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Health & Medicine

Voting is linked to living longer
African American person tearing off an I Voted Today sticker

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Voting is linked to living longer

A new study co-authored by SP2’s Femida Handy shows that voting is associated with reduced mortality risk in older adults.

2 min. read

How a free medical telesimulation platform is saving children’s lives
CHOP physicians Elizabeth Sanseau (left) and Vanessa Denny (right) with Kyle Cassidy of the Annenberg Extended Reality Lab (center) demonstrate how modules of Annenberg Hotkeys, a free, openly accessible interactive distance learning platform, are filmed.

CHOP physicians Elizabeth Sanseau (left) and Vanessa Denny (right) with Kyle Cassidy of the Annenberg Extended Reality Lab (center) demonstrate how modules of Annenberg Hotkeys, a free, openly accessible interactive distance learning platform, are filmed.

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How a free medical telesimulation platform is saving children’s lives

A new study on sepsis training in Ghana builds on prior research showing the impact of Annenberg Hotkeys, a free platform developed in 2020. It is being used in other medical settings—and its co-creator sees potential in nonmedical uses.

3 min. read

Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum
A latex-gloved hand hoding a petri dish of medical chewing gum.

A bioengineered bean gum from the lab of Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell is found to reduce the levels of three microbes associated with head and neck squamous cell cancer to almost zero, without affecting the beneficial bacteria normally found in the mouth.

(Image: Kevin Monko/Penn Dental Medicine)

Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum

Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies.

2 min. read

Are your staffing metrics enough? New research on patient falls says maybe not

Are your staffing metrics enough? New research on patient falls says maybe not

A new study from Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research finds that nurses’ assessments of their staffing adequacy is a more accurate predictor of patient safety on medical surgical units than traditional administrative data, and highlights a critical distinction in how staffing should be measured and managed.

Penn Medicine, CHOP team awarded Breakthrough Prize for developing gene therapy for inherited blindness
Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire

Physician-scientists Jean Bennett and Al Maguire (right and left, respectively, pictured in their home), and Katherine High received the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for their trailblazing work on the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited condition, which dramatically improves sight in people with a form of blindness called Leber congenital amaurosis.

(Image: Peggy Peterson)

Penn Medicine, CHOP team awarded Breakthrough Prize for developing gene therapy for inherited blindness

Jean Bennett, Albert Maguire, and Katherine High have been honored for their trailblazing work on the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited condition.

From Penn Medicine News , Frank Otto

2 min. read

A new hub for AI-driven RNA research
from left: Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research; Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering; Daeyeon Lee, Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the facility’s director; Susan Marqusee, head of NSF’s Biological Sciences Directorate; David F. Meaney, Solomon R. Pollack Professor in Bioengineering and Penn’s Vice Provost for Research; Pennsylvania State Senator Frank A. Farry.

(From left) Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research; Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering; Daeyeon Lee, Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the facility’s director; Susan Marqusee, head of NSF’s Biological Sciences Directorate; David F. Meaney, Solomon R. Pollack Professor in Bioengineering and Penn’s Vice Provost for Research; and Pennsylvania State Senator Frank A. Farry.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

A new hub for AI-driven RNA research

Penn’s newest collaborative institution is the U.S. National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence-driven RNA BioFoundry (NSF AIRFoundry) which uses AI to improve, accelerate, and scale the design, manufacture, and delivery of RNA.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

A retrospective on CAR T cell therapy: From long shot to lifesaver
(From left) Bruce Levine, Stephan Grupp, Tom Whitehead, Emily Whitehead, Kari Whitehead, Carl June, David Porter.

(From left) Bruce Levine, Stephan Grupp, Tom Whitehead, Emily Whitehead, Kari Whitehead, Carl June, and David Porter.

(Image: Daniel Burke)

A retrospective on CAR T cell therapy: From long shot to lifesaver

More than 30,000 patients have undergone CAR T cell therapy since it was developed by immunologist Carl June and his team at the University of Pennsylvania.

1 min. read

How ‘The Pitt’ lands with a Penn emergency department nurse
Noah Wyle acting a scene from “The Pitt” in an ER.

Noah Wyle in Season 2 Episode 14 of “The Pitt.”

(Image: Warrick Page/HBO Max)

How ‘The Pitt’ lands with a Penn emergency department nurse

From nurse representation to specific cases, Penn Presbyterian registered nurse Bobbie Poller shares his take on season two of the HBO Max medical drama. This article contains spoilers.

3 min. read