News from

Health Sciences

Reset All Filters
2001 Results
Vaccines, variants, and the evolving lexicon of COVID-19
a close-up of a dictionary page with definitions for the words epidemic, disease, and viral

Vaccines, variants, and the evolving lexicon of COVID-19

Penn Today shares the third update to the pandemic glossary, providing insights into the jargon becoming an everyday part of conversations and news headlines about the ongoing public health crisis.

Erica K. Brockmeier

A gentler strategy for avoiding childhood dental decay
side-by-side microscopic images of microbes with fluorescent labels, with right side looking more empty

An enzymatic treatment significantly weakened a bacteria-yeast biofilm on a tooth-like surface. This therapeutic approach, using beta-mannanase (right panel) breaks down the links between the bacteria and yeast, could be used to treat early childhood caries, a severe form of tooth decay. (Image: Courtesy of Geelsu Hwang) 

A gentler strategy for avoiding childhood dental decay

By targeting the bonds between bacteria and yeast that can form a sticky dental plaque, a new therapeutic strategy could help wash away the build-up while sparing oral tissues, according to a new study by a team from the School of Dental Medicine.

Katherine Unger Baillie

What happens in the brain when we imagine the future?
A composite image that supposed to be looking inside the mind of the person pictured. In the mind it shows blue and purple coloration, with specks of light breaking through.

What happens in the brain when we imagine the future?

Research from neuroscientist Joseph Kable finds that two sub-networks are at work, one focused on creating the new event, another on evaluating whether that event is positive or negative.

Michele W. Berger

Blocking viruses’ exit strategy
A fluorescent microscopic image of a cell labeled in orange with virus particles emerging from it labeled green.

Blocking viruses’ exit strategy

Tests of a new antiviral that aims to prevent the deadly Marburg virus from spreading in the body show promise, according to a study led by School of Veterinary Medicine researchers.

Katherine Unger Baillie

The origin of reproductive organs
Four images labeled embryonic day showing the development of the precursors to sexual organs

The origin of reproductive organs

A new study led by the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Kotaro Sasaki elucidates the early biological processes involved in the development of ovaries and testes.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Engaging the community, one mask at a time
nursing students handing out masks Penn Nursing seniors Farzana Talukdar (left) and Anna Chin hand out a mask kit to a passerby, part of an initiative to work with and educate the community about the importance of wearing masks. When a Lucy Green Loop bus stopped nearby a moment later, the driver waved to Talukdar, who got on and quickly distributed bags.

Engaging the community, one mask at a time

At 10 sites across campus for 10 weeks, Penn Nursing students made 400 weekly observations about mask usage, part of MASCUP, a nationwide initiative spearheaded by the CDC that includes 53 colleges and universities.

Michele W. Berger

A ‘shot’ at ending the pandemic
worker at penn vaccine clinic

A ‘shot’ at ending the pandemic

The Penn Cares COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic is offering one of the greatest tools in the fight against the pandemic to faculty, staff, postdocs, and students.

Erica K. Brockmeier

With its flagship light device, Lumify Care improves patient experience from the frontline
Person in a blue button-down shirt, arms crossed, leaning against a tree outside. In the background are blurred out bushes and trees, a path and a streetlight.

The School of Nursing’s Anthony Scarpone-Lambert of Chalfont, Pennsylvania, earned a 2021 President’s Innovation Prize for Lumify Care. The company’s first product, uNight Light, is a battery-powered, hands-free light device that magnetically clips onto scrubs, has three modes, and is easily cleanable with hospital-grade disinfectant wipes. It offers nurses an alternative to turning on overhead lights overnight, helping patients rest and making a hospital stay more conducive to healing.

With its flagship light device, Lumify Care improves patient experience from the frontline

Penn Nursing senior Anthony Scarpone-Lambert earned a 2021 President’s Innovation Prize for his company and its first trio of products: uNight Light, the Sleep-First Education Initiative, and the uNightShift Community.

Michele W. Berger

Four Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences
head shots of Marisa Bartolomei, M. Celeste Simon, Michael Kearns, and Diana Mutz

Four Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences

The new members of the Academy, honored scholars recognized for their unique and ongoing contributions to original research, include researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Annenberg School for Communication.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Six from Penn elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Headshots of six people, in a grid, two rows of three.

Six faculty from Penn were elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. The honorees include (clockwise from top left) Cristina Bicchieri, Michael Hanchard, Vijay Kumar, Kenneth Zaret, Sarah Tishkoff, and Stanley Plotkin. They join more than 250 honorees for 2021, recognized for their efforts to help solve some of the world’s most urgent challenges.

Six from Penn elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Faculty from the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Perelman School of Medicine are honored for their efforts to help solve some of the world’s most urgent challenges.

Michele W. Berger