5/2
Health Sciences
Nursing home staffing during the pandemic
Nursing home staffing during the pandemic
While the pandemic hit nursing homes especially hard, one area it did not suffer is in staffing. A new study finds that staffing levels in nursing homes did not decrease during the pandemic.
Abramson Cancer Center doubles the percentage of Black participants in clinical trials
Abramson Cancer Center doubles the percentage of Black participants in clinical trials
Afive-year community outreach and engagement effort more than doubled the percentage of participants, improving access and treatment for a group with historically low representation in cancer research.
Penn Medicine to require all health system employees to receive COVID-19 vaccine
Penn Medicine to require all health system employees to receive COVID-19 vaccine
Penn becomes the nation’s largest health system to mandate vaccination, calling for its workforce to set an example to end the pandemic.
Listening Lab: Harnessing the power of storytelling
Listening Lab: Harnessing the power of storytelling
The Listening Lab, an online storytelling initiative that embraces the simple act of listening and sharing, and advocates for the power of listening as a form of care, highlights experiences and reflections on aspects of health care that aren’t always discussed.
Penn Dental Medicine to receive $20M estate gift honoring alumnus
Penn Dental Medicine to receive $20M estate gift honoring alumnus
One hundred and four years after Penn Dental Medicine alumnus Dr. Arthur E. Corby, Class of 1917, earned his dental degree, his daughter, alumna Carol Corby-Waller, has gifted the Dental School with an anticipated $20 million honoring her father.
Smartphone breath alcohol testing devices vary widely in accuracy
Smartphone breath alcohol testing devices vary widely in accuracy
Penn Medicine research finds that some devices failed to detect drivers were over the legal driving limit more than half the time.
A gentler strategy for avoiding childhood dental decay
A gentler strategy for avoiding childhood dental decay
By targeting the bonds between bacteria and yeast that can form a sticky dental plaque, a new therapeutic strategy could help wash away the build-up while sparing oral tissues, according to a new study by a team from the School of Dental Medicine.
Guiding emergency medicine toward a North Star of racial justice
Guiding emergency medicine toward a North Star of racial justice
Eugenia South, an assistant professor of emergency medicine and vice chair for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Emergency Medicine, highlights the need to connect and act in support of equity and inclusion on many fronts.
Rapid COVID-19 diagnostic test delivers accurate results within 4 minutes
Rapid COVID-19 diagnostic test delivers accurate results within 4 minutes
The low-cost biosensor test developed by Penn Medicine could extend COVID-19 testing with 90% accuracy to remote and disadvantaged areas.
Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios policy saves lives and lowers costs
Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios policy saves lives and lowers costs
A new study shows that a policy establishing minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in hospitals saves lives, prevents readmissions, shortens hospital stays, and reduces costs.
In the News
San Francisco Chronicle
Fentanyl overdoses hit a surprising group of San Franciscans: the city’s dogs
Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that fentanyl can be absorbed across the mucous membranes in canine noses, causing dogs to face a life-threatening overdose.
FULL STORY →
KFF Health News
Rural jails turn to community health workers to help the newly released succeed
According to Aditi Vasan of the Leonard Davis Institute and Perelman School of Medicine, evidence is mounting in favor of the model of training community health workers to help their neighbors connect to government and health care services.
FULL STORY →
The New York Times
When it’s time for an aging driver to hit the brakes
Lauren Massimo of the School of Nursing says that losing the ability to drive is a major and dehumanizing loss for older adults.
FULL STORY →
Everyday Health
What is food noise and how do you get rid of it?
According to Thomas Wadden of the Perelman School of Medicine, people taking GLP-1 drugs are finding that daily experiences that used to trigger a compulsion to eat or think about food no longer have that effect.
FULL STORY →
Philadelphia Gay 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 →