Public Health | Penn Today

Members of the Penn Medicine community play basketball with kids at the Roberto Clemente Park.

Penn Medicine, 76ers restore community basketball court

The latest product of the partnership between two iconic Philadelphia institutions, a newly refurbished court at Roberto Clemente Park will support healthy behavior in the community.

A sign in a stairwell pointing the way to a cooling center.

As temperatures break records, many are unaware of symptoms of heat-related illnesses

A new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds that more of the U.S. public sees the link between extreme heat and climate change, but not all extreme heat risks are understood by all.

The threat of mpox has returned, but public knowledge about it has declined

A national survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center in July finds that Americans lack understanding and concern about mpox, highlighting a need for more public health outreach and communication about mpox contagion and vaccines.

A person driving pressing a button on a mounted smartphone.

To get drivers to put down their phones, make it a game

A large trial of strategies to reduce distracted driving presented by Penn Medicine experts show that those that were “gamified” yielded a lasting reduction in handheld phone usage while driving.

When there’s money to lose, phone usage while driving drops

New research from Penn Medicine finds that feedback plus cash incentives designed with insights from behavioral science reduces phone use while driving.

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.

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.

A teen driver with a driving instructor.

States differ widely in requirements for young driver training

A new paper from Annenberg Public Policy Center shows how states differ in licensing requirements for teens, and how the crash rate correlates to training; the authors advise for families of teens to go beyond the minimum state requirements to keep teen drivers safer.

A senior man receives a vaccination from a healthcare provider in a pharmacy,

Text reminders about COVID-19 boosters are as effective as free rides, new study finds

In a new megastudy, Katy Milkman of the Wharton School and collaborators at Penn’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative led research on reminders and free rides to and from pharmacies to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates.

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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