Public Health | Penn Today

Fingers holding a small glass vial of methadone.

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.

How your neighborhood can hamper your teen’s sleep

Research led by Stephanie Mayne of the Perelman School of Medicine found that living in a noisy neighborhood with less green space can negatively impact teens’ sleep, potentially leading to poorer memory and thinking skills. “Our findings suggest that neighborhood noise and green space may be important targets for interventions,” she said.

A masked teacher crouches down at a desk to talk with a masked student at school.

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.

Young child has their teeth examined by a dental expert with an assistant looking on.

$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

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.

Police tape across a street with a police car and ambulance in background.

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.

International leaders celebrate the Paris Climate Accord

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.

To battle the opioid crisis, arm more health care providers

Shoshana V. Aronowitz of the Perelman School of Medicine co-authored an op-ed about recent changes to an HHS requirement that, prior to the shift, did not allow physicians to prescribe buprenorphine without completing mandatory certificate training. The change doesn’t go far enough, the authors say, because it “does not include advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants—clinicians vital to the opioid use disorder treatment workforce.”

Recovering hospital patient sitting up in hospital bed holding a cup of tea looking out the window.

Outcomes of critically ill COVID patients improved consistently during the pandemic

A Penn Medicine study finds that mortality rates of critically ill patients have progressively declined from the first surge of the pandemic, suggesting that hospital staff rapidly improved their management even before widespread use of evidence-based treatments.

Picture of many days listed on a wall calendar

The backlog in mammograms during the COVID-19 pandemic

The backlog of diagnostic mammograms is not expected to return to regular operations for nearly six months at best, and a lack of early detection will have health implications on cancer management for years to come.

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