5/19
Racial Justice
How Lucas Monroe defines leadership
Lucas Monroe, a political science major from Abington, Pennsylvania, combines athletics and introspection to take on a leadership role in social justice work on campus and beyond.
America as it actually was
“Teaching Independence: Bridging the Communications Gap,” took an in-depth look at the challenges of teaching the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, and the nation’s founding in the current political climate.
Higher rates of chemical sedation among Black psychiatric patients points to inequities
Penn Medicine researchers also find that white patients are more likely to be chemically sedated in emergency departments at hospitals that treat high proportion Black patients, suggesting that hospital demographics can impact practice patterns.
An interfaith commemoration of MLK
The annual event on March 23 was part of the Penn MLK Commemorative Symposium on Social Change.
35th annual Women of Color at Penn award
The Women of Color at Penn held their 35th annual award ceremony with a virtual celebration hosted by the African American Resource Center. This year’s awards honored six women who have fostered and supported community.
The Black Lives Matter movement, but not COVID encouraged voters toward Biden
As swing voters registered more awareness about discrimination against Black Americans, they became more likely to vote for the party they felt would best rectify that—Democrats.
Black histories and Black futures
Professors and students reflect on 50 years of Black studies at Penn.
Viewing 2021 through a lens
Photojournalist Kylie Cooper’s annotated photo essay about the liminality of 2021 captured the Capitol insurrection, the Ground Zero commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and more.
Interfaith activism at the second annual University Forum on Social Equity and Community
In the second annual University Forum on Social Equity and Community, the School of Arts & Sciences’ Barbara D. Savage moderated a conversation on interfaith activism.
Racial justice protests influenced local news reporting
A new Media, Inequality, and Change Center report finds that news coverage of policing did become more inclusive and less dehumanizing, but was still heavily slanted toward a police perspective.
In the News
Philly hospitals and key insurers plan novel effort with the city to improve health equity
Raina Merchant of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about Accelerate Health Equity, a public health coalition aiming to improve racial equity in health care in Philadelphia.
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Advocates urge action on bill to establish Asian American and Pacific Islander curriculum in N.J. schools
Jessica Kim, a doctoral student in the School of Social Policy & Practice, is organizing a demonstration in support of a bill to require New Jersey schools to teach students about the history and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. “Education is critical,” she said.
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Yelp reviews may provide key insights into patient experiences with racism
Jason Tong and Anietie Andy of the Perelman School of Medicine studied Yelp reviews of hospitals to better understand racial disparities in health care. “Racism within health care can be pervasive and can occur in a variety of both clinical and nonclinical spaces,” said Tong. “Hopefully [we] can create a composite metric of racism that can be used for targeted quality improvement initiatives for hospitals.”
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Yelp reviews could help hospitals target racism, Penn study finds
Perelman School of Medicine researchers found that online reviews of hospitals could help evaluate patients’ experiences with racism. “It’s powerful because it’s anonymous—it reduces the fear of reporting, it’s familiar, and it’s open-ended,” general surgery resident Jason Tong said. “It allows consumers to comment on what matters to them.”
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US medical schools found to be falling short on equity promises
In an analysis of inequality in medical education, Penn experts, including UPHS CEO Kevin Mahoney, said, “courage is needed to move forward. This courage, though, is most needed from leaders and colleagues in positions of privilege.”
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Decades of Penn research shows how structural racism affects Black children with type 1 diabetes
Research co-authored by Terri Lipman of the School of Nursing and Colin Hawkes of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that disproportionately poor health outcomes for Black children with Type 1 diabetes are predominately caused by structural racism. “There’s certainly an element of blame, when it’s proposed that patients need to be better or behaviors need to change,” she said. “The focus needs to be on the health care team.”
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