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Blog Topic: Community Outreach

  • Time Machine

    Genome Time Machine

    March 30, 2018

    The human genome is a bit like a time machine, says Ben Voight, an associate professor in Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics and of Genetics in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine.

  • Colon Cancer Waiting

    Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Colonoscopy vs. At-Home Kits

    March 28, 2018

    Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It’s also the third-most common cancer diagnosed in American men and women, excluding skin cancers.

  • air sick

    Expect the Unexpected During In-Flight Medical Emergencies

    March 26, 2018

    “Ladies and gentlemen, is there a physician on board?” The flight attendant on a flight from Rwanda to Turkey made the announcement no one wants to hear, and Rachel Zang, MD, an emergency medicine resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, jumped into action.

  • Match Day

    Match Day 2018: Perelman School of Medicine Students Pursue their Passions

    March 23, 2018

    At the Perelman School of Medicine, this past Friday, March 16, was marked with tears of joy, hugs, and high fives as students and their loved ones discovered where they would be spending the next three or more years of their medical careers. During the annual ceremony, students are called up one by one to receive a letter telling them where they have matched. Some choose to tear open the envelope immediately, while others find a quiet corner to learn their fate before rushing back into the auditorium to celebrate.

  • The Workout Debate: Experts Weigh in on Cardio VS. HIIT

    March 21, 2018

    For many, going out for a morning jog, a run with friends on the weekend, or hitting the treadmill at the gym, might be a fitness regimen staple. But in the last 10 to 15 years, HIIT workouts—high intensity interval training—have gained a lot of momentum, opening up a debate about which regimen actually provides a better workout or more health benefits.

  • Women in Medicine

    Gender Equality in Science: A Sign Things May Finally Be Changing

    March 19, 2018

    High-profile scandals and downfalls of the rich, famous, and powerful have been in the news on a daily basis in what has become a reckoning for decades of bad behavior. Still, issues like equal pay, equal opportunity for advancement, and equal recognition persist, and they plague just about every industry.

  • Match Day: Out of the Comfort Zone and Into the Crucible

    March 16, 2018

    Match Day is the climax of medical school. It's one of the most visible and dramatic outcome of four years of hard work. For many, it will be a day of pure joy. But because the Match process is not unlike being picked sequentially in gym class, the day is also a source of anxiety and uncertainty.

  • Shifting Perspectives: Pre-Match Day Reflections

    March 14, 2018

    Now, with residency interviews behind me, program rank lists debated and certified, and Match Day approaching, I have had ample opportunity to reflect on my time in medical school. I chose a career in medicine for the opportunity to meld my two passions, service and science.

  • Preventing Burnout: a Housestaff Hazard

    March 12, 2018

    In any profesion, burnout can leave a person feeling physically and emotionally tired, disengaged, and “lost” – but due to the long hours and often, life and death matters confronted on the job, burnout is more common among health care workers.

  • When Morning Sickness Becomes All Day and All Night Sickness

    March 09, 2018

    Almost every expectant mom has heard these and many other “methods” to get them through the first trimester of pregnancy which can often be the most difficult thanks to surging hormones, morning sickness, and extreme exhaustion.

  • LGH Students

    New Community Open Space Gets a Colorful Kickoff

    March 07, 2018

    For students at Ross Elementary School in Lancaster City, the daily commute to school is now an exciting walk of fame, thanks to a recent art project organized by Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health (LG Health).

  • hackettteaser

    One Patient’s Needs Sparks New Surgical Protocol

    March 05, 2018

    Ever wonder what you might do if you found yourself diagnosed with a disease and your doctors didn’t have a process in place to fully treat it? Ever think about what happens behind the scenes in a hospital to prepare for a new surgical procedure?

  • PT2

    Addressing the Unseen Scars of a TBI Head On

    March 02, 2018

    Though fractures and other injuries may case aches and pains and damaged ligaments and joints may never be exactly the same as they once were, the scars left by a traumatic brain injury (TBI) often manifest in less visible ways.

