5/18
Penn in the News
A round-up of Penn mentions in local, national, and international media.
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Penn In the News
University of Penn nursing student co-creates product to help frontline workers care for patients in the dark
Anthony Scarpone-Lambert, a senior in the School of Nursing, spoke about the wearable nightlight he helped develop. The invention allows nurses to check on patients at night without turning on bright white lights. "On average, patients regularly report poor quality of sleep as their number one complaint during hospitalization," he said.
Penn In the News
Dr. Antonia Villarruel to chair national committee tackling U.S. health disparities
Dean Antonia Villarruel of the School of Nursing is the newest chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Culture of Health program. “The Culture of Health Program is well-positioned to build and strengthen the evidence base to address structural racism. This work will be accomplished together with communities and the multiple private- and public-sectors that intersect to promote health,” she said.
Penn In the News
The next stage of the vaccine drive: Persuading the hesitant
Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing spoke about how COVID-19 vaccine discourse may evolve during the next few months. While the public conversation is currently focused on vaccine scarcity, “pretty soon, I would say in four to six weeks, it’s going to be about finding people and persuading people,” she said.
Penn In the News
As nation speeds to vaccinate all, Maryland’s path shows challenges ahead
Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing spoke about what will be necessary for states to meet President Biden’s vaccination goals. “It really is going to be the start of much more surveillance and analysis being needed to make sure that this was both a fast and a fair rollout of the largest vaccination campaign in human history,” she said.
Penn In the News
Black men in Philly are more likely to experience poor mental health after severe injury, a new study shows
Sara Jacoby of the School of Nursing co-led a study about how returning, or not returning, to work after a traumatic injury impacted the mental health of Black men living in Philadelphia. “If your economic stability, your financial opportunity is contingent on work, which it is for many of us, then not returning to work is an additional barrier to healing … because you’re further stressed by the inability to make your day-to-day work,” said Jacoby.
Penn In the News
Vaccine acceptance expert weighs in on AstraZeneca saga
Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing weighed in on the stop-and-start rollout of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, as well as how to communicate risk without unnecessarily sowing fear. “The stories, the anecdotes, are always going to be more memorable for people,” she said. “We have a harder story to tell about numbers and ratios and protocols and biological plausibility. So we have to get it right and prepare people.”
Penn In the News
Fewer people take a ‘wait and see’ approach to COVID-19 vaccine—here’s what changed their minds
Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing spoke about hesitancy surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines. “It’s really easy to only focus on the benefits and potential harms and risks of the vaccine, and just ignore the disease,” she said. “We all misestimate our risk.”
Penn In the News
Penn nurse creates app to increase HPV vaccination among teens
Anne Teitelman of the School of Nursing spoke about Vaccipack, an app created by her team at Penn that encourages adolescents to get vaccinated against HPV. “The study we just completed determined that both parents and teens thought Vaccipack was beneficial and easy to use, and the majority indicated they would be interested in using it,” she said.
Penn In the News
‘Hassle factor’ and distrust shadow wide U.S. vaccine hesitancy
Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing commented on a New Orleans public health campaign that uses Mardi Gras imagery. “If you’re from New Orleans, a lot of that resonates for people who are local,” she said. “We need inspiration, and local campaigns in every city. I think that was very successful and needs to be replicated.”
Penn In the News
UK nursing universities continue to rank highly despite COVID-19 challenges
Dean Antonia Villarruel of the School of Nursing spoke about Penn’s recognition as the world’s top-ranking school for nursing. “Whether globally or right here in our own backyard, Penn Nursing-prepared nurses are by the bedside, conducting research, in the boardroom, and in government, advocating for a better, healthier tomorrow,” she said.