11/15
Nursing
NICU uses volunteer cuddlers to calm premature babies
It seems intuitive that holding a baby provides comfort, but a recent study found that human touch plays a major role in the progression of infant neurodevelopmental function.
Technology, aging patients, and the people who care for them
In a quest to ease the care process for older adults and the very sick, as well as their family-member caregivers, PIK professor George Demiris is studying the intersection of smart-home technologies and health informatics.
‘Candy aspirin,’ safety caps, and the history of children’s drugs
When St. Joseph Aspirin for Children was introduced in the 1940s, it was formulated to be attractive in taste and color to its young audience. Dubbed “candy aspirin,” the product became popular—fast. As a consequence, aspirin poisonings of children under five skyrocketed.
A potential new weapon in the battle against addiction
New research revealed that FDA-approved drugs to treat diabetes and obesity may reduce cocaine relapse and help addicts break the habit. Such medications work by targeting receptors for glucagon-like peptide 1, a hormone in the brain.
Simple solutions help children in Mexican orphanage fight infectious disease
With the President’s Engagement Prize, senior Alaina Hall, is building a project she calls “Healthy Pequeños,” or “Healthy Little Ones,” which aims to help children in a Mexican orphanage fight infectious disease.
Linking teen driving behaviors to ADHD, other mental health factors
Teen drivers are three times more likely to get into a fatal crash than their more-experienced counterparts. New research found a link between mistakes these new drivers make and self-reported ADHD.
Second lady of Ghana visits Penn
The second lady of Ghana, Hajia Samira Bawumia, spoke to an energized room in Penn Nursing’s Fagin Hall about what’s needed to forge ahead on the road to progress on the African continent as a whole and in her home country.
Binge eating major roadblock for obese individuals with diabetes trying to lose weight
Those who continue to binge eat while trying to lose weight drop about half as much weight as those who don’t binge eat, or those who do and then subsequently stop.
Q&A with Diane Spatz
Diane Spatz, the Helen M. Shearer Term Professor of Nutrition at the School of Nursing, discusses the benefits of human milk and breastfeeding, a few of her research projects, the CHOP Mother’s Milk Bank, her recent Lifetime Achievement Award, and much more.
Travel tips for breastfeeding mothers
As the traveling season gets underway, experts Diane Spatz and Elizabeth Froh offer advice for breastfeeding and pumping on trains, planes, and automobiles.
In the News
Bill Conway’s $1 billion plan to end the nursing shortage
Linda Aiken of the School of Nursing says that many nurses are underpaid and experience a higher rate of burnout than other medical professionals. Leonard A. Lauder has donated $125 million to the School of Nursing to recruit students from underrepresented backgrounds and train more nurse practitioners as frontline workers.
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Breast milk for adults: Wellness elixir or unscientific fascination?
Diane Spatz of the School of Nursing says that adult interest in consuming human milk could reflect the growing understanding and messaging of how breast milk influences infant health, like protecting against diseases.
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Why few communities chose Baltimore’s high-risk, high-reward opioid legal strategy
Peggy Compton of the School of Nursing outlines the contextual factors that laid the foundation for the opioid crisis.
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Philadelphia-area health experts see shift in attitudes on vaccination in ‘post-COVID’ era
Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing comments on attitude shifts around vaccines following the pandemic.
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Penn nurse confronts diabetes epidemic, health inequities in West Philadelphia
Penn Medicine nurse Jasmine Hudson outlines her campaign to combat diabetes and health inequities in West Philadelphia.
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Could Ozempic curb your cigarettes craving? A new study suggests semaglutide may help people quit smoking
Heath Schmidt of the Perelman School of Medicine says that it’s not fully understood how weight loss drugs work in the context of substance use disorder.
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