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The pandemic, health inequities, and an ‘opportunity for change’
covid global map

As a global pandemic, COVID-19 spread across the world. But it didn’t hit everyone equally. “Being healthy is essential to human flourishing,” says Jennifer Prah Ruger, who advocates for shared norms in health governance to address global inequalities. (Image: Martin Sanchez, also featured on homepage)

The pandemic, health inequities, and an ‘opportunity for change’

Experts across the University weigh in on which lessons the pandemic drove home and what immediate measures are needed to prevent future loss.

Michele W. Berger , Kristina Linnea García , Louisa Shepard

Pinpointing how cancer cells turn aggressive
Concentric circles with different colors inside representing cancer cell lineages

Pinpointing how cancer cells turn aggressive

Penn scientists have developed a new method for tracing the lineage and gene expression patterns of metastatic cancer at the single-cell level.

Katherine Unger Baillie

2021 cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity named
a photograph of Penn's college hall framed by green leaves during the summer

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research announces the 2021 cohort of Penn’s Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity, the largest in the program’s history thus far. This fellowship program is designed to help postdocs advance their careers while enriching the community of scholars here at Penn. 

2021 cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity named

The competitive program, managed by Office of the Vice Provost for Research, is designed to support early career researchers and scholars while enriching the Penn community.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain
Person sitting at a table with blurry people in front and a screen hanging on the wall behind, which reads, "Experiential effects on brain development."

Martha J. Farah, the Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences, is director of the Center for Neuroscience & Society at Penn. (Pre-pandemic image: Courtesy Martha Farah) 

Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain

Through the Abecedarian Project, an early education, randomized controlled trial that has followed children since 1971, Penn and Virginia Tech researchers reveal new discoveries about brain structure decades later.

Michele W. Berger

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