Perelman School of Medicine

The use and misuse of race in health care

In a Q&A, PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff, the Perelman School of Medicine’s Giorgio Sirugo, and Case Western Reserve University’s Scott Williams shed light on the “quagmire” of race, ethnicity, genetic ancestry, and environmental factors and their contribution to health disparities.

Concentric circles with different colors inside representing cancer cell lineages

Pinpointing how cancer cells turn aggressive

Penn scientists have developed a new method for tracing the lineage and gene expression patterns of metastatic cancer at the single-cell level.

a photograph of Penn's college hall framed by green leaves during the summer

2021 cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity named

The competitive program, managed by Office of the Vice Provost for Research, is designed to support early career researchers and scholars while enriching the Penn community.

Gloved hands taking a sample of blood plasma from a test tube with a syringe.

‘Electronic nose’ accurately sniffs out hard-to-detect cancers

An odor-based test that sniffs out vapors emanating from blood samples was able to distinguish between benign and pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells with up to 95% accuracy.

Fluorescent microscopic image of a brain cell stained in blue and yellow

How HIV infection shrinks the brain’s white matter

Researchers from Penn and CHOP detail the mechanism by which HIV infection blocks the maturation process of brain cells that produce myelin, a fatty substance that insulates neurons.

Microscopic view of lung epithelial cells.

Researchers discover drug that blocks multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants

The drug diABZI—which activates the body’s innate immune response—was highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 in mice that were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and likely other coronaviruses.

Cartoon of medical professionals standing one-on-one with individuals of various races, ages, family structure.

Honing cultural humility skills can improve health care as a whole

At Penn Medicine, medical personnel are adopting cultural humility as an ongoing process of developing a set of skills to approach any individual from any culture at any time.

Low on antibodies, blood cancer patients can fight off COVID-19 with T cells

T cells can step up to do the job when antibodies are depleted, suggests a new Penn Medicine study of blood cancer patients with COVID-19.

hep c lab paperwork and sample vials next to a computer keyboard.

Hepatitis C screening doubles when tests ordered ahead of time

By sending eligible patients a screening order along with the usual reminder, Penn Medicine researchers show they could double hepatitis C screening rates.

A young person wearing a mask and polka dot t-shirt leaning against a faux wooden wall.

A mental health checkup for children and adolescents, a year into COVID

As a whole, this group experienced a significant short-term psychological toll. Though the long-term consequences aren’t yet known, particularly given how the year disproportionately exacerbated adverse childhood experiences, Penn experts remain cautiously optimistic.

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