Healthcare Policy | Penn Today

Screen grab of woman from 1970 Abortion documentary transposed over an image of the 2017 women's march on Washington.

‘Abortion and Women’s Rights 1970’: A film that’s newly timely

Five decades ago, ahead of the landmark ruling Roe v. Wade, political scientist Mary Summers worked on a documentary film. That film is gaining new viewers through a recently launched website.

Side of a building. Some of the window spaces are covered with bars. Others are covered with plants and other options for greening the building.

Solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC

The latest assessment offers both a harsh reality check and a path forward. Experts William Braham, Peter Psarras, and Michael Mann offer their thoughts.

Black patient receiving an injection in the arm by a medical professional.

Higher rates of chemical sedation among Black psychiatric patients points to inequities

Penn Medicine researchers also find that white patients are more likely to be chemically sedated in emergency departments at hospitals that treat high proportion Black patients, suggesting that hospital demographics can impact practice patterns.

Dental faculty member Alonso Carrasco-Labra

Creating global systems for evidence-informed oral health policy

Alonso Carrasco-Labra, who joined the School of Dental Medicine in 2021, is a leader in developing new policy and clinical guidelines across areas of medicine.

Marchers waving gay pride flags make their way long a boardwalk with the skyline of St. Petersburg, Florida, in the background

Q&A

Anti-LGBTQ measures

Penn Law’s Tobias Wolff discusses the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill and a Texas directive on transgender children.

A nurse seated at a work station in a large hospital room with patient beds.

Why unions matter for nursing

A new study examines nursing’s relationship to union organizing and feminism, as well as the profession’s unique organizing challenges.

Person in SCUBA fear floating over bleached coral reefs.

Four takeaways from the IPCC’s report on climate adaptation and vulnerability

The assessment gets explicit about the effect of climate change on people, places, and ecosystems. Experts from Penn weigh in on what it means.

Doctor with a face mask and gloves writing with a pencil on a clipboard.

Addressing substance use and pain key to limiting self-directed hospital discharge

A new study from the School of Nursing suggests that stigma toward persons with substance abuse disorder may account for an under-assessment and management of pain, which leads to self-directed patient discharges.

Mixed-status immigrant families have complex health insurance needs that require simple solutions

Diana Montoya-Williams of the Perelman School of Medicine wrote an opinion piece about the intersection of health insurance and immigration status. “Expanding insurance coverage to all children who live in our state—regardless of documentation status—would decrease confusion among mixed-status families, reduce administrative burden and costs associated with the verification of different eligibility requirements within families, and save public health dollars,” she said.

Woman leans against a tree with her arms crossed, looking into the camera, with other trees in fall colors behind her on a sunny day

Q&A

Past plagues, current pandemics, and public hygiene messaging

History Ph.D. candidate Sarah Xia Yu discusses her research on public hygiene in China and what the past might tell us about how governments could better communicate public health messages.

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