11/15
Coronavirus
Coronavirus or COVID? A glossary to help navigate pandemic vocabulary
Coronavirus or COVID? A glossary to help navigate pandemic vocabulary
As scientific jargon and new words become prevalent in headlines, social media, and everyday conversations, Penn Today provides key definitions and context for making sense of COVID-19.
Performing organ transplants safely amid the COVID-19 outbreak
Performing organ transplants safely amid the COVID-19 outbreak
The unique challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with fewer organ donations, led to a tremendous reduction in transplant procedures in the United States. But the Penn Transplant Institute is working through the crisis.
Bridging the communication divide for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities
Bridging the communication divide for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities
Clear-fronted face masks, better and more frequent interpreters, and amped up involvement from local organizations have made a big difference during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Expanding what it means to be a class’
‘Expanding what it means to be a class’
Allison Lassiter, Randall Mason, Michael Luegering, Joshua Mosley, Richard Farley, and Michael Henry had to work quickly and creatively to shift their classes from a hands-on learning experience to a virtual one.
Jiaqi Song on his Roman quarantine
Jiaqi Song on his Roman quarantine
Jiaqi Song meant to study in Italy for his spring semester—just not like this. Penn Today talks with the Penn sophomore about navigating online classwork, personal projects, and family time.
At a community health center, doctors offer COVID testing—and screening for depression
At a community health center, doctors offer COVID testing—and screening for depression
The Sayre Health Center in West Philadelphia is including anxiety and depression screening with COVID-19 testing, a necessity for a population especially at risk for both.
The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually
The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually
When most aspects of university life moved online because of COVID-19, so, too, did the thesis defense for Ph.D. candidates. Despite some challenges, the shift had unexpected benefits.
Will the pandemic cause food shortages?
Will the pandemic cause food shortages?
Wharton’s Marshall Fisher examines what’s behind the supply chain disruptions in grocery stores, with suppliers experiencing production slowdowns due to the pandemic.
Literary characters as masks: A reflection on identity during a pandemic
Literary characters as masks: A reflection on identity during a pandemic
An English and visual studies double major, May graduate Amy Juang created five masks to reflect the identities of characters in novels she studied in a young adult literature course taught by Melissa Jensen.
Penn Law’s key role in Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund for small businesses
Penn Law’s key role in Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund for small businesses
Penn Law and Wharton MBA students put their new skills to practice to help draft the Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund, which allocates forgivable loans to small businesses impacted by the pandemic’s economic downturn.
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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