  • memory angel

    (Earth) Angels Bring Awareness and Support to Caregivers with Innovative Social Media Campaign

    February 28, 2018

    Remember the joy you had when you were a kid and made a snow angel at the first sign of snow each winter?

  • hypertension

    Show Your Heart Some Love & Know Your Numbers

    February 26, 2018

    Each February, the American Heart Association (AHA) encourages every American to celebrate Heart Month by learning about their risks for cardiovascular diseases and by taking steps to reduce those risks with a commitment to healthier, heart-conscious lifestyle choices.

  • blog photo

    Jumping on the At Home DNA Testing Kit Bandwagon

    February 23, 2018

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) DNA tests were popular gifts this past holiday season. The tests’ makers promise the ability to sketch out details about customers’ family trees, but some results may also include a swath of information related to your genetic risk of diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and Parkinson's disease.

  • family

    Inherited But Not Fatal: Changing the Course of Heart Disease

    February 21, 2018

    Krysten Ollice lost her mother to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in 2009. Krysten was 23 years old; her mom was 48. She recalled her mom had typical symptoms of a potential heart problem, including breathlessness, dizziness, and fatigue. But it took a long time for her to get diagnosed with a heart condition.

  • Blood Type Teaser

    The Connection Between Blood Type and Heart Health

    February 19, 2018

    It’s a question that has been vexing researchers for more than half a century but have yet to fully answer: Does having a certain blood type – AB or O, for example – increase your risk for heart disease?

  • Starr and a Century of Change

    Isaac Starr and the Rise and Fall of the Ballistocardiograph

    February 16, 2018

    Here’s a weird observation: If you stand on an old bathroom scale—not a digital one, but one with a needle that points to the number for your weight, based on the pressure your body exerts on its interior springs—hold your breath, stand up straight, and don’t move a muscle. While in that perfect stillness, watch the needle. It will oscillate, thump, thump, thump, in time with your heartbeat.

  • Heart Health

    Health System Collegiality Inspires Outpatient Treatment for Heart Failure

    February 14, 2018

    In an effort to answer that question, CCH launched an Outpatient Diuretic Program in November 2017. “This outpatient treatment solution was introduced to help prevent hospital readmissions and to also keep patients in their own environment while recovering.”

  • smoking adolescents global health

    Tobacco Use and Heart Disease: A Growing Global Health Challenge

    February 12, 2018

    More than 1 billion people worldwide currently use tobacco products. While that may sound like a staggering number, tobacco use, particularly in the United States and Europe, is actually decreasing. But global health experts caution that this overall decline might be a bit of smoke and mirrors.

  • IMPLICIT ICC model

    One Appointment, Multiple Healthier Outcomes: Screening Moms at Well-Baby Visits

    February 09, 2018

    “Like many other women’s health providers, I find that caring for women between pregnancies can be a challenge when visits are limited,” he said. “The IMPLICIT ICC model addresses this by paralleling the medical home as a model for evidence based care. It enables us to provide assistance to a population of reproductive-age women, regardless of whether they visit their usual source of care.”

  • JP Morgan Health Care Conference 2018

    Changing Behaviors to Change Health

    February 07, 2018

    Five thousand hours. That’s how long the average person spends each year awake and not in front of a doctor. People tend to think of health care as the time you spend getting checkups, but your health is substantially more dependent on the choices you make during those five thousand hours.

  • world cancer day rwanda main group

    World Cancer Day: Researcher Shares How He’s Reshaping Breast Health in Rwanda

    February 05, 2018

    In 2012, 39-year-old Antoinette sought treatment at her community health center in rural Rwanda for a swollen left breast. All the women in her community with breast cancer who went to the clinic had returned home without treatment and ultimately died of the disease.

  • nfl football earlier deaths

    Uncovering the Long Term Health Impact of Playing in the NFL

    February 02, 2018

    In 1987, NFL players went on strike. Teams scrambled to fill their rosters with “replacement players” with some experience with college or professional football. They became a footnote in sports history, but it turns out these players may actually play a critical role in helping us understand how playing in the NFL affects long-term health.

