Public Health | Penn Today

rendering of many stethoscopes along a trail of heart monitoring illustrations

Penn’s Community Health Worker program yields $2.47 for every $1 invested annually by Medicaid

A first-of-its-kind analysis provides the latest evidence showing how addressing unmet social needs can improve health and cut costs.

Four workers wear protecting clothing while placing a board with asbestos into a plastic bag.

The dangers of asbestos: What the public should know

Marilyn Howarth and Ian Blair of the Perelman School of Medicine discuss the hazards of asbestos, how it harms the body, the crisis in the school district, and why there is no safe level of asbestos.

hand holding a lit cigarette in foreground, parent holding a toddler and putting out their hand to indicate stop smoking in background.

What is your risk from smoking? Your network knows

A new study from researchers at the Annenberg School for Communication found that most people—smokers and nonsmokers alike—were nowhere near accurate in their answers to questions about the health effects of smoking.

For aging patients, one missed doctor’s visit can lead to vision loss

A Penn Medicine study found keeping regular ophthalmology appointments play an important role in outcomes for patients with age-related macular degeneration.

This illustration reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.

FactCheck.org debunks coronavirus myths

Since China first reported an atypical cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan in late December, myths abound about the virus responsible for the outbreak, the novel coronavirus. To combat misinformation, the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org has published a series of articles countering common misunderstandings and mistruths.

Two people standing next to a marble staircase, with stands and a sphinx blurry in the background.

Nourishing the brain with conversations about food

A yearlong colloquium from Penn Anthropology offers a steady diet of research perspectives, delving into how this facet of culture affects modern health and practices, and broadens our historical outlook.

Person wearing a wraparound back brace stands facing a doctor who is pointing out the vertebrae on a model of spine

Better prescribing for bad backs

A recent study finds that finds that patients with new low back pain are receiving opioids less frequently, although prescription rates remain uneven across the country.

Coronavirus outbreak: Philadelphia-area businesses are beginning to feel the sting

Jacques deLisle of the Law School and School of Arts and Sciences spoke about the economic, political, and medical consequences of the coronavirus outbreak. “The good news is that this is less devastating [than SARS], with a lower mortality rate,” he said. “China and the world have responded more aggressively this time.”

Coronavirus math shows the importance of social distancing, and the horrible consequences of not doing it

Research by Hanming Fang of the School of Arts and Sciences and colleagues was cited. “Social distancing and, if an epicenter can be identified, as was the case for the city of Wuhan in China, a lockdown can play crucial roles in ‘flattening’ the daily infection cases curve, giving the stressed medical system a chance to regroup and deal with the onslaught of new infection cases,” wrote Fang and his coauthors.

FDA’s policy change on flavored e-cigarettes

After months of considering a complete ban on flavored electronic cigarettes, a new policy announced on Jan. 2 will forbid the sale of some, but not all, flavored vapes.

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