Social Work

Desmond Patton and the science of being human

Penn Integrates Knowledge University professor Desmond Upton Patton discusses his research in social media and violence, finding an interdisciplinary career in social work, communication, data science, and psychiatry, and why his open-mindedness never stops.

Kristina García

Guaranteed income improved people’s health during the pandemic

Associate professor Amy Castro of the School of Social Policy & Practice shares the final results from the Stockton pilot program, which show connections between financial security and better health.

From the School of Social Policy & Practice Juliana Rosati

The pandemic’s impact on individual generosity

How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect people’s volunteering, donating, and helping behaviors? A report by SP2 faculty and students summarizes a nationally representative study aiming to answer this question.

From the School of Social Policy & Practice



In the News


Fast Company

She went to the hospital for a few days. The state kept her kids for four years

Johanna Greeson of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that the state is too quick to remove children because of “neglect” rather than considering how to keep families together.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

A new community-driven initiative is asking Philly to spend more housing funds on the lowest-income households

Rebecca Yae of the Weitzman School of Design’s Housing Initiative at Penn says that it’s important to consider deeper income targeting with affordable housing for people with the lowest incomes.

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The Wall Street Journal

Why more baby boomers are sliding into homelessness

Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that homelessness among elderly people hasn’t been an issue since the Great Depression.

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The New Yorker

A journey from homelessness to a room of one’s own

Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice explains how to end modern homelessness, comparing its cost to the $11 billion expense of allowing homelessness to continue.

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HealthDay News

Too much paperwork is delaying cancer patients’ care, study finds

A study led by Meredith Doherty of the School of Social Policy & Practice finds that patients are more likely to experience cancer care delays or be unable to stick to a treatment plan if forced to fill out a lot of paperwork.

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Technical.ly Philly

This Penn researcher is exploring how ChatGPT fits into the social sciences

PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton and colleagues are studying how generative AI, particularly chatbots, can be used ethically in social sciences work.

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