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Behavioral Health

New ‘match’ streamlines clinical training experience for psych graduate students
A person leaning against a glass railing, one elbow on the rail, the other hand on top of the leaning hand. The person is wearing a black dress with gold intertwining circles, a black sweater, glasses and gold earrings.

Melissa G. Hunt is the associate director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences. She is also author of the book “Reclaim Your Life from IBS: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Relief without Restrictive Diets.”

New ‘match’ streamlines clinical training experience for psych graduate students

A new “match” for clinical psychology graduate students connects trainees with potential externship sites. In its second year, the initiative successfully matched more than 250 trainees in the mid-Atlantic region.

Michele W. Berger

Wrongful convictions reported for 6 percent of crimes
Criminologist Charles Loeffler

Criminologist Charles Loeffler led a team of researchers that looked at wrongful convictions in the prison population as a whole. The results represent the first such estimate for crimes across the spectrum, from retail theft to murder.  

Wrongful convictions reported for 6 percent of crimes

For capital crimes like rape and murder, wrongful convictions happen in about 3 to 5 percent of cases. Such an estimate had proved elusive for the prison population as a whole—until now, thanks to work from Penn criminologists.

Michele W. Berger

A potential new weapon in the battle against addiction
Research from Penn’s Heath Schmidt revealed that drugs already approved by the FDA to treat diabetes and obesity may reduce cocaine relapse and help addicted people break the habit

The green fluorescent ‘dots’ above show where Exendin-4, an FDA-approved drug used to treat diabetes and obesity, ends up in the brain. The drug activates receptors for glucagon-like peptide 1 or GLP-1, a hormone that reduces food intake. The blue and red coloring indicate neurons and astrocytes, respectively.

A potential new weapon in the battle against addiction

New research revealed that FDA-approved drugs to treat diabetes and obesity may reduce cocaine relapse and help addicts break the habit. Such medications work by targeting receptors for glucagon-like peptide 1, a hormone in the brain.

Michele W. Berger

The human story of coal’s downturn
CoalStockImage

The human story of coal’s downturn

A forthcoming report from the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy will offer a range of strategies to directly impact the economic and mental health crisis in coal country.

Sorenson talks gun violence prevention at March for Science
Researcher Susan B. Sorenson spoke about gun violence prevention at the second annual March for Science, which took place in D.C. on Saturday, April 14, 2018. (Photo: Jay Blakesberg/March for Science)

Researcher Susan B. Sorenson spoke about gun violence prevention at the second annual March for Science, which took place in D.C. on Saturday, April 14, 2018. (Photo: Jay Blakesberg/March for Science)

Sorenson talks gun violence prevention at March for Science

At the second annual March for Science in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, April 14, Susan B. Sorenson of the School of Social Policy and Practice spoke about gun violence prevention.

Michele W. Berger