4/22
Public Health
When the message matters, use science to craft it
When the message matters, use science to craft it
An interdisciplinary initiative called the Message Effects Lab aims to understand, tap into, and develop communication around what motivates specific behaviors for specific populations. Its first projects center around COVID-19 testing and vaccines.
From animals to people and back again
From animals to people and back again
Penn researchers are studying the propensity of SARS-CoV-2 to cross between species, and they are working to protect people, pets, and wildlife from COVID-19 infection.
Take-at-home tests boost colorectal cancer screening tenfold
Take-at-home tests boost colorectal cancer screening tenfold
By making it the default to send screening tests to patients’ homes unless they opted out via text message, screening rates increased by more than 1000%.
Evicted and infected: How the housing crisis could worsen the COVID-19 pandemic
Evicted and infected: How the housing crisis could worsen the COVID-19 pandemic
A research team found that evictions could lead to a considerable uptick in COVID-19 infections in U.S. cities. With rising eviction rates, COVID cases in Philadelphia could cause 53,000 additional infections.
What drives people away from medication for opioid use disorder?
What drives people away from medication for opioid use disorder?
Penn LDI experts have investigated the stigma and ideological beliefs surrounding using medications for opioid use disorder.
Penn Wharton Budget Model analyzes cost of area school closures
Penn Wharton Budget Model analyzes cost of area school closures
The model shows students’ future wage losses in four Philadelphia-area counties far exceed cost to the community.
$5M gift to fund endowed professorship, support establishment of Center for Integrative Global Oral Health
$5M gift to fund endowed professorship, support establishment of Center for Integrative Global Oral Health
The gift from Penn Dental Medicine alumnus Garry Rayant and his wife, Kathy Fields, will create a new endowed professorship at the School and provide foundational support to establish the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health.
A call for a global ban on lead paint
A call for a global ban on lead paint
In a paper for the United Nations Environment Programme, researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences and the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues make a case for ceasing production and use of lead paint worldwide.
Philly Police now transport 2 of every 3 gunshot victims to hospital
Philly Police now transport 2 of every 3 gunshot victims to hospital
A new study shows that Philadelphia Police transport two of every three gunshot or stabbing victims to area trauma centers, helping ensure exceptional survival rates.
The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
Penn Today spoke with experts in various areas of science and environmental policy about what they anticipate will shift now that President Biden has assumed the nation’s leadership.
In the News
Philadelphia Gay News
UPenn hosts free online panel for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion
The Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative, led by José Bauermeister and Jessica Halem of the School of Nursing, will host a free online panel in April on the integration of LGBTQ+ people in the workforce.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Mayor Parker’s plan to ‘remove the presence of drug users’ from Kensington raises new questions
Shoshana Aronowitz of the School of Nursing and Ashish Thakrar of the Perelman School of Medicine comment on the lack of specificity in Philadelphia’s plan to remove drug users from Kensington and on the current state of drug treatment in the city.
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FactCheck.org
Posts mislead about COVID-19 vaccine safety with out-of-context clip of FDA official
Jeffrey S. Morris of the Perelman School of Medicine says that many adverse medical events, even those clearly unrelated to vaccines, have been reported an order of magnitude more for COVID vaccines during the pandemic than any time before.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Philadelphians hope a cleaner city will reduce gun violence. Will Oh or Parker make it a reality?
A $3 million blight reduction project in Philadelphia is informed by Penn research showing that cleaning up trash and revitalizing vacant lots can reduce gun violence rates by as much as 29%.
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Business Insider
Universal basic income is working—even in red states
Researchers at Penn concluded that a basic income program in Stockton, California, could have profound positive impacts on local public health.
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CBS Philadelphia
NJ’s Camden County deploying virtual reality to teach students about naloxone
Penn partnered with New Jersey’s Camden County to create a virtual reality training video for administering the opioid-reversing drug Narcan.
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