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Health Sciences
New engineering approaches to address unmet oral health needs
With a new NIH training grant, awards, and new faculty and publications, the recently launched Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry is leveraging technological advancements to improve oral health.
Unexpected finds bring fresh excitement to the archives
Stacey C. Peeples’ discovery of a trove of historic papers, newspaper clippings, and various ephemera adds to the rich history she curates as lead archivist at Pennsylvania Hospital.
Using race to diagnose anemia during pregnancy may increase its risk at delivery
Penn researchers suggest going against national guidelines and standardizing the threshold at which pregnant women are treated for anemia
Spinal fluid biomarkers detect neurodegeneration, Alzheimer’s disease in living patients
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of neurodegeneration can be identified using a combination of biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid of living patients, Penn researchers find.
100 years of insulin
On July 27, 1921, Canadian doctors Frederick Banting and Charles Best successfully isolated the hormone insulin, one of the most important breakthroughs in treating diabetes. Experts from around the University share their thoughts on the medical triumph on the 100th anniversary.
City-funded housing repairs in low-income neighborhoods impacts crime rates
Penn Medicine research suggests that investment in structurally damaged homes in low-income and minority neighborhoods are associated with reduced crime and improved public health.
Safe nurse staffing standards in hospitals saves lives and lowers costs
A new study published in The Lancet Global Health showed that establishing safe nurse staffing standards in hospitals in Chile could save lives, prevent readmissions, shorten hospital stays, and reduce costs.
Penn Medicine’s first living donor uterus transplant
Cheryl Cichonski-Urban donated her uterus to Chelsea Jovanovich through Penn Medicine’s Uterus Donation program. In May, Jovanovich gave birth to a baby boy.
Community concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine tracked by Twitter
A study of vaccine-related Twitter posts reveals significant differences in concerns people have when broken down by age, race, population density, and religious beliefs.
A COVID vaccine for kids
Jeff Gerber, who is heading the clinical trial of the Moderna vaccine in kids under 12 at CHOP, speaks with Penn Today about the trial and why getting children vaccinated is so essential.
In the News
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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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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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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UPenn medical school names first vice dean of AI
Mary Ritchie has been named the vice dean of artificial intelligence and computing at the Perelman School of Medicine. Mitchell Schnall has been named the first senior vice president for data and technology solutions at the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
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