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Medical Ethics
Challenges and advances in brain-computer interfaces
Challenges and advances in brain-computer interfaces
Following FDA approval for tech startups to begin human clinical trials for brain-computer interfacing technologies, Penn Today met with Anna Wexler of the Perelman School of Medicine to discuss the promising possibilities and potential pitfalls of neurotechnology.
Home health is another care setting where workers use judgment language
Home health is another care setting where workers use judgment language
A first-of-its kind study from Penn LDI reveals that Black and Hispanic patients are described negatively, and have shorter visits.
Beyond the pipette and the stethoscope, students explore biology’s societal impacts
Beyond the pipette and the stethoscope, students explore biology’s societal impacts
The new Biology and Society course, supported by SNF Paideia, gave biology majors the chance to explore how scientists must contend with subjects such as health equity and vaccine hesitancy.
Tackling the ethical considerations of dementia research
Tackling the ethical considerations of dementia research
Alzheimer’s research poses tricky questions. Bedside-nurse-turned-bioethicist Emily Largent wants to answer them, and to improve the lives of Alzheimer’s patients.
Going beyond the binary in historical explorations of sex and gender
Going beyond the binary in historical explorations of sex and gender
Beans Velocci of the School of Arts & Sciences explores how sex and gender have been shaped and categorized through history—and the consequences of those constructions taking on the guise of scientific and medical fact.
Five from Penn elected to National Academy of Medicine
Five from Penn elected to National Academy of Medicine
Five Penn experts have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine for their contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health.
Abortion clinic websites may unwittingly aid patient prosecutions
Abortion clinic websites may unwittingly aid patient prosecutions
More than 99% of abortion clinic web pages studied included widely used code that transferred user data to external entities, which could sell the data or provide it to law enforcement, without the clinics knowledge.
Higher rates of chemical sedation among Black psychiatric patients points to inequities
Higher rates of chemical sedation among Black psychiatric patients points to inequities
Penn Medicine researchers also find that white patients are more likely to be chemically sedated in emergency departments at hospitals that treat high proportion Black patients, suggesting that hospital demographics can impact practice patterns.
Heart disease-protective diabetes drug is not used equitably
Heart disease-protective diabetes drug is not used equitably
The medication GLP-1 RA treats diabetes and is linked to positive outcomes for heart disease patients, yet a Penn Medicine study has found inequities in its use along racial, ethnic, and economic lines
Three Penn faculty named Hastings Center Fellows
Three Penn faculty named Hastings Center Fellows
Holly Fernandez Lynch, Quayshawn Spencer, and Connie Ulrich have been named Hastings Center Fellows for deepening public understanding of complex ethical issues in health, health care, science, and technology.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Is an Alzheimer’s blood test right for me?
Postdoc Claire Erickson and Emily Largent of the Perelman School of Medicine and the Leonard Davis Institute discuss which people should take an Alzheimer’s blood test.
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Miami Herald
Doubts abound about a new Alzheimer’s blood test
Emily Largent of the Perelman School of Medicine says that laws that normally protect the privacy of health information don’t apply for people who receive Alzheimer’s biomarker results from discriminatory practices.
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The New York Times
Facing financial ruin as costs soar for elder care
A study led by Norma Coe of the Perelman School of Medicine finds that the median lost wages for women providing intensive care for their mothers is $24,500 over two years. Rachel M. Werner of the Leonard Davis Institute, Wharton School, and Perelman School of Medicine says that the U.S. doesn’t value elders the way that other countries and cultures do.
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The New York Times
Methodology for analysis of the U.S. health and retirement study
A federal analysis developed in consultation with Norma Coe of the Perelman School of Medicine assessed long-term care needs and finances for people 65 and older.
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The Wall Street Journal
The trouble with America’s ultra-processed diet
Christina A. Roberto of the Perelman School of Medicine says that nutrition researchers generally consider foods ultra-processed if they include ingredients that wouldn’t be found in a home kitchen, such as high-fructose corn syrup and emulsifiers.
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CBS News (Sacramento)
Call Kurtis: Elderly mom's caregiver keeps no-showing, experts expect problem to get worse
Research from Penn found a 12% drop between 2013 and 2019 in the number of available workers for medical patients who need home care.
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