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Wellness
Nature access requires attention when addressing community health needs
Nature access requires attention when addressing community health needs
Nature is a tool to address deeply entrenched health disparities; health systems should work to increase nature access, as they have with other social determinants of health.
Philadelphia tax on sweetened drinks led to drop in sales
Philadelphia tax on sweetened drinks led to drop in sales
A new study indicates beverage taxes can reduce purchases among populations at higher risk for chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes.
Chief Wellness Officer Dr. Benoit Dubé discusses hybrid plan for fall semester
Chief Wellness Officer Dr. Benoit Dubé discusses hybrid plan for fall semester
A conversation with Penn’s Chief Wellness Officer about the public health implications of the plan to bring some students, faculty, and staff back to campus for the fall semester.
Coping with COVID stress: From pandemic brain fog to resilience
Coping with COVID stress: From pandemic brain fog to resilience
While feelings of anxiety and concern are normal during a crisis, stress can impact people in a variety of ways. Practicing mindfulness and increasing resilience can combat the physical manifestations of anxiety.
Negative financial shock increases loneliness in older adults
Negative financial shock increases loneliness in older adults
The conclusions hold even after accounting for changes in chronic health conditions and functional limitations, religious service attendance, and relationship strain.
With support from parents, teens forge a path to handle social distancing
With support from parents, teens forge a path to handle social distancing
Adolescents need and value their friends, relationships challenged by COVID-19 restrictions. By having explicit conversations and facilitating remote access to peers, the adults in their lives can help.
Continued CO2 emissions will impair cognition
Continued CO2 emissions will impair cognition
Rising CO2 causes more than a climate crisis, according to a study from Penn and CU Boulder. It may directly harm our ability to think.
Six tips to stay calm, positive, and resilient in trying times
Six tips to stay calm, positive, and resilient in trying times
The situation around COVID-19 can be overwhelming, but experts from Penn’s Positive Psychology Center offer advice to get through—or at the very least, get by.
Domestic violence and gun sales in the time of COVID-19
Domestic violence and gun sales in the time of COVID-19
In a Q&A, School of Social Policy & Practice researcher Susan B. Sorenson describes new challenges surrounding intimate partner violence and the uptick in gun purchases since this crisis began.
Penn’s wellness goals reach far and wide, together or apart
Penn’s wellness goals reach far and wide, together or apart
In just a few weeks, Student Health Service, Counseling and Psychological Services, and Campus Health revamped almost entirely, providing a full array of support for students on and off campus.
In the News
The Washington Post
You don’t have to be great right now. ‘Good enough’ will do
In an op-ed, Lisa Servon of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design wrote about letting go of perfectionism during the coronavirus pandemic and just striving to be “good enough” instead.
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Penn Nursing
What is self-care? How to cut through the marketing noise and actually practice it
Barbara Riegel of the School of Nursing spoke about the concept of self-care, which “goes all the way back to Hippocrates.” “Self-care centers upon the idea of being aware of yourself every single day and asking yourself questions like, ‘Did I get enough sleep? Did I eat right? Did I get in some exercise?’” she said.
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STAT News
‘Dear Evan Hansen’ tells a fictional story of suicide. But its actors field messages from very real people in crisis
Dan Romer of the Annenberg Public Policy Center spoke about how those behind the mental health-focused Broadway show “Dear Evan Hansen” are dealing with fan letters on the topic of suicide and anxiety. “They’re actually reaching out individually to people. That’s good that they do that. It’s actually quite responsible,” he said.
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NPR
Black and Latino Children Are Often Overlooked When It Comes to Autism
A 2007 Penn study found that African-American children were “5.1 times more likely to be misdiagnosed with conduct disorders” before receiving Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnoses.
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The Scientist
Fly’s Blood-Brain Barrier Has Circadian Rhythms
Amita Sehgal of the Perelman School of Medicine led a research team in an investigation which used fruit flies to explore the chronobiological effects of circadian rhythms on drug administration.
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Scicasts
'Epigenetic Landscape' Is Protective in Normal Aging, Impaired in Alzheimer's Disease, Says Study
Shelley Berger, Nancy Bonini, and Brad Johnson, of the Perelman School of Medicine co-authored a study profiling the “epigenetic landscape” of human brains with Alzheimer’s disease.
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