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Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain
Person sitting at a table with blurry people in front and a screen hanging on the wall behind, which reads, "Experiential effects on brain development."

Martha J. Farah, the Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences, is director of the Center for Neuroscience & Society at Penn. (Pre-pandemic image: Courtesy Martha Farah) 

Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain

Through the Abecedarian Project, an early education, randomized controlled trial that has followed children since 1971, Penn and Virginia Tech researchers reveal new discoveries about brain structure decades later.

Michele W. Berger

A mental health checkup for children and adolescents, a year into COVID
A young person wearing a mask and polka dot t-shirt leaning against a faux wooden wall.

A mental health checkup for children and adolescents, a year into COVID

As a whole, this group experienced a significant short-term psychological toll. Though the long-term consequences aren’t yet known, particularly given how the year disproportionately exacerbated adverse childhood experiences, Penn experts remain cautiously optimistic.

Michele W. Berger

Infants experiencing opioid withdrawal more often treated in poorer quality hospitals
Person sitting in a desk chair at the image's front, with a blurred desk in the background that contains a computer with two screens, a print, and a shelf with several photographs.

Eileen Lake is the Jessie M. Scott Endowed Term Chair in Nursing and Health Policy, a professor of nursing, and associate director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the School of Nursing.

Infants experiencing opioid withdrawal more often treated in poorer quality hospitals

The research from the School of Nursing analyzed information from three datasets accounting for 25% of U.S. births annually.

Michele W. Berger

A tool for more inclusive autism screening
Young child with autism plays with a large beach ball.

A tool for more inclusive autism screening

A new visual screening tool for autism spectrum disorder may reduce disparities in diagnoses, especially when English is not a family’s primary language.

Doulas help families meet breastfeeding goals
Close up head shot of a smiling young person wearing a black V-neck shirt.

Stephanie N. Acquaye, from Woodbury, Minnesota, is a Bachelor of Nursing Science candidate at the School of Nursing. She is also a Hillman Scholar and will continue in the Penn Nursing Ph.D. program upon completion of her bachelor’s degree. (Image: Courtesy Stephanie Acquaye)

Doulas help families meet breastfeeding goals

Research from the School of Nursing shows that these support professionals can be another tool to improve outcomes for newborns and parents.

Michele W. Berger

Immune response in some children may influence COVID treatments for adults
Microscopic view of a virus

Immune response in some children may influence COVID treatments for adults

A joint study from researchers at Penn and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shows that T cell activation in children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome is more similar to adults with severe COVID-19.

Melissa Moody

Children, the pandemic, and long-term mental health consequences
Young person sitting at a table, leaning chin on crossed arms, wearing a mask. There are books, colored pencils, an abacus, a notepad and more scattered around.

Children, the pandemic, and long-term mental health consequences

New work from Penn Nursing and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia describes the importance of recognizing COVID-19’s psychological effects on young people and the pivotal role pediatric nurses in all settings can play.

Michele W. Berger

Pregnant mothers’ antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 transfer to their fetuses
Pregnant person sits on a seat on public transit wearing a face mask.

Pregnant mothers’ antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 transfer to their fetuses

Antibodies to coronavirus in pregnant women cross the placenta efficiently, and are found at similar concentrations in their newborns, according to a large study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine.

Melissa Moody

Racial disparities in pediatric diabetes treatment
Adolescent child holding a teddy bear having their blood pressure taken by a nurse.

Racial disparities in pediatric diabetes treatment

Despite similar outpatient appointment attendance rates, significant disparities in continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pump use were observed in non-Hispanic Black children over 20 years.

From Penn Nursing News