Public Health | Penn Today

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.

An empty hospital bed in a hospital room.

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.

Screen grab of woman from 1970 Abortion documentary transposed over an image of the 2017 women's march on Washington.

‘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.

A teenager sits on the ground on a cell phone beside a vehicle that had crashed into another vehicle.

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.

Panelists sit on a stage at Perry World House, while another is on a Zoom screen behind them

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.

Lissette “Mitzy” Liriano sits at a desk with a computer, wearing a face mask, holding a binder that reads “Medical and mental health resource binder.”

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.

Young child looking out the window of an apartment building.

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.

a hand-held device is used to measure lead levels in a soil sample

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.

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