Health Sciences

By Patrick Ammerman Oftentimes the most important scientific work is accomplished via serendipity; by following up on an unexpected finding and uncovering an entirely new area of research.

Ten undergraduate students from the University of Pennsylvania are enrolled in a learning experience that brings healthy ideas to the West Philadelphia community. 

When treating cancer with chemotherapy and radiation, decisions about dose must walk a fine line between attacking cancerous cells and preserving healthy ones. Overly aggressive radiation therapy to the torso, for example, can damage the epithelial cells that line the intestines, leading to chronic gastrointestinal problems.

John T. Farrar of the Perelman School of Medicine, Elliot V.

Andrew R. Heyer, a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Board of Trustees, has been named chair of Penn Medicine, effective July 1, 2016. He has served as a member of the Penn Medicine Board and its Executive Committee since 2009.

Two University of Pennsylvania faculty have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, formerly the Institute of Medicine: Anita Allen, vice provost for faculty with appointments in the Law School and

Penn Medicine researchers, along with colleagues at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Boston University, have received a $5.2 million, seven-year grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms that promote lung regeneration.

Robots are capable of all sorts of tasks to help better treat cancer: They connect oncologists to patients remotely, make incisions, staple them shut, deliver “nano” therapies—and they clean rooms.

For people who work in the service sector, unpredictable, unstable schedules have a range of negative consequences, including psychological stress and poor health, according to a new working paper from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley.

Shuying (Sheri) Yang, a new associate professor in the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine’s Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, began her career as a medical student, the fulfillment of a childhood dream.