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Engaging the community, one mask at a time
nursing students handing out masks Penn Nursing seniors Farzana Talukdar (left) and Anna Chin hand out a mask kit to a passerby, part of an initiative to work with and educate the community about the importance of wearing masks. When a Lucy Green Loop bus stopped nearby a moment later, the driver waved to Talukdar, who got on and quickly distributed bags.

Engaging the community, one mask at a time

At 10 sites across campus for 10 weeks, Penn Nursing students made 400 weekly observations about mask usage, part of MASCUP, a nationwide initiative spearheaded by the CDC that includes 53 colleges and universities.

Michele W. Berger

A ‘shot’ at ending the pandemic
worker at penn vaccine clinic

A ‘shot’ at ending the pandemic

The Penn Cares COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic is offering one of the greatest tools in the fight against the pandemic to faculty, staff, postdocs, and students.

Erica K. Brockmeier

With its flagship light device, Lumify Care improves patient experience from the frontline
Person in a blue button-down shirt, arms crossed, leaning against a tree outside. In the background are blurred out bushes and trees, a path and a streetlight.

The School of Nursing’s Anthony Scarpone-Lambert of Chalfont, Pennsylvania, earned a 2021 President’s Innovation Prize for Lumify Care. The company’s first product, uNight Light, is a battery-powered, hands-free light device that magnetically clips onto scrubs, has three modes, and is easily cleanable with hospital-grade disinfectant wipes. It offers nurses an alternative to turning on overhead lights overnight, helping patients rest and making a hospital stay more conducive to healing.

With its flagship light device, Lumify Care improves patient experience from the frontline

Penn Nursing senior Anthony Scarpone-Lambert earned a 2021 President’s Innovation Prize for his company and its first trio of products: uNight Light, the Sleep-First Education Initiative, and the uNightShift Community.

Michele W. Berger

Four Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences
head shots of Marisa Bartolomei, M. Celeste Simon, Michael Kearns, and Diana Mutz

Four Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences

The new members of the Academy, honored scholars recognized for their unique and ongoing contributions to original research, include researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Annenberg School for Communication.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Six from Penn elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Headshots of six people, in a grid, two rows of three.

Six faculty from Penn were elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. The honorees include (clockwise from top left) Cristina Bicchieri, Michael Hanchard, Vijay Kumar, Kenneth Zaret, Sarah Tishkoff, and Stanley Plotkin. They join more than 250 honorees for 2021, recognized for their efforts to help solve some of the world’s most urgent challenges.

Six from Penn elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Faculty from the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Perelman School of Medicine are honored for their efforts to help solve some of the world’s most urgent challenges.

Michele W. Berger

The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
A microscopic image of a neuron labeled in fluorescent colorful markers

A genetic condition known as 22q.11.2 deletion syndrome is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia. A Penn Vet-led team found that a leaky blood-brain barrier, allowing inappropriate immune involvement in the central nervous system, may contribute to this or perhaps other neuropsychiatric conditions. (Image: Courtesy of Jorge Iván Alvarez)

The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia

Research from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia points to the involvement of the immune system the brain as a contributor to mental disorders such as schizophrenia.

Katherine Unger Baillie

The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic
Headshots of two people. On the left is a person with glasses wearing a blazer, white shirt and blue tie. On the right is a person in a black blazer, black-and-white blouse and visible necklace. Both are smiling.

Edward Brodkin is co-director of the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence, director of the Adult Autism Spectrum Program, and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine. Penn alumna Ashley Pallathra is a clinical researcher and therapist pursuing her Ph.D. at The Catholic University of America. They co-wrote “Missing Each Other.” (Images: Christopher Descano)

The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic

A new book from Penn’s Edward Brodkin and psychology doctoral candidate Ashley Pallathra focuses on the science and practice of attunement, the process by which people can most effectively connect to themselves and others.

Michele W. Berger

Reflecting on a year shaped by COVID-19
Overhead view of a medical worker in full PPE discussing a COVID spit test with a student on campus.

Reflecting on a year shaped by COVID-19

Penn Today brings together noteworthy stories and images from the past year and highlights ways for individual members of the Penn community to share their personal experiences.

Erica K. Brockmeier , Katherine Unger Baillie

COVID-19 and women in the workforce
teacher leaning on desk speaking to student

Homepage image: During Women’s History Month, researchers across the University examine what we know today about how COVID-19 has affected women in the workforce, from education to STEMM fields.

COVID-19 and women in the workforce

Experts across Penn explain how the pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality and challenged female career advancement in the STEMM fields, education, and business.

Michele W. Berger , Kristina Linnea García , Dee Patel , Louisa Shepard