Health Sciences

Two people face each other, smiling widely and looking into each other's eyes.

No evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy

In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that testosterone administration did not affect cognitive empathy, a measure of the ability to recognize another’s feelings and motivations. The finding calls into question the theory that the symptoms of autism are caused by a hyper-masculinized brain.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

Six deer in a meadow

Game Commission and Penn Vet partner to protect wildlife

The Pennsylvania Wildlife Futures Program will increase disease surveillance, management, and research to better protect wildlife throughout the state from a spread of diseases, including chronic wasting disease and West Nile virus.

Penn Today Staff ・

Side-view of person against a wall exhaling smoke from an e-cigarette

Nicotine-free e-cigarettes can damage blood vessels

A single e-cigarette can be harmful to the body’s blood vessels—even when the vapor is entirely nicotine-free, according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Penn Today Staff ・

A Penn Dental Medicine instructor sits with a dental model tool in hand beside a replica of head with an open mouth while seven high school students in white lab coats, gloves and masks watch the demonstration.

Summer Mentorship Program introduces high school students to dental medicine

Penn Dental Medicine hosted a group of high school students as part of Penn’s Provost Summer Mentorship Program, a four-week, college-career immersion program, aimed to inspire first-generation and under-represented minority students in Philadelphia to view higher education as an achievable goal.

Penn Today Staff ・



In the News


Forbes

Eye drops proven to reverse vision loss in clinical trial

Eve Higginbotham of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about some of the shortcomings of eye drops that treat age-related farsightedness. “There’s a question of whether or not people will actually use these drops twice a day in order to see a little better up close,” she said. “I am sure there may be a small segment of the population that may choose to put drops in twice a day, but for the vast majority of individuals, using drops twice a day may be a challenge.”

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Time

‘I burned all the time.’ Selma Blair discusses her MS diagnosis and hope for effective treatments for chronic diseases

Carl June of the Perelman School of Medicine was noted for his contributions to the development of CAR T cell therapy. “The approaches we’ve learned in cancer may well apply to dementia,” he said. “I think that will be the next wave of research.”

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Forbes

FDA: Deliveries of scarce childhood cancer drug due to resume later in October, but shortages may continue for months

Peter Adamson of the Perelman School of Medicine authored a letter proposing a “call to action” to make sure childhood-cancer drug shortages don’t reoccur.

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KYW Newsradio (Philadelphia)

Using a patient portal could help you work harder for your health

Health System CEO Kevin Mahoney spoke about the health benefits of online patient portals. “An engaged patient is more likely to follow guidelines of when you're supposed to get your preventative health care screenings,” he said.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn’s genital herpes vaccine is a winner in animals. Next up: Testing on humans

Harvey Friedman of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about his efforts to develop an “urgently needed” genital herpes vaccine. “What we have is close to perfect in animals. No one else has done that,” he said. “The big unknown is whether it will work in humans.”

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