11/15
Public Health
Comparing urban and rural excess mortality during COVID-19
Comparing urban and rural excess mortality during COVID-19
The first-ever county-level study of excess mortality in the United States shows monthly excess deaths spread from large cities to rural counties in the second year of the pandemic.
Smoke safety: What to know and how to keep safe with poor air quality
Smoke safety: What to know and how to keep safe with poor air quality
Olajumoke O. Fadugba of the Perelman School of Medicine addresses why smoke irritates the body, why people with allergies and asthma are particularly affected, and how to stay safe. Writer: Kristina García
Why the Vaccine Safety Reporting System should be renamed
Why the Vaccine Safety Reporting System should be renamed
VAERS, the federal health system for reporting “adverse events” after vaccination, is designed to assist in the early detection of complications and responsive action. But the flood of social media references to the system during the COVID-19 pandemic created confusion.
Promoting exercise for healthy brain aging in the Latino community
Promoting exercise for healthy brain aging in the Latino community
Penn Nursing’s Adriana Perez engages the Latino community in fitness classes through Tiempo Juntos Por Nuestra Salud.
Act First, a PEP winner, wants to teach Philly students critical first aid—and the confidence to follow through
Act First, a PEP winner, wants to teach Philly students critical first aid—and the confidence to follow through
Kenneth Pham and Catherine Chang, winners of the 2023 President’s Engagement Prize, will teach Philadelphia high school students CPR, Narcan administration, and blood loss prevention.
Study links air pollution, heat, carbon dioxide, and noise to reduced sleep
Study links air pollution, heat, carbon dioxide, and noise to reduced sleep
Researchers from Penn Medicine find a drop in sleep efficiency from high exposures to these environmental factors.
Running and walking for oral cancer awareness
Running and walking for oral cancer awareness
In a student-led effort, the School of Dental Medicine hosted the Oral Cancer Walk & 5K. The event has been an annual tradition since 2009, offering both a community celebration and a venue for discussing oral cancer prevention and detection.
A community social worker balancing gun violence prevention and trauma recovery
Denise Johnson has two roles in Penn’s gun violence prevention efforts as program manager for the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center-based Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program and the Penn Community Violence Prevention team.
The care they need, where they are
The care they need, where they are
A team of undergrads and physicians are partnering with community clinics and other organizations as part of a Projects for Progress-supported program to offer medical care to people experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable populations.
To protect children online, researchers call for cross-disciplinary collaboration
To protect children online, researchers call for cross-disciplinary collaboration
A team of neuroscientists and legal experts, including Gideon Nave of the Wharton School, published a perspective in Science drawing attention to the need to develop science-backed policies that take into account children’s vulnerabilities in the digital world.
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.
FULL STORY →
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.
FULL STORY →
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.
FULL STORY →
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.
FULL STORY →
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.
FULL STORY →
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.
FULL STORY →