Public Health | Penn Today

Three new pandemic initiatives launch as Biden hits one-year mark

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center said that even if vaccination rates continue to climb despite anti-vax sentiments, there would still be room for improvement. “Even the relatively small part of the population that accepts misinformation is problematic,” she said.

A person in a doctor's office checks their fitness tracker on their wrist.

Wearables can predict near-term blood sugar control in prediabetes patients

Penn researchers find that using wearable devices, especially those on the wrist, and machine learning approaches could predict blood sugar control.

Person wearing a face mask while studying in Fischer Fine Arts Library.

Mask-wearing and moral values

Tiffany Tieu led a study on the psychology of mask-wearing and its relationship with a person’s moral values, using Penn undergraduates as the subjects.

Pop-up COVID testing sites may be rife for identity theft, experts say

Allison Hoffman of the Law School spoke about the emergence of unregulated COVID testing sites. “If they're asking for more information than they should be, like Social Security numbers, don't give that to them,” she said. “If they're asking for payment, don't give them payment because you shouldn't be paying out of pocket at all for these tests right now.”

People working out on excercise machines.

A Wharton study on the best ways to boost workout habits

New research from Wharton professors Katy Milkman, Angela Duckworth, and co-authors on how to effectively nudge people to show up at the gym.

Office boardroom with a no smoking sign on the table.

Cost effectiveness of financial incentives for smoking cessation

A new study explores the cost benefit of financial incentive programs, and the life expectancy and quality of life gains, for both employers and society at large.

healthcare professional with syringe and vaccine

Millions embrace COVID-19 misinformation, which is linked to vaccine hesitancy

Millions continue to believe misinformation about vaccination and COVID-19, and these beliefs are associated with hesitancy to get themselves and their children vaccinated—or, if they are vaccinated, to get a booster for added protection.

Vials labeled "SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 Vaccine" lit up with neon light on a machine filling them.

The COVID landscape after a year with vaccines

In a conversation hosted by LDI, experts from Penn, the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations discussed the vaccine rollout, boosters, misinformation, and more.

In Peru and the U.S., considering the factors that drive public health

By comparing and contrasting the two nations’ approaches to controlling infectious diseases, students in Parallel Plagues deepened their appreciation of how these diseases emerge, cause harm, and might be effectively controlled.

Four women in front of the Share food bank, and the two in the middle are waving to each other

Fighting food insecurity

Students from the Fox Leadership Program have lent their time and expertise to hunger organizations for more than a decade, and during the pandemic they’ve upped their involvement to meet the growing need.

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