Coronavirus

Smiling person sites on high ledge overlooking a coastal city

Examining health inequities with a global lens

Rising senior Adriana Discher examined public health measures and disparities in four countries—three in person and one virtually—during a semester abroad program this spring.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

Person wearing face mask and latex gloves stands in an empty subway car holding a newspaper.

Local news volume does not increase pro-social behaviors during COVID-19

Previous research found people were more likely to engage in civic behaviors—like voting, recycling, or wearing a face covering—when their local newspaper includes coverage of these activities. New research finds that may not be as relevant anymore.

From Annenberg School for Communication ・

Haughland and Decherney with VR goggles

Reality replaces virtual reality

What was supposed to be a cinema and media studies course to create virtual reality films on the Philadelphia Museum of Art collections became individual films by the students about the realities and connections to the pieces they researched.

Louisa Shepard ・

Close-up images of three people. On the left is journalist Larry King, wearing a black shirt, a red tie and red suspenders. In the center is James Pawelski, a Penn researcher, wearing a blue blazer and blue shirt. On the right is actor Kevin Bacon, weather a blue and black button down shirt.

Talking positive psychology and COVID-19 with Larry King

In a free video series co-hosted by James Pawelski, King interviews researchers about coping during the pandemic. In a June 11 event, they’ll speak with actor Kevin Bacon about philanthropy, arts and culture’s role in well-being, and the importance of open dialogue.

Michele W. Berger ・

a person wearing protective gear works in a laboratory

Research returns to campus

Dawn Bonnell, Penn’s vice provost for research, discusses the phased approach towards slowly, and safely, resuming on-campus research activities.

Erica K. Brockmeier ・

protective face mask colored to look like an american flag

Politics, pandemics, and protests 

Exactly how the coronavirus pandemic, the current unrest, and the nation’s economic woes will affect November’s presidential election is unclear, but voter turnout will be key, according to two political experts. 

Kristen de Groot ・



In the News


Los Angeles Times

Column: How a blunder by a respected medical journal is fueling an anti-vaccine lie

Jeffrey S. Morris of the Perelman School of Medicine says that even with a 100% effective vaccine, there would have been high levels of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 in 2021.

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CNN

After four years with COVID-19, the U.S. is settling into a new approach to respiratory virus season

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that the sense of urgency around vaccination has faded as attention on respiratory viruses wanes.

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CBS News

The mRNA miracle workers

Nobel laureates Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine appear on “Sunday Morning” to discuss their careers, their mRNA research, and the COVID-19 vaccines.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Paul Offit looks back on COVID-19, misinformation, and how public health lost the public’s trust in new book

“Tell Me When It’s Over,” a new book by Paul Offit of the Perelman School of Medicine, chronicles the initial years of the COVID-19 pandemic and the mishaps of public health agencies. Recent surveys by the Annenberg Public Policy Center find that mistrust of vaccines has continued to grow through last fall.

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Minnesota Public Radio

Review of COVID death stats finds likely undercount in official numbers

A paper co-authored by Penn researchers found that COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. were likely undercounted in official statistics during the first 30 months of the pandemic.

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Boston Globe

You should still get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Nobel Prize winner who helped discover it explains why

Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine, who won the Nobel Prize along with Katalin Karikó, discusses the backlash against vaccinations and whether to receive the latest COVID vaccine.

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