Health Sciences | Penn Today

Person sitting in the dark, leaning on a desk, staring at a cell phone. A coffee cup and pile of papers sit nearby.

The language of loneliness and depression, revealed in social media

By analyzing Facebook posts, Penn researchers found that words associated with depression are often tied to emotions, whereas those associated with loneliness are linked to cognition.

People gathered around artifacts pointing

Multidisciplinary panel highlights role of the arts in human flourishing

At a panel event held Saturday, Oct. 22, Penn leaders from the arts and humanities, nursing, psychology, and neuroscience gathered to discuss the role of the arts in healing and flourishing.

Colorful image of an illustrated brain with neural networks in the back shown by lines and bursts of color.

During sleep, one brain region teaches another, converting novel data into enduring memories

Using a neural network model, Penn neuroscientist Anna Schapiro and colleagues found that as the body moves between REM and slow-wave sleep cycles, the hippocampus and neocortex interact in ways that are key to memory formation.

Two students look together at a notebook amid a larger group

Demystifying grad school to enhance diversity in STEM

Earlier this month, 48 undergraduate students from around the country traveled to Penn for a three-day gathering full of workshops, lectures, networking opportunities, lab tours, Q & A sessions, and a resource fair.

New Penn Global program fosters ethical research around the world

The first student cohort of the Penn Global Research Institute piloted the program this summer in the Galápagos.

Pregnancy, childbirth, the pandemic, and stress

For two years, the interdisciplinary Project IGNITE has followed 1,000 pregnant individuals and their children to learn more about what role environmental factors play in preterm birth, poor pregnancy outcomes, and social and emotional development.

Landscape and climate factors can predict prevalence of Lyme disease bacteria

Environmental models, developed by biologist Dustin Brisson of the School of Arts & Sciences, former graduate student Tam Tran, and colleagues, could help forecast disease hotspots.

Ultrasound medical education puts insight in hand

An integrated four-year ultrasound curriculum helps Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine students build competence and confidence in the classroom and the clinic.

Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, and Joe Manchin at a bill signing. Biden is sitting at a desk with the Presidential Seal. Schumer and Manchin are standing behind him. Behind all three are two American flags and a third other flag.

Understanding the Inflation Reduction Act

Penn experts explain the climate, health care, and economic aspects of the legislation that President Biden signed into law this week, plus the politics of getting it passed.

fetus in the uterus showing connection to placenta

A novel method for monitoring the ‘engine’ of pregnancy

By combining optical measurements with ultrasound, researchers were able to study oxygen levels in the placenta, paving the way for a better understanding of this complex, crucial organ.

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