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Many Americans unaware high blood pressure usually has no noticeable symptoms

Many Americans unaware high blood pressure usually has no noticeable symptoms

In a recent Annenberg Public Policy Center health survey, over one-third of respondents report having been diagnosed with high blood pressure, but the survey also shows that few U.S. adults—including those who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure—can correctly identify what blood pressure reading doctors consider “high.”

Improving T-cell responses to vaccines
Person in mask holding vaccine vial.

Image: franckreporter via Getty Images

Improving T-cell responses to vaccines

Penn Vet and Penn Medicine researchers have modified mRNA vaccines to include the cytokine IL-12 and improve T-cell responses which could improve the body’s ability to fight infections.

3 min. read

Americans say benefits of MMR vaccine for children outweigh risks by nearly 5-1

Americans say benefits of MMR vaccine for children outweigh risks by nearly 5-1

While many Americans know how measles can spread, most cannot accurately estimate the prevalence of complications associated with measles such as hospitalization or the risks it presents during pregnancy, according to the latest Annenberg Science and Public Health survey, which was conducted by Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Philly CEAL trains health workers in chronic disease management

Philly CEAL trains health workers in chronic disease management

Community health workers from Philadelphia recently completed intensive training in chronic disease self-management through the Philly CEAL project, a strategic partnership between Penn Nursing and the city’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity.

Nourish to Flourish
Inaya Zaman, Rashmi Acharya, and Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio.

Fourth-years (from left) Inaya Zaman, Rashmi Acharya, and Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio created Nourish to Flourish, winner of a 2025 President’s Engagement Prize. The trio will work with community partners at the Benjamin B. Comegys School in West Philadelphia and use behavioral economics principals to encourage healthier food choices.

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Nourish to Flourish

Fourth-years Rashmi Acharya, Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio and Inaya Zaman created Nourish to Flourish, winner of a 2025 President’s Engagement Prize. The trio will work with community partners at the Benjamin B. Comegys School in West Philadelphia to encourage healthier food choices.

7 min. read

Do ‘harm reduction’ interventions for substance use lower or raise trust in government?

Do ‘harm reduction’ interventions for substance use lower or raise trust in government?

“Harm reduction” interventions for substance use such as needle exchange programs and methadone distribution aim to reduce the adverse effects of substance use, rather than punish or prevent it, and have repeatedly shown to lower the risk of overdoses, mortality, and drug-related crime. But in many communities in rural America, there is a stigma attached to these approaches.

Veterinary student on the human benefits of poultry medicine
Dana Bubka.

Dana Bubka, an aspiring diagnostic poultry veterinarian, has been doing clinical rotations at New Bolton Center leading up to her graduation in May from the School of Veterinary Medicine.

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Veterinary student on the human benefits of poultry medicine

Dana Bubka came to the School of Veterinary Medicine knowing she wanted to be a poultry veterinarian, and after graduation, she is staying at Penn for a residency in anatomic pathology.

4 min. read