Through
4/26
Meredith Mann
meredith.mann@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Medicine
Patient preferences do not explain racial disparities in opioid prescribing
Patient preferences do not explain racial disparities in opioid prescribing
Black patients are less likely to get opioids for acute pain.
Penn researchers unlock genetic ‘treasure map’ for chronic kidney disease
Penn researchers unlock genetic ‘treasure map’ for chronic kidney disease
The genome-wide association study pinpoints new target genes, cell types, and mechanisms for treating the disease that affects 850 people million worldwide.
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.
Engineers create faster and cheaper COVID-19 testing with pencil lead
Engineers create faster and cheaper COVID-19 testing with pencil lead
A new electrochemical COVID-19 test addresses the challenges of cost, time, and accuracy and uses electrodes made from graphite.
Relief for dry eyes
Relief for dry eyes
Dry eye is a common condition, affecting nearly half of U.S. adults at some point during their lives, but it is often overlooked as a serious ailment, and the classic symptom of dry eyes isn’t always present.
Scaling the model of care for patients with opioid use disorder
Scaling the model of care for patients with opioid use disorder
Data show that concurrent with the opioid overdose crisis, there has been an increase in hospitalizations of people with opioid use disorder. One in ten of these hospitalized medical or surgical patients have comorbid opioid-related diagnoses.
Minimizing disruption, maximizing sleep in the hospital
Minimizing disruption, maximizing sleep in the hospital
The Pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has embraced the challenge of design for minimizing sleep disruption in hospitals.
Two centuries old, a handwritten record of medical education
Two centuries old, a handwritten record of medical education
Penn Libraries is part of a multi-institution-funded project to digitize materials from early medical education. More than 1,000 Penn dissertations are now online, with the earliest dating from 1807.
Older adults’ access to primary care during the pandemic
Older adults’ access to primary care during the pandemic
Older patients who accessed primary care via telemedicine had lower hospitalization rates, but racial disparities in outcomes of in-person primary care persist, with Black older adults more likely to be hospitalized after a telemedicine visit.
In rural America, religious attendance reduces compassion regarding opioids
In rural America, religious attendance reduces compassion regarding opioids
Rural areas—particularly those in Appalachian and Midwestern states—are hard hit by the opioid epidemic. However, many individuals in those same states do not support policies scientifically proven to help, like medically aided treatment and syringe exchanges.
Media Contact
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Mayor Parker’s plan to ‘remove the presence of drug users’ from Kensington raises new questions
Shoshana Aronowitz of the School of Nursing and Ashish Thakrar of the Perelman School of Medicine comment on the lack of specificity in Philadelphia’s plan to remove drug users from Kensington and on the current state of drug treatment in the city.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Homeward bound: When a Penn Medicine nurse was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she turned to the service dogs she helped to train
A profile highlights Maria Wright of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, from her volunteer work connecting people with service dogs to her cancer diagnosis and her own journey applying for a service dog.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
How many patients would recommend their Philly-area hospital to family and friends? Check your local hospital
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has been named one of the most recommended acute-care facilities by patients in the Philadelphia area.
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The New York Times
Is apple cider vinegar really a cure-all?
Nitin K. Ahuja of the Perelman School of Medicine says there’s no supportive data that adding acid to the stomach will somehow help control acid reflux.
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USA Today
Many parents give their children melatonin at night. Here’s why you may not want to
Ilene Rosen of the Perelman School of Medicine supports practicing proven-bedtime-routine behaviors and avoiding bright lights and electronics in the bedroom to encourage the body’s natural production of melatonin.
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CNN
There’s still no standard test to detect pancreatic cancer early. Scientists are working to change that
A 2020 study from the Perelman School of Medicine found that a blood test to screen for certain biomarkers associated with pancreatic cancer was 92% accurate in its ability to detect disease.
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