Perelman School of Medicine

Quit removing wax from your ears

For the vast majority, ear wax does not cause any problems and there’s no need to remove it—not only do cotton swabs not remove ear wax, but they can pose a risk of hearing loss.

Caren Begun

Pregnancy, childbirth, the pandemic, and stress

For two years, the interdisciplinary Project IGNITE has followed 1,000 pregnant individuals and their children to learn more about what role environmental factors play in preterm birth, poor pregnancy outcomes, and social and emotional development.

Michele W. Berger

Defining neural ‘representation’

Neuroscientists frequently say that neural activity ‘represents’ certain phenomena, PIK Professor Konrad Kording and postdoc Ben Baker led a study that took a philosophical approach to tease out what the term means.

Marilyn Perkins

Exploring what it means to be curious

In a new book “Curious Minds: The Power of Connection,” Penn’s Dani S. Bassett and twin sibling Perry Zurn weave together history, linguistics, network science, neuroscience, and philosophy to unpack the concept of curiosity.

Katherine Unger Baillie



In the News


The New York Times

How Kennedy could make it harder for you and your family to get vaccinated

In a co-written opinion essay, PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel explains how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies in the Trump administration could discourage the use and research of vaccines.

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The New York Times

Elon Musk asked people to upload their health data. X users obliged

Matthew McCoy of the Perelman School of Medicine recommends not contributing private health data to the X chatbot Grok as an individual user.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn is giving out free gun safes to help Philadelphians secure their firearms

Penn Medicine is giving out gun safes and locks to help people keep their firearms safe from children in the home, with remarks from Sunny V. Jackson and Neda Khan.

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The Washington Post

Is it anxiety or something else? What women should know

Lily Brown of the Perelman School of Medicine says that rates of anxiety disorders skyrocket around the time of first menstruation in puberty.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn is offering free Narcan through vending machine on campus

A vending machine on Penn’s campus will offer free Narcan and other wellness and health products, with remarks from Jackie Recktenwald and Benoit Dubé of Wellness at Penn.

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