  • football concussions baltuch

    Concussion Watch: The Eyes on the Sides

    January 31, 2018

    Gordon Baltuch, MD, PhD, spends most of his days performing and teaching others to perform delicate brain procedures like Deep Brain Stimulation and MR-guided Focused Ultrasound. So when the Philadelphia Eagles took on the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game earlier this month, some were surprised to see Baltuch standing on the field alongside the coaches and players.

  • venus and mercury

    Scientist’s Best Friend

    January 29, 2018

    Meet Venus and Mercury, the loving mother-and-pup companions of married-couple researchers Jean Bennett, MD, PhD, and Albert Maguire, MD. Like many Swedish Briards, they were born with a form of congenital blindness, and their impaired eyesight got worse with age — until they underwent an experimental therapy that Bennett and Maguire had pioneered.

  • labor induction countdown

    Delivering the Odds on Childbirth

    January 26, 2018

    Most expectant women, whether they’re having their first baby or they’ve gone through the labor and delivery process before, have some kind of plan in mind for how they’d like to deliver their baby. But, nature doesn’t always let things go according to plan. Annually, nearly 1 million women in the United States end up having an unplanned labor induction.

  • iv-hydration-therapy

    IV Lounges Want to Cure Hangovers, but at What Cost?

    January 24, 2018

    Carrying offerings named “Jet Lag Eraser,” “Hydrofix,” and “Epic Hangover Recovery,” concierge intravenous (IV) lounges are popping up in cities around the country and offer bold promises for consumers looking for a quick fix from a hangover, jet lag, or someone looking for a beauty boost, or to build their resistance against colds or flu.

  • new years resolutions 2018

    New Year, New Me? How to Make 2018 a Success

    January 22, 2018

    December 31st, 11:59 p.m. The new year is nearly here, and you’re waiting for the clock to signal a fresh start. The 2017 version of you may not have been able to implement healthy habits, maintain perfect relationships, or bring about world peace, but the 2018 model of you? They’re on it. Fast forward three weeks later. How are you holding up? Statistically speaking – probably not so well.

  • La Comunidad Hispana group

    Reducing the Prevalence of Cervical Cancer in the Hispanic Community

    January 19, 2018

    The Hispanic community is the fastest growing population in the United States, and their health needs are growing too: the CDC’s most recent reports show that Hispanic women have the highest incidence of cervical cancer than any other racial or ethnic group in the U.S.

  • drunk-driving-crash

    Getting to Zero Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: An Insider’s View

    January 17, 2018

    As we took our positions around the bed in the trauma bay, I could hear the first patient being wheeled in by the paramedics, screaming hysterically with slurred speech, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please save her!” The paramedics slid her backboard on to the gurney. She was flailing with tears welling up in her eyes and a heavy smell of alcohol on her breath.

  • tissue-engineering-blog

    Tissue Engineering to Improve the Most Common Orthopaedic Surgery

    January 15, 2018

    The knee carries a lot of weight in the English language, just as it does in the body. As the largest and one of the most complicated joints, the knee is also one of the most easily injured. Anatomically, it’s no wonder – the knee connects the two longest levers in the body: the thigh and lower leg.

  • whatsapp-blog-main

    WhatsApp is Changing Dermatology Care in Botswana

    January 12, 2018

    Innovation in health care doesn’t always have to mean new or expensive. It’s often the smart repurposing of something – “frugal innovations” that have a long history in low-resource settings. A recent example that has been flying under the radar in Botswana is the use of the smartphone application WhatsApp.

  • CAR-T-flash-mob-2017

    The Promise of a New Year: A Look at Medicine in 2018

    January 10, 2018

    From the FDA’s approval of the first ever gene therapy that brings new hope to cancer patients, to the approval of a gene therapy that can treat a rare form of blindness, to advancements in clinics and labs that could lead to new discoveries, 2017 saw great achievements in the field of medicine. Here’s what Penn doctors say they’re excited about as they look to 2018.

