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Health & Medicine

Nancy A. Speck honored for pioneering research in hematology

Nancy A. Speck honored for pioneering research in hematology

Speck, the John W. Eckman Professor in Medical Science II and chair of the department of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Perelman School of Medicine, has been named the 2025 recipient of the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize from the American Society of Hematology.

Expanding essential wound care for people who use drugs

Expanding essential wound care for people who use drugs

A new study from Penn’s School of Nursing, published in the Harm Reduction Journal, identifies critical factors and strategies for expanding low-barrier wound care services for people who use drugs. The research comes as the rise of xylazine, a tranquilizer found in the street opioid supply, has led to a significant increase in severe necrotic wounds among this population.

Decoding ancient immunity networks
Hand holding a blood vial that reads "complement (C3 + C4)"

A collaborative team from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Perelman School of Medicine have unraveled the mathematics of a 500-million-year-old protein network that acts like the body’s bouncer, “deciding” which foreign materials get degraded by immune cells and which are allowed entry.

(Image / iStock Md Saiful Islam Khan)

Decoding ancient immunity networks

A collaborative team from Penn Medicine and Penn Engineering have  unraveled the mathematics of a 500-million-year-old protein network that “decides” which foreign materials are friend or foe.

Nathi Magubane , Ian Scheffler , Holly Wojcik , Matt Toal

5 min. read

New chair of Orthopaedics starts a new chapter in a lifetime of service
Benjamin Potter holding a piece of prosthetic hardware.

Benjamin “Kyle” Potter demonstrates how the OPRA implant (Integrum LLC), which is FDA-approved for osseointegration following transfemoral amputation, fits into the AXOR II failsafe device, directly linking a patient's residual bone to an external prosthesis.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News)

New chair of Orthopaedics starts a new chapter in a lifetime of service

Following a distinguished military career, Benjamin ‘Kyle’ Potter is bringing his battle-tested expertise to Penn.

From Penn Medicine News

2 min. read

What can ants and naked-mole rats teach about societal roles?
Leafcutter ants moving around a bright green leaf.

In eusocial superorganisms like leafcutter ant colonies, labor is divvied up according to body shape and size, but PIK Professor Shelley Berger and her team discovered that molecular signals can override that blueprint. Their findings reveal how simple neuropeptides can reprogram ant behavior, reshuffling roles in nature’s most disciplined workforce.

(Image: Courtesy of Tierney Scarpa)

What can ants and naked-mole rats teach about societal roles?

PIK Professor Shelley Berger and colleagues explored the genetic basis of labor distribution in communal-dwelling species and discovered that pathways dating back hundreds of millions of years are conserved across animal kingdoms. Their findings offer fundamental insights into complex social behaviors.

5 min. read

Penn’s Psychiatry chair is helping to reenvision how mental illness is diagnosed
Maria Oquendo.

Maria Oquendo is the Ruth Meltzer Professor of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News)

Penn’s Psychiatry chair is helping to reenvision how mental illness is diagnosed

Maria Oquendo is leading a task force to reimagine the future of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

From Penn Medicine News

2 min. read

The perils and promise of GLP-1 medications
A doctor taking the blood pressure of a patient

Image: rudi_suardi via Getty Images

The perils and promise of GLP-1 medications

How Penn Nursing researchers are ahead of the curve.

From Penn Nursing News

5 min. read

$50 million gift to launch the Lurie Autism Institute
Jeffrey Lurie speaking at the podium.

Jeffrey Lurie, CEO and Chairman of the Philadelphia Eagles, speaks at an event announcing the Lurie Autism Institute, a joint initiative between CHOP and Penn Medicine.

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$50 million gift to launch the Lurie Autism Institute

The transformational gift to Penn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will establish a joint initiative for autism research and treatment.

4 min. read

Could gene therapy restore lost hearing?
Soundwaves superimposed over an ear.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine Magazine

Could gene therapy restore lost hearing?

Experts at Penn Medicine are working to understand the genetic architecture of hearing loss in adults at the Penn Center for Adult-Onset Hearing Loss.

From Penn Medicine Magazine

2 min. read