11/15
Public Health
COVID-19 pandemic worsened patient safety measures
A new study from Penn Nursing found that rates of falls, infections, and injuries increased significantly during the pandemic, and have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The dangers of handheld cellphone use among teen drivers
A new study by researchers at Penn Nursing and the Perelman School of Medicine links newly licensed teen drivers to risky driving behaviors, and recommends teens and their parents develop strategies to avoid using cellphones while driving.
What to know about the current avian influenza outbreak
Louise Moncla and Aliza Simeone of Penn Vet and Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center share helpful information for the public.
In a warming world, public needs to know more about protections from mosquito-borne illnesses
A panel survey of U.S. residents finds that only 15% worry that they or their families will contract dengue, West Nile virus, or other mosquito borne-illnesses.
How synthetic nicotine brands market e-cigarettes to young people on social media
A study finds that most ads for e-cigarettes on Instagram, a platform dominated by users under the age of 25, do not adhere to FDA health warning requirements.
More accept COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, and willingness to vaccinate has declined
A health survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds a rise in the number of Americans believing COVID-19 vaccination misinformation, and a lower willingness to vaccinate.
Testing a novel, community-driven response to heat islands in Philadelphia
Researchers from three University of Pennsylvania schools collaborated with a Hunting Park nonprofit to design, build, and test a prototype of a cooling shelter to place at a bus stop.
Keeping calm in case of catastrophe
How emergency medical teams at Penn Medicine build the playbook for disaster preparedness.
Doing the work to end health disparities
Ala Stanford is a surgeon, a national leader in health equity, and professor of practice at Penn. Her new book chronicles her path from North Philly, how she served thousands during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her work to end health disparities.
Penn Medicine, 76ers restore community basketball court
The latest product of the partnership between two iconic Philadelphia institutions, a newly refurbished court at Roberto Clemente Park will support healthy behavior in the community.
In the News
Got canker sores? Try switching your toothpaste
Richard Wender of the Perelman School of Medicine says that canker sores often start with a minor trauma to the mucosal lining, like a sharp edge on a tooth or a pair of prickly braces.
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FDA Study finds infectious H5N1 bird flu virus in 14% of raw milk samples
Patrick E. Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says it is important that anyone planning to consume raw milk be aware that doing so can make you sick and that pasteurization reduces the risk of milk-borne illnesses.
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Colorado has the most cases of bird flu among dairy cows in the U.S.
The School of Veterinary Medicine has developed a bird flu vaccine that is to be tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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This Juneteenth, we must invest in our future as well as remember our past
Victor Roy, an incoming assistant professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, writes that “baby bonds” could help mitigate the worsening racial wealth gap.
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Column: How a blunder by a respected medical journal is fueling an anti-vaccine lie
Jeffrey S. Morris of the Perelman School of Medicine says that even with a 100% effective vaccine, there would have been high levels of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 in 2021.
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RFK Jr.’s vaccine misinformation campaign started after he ignored a Philly doctor
Paul Offit of the Perelman School of Medicine and Melanie Kornides of the School of Nursing comment on Robert F. Kennedy’s misinformation campaign against vaccines.
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