5/19
Health Sciences
The effects of pediatric critical illness on absenteeism
Penn Nursing research found children who survive critical illness and their parents commonly experience physical, emotional, and cognitive conditions as a result. These effects can also include prolonged absences from school and/or work.
Virtual workshops offer resilience training to Penn community
Penn’s Division of Human Resources, in collaboration with the Positive Psychology Center, is hosting virtual workshops as a part of a six-part series presenting core resilience during COVID.
Teledentistry, educational videos expanding services to persons with disabilities
Penn Dental Medicine is continuing to build upon its services to persons with disabilities through the development of a teledentistry assessment portal and a series of education videos.
Why are alcohol- and drug-related deaths rising in the U.S. and not elsewhere?
With insights from anthropology and neuroscience, Penn researchers Michael Platt and Peter Sterling find that, in comparison, 16 other wealthy nations offer communal assistance at every life stage, support that protects individuals and families long term.
Decade-long remission after CAR T cell therapy
Two patients represent longest-known CAR T cell response to date, providing insight into treatment effect and outcomes.
Addressing substance use and pain key to limiting self-directed hospital discharge
A new study from the School of Nursing suggests that stigma toward persons with substance abuse disorder may account for an under-assessment and management of pain, which leads to self-directed patient discharges.
Understanding climate stories
In the latest episode of Penn Today’s “Understand This …” podcast series, Bethany Wiggin of the School of Arts & Sciences and Jennifer Pinto-Martin of the School of Nursing discuss climate stories, climate grief, and climate literacy.
LG Health’s Food Farmacy pairs nutrition counseling with access to healthy food
Food Farmacy aims to improve health outcomes, nutrition-related knowledge and skills, and dietary habits among patients who are experiencing food insecurity through a combination of one-on-one meetings with a registered dietitian and access to healthy food options.
Early discharge of healthy newborns during the pandemic
In a new study, Sara Handley and colleagues find that a shorter stay did not increase infant readmissions in the first week, suggesting that earlier discharge can be done safely.
A veterinarian’s take on vaccine hesitancy
In a conversation with Penn Today, School of Veterinary Medicine Dean Andrew Hoffman shares his perspective on the important role veterinarians can play in supporting underserved communities.
In the News
Omicron infection produces better immunity response than booster shots: Report
John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine says COVID breakthrough infections should be thought of as essentially equivalent to another dose of vaccine and that, if someone had COVID recently, they could wait before getting another booster shot.
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Head injury: Higher risk of epilepsy later in life
Discussing traumatic brain injuries, Andrea Schneider of the Perelman School of Medicine says, “One head injury is associated with about 1.2 times increased risk, but having more than one head injury is associated with over two times increased risk.”
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Want to know which COVID variant you have?
Frederick Bushman of the Perelman School of Medicine comments on COVID variant tracking: “If we know what variants are involved, what their properties are, we can tell what to expect by sort of forecasting by the experience of other places that are ahead of us, based on our sequence and knowledge of the different variants.”
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Penn Medical School holds first in-person commencement since pandemic
Graduates of The University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine were honored during their 2022 commencement Sunday morning at The Kimmel Center. The graduating class of 169 people were able to receive their diplomas and take the Hippocratic Oath in person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
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Burnt-out nurses push back as staff shortages strain hospitals
Linda Aiken of the School of Nursing comments that there is pressure to cut hospital nursing staffs, but fewer nurses mean more deaths.
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