Demography | Penn Today

Gearing up for research on aging

GEAR UP, an initiative offered by the Population Aging Research Center and the Leonard Davis Institute, gives students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds hands-on experience and mentoring to address a global challenge.

Depression in Black people goes unnoticed by AI models analyzing language in social media posts

Penn analysis found that models developed to detect depression using language in Facebook posts did not work when applied to Black people.

A closer look at the role of health care algorithms in racial and ethnic disparities

A Penn Medicine study points to ways to reduce potential for racial bias and inequity when using algorithms to inform clinical care.

A person resting their head on their folded arms holding a smartphone.

First-of-its-kind study analyzes digital mourning practices of gang-affiliated youth

A study led by Desmond Patton utilizes social work, communications, and data science to explore how gang-affiliated Black youth use Twitter content, photos, and emojis to memorialize the deceased and navigate feelings of grief and loss.

talicia sitting on her door step with children

Helping Black families to grow and thrive

To reverse the nationwide trend of serious harm and death before, during, and after childbirth for Black and other parents from marginalized groups, Penn Medicine is taking bold action to improve maternal health and eliminate racial disparities.

Pain scores, age can help identify patients more likely to use few or no opioids after surgery

A Penn Medicine study shows that patient pain scores are a good predictor for opioid use, but younger patients and those who hadn’t used opioids before are less likely to take them.

Signs for and against Ohio's Issue 1 are in a lawn covered in fall leaves in front of a church

Election night takeaways

Political scientist Marc Meredith and PORES director Stephanie Perry, who both worked on NBC’s Decision Desk on Election Night with more than a dozen Penn undergrads, share their thoughts on what Tuesday’s results could mean for 2024.

A crumbling house in an impoverished neighborhood.

High levels of disadvantage affect ability amongst younger people

A new study from Penn LDI finds that structural inequities produce significant disparities in community health, and that addressing concentrated disadvantage could meaningfully improve health outcomes.

A virtual dashboard showing driving hazards ahead.

Virtual driving assessment predicts risk of crashing for newly licensed teen drivers

New research from Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center measures data from driving assessment tools to identify which skill deficits put young new drivers at higher risk for crashes.

Disparities persist across levels of surgery department leadership in U.S.

A new Penn Medicine-led study highlights the need for thoughtful leadership planning to increase representation of women and minorities in roles with paths for promotion.

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