5/19
Public Health
COVID mortality age patterns changed significantly during pandemic
Between March 2020 and October 2021, death rates from the virus decreased for those 80 and older and increased for those 25 to 54, results that held across racial and ethnic groups.
‘Abortion and Women’s Rights 1970’: A film that’s newly timely
Five decades ago, ahead of the landmark ruling Roe v. Wade, political scientist Mary Summers worked on a documentary film. That film is gaining new viewers through a recently launched website.
A matter of trust: Community health workers in West Philly
As part of the Penn Medicine at Home enterprise, community health workers are one element of Penn’s initiatives to deliver quality care and improve health outside hospital walls.
Drivers licensed at 18 crash more than younger drivers with driver training
New drivers licensed before age 18 who are subject to mandatory driver education that includes behind-the-wheel training, in addition to Graduated Driver Licensing restrictions, are less likely to crash than drivers licensed at age 18 who are exempt from these requirements.
Symposium highlights range and reach of Penn Global research
The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant is supporting 21 faculty-led projects that span research, capacity-building, and development efforts across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, India, China, and beyond.
Lancaster General Health invests in healthy homes
Lancaster General’s Lead-Free Families initiative is the first of its kind in the U.S., as it is 100% funded and led by a community health system. It will identify and remediate lead hazards in Lancaster County homes and educate on the risk of lead exposure.
A mental health specialist is helping underserved moms find their way
Lissette “Mitzy” Liriano, Chester County Hospital’s maternal mental health specialist, leads a support group called Moms Supporting Moms, in addition to dividing her time between the hospital and the mental health clinic, where she monitors a largely Hispanic population for mental health needs.
Lead as a social determinant of child and adolescent physiological stress and behavior
The association between lead exposure and children’s IQ has been well studied, but few studies have examined the effects of blood lead on children’s physiological stress and behavior, until now.
Lead toxicity risk factors in Philadelphia
Two studies identify factors that correlate with high blood-lead levels in children, pointing to ongoing environmental justice issues that disproportionately fall on children of color and poorer communities in the city.
Solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC
The latest assessment offers both a harsh reality check and a path forward. Experts William Braham, Peter Psarras, and Michael Mann offer their thoughts.
In the News
Extreme heat linked to rise in U.S. death rates
Sameed Khatana of the Perelman School of Medicine says extreme heat is associated with a higher mortality rate across the contiguous United States.
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D.C.’s struggle to end homelessness is getting more complicated
Unhoused people in their 50s and 60s in three cities examined by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania had health conditions more akin to housed people who were 20 years older.
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How can Philly achieve health equity?
School of Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel participated in a panel discussion about health equity in Philadelphia. She said the pandemic has revealed the connections between social determinants of health, differences in quality of care, and access to health care. “We are still living with the sins of the past,” she said. “And I think in order for us to move forward, we have to address the structural-related issue.”
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America’s flu-shot problem is also its next COVID-shot problem
Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing said that, if the American public is asked to be vaccinated against COVID-19 again in the future, the turnout would likely not exceed that of the typical annual flu vaccine. “I’m guessing that flu-vaccine coverage is going to be a ceiling,” she said. “I just don’t think we’ll have 70 percent of U.S. adults saying, ‘Oh, an annual COVID shot? Sure.’”
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Shrugs over flu signal future attitudes about COVID
Robert Aronowitz of the School of Arts & Sciences said public attitudes toward flu illustrate “how we get used to living with the toll of a virus and don’t count it or see it or care or fear it too much.”
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How did this many deaths become normal?
Courtney Boen of the School of Arts & Sciences said the Global North’s insistence on moving on from the pandemic “shifts the burden to the very groups experiencing mass deaths to protect themselves” and absolves world leaders of responsibility. “It’s a lot easier to say that we have to learn to live with COVID if you’re not personally experiencing the ongoing loss of your family members,” she said.
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