11/15
Public Health
Patients discharged to home care have higher rates of hospital readmissions
Patients discharged to home care have higher rates of hospital readmissions
A Penn study highlights important tradeoffs between home versus nursing facilities as the cost for post-acute care rises and payment models shift.
Shining a (UV) light on hospital infections
Shining a (UV) light on hospital infections
A rolling, six-foot-tall UV light device assigned to each floor of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania rids hospital rooms of harmful organisms after every discharge, preventing infection.
Bringing healthy smiles to Philadelphia communities
Bringing healthy smiles to Philadelphia communities
In health care facilities embedded around Philadelphia, students and faculty from the School of Dental Medicine are ramping up the care they provide to underserved populations.
Longer shifts don’t create chronic sleep loss or reduce patient safety
Longer shifts don’t create chronic sleep loss or reduce patient safety
Two large national studies show that patient safety was unaffected, and residents showed no signs of chronic sleep loss regardless of shift length for first-year doctors.
States with strict gun laws see increase in homicides when they border states with lax ones
States with strict gun laws see increase in homicides when they border states with lax ones
Over a five-year period, most guns found in states with strict gun laws were obtained from less restrictive states.
U.S. fertility is at an all-time low, but is that a bad thing?
U.S. fertility is at an all-time low, but is that a bad thing?
Researchers from the Population Studies Center dissect the latest CDC numbers and explain the role of migration patterns, better family planning, and delayed parenthood.
Making headway against a killer virus
Making headway against a killer virus
Around Penn, clinicians and researchers are focused on Ebola, working to ensure this disease—fearsomely lethal—can be vanquished.
To prevent HIV, start online
To prevent HIV, start online
A team led by José Bauermeister at Penn Nursing designed the My Desires & Expectations tool to address cognitive and emotional factors that influence sexual decision-making when seeking partners online.
The link between sleep, genes, and mental health
The link between sleep, genes, and mental health
Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark could affect your risk of developing a psychiatric disorder.
Using stairwells for wellness
Using stairwells for wellness
StairWELL, a Penn Sustainability Green Fund project, completed a yearlong pilot project last July that aimed to test how effective a stairwell makeover could be in increasing physical activity and reducing energy costs.
In the News
The Washington Post
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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Forbes
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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CPR News
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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The Hill
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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Los Angeles Times
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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Philadelphia Inquirer
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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