Public Health | Penn Today

Measles: An explainer

Judy O’Donnell, the associate chief medical officer for Healthcare Epidemiology for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, and the chief of Infectious Diseases at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, explains what people need to know about measles.

A tool that can lead to healthier lives

School of Social Policy & Practice’s Jennifer Prah has written a comprehensive framework that takes a worldwide approach to attaining global health goals.

1 min. read

Kennedy turns to a discredited vaccine skeptic for autism study

Jeffrey S. Morris of the Perelman School of Medicine comments on studies purporting to show that vaccines caused a spike in autism.

Small incentives drive lasting seatbelt habits, cut unbuckled trips by a third

Research from the Perelman School of Medicine and Penn Medicine’s Nudge Unit that incentivized drivers of connected cars with reward money to build and maintain seatbelt habits shows promise for promoting safer, consistent buckling behavior.

2 min. read

Should you get a measles booster? Here’s what to know

If vaccination records are not available, a person can get a blood test to see whether they have antibodies against certain viral infections like measles, says Joseph Teel of the Perelman School of Medicine.

Over 1 in 3 adults in households with guns do not store all in locked locations

According to a new health survey from Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, over a third of Americans with guns in their homes say they do not store all of them in a locked location, despite the fact that firearm-related injuries have been the most common cause of death from injury among children and young adults.

1 min. read

2024 PEP and PIP winners: Where are they now?

Nearly a year after being awarded the 2024 President’s Engagement Prize and President’s Innovation Prize, the recipients—now alumni—provide updates on their projects.

5 min. read

A petri dish in a lab labeled Avian Flu HSN4

Older adults might be more resistant to bird flu infections than children

New research from Penn Medicine finds that previous exposures to older flu strains prime the immune system to produce antibodies against H5N1, and children would likely benefit the most from H5N1 vaccinations.

With bird flu in raw milk, many still do not know risks of consuming it

A majority of U.S. adults (56%) knows that drinking raw milk from cows, sheep, or goats is less safe than drinking pasteurized milk. But over 4 in 10 Americans either are not sure (25%), think raw milk is “just as safe to drink” as pasteurized milk (12%) or think it is “safer to drink” (6%), according to a recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Tanning salons reinvent themselves with new health and wellness services

Joel Gelfand of the Perelman School of Medicine says that skin tanning is the body reacting to DNA damage.

Filters