| Penn Today

2025-03-12

Brinster Symposium and Prize Ceremony

Join the 4th annual Ralph L. Brinster Symposium, where global leaders in biomedicine convene to share research milestones with the Penn community. Hosted by the Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine and co-sponsored by the Deans of the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Perelman School of Medicine, the event coincides with the presentation of the Elaine Redding Brinster Prize in Science or Medicine. This award is given annually in recognition of groundbreaking biomedical research. The 2025 recipient is Mary-Claire King, PhD, of the University of Washington. Attend virtually or in-person.

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Blvd. and virtual (livestream)

Opioid disposal kits may help patients dispose of unneeded painkillers

Doctors often prescribe more opioids than patients need, and those extra painkillers can lead to misuse and harm. LDI senior fellow Anish Agarwal and colleagues tested an inexpensive solution: a disposal kit that encourages patients to dispose of the opioid painkillers they didn’t use. The kits help patients disable pills by mixing them with water and a powdered polymer gel, which then can be thrown safely in the trash.

Why does gender income inequality still exist in the U.S.?

New research from Wharton’s Peter Cappelli finds that while women’s job responsibilities are now closer to men's, the gender pay gap remains largely unchanged.

PennAITech awards $2.3M for AI research to support aging

The Penn Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory for Healthy Aging has awarded the pilot grants to fund the development and evaluation of artificial intelligence solutions to improve care for older adults, including those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and their caregivers.

Healio

GLP-1s ‘modestly lower’ the risk for depression in adults with diabetes

A study by postdoc Huilin Tang of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues finds that GLP-1 hormones can reduce the risk of depression among older adults with diabetes.

WABC (New York City)

Preserving Assyria explores the preservation of cultural heritage in post-conflict Iraq

Michael Danti of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses the Penn Museum’s latest exhibit, “Preserving Assyria,” which explores the preservation of cultural heritage in post-conflict Iraq and showcases the rise of the New Assyrian Empire.

Harrisburg Patriot-News

Former Dauphin County employees are getting contracts, raising ethical questions

Claire Finkelstein of Penn Carey Law says that post-employment restrictions are designed to ensure government leaders are free from personal entanglements that could lead them to take actions against the best interests of the public.

Times of India

Study: H-1B Is the most restrictive visa category, only 20% of new applications result in approvals

A study by Britta Glennon of the Wharton School found that policies aimed at reducing immigration have the unintended consequence of encouraging firms to offshore jobs abroad.

Interesting Engineering

Engineers build 30-feet-long all-glass bridge using 6,000-year-old technique

Masoud Akbarzadeh of the Weitzman School of Design has created a 30-foot-long bridge built entirely of interlocking 16-millimeter hollow glass pieces.

Associated Press

The Pope has now been in the hospital for 3 weeks battling double pneumonia. How serious is that?

Jeffrey Millstein of the Perelman School of Medicine says that a ventilator would be the next step if Pope Francis wasn’t able to breathe well enough with the non-invasive support he’s received so far.