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Data Science

How data scientists are improving care by learning how to learn
data_science

How data scientists are improving care by learning how to learn

Data scientists, human factors specialists and clinical experts have partnered together to learn how to improve health care through the use of data, and how to run those data-driven improvement projects.

Penn Today Staff

Tipping point for large-scale social change? Just 25 percent
Damon Centola in front of a blackboard.

Damon Centola is a professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and director of the Network Dynamics Group.

(Image: Courtesy of Annenberg School for Communication)

Tipping point for large-scale social change? Just 25 percent

How many people need to take a stand before a behavior is no longer seen as normal? According to research from Annenberg’s Damon Centola, there’s now a quantifiable answer: roughly 25 percent.

Michele W. Berger , Julie Sloane

Race has a place in human genetics research, philosopher argues
Quayshawn Spencer, an assistant professor in the philosophy department, studies the philosophy of science, biology, and race.

Quayshawn Spencer, an assistant professor in the philosophy department, studies the philosophy of science, biology, and race.

Race has a place in human genetics research, philosopher argues

New research out of the philosophy department argues that certain racial classifications have utility in medical genetics, particularly when considering those classifications as ancestry groups.

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