6.22
Michele W. Berger
Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Medicine
Family and primary care doctors may have been most at risk of dying from COVID
Family and primary care doctors may have been most at risk of dying from COVID
A Penn-led study suggests that in the health care community, workers in hospital settings may be better protected from COVID-19 than the general population.
Pregnant Black and Hispanic women more likely to be exposed to coronavirus
Pregnant Black and Hispanic women more likely to be exposed to coronavirus
Penn researchers found the rate of virus exposure among pregnant Black and Hispanic women to be five times higher than among white and Asian women.
Increasing community impact through Penn Medicine CAREs grant program
Increasing community impact through Penn Medicine CAREs grant program
Outside of hospitals and clinics, Penn Medicine physicians, nurses, staff, and students are serving their neighborhoods through volunteerism.
Is the threat of COVID vaccine hesitancy getting enough attention?
Is the threat of COVID vaccine hesitancy getting enough attention?
The ultimate key to ending the coronavirus pandemic is developing an effective vaccine and administering it to the population. But a number of trends are converging in ways that may prevent the achievement of that population-wide herd immunity.
Disparities in access to telemedical care during the pandemic
Disparities in access to telemedical care during the pandemic
Just as the burden of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality continues to fall on more marginalized populations, so too have the socioeconomic, racial, and gender inequities in access to virtual care.
U.S. military has improved mortality since World War II, with some alarming exceptions
U.S. military has improved mortality since World War II, with some alarming exceptions
Although wound survivability has increased over the last 80 years, the U.S. military’s medical corps suffered some periods of backsliding during conflicts.
LDI SUMR Program rolls into 21st year despite COVID-19 disruptions
The 21st cohort of the LDI Summer Undergraduate Minority Research (SUMR) Scholars are spending their summer with their mentors in video conferences aimed at racial disparities in academic research.
Getting gene therapy to the brain
Getting gene therapy to the brain
Using a large animal model of genetic brain disease, researchers led by John H. Wolfe of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia delivered an effective treatment across the blood-brain barrier to correct the whole brain.
Interning virtually
Interning virtually
The Translational Research Internship Program, offered by the Perelman School of Medicine’s Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics Education Programs, provides mentorship for undergraduates as they complete a translational research project.
Penn Medicine’s virtual bridge to opioid recovery
Penn Medicine’s virtual bridge to opioid recovery
When COVID-19 shifted most outreach and programs to online platforms, recovery specialist Nicole O’Donnell had to restructure her approach to establishing a relationship with patient’s in need of opioid addiction intervention.
Media Contact
In the News
Vox.com
What scientists are learning about how long COVID-19 immunity lasts
Nuala Meyer of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about a study that explored how a dysfunctional immune response might shape a person’s physical reaction to COVID-19. “There was no perfect correlation between immunotype and severe disease,” she said.
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Elle.com
The industry pros campaigning to end systemic racism in dermatology
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts spoke about how race is misused in medical diagnostics and treatments. “The reason I'm so passionate about ending race medicine isn't just because it's bad medicine,” she said. “I’m also on this mission because the way doctors practice medicine continues to promote a false and toxic view of humanity.”
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The New York Times
The wilderness of rare genetic diseases and the parents navigating it
Jim Wilson of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about his research at Penn’s Orphan Disease Center. “When I was practicing clinical genetics, it was limited to diagnosis and prognosis,” he said. “Now, in a limited number of diseases, there are potential treatments, if not cures.”
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NPR
For cancer patients, anguish grows over deferred surgery as risk rises
Ravi Parikh of the Perelman School of Medicine said the consequences of deferred medical treatments will play out of the next few months and years. “The No. 1 thing that I'm concerned about is the backlog of cases,” he said. “When there's this onslaught of appointments, surgeries, colonoscopies, chemotherapy appointments, it's not going to be at a slow pace.”
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Yahoo! News
In coronavirus pandemic, for health care workers, despair is only human
PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno and Stephen N. Xenakis of the Law School wrote about health care workers facing burnout and moral injury while working through the pandemic. “The health care workers fighting the ‘war on the virus’ deserve unqualified and public acknowledgment for their selfless service,” they wrote. “It is especially tough for them, and they should not be forgotten.”
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Bloomberg
Life-or-death hospital decisions come with threat of lawsuits
Allison Hoffman of the Law School said hospitals should apply consistent standards when triaging patients and rationing resources in order to avoid legal troubles down the line. Health care providers are “trying to look at what is reasonable and customary in uncharted territory,” she said.
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