  • building-bridges-reading

    Building Bridges: Giggles, Smiles, and So Much More

    January 08, 2018

    Nobody likes long waits to see a doctor, but it’s especially hard for young children to “sit still and behave.” Thanks to Building Bridges, an intergenerational partnership between the Penn Memory Center and CHOP, a lot more giggles are emanating from the waiting room. Perhaps, even more important, older adults are feeling needed.

  • common-cold-myths-facts

    Baby, It’s Cold (Season) Outside!

    January 05, 2018

    “Don’t go outside with wet hair, you’ll catch a cold!” We’ve all heard this and other “facts” about how you might catch a cold, but which ones are true and which are simply something to sneeze at? We sat down with Anne Norris, MD, an associate professor of Infectious Diseases, to find out.

  • penn-health-x

    Penn HealthX Aims to Expand the Conversation Beyond Boundaries in Medicine

    January 03, 2018

    When the news broke of the FDA approval of a gene therapy for the treatment of a form of retinal blindness, some medical students at Penn had an insider’s perspective. Not only was the therapy initially developed by researchers at Penn and CHOP, but a medical student group called Penn HealthX had hosted in-depth conversations about bringing that scientific discovery to the marketplace.

  • jannie-blackwell-holiday-party-penn-medicine-cares-2017

    ‘Tis the Season for Service

    December 22, 2017

    Penn Medicine is proud to have employees who are committed to making a meaningful mark on their local communities, and while their enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge, expertise, and compassion spans all year round, there is undoubtedly something especially "magical" about giving back during the "most wonderful time of the year."

  • calorie-count-larger

    When It Comes to Calorie Consumption, Is Knowledge Power?

    December 20, 2017

    Over-consumption of calories has been a key driver of rising rates of obesity. By May 2018, restaurants, grocery stores, and other food establishments with 20+ locations will be required to post calorie information on their menus. The hope is that making such information more visible will encourage consumers to choose – and restaurants to offer – lower-calorie items. But will it work?

  • penn-medicine-cares-logo

    Sharing Examples of Caring this Season

    December 18, 2017

    Service to community takes many unique forms among Penn Medicine staff. These are just a few stories of work members of our community perform beyond the walls of our hospitals, clinics and classrooms year round. In honor of the season of giving, Penn Medicine debuts four new short videos of Penn Medicine CAREs-funded initiatives making a difference all year long.

  • NT-trainer-baby

    Nourishing Preemies

    December 15, 2017

    Anticipating the birth of her first child, Brea Cox thought she was prepared, but things don’t always go as planned. Her daughter, Paxtyn, was born at 28 weeks and spent the first 61 days of her life in the NICU, but what surprised Cox the most was what many of us take for granted. Paxtyn needed help learning how to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing – all essential skills for eating.

  • cch-opioid-emergency

    How the Opioid Epidemic is Changing Emergency Care

    December 13, 2017

    Drug overdoses, mostly from opioids, are killing an average of 142 Americans each day. In Chester County, deaths related to opioid overdoses are up 38 percent for the first half of this year compared with 2016. The crisis is affecting both urban and community hospitals alike. Chester County Hospital is taking steps to meet the challenges this crisis presents.

  • roth-mason-rosie

    Kyra’s Legacy

    December 11, 2017

    A little over 10 years ago, Abramson Cancer Center director Robert Vonderheide, MD – then an assistant professor of Hematology/Oncology – and his colleagues at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, told a room full of local reporters about an immunotherapy vaccine to treat lymphoma in pet dogs, which they hoped would someday help children with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

  • passion-flower

    Fighting Antibiotic Resistance with a Little Help from Nature

    December 08, 2017

    The bacteria are winning. That’s what happens when they’re excessively attacked with the same antibiotics for 70 plus years. About two million people became infected with resistant bacteria this year in the United States, and at least 23,000 of them died as a direct result, according to CDC estimates. The future looks even grimmer: By 2050, resistant bugs will account for 10 million annual deaths around the world.

