4/22
Health Sciences
COVID mortality age patterns changed significantly during pandemic
Between March 2020 and October 2021, death rates from the virus decreased for those 80 and older and increased for those 25 to 54, results that held across racial and ethnic groups.
Racial gap in doctor visits disappeared in 2020 as telemedicine adopted
Penn Medicine study finds the rate of completed primary care visits for Black patients rose to the same level of non-Black patients, as COVID-19 necessitated the wider adoption of telemedicine.
Daily micronutrient supplements during pregnancy reduce birth complications
The results of a six-year study of nearly 100,000 women in Botswana suggest iron plus folic acid and vitamins is better at reducing adverse birth outcomes compared to iron or folic acid alone.
Nurse case manager supports her Ukrainian homeland from afar
As Russia continues its war on Ukraine, Alena Blain, a nurse case manager at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, collects and packages much needed medical supplies to send to hospitals in Ukraine for treating people injured in the war.
Frozen testicular tissue still viable after 20 years
Many pediatric cancer treatments, though lifesaving, can compromise future fertility. In a new study in rodents, researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine showed that testicular tissue frozen for more than 20 years could give rise to sperm.
A matter of trust: Community health workers in West Philly
As part of the Penn Medicine at Home enterprise, community health workers are one element of Penn’s initiatives to deliver quality care and improve health outside hospital walls.
Centuries of Penn Med student stories
Medicine has changed immensely throughout the school’s more than 250 years of history, and so has the process of becoming a doctor.
DNA analysis finds links between severe COVID and other conditions
Through analyzing human DNA samples in a large biobank, Penn Medicine researchers found associations between genetic variants with severe COVID and conditions involving blood clots and respiratory issues.
Symposium highlights range and reach of Penn Global research
The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant is supporting 21 faculty-led projects that span research, capacity-building, and development efforts across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, India, China, and beyond.
What can browser history inadvertently reveal about a person’s health?
The Penn-CMU Digital Health Privacy Initiative is trying to answer that question by mapping third-party tracking across the online health ecosystem. Their work shows possible implications for ad targeting, credit scores, insurance coverage, and more.
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.
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How to die in good health
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that incessantly preparing for old age mistakes a long life for a worthwhile one.
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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.
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Homeward bound: When a Penn Medicine nurse was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she turned to the service dogs she helped to train
A profile highlights Maria Wright of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, from her volunteer work connecting people with service dogs to her cancer diagnosis and her own journey applying for a service dog.
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How many patients would recommend their Philly-area hospital to family and friends? Check your local hospital
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has been named one of the most recommended acute-care facilities by patients in the Philadelphia area.
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