Behavioral Health

Being hungry shuts off perception of chronic pain

Finding food is a necessary survival skill, but so is avoiding pain. Research led by J. Nicholas Betley and postdoctoral researcher Amber Alhadeff showed that being hungry activates a neural pathway that inhibits the sensing and responding to chronic pain. The findings offer up new targets for treating pain.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Pets pick up on their owner’s personality

When a baby is born, many new moms and dads pore over parenting books, striving to strike the right balance of firmness and warmth to raise their children into kind, intelligent, strong individuals. While nature plays a critical role, research supports the idea that parenting style and parents’ personalities do influence a child’s behavior.

Katherine Unger Baillie



In the News


The New York Times

For a better workout, trick your brain

Katy Milkman of the Wharton School says that “temptation bundling,” pairing a workout with a much-loved activity, is amplified if the desired activity is only done while exercising.

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KYW Newsradio (Philadelphia)

Unraveling the mysteries of sleep

Philip Gehrman of the Perelman School of Medicine says that trying harder to sleep and thinking about sleep actually make sleeping harder to achieve.

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PhillyVoice

Hot weather makes falling asleep more difficult, but these tips lead to more ZZZ’s

Philip Gehrman of the Perelman School of Medicine explains how temperature is intertwined with the ability to sleep.

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The Wall Street Journal

In the brain, scientists find new clues to treating chronic pain

Salimah Meghani of the School of Nursing says that socioeconomic risk factors and past experiences such as racial stress can have profound impact on the experience of pain.

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Philadelphia Business Journal

Penn Medicine to establish mental health care hub at its Cedar Avenue campus

Penn Medicine is establishing a community mental health hub at its Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania-Cedar Avenue campus, which will be home to a new crisis response center and provide inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn Medicine is opening a mental health crisis response center at the former Mercy hospital

Penn Medicine is opening a mental health crisis response center at the former Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, replacing one that closed there in 2020.

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