Nursing | Penn Today

New scholars named to promote research into the influence of gender on health

Melanie Kornides of the School of Nursing, Jennifer Lewey of the Perelman School of Medicine, and C. Alix Timko of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia are pursuing research that examines the role of sex and gender on health, supported by the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health program.

The Spatz 10-step system is now a national model for breastfeeding vulnerable babies

Penn Nursing’s Diane Spatz created an alternative model that focuses on serving the needs of vulnerable infants who are hospitalized and separated from their mothers.

Bringing nursing to the most remote places

Registered nurse Nancy Bonalumi teamed up with Project Helping Hands, a nonprofit organization that deploys volunteer medical teams to remote areas in developing nations, from Nepal to Kenya, and recently returned from her fifth visit to Bolivia.

A federal law, part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, requires that employers offer “reasonable break time” and a place that’s not the bathroom for expressing human milk. But there are many limitations that mean many women aren't covered.

How many American cities protect the rights of employed breastfeeding mothers?

In the United States, the majority of women have to work. But of the 151 largest U.S. cities, only New York and Philadelphia safeguard their rights.

Alcohol in breast milk may lead to lower cognition in kids, study finds

Diane Spatz of the School of Nursing discussed cultural differences in breastfeeding rates and alcohol consumption between the U.S. and Australia.

A hospital’s human touch: Why taking care in discharging a patient matters

The School of Nursing’s Karen Hirschman discussed the challenges families face after loved ones leave the hospital.

Promoting cross-campus collaborations in health research

The One Health Communications Group is a collaboration that brings together several schools and centers to develop groundbreaking health research in a cross-disciplinary and innovative environment.

A cuddling program at Penn Medicine’s Chester County Hospital provides babies in the NICU with positive touch during medical procedures.

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.

Penn Integrates Knowledge professor George Demiris takes a two-pronged approach to research: One examines the family caregivers of hospice patients, their stress and anxiety levels, and their input into the decision-making process. The second relates to technology and aging, specifically smart homes and how passive-monitoring systems—sensors that track motion, for instance—can figure into someone’s life.

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.

A new book from Nursing professor Cynthia Connolly looks at “candy aspirin” and other case studies surrounding development, use, and marketing of children’s meds in the 20th century.

‘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.

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