COVID-19 vaccination with a syringe lying against it in front of a row of vaccine bottles in the background.

Is the threat of COVID vaccine hesitancy getting enough attention?

The ultimate key to ending the coronavirus pandemic is developing an effective vaccine and administering it to the population. But a number of trends are converging in ways that may prevent the achievement of that population-wide herd immunity.

Masked person puts a sign on door that says "OPEN BUSINESS AS NEW NORMAL"

Q&A

Why the pandemic introduces language that is ‘hard to explain’

Linguist Andrea Beltrama discusses new words and phrases that have entered the language during the current health crisis, and the “massive” impact the pandemic has had on language.

A person standing along a glass wall in a building with a yelllow waffle ceiling.

Brain scans of 9- to 11-year-olds offer clues about aggressive, antisocial behavior

Two new papers, one about gray matter, the other about reward behavior, suggest that at the neural level not all conduct problems look the same.

doctor typing on computer keyboard with stethoscope on desk

Disparities in access to telemedical care during the pandemic

Just as the burden of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality continues to fall on more marginalized populations, so too have the socioeconomic, racial, and gender inequities in access to virtual care.

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