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Outreach

The impact of microplastics—and how to limit exposure
Derek Ho in the lab pointing to a beaker of water in front of two lab techs.

To better visualize microplastics, researchers in the McBride Lab at Penn Engineering use fluorescent dyes like Nile Red, which attach to plastics and make them glow under specific light. Environmental researcher Derek Ho developed a system used in their lab called the Fluorescent Imaging Microplastic Analysis Platform, or FIMAP. It uses machine learning to detect and identify plastic particles larger than about 20 microns in complex water samples.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

The impact of microplastics—and how to limit exposure

Microplastics researchers Samantha McBride and Derek Ho of Penn Engineering and Vijay Bhatia of the Philadelphia Water Department discuss how microplastics get into ecosystems and human bodies, offering practical ways to minimize exposure.

3 min. read

A specialized approach to mental health crisis care at HUP–Cedar
Stephanie Hollister and another healthcare workers at HUP Cedar looking at a computer.

Stephanie Hollister (right) is the assistant vice president of behavioral health for the Cedar Avenue Crisis Response Center.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News)

A specialized approach to mental health crisis care at HUP–Cedar

Penn’s Southwest Philadelphia crisis response center has expanded access, eased emergency department crowding, and connected more patients to ongoing mental health support.

Eric Horvath

2 min. read

Driving harm reduction

Driving harm reduction

Penn Nursing’s Harm Reduction working group has mobilized to write policy briefs about pressing issues related to harm reduction, and made connections to those tracking relevant policy at the local and state levels.

‘Migrating Lives: Celebrating Communities Through Participatory Murals’
One mural made of multiple hand-drawn murals.

The completed canvases were photographed together—by alum Bryan Lathrop—to make one large mural. Lathrop and his wife, Tatiana Olmedo, each painted their own canvases as well.

(Image: Bryan Lathrop)

‘Migrating Lives: Celebrating Communities Through Participatory Murals’

A yearlong mural project celebrating the beauty of immigration has brought together Penn students, staff, faculty, and alums—along with community members across the Philadelphia area.

From Omnia

2 min. read

A celebration of freedom, wellness, and community
A person jumping in the double dutch ropes on the Penn Museum courtyard.

nocred

A celebration of freedom, wellness, and community

On June 13, the Penn Museum opened its doors and courtyard to visitors for a free day of live performances, a health and financial literacy fair, and family activities.

Penn Today Staff

3 min. read

To deliver hospital-level care at home, practice makes perfect
Nurses practice how to talk to patients about properly storing medications

Nurses practice how to talk to patients about properly storing medications while they are enrolled in Hospital at Home.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News)

To deliver hospital-level care at home, practice makes perfect

Years of planning come to fruition as Penn Medicine’s Hospital at Home teams test run a new era of patient care devoted to better outcomes and fewer readmissions.

From Penn Medicine News

2 min. read

 A home away from home for transplant patients and families
Penn’s Transplant House outdoor entrance.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine

 A home away from home for transplant patients and families

Penn’s Clyde F. Barker Penn Transplant House offers a comforting and affordable refuge for transplant patients and families—with community and hope.

Matt Toal

2 min. read

Empowering unhoused patients through comprehensive eye care
From left to right: Justin Wang, Janine Haros, and Eric Lee in a clinical room at the Scheie Eye Institute, holding documents and smiling together

Justin Wang (left), Janine Haros (center), and Eric Lee (right) in a clinical room at the Scheie Eye Institute, holding documents and smiling together.

nocred

Empowering unhoused patients through comprehensive eye care

Penn fourth-years Eric Lee, Janine Haros, and Justin Wang will use a President’s Engagement Prize to elevate vision health in unhoused individuals across Philadelphia through free eye screenings, tailored care coordination, and interactive patient education.

4 min. read