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Penn Integrates Knowledge Professors
Genomic differences selected through evolution may offer clues as to why COVID-19 outcomes vary widely
A team from the University of Pennsylvania analyzed genomic data from global populations, including thousands of ethnically diverse Africans, to identify genetic variants that may be associated with clinical COVID-19 outcomes.
Dirk Trauner appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Trauner, one of the world’s most innovative interdisciplinary chemists, will have joint appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences and in the Perelman School of Medicine.
Ben Franklin: A voice from the past that speaks to our time
At the 2022 Silfen Forum, Penn Interim President Wendell Pritchett chatted with filmmaker Ken Burns about his new two-part documentary on Benjamin Franklin.
Social connections influence brain structure of rhesus macaques
Researchers from Penn, Inserm, and elsewhere observed that the number of grooming partners an individual animal had predicted the size of brain areas associated with social decision-making and empathy.
Keepers of the cultural memory
In wartime, saving human lives is a top priority. But secondary considerations often include preserving the cultural heritage also under siege. Penn experts offer their thoughts as the situation in Ukraine continues to unfold.
New COVID-19 roadmap: Four takeaways
A report spearheaded by PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel, with input from other Penn experts, lays out a dozen priorities for the federal government to tackle in the next 12 months. The aim: to help guide the U.S. to the pandemic’s “next normal.”
Lance Freeman appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Interim President Wendell Pritchett and Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein announce the appointment of Lance Freeman as the University of Pennsylvania’s 29th Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor.
Do success stories cause false beliefs about success?
Does explicitly acknowledging bias make us less likely to make biased decisions? A new study examining how people justify decisions based on biased data finds that this is not exactly the case.
Inspiring people, place, and purpose
Penn President Amy Gutmann’s record tenure of nearly 18 years is the University’s most transformative.
Studying the past through a modern-day lens
In a Q & A, archaeologist and PIK Professor Lynn Meskell discusses her background, the subjects that interest her—from espionage to World Heritage sites—and collaborations that have organically arisen at Penn despite the pandemic and a mostly remote first year.
In the News
A natural disaster made monkeys age faster
Researchers co-led by PIK Professor Michael Platt tracked the effects of Hurricane Maria on monkey populations to better understand how stress impacts humans. “The average monkey aged about two years biologically, so it’s about eight years of human life, which is pretty grim,” Platt said.
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Millions of children will miss healthy school meals when pandemic relief expires
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel said the initiatives that make child-nutrition programs more efficient shouldn’t be allowed to expire. “When you improve the ability for the country to deliver food to children, to families, you improve the health outcomes of Americans,” he said.
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Some hospitals ask patients, visitors to remove N95s, citing CDC
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel commented on CDC guidelines that promote surgical masks over N95s, despite the latter’s superior protection. “It’s baffling,” he said. “This is something where the CDC has been on the wrong side for a long time.”
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Lawmakers push legislation to protect doctors who prescribe ivermectin for COVID-19. Can they do that?
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel weighed in on proposed bills that would make it easier for doctors to prescribe ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, to COVID-19 patients, even though the treatment has not proven effective. “It’s inevitable someone’s going to be harmed, and this is harmful to the country,” he said.
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What the ‘new normal’ of living with COVID might look like
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel and other public health officials issued recommendations for how the U.S. should manage the pandemic going forward. "We needed to have a new strategic plan for the country," Emanuel said. "Having an outside group, which is bipartisan, has a certain advantage."
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The White House is mulling a pandemic strategy for ‘the next normal’
A team of experts led by PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel provided recommendations to the Biden administration as the pandemic enters a new phase. The team proposed establishing clear benchmarks for when to impose or ease emergency measures, a research initiative to develop more coronavirus therapeutics, and new air quality standards for indoor spaces, among other changes.
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