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Epidemiology
Understanding the decline in racial disparities in COVID
Understanding the decline in racial disparities in COVID
The School of Arts & Sciences’ Irma Elo and Samuel Preston, with a collaborative team of researchers, assessed racial disparities in U.S. COVID-19 deaths, calling for continued efforts to better understand and implement targeted strategies for addressing health inequalities.
Social conformity in pandemics: How our behaviors spread faster than the virus itself
Social conformity in pandemics: How our behaviors spread faster than the virus itself
Researchers led by former postdoc Bryce Morsky and Erol Akçay of the School of Arts & Sciences have produced a model for disease transmission that factors in the effects of social dynamics, specifically, how masking and social distancing are affected by social norms.
Pregnancy complications tied to higher risk of death as long as 50 years later
Pregnancy complications tied to higher risk of death as long as 50 years later
Even decades after delivering pre-term or with conditions like gestational diabetes or high blood pressure, those with complications in pregnancy or birth have a higher risk of death.
Testing, treatments, and more: A glossary for year three of the pandemic
Testing, treatments, and more: A glossary for year three of the pandemic
Penn Today adds a new installment to this series aimed at making sense of the language around COVID-19.
Medical anthropologist Fran Barg reflects on three decades at Penn
Medical anthropologist Fran Barg reflects on three decades at Penn
She spent her career studying the culture of medicine. Through collaborations with colleagues in medicine and anthropology, she’s pinpointed why it’s so crucial to see serious medical problems from both a scientific perspective and a patient one.
Can a Penn epidemiologist prevent a bedbug-driven outbreak?
Can a Penn epidemiologist prevent a bedbug-driven outbreak?
Epidemiologist Michael Z. Levy curbed a Chagas disease epidemic in Arequipa, Peru. Can he prevent an outbreak in Philadelphia?
Kevin Johnson appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Kevin Johnson appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Johnson, the University’s 27th PIK Professor, will hold joint appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication.
When the message matters, use science to craft it
When the message matters, use science to craft it
An interdisciplinary initiative called the Message Effects Lab aims to understand, tap into, and develop communication around what motivates specific behaviors for specific populations. Its first projects center around COVID-19 testing and vaccines.
Evicted and infected: How the housing crisis could worsen the COVID-19 pandemic
Evicted and infected: How the housing crisis could worsen the COVID-19 pandemic
A research team found that evictions could lead to a considerable uptick in COVID-19 infections in U.S. cities. With rising eviction rates, COVID cases in Philadelphia could cause 53,000 additional infections.
Two Penn faculty named Hastings Center Fellows
Two Penn faculty named Hastings Center Fellows
Scott D. Halpern and Jennifer Prah Ruger are acknowledged for their outstanding accomplishments in ethics and health.
In the News
News Medical
Breastfeeding linked to reduced post-perinatal infant mortality
A study by Aimin Chen of the Perelman School of Medicine finds that breastfed babies are less likely to die during the post-perinatal period than infants who are not breastfed.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
How wildfires and climate change impact headache and migraine symptoms
A study by Holly Elser of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues finds that poor air quality caused by wildfires is likely to increase the odds of getting a headache.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Penn study finds particulate matter from wildfires likely to cause headaches, migraine symptoms
A study by Holly Elser of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues suggests that poor air quality caused by wildfires are likely to increase the odds of getting a headache.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
One in five Philadelphia newborns is not protected from measles, CHOP-Penn study finds
A study by the Perelman School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia finds that one in five babies born in Philadelphia likely has no immunity against measles.
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CBS Philadelphia
Drug for common skin condition can help people lose weight: study
Research by Joel Gelfand of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues finds that a drug used to treat psoriasis can help people lose weight and reduce the risk of heart disease.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Years after hospitalization, those who got sickest from the pandemic still struggle with long COVID
Michael Harhay and Benjamin Abramoff of the Perelman School of Medicine comment on the severity and prevalence of long COVID cases.
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