5/2
Public Health
Testing, treatments, and more: A glossary for year three of the pandemic
Penn Today adds a new installment to this series aimed at making sense of the language around COVID-19.
Where and when violent crime rates fall, heart disease deaths fall, too
A study of data from Chicago by Perelman School of Medicine researchers revealed that, as violent crime decreases, so does the area’s death rate from heart disease.
‘Stop the Bleed’ program helps bystanders in India aid accident victims
The innovative program addresses the country’s high rate of preventable fatalities by offering training on how to recognize and stop life-threatening bleeding.
The economic impact of rural hospital closures
A study led by Paula Chatterjee and colleagues shows that rural hospital closures reflect existing economic downturns in communities and economies that were already declining before the hospital shut its doors.
Both gun owners and non-gun owners trust doctors in gun safety talks
New Penn Medicine research shows that parents are open to talking about gun safety measures with their children’s pediatricians and willing to change firearm storage practices.
How to navigate another summer of COVID-19
John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine and Melanie Kornides of the School of Nursing stress the continued importance of vaccination and testing.
Children younger than 5 eligible for COVID-19 vaccines
In a Q&A, Lori Handy of Penn Medicine and CHOP discusses what it means now that this final group can get protection, plus offers recommendations for families with concerns about doing so.
Will a return to pre-pandemic hospital and nursing home conditions solve nurse burnout?
A new study of RNs finds preexisting burnout and dissatisfaction poses a persistent risk to public health.
Frontline voices from the pandemic’s early days
In his new book, “The Wuhan Lockdown,” Guobin Yang uses personal diaries from that city’s residents to recreate how it felt at the epicenter of what was then a scary and unknown new virus.
With summer’s return, a guide to avoiding drowning
Zaffer Qasim of the Perelman School of Medicine analyzed the mortality data of drowning victims in the United States to prescribe treatment measures. Among other recommendations, he encourages everyone to get training in basic life support.
In the News
UPenn hosts free online panel for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion
The Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative, led by José Bauermeister and Jessica Halem of the School of Nursing, will host a free online panel in April on the integration of LGBTQ+ people in the workforce.
FULL STORY →
Mayor Parker’s plan to ‘remove the presence of drug users’ from Kensington raises new questions
Shoshana Aronowitz of the School of Nursing and Ashish Thakrar of the Perelman School of Medicine comment on the lack of specificity in Philadelphia’s plan to remove drug users from Kensington and on the current state of drug treatment in the city.
FULL STORY →
Posts mislead about COVID-19 vaccine safety with out-of-context clip of FDA official
Jeffrey S. Morris of the Perelman School of Medicine says that many adverse medical events, even those clearly unrelated to vaccines, have been reported an order of magnitude more for COVID vaccines during the pandemic than any time before.
FULL STORY →
Philadelphians hope a cleaner city will reduce gun violence. Will Oh or Parker make it a reality?
A $3 million blight reduction project in Philadelphia is informed by Penn research showing that cleaning up trash and revitalizing vacant lots can reduce gun violence rates by as much as 29%.
FULL STORY →
Universal basic income is working—even in red states
Researchers at Penn concluded that a basic income program in Stockton, California, could have profound positive impacts on local public health.
FULL STORY →
NJ’s Camden County deploying virtual reality to teach students about naloxone
Penn partnered with New Jersey’s Camden County to create a virtual reality training video for administering the opioid-reversing drug Narcan.
FULL STORY →