  • new hypertension guidelines

    Tis the Season to Be…Hypertensive?

    December 06, 2017

    We’re smack in the middle of the Holiday season – the time of year when just about every media outlet begins rolling out tips for keeping stress down, maintaining diet and exercise routines, and starting the New Year off right. While these can be helpful, they’re not always foolproof. In fact, this year for many Americans, some heath pitfalls may be unavoidable – specifically, high blood pressure.

  • heart-murmur

    Mur, Mur, Mur

    December 04, 2017

    I’ve apparently got a “great” heart murmur. I think it’s some mix of loudness and clarity that makes it a particularly good murmur. It’s actually kind of charming, how much doctors and residents tend to nerd out about it. They’ll tell me, “Ah, that’s a really wonderful murmur!” and I’ll react with a “Thank you,” as if they’d complimented my fastball.

  • healthtech

    A Deeper Look: How Data Technology is Changing Medicine

    December 01, 2017

    Data technology holds the key to unlocking “gold nuggets” of information from electronic health records and other data systems that are paving the way to earlier patient discharges, fewer readmissions, and improved outcomes. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation.

  • male-plastic-surgery

    Cosmetic Surgery: Is There Still a Stigma for Men?

    November 29, 2017

    A look through the American Association of Plastic Surgery’s annual report shows doctors performed more than 17.1 million cosmetic procedures in 2016, but buried in the report is something you might not expect. Despite the public perception that these procedures are predominantly focused on women, a growing number of cosmetic plastic surgery patients are men.

  • worldaidsday2017

    World AIDS Day 2017: Aging with HIV

    November 27, 2017

    It has been almost 40 years since the world was first introduced to the HIV/AIDs epidemic. Since those early days of confusion and fear, treatment advances have led to a scenario that doctors and patients in the 1980s and early 1990s could not have imagined: the aging HIV patient.

  • basser

    Reveal Your #INVISIBLEGENES

    November 22, 2017

    In addition to celebrating five years of remarkable progress in the understanding, prevention, and treatment of BRCA-related cancers, the Basser Jean Bash featured the launch of the #invisiblegenes hereditary cancer awareness campaign which encourages genetic testing and counseling so that carriers can take preventative measures.

  • ai

    Penn’s New Artificial Intelligence Assistant

    November 20, 2017

    Penn's Jason Moore — director of the Institute for Biomedical Informatics — is developing something like an assistant for medical researchers to bring the buzzed-about tools of artificial intelligence into the regular toolbox for investigators who aren’t computer programmers.

  • sage julia

    Preemies 4 Prevention

    November 17, 2017

    Wanting to make a difference in the lives of other premature babies and families struggling to deal with the effects of prematurity, this month, two teens born prematurely will launch an initiative to help put an end to the leading cause of death in newborns.

  • calendar

    Birthing New Findings

    November 15, 2017

    A team led by Penn Medicine’s Mary Regina Boland, PhD, an assistant professor of Informatics in Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, looked at previously documented associations between specific diseases and being born at a certain time of the year, probing deeper to pinpoint the links between them.

  • copoisoning

    Surviving the “Silent Killer”: How Seamless Coordination Saves Lives

    November 13, 2017

    As temperatures drop, the number of visits to emergency rooms across the country tends to spike in the opposite direction. From tumbles off of ladders while decorating and holiday baking burns, to icy falls and omnipresent flu germs, the “most wonderful time of the year” doesn’t always live up to its moniker. Yet, there’s one seasonal threat that we tend to forget about until a tragic story hits the news: carbon monoxide (CO), often dubbed the “invisible killer” or “silent killer.”

  • vape

    Smoking and Vaping: Cessation and Prevention in the Modern Era

    November 10, 2017

    Even though overall smoking numbers have declined, Penn's Susan Pizzi worries that millennials and teens are being enticed into the smoking culture through the modern technology of e-cigarettes, which are not yet regulated by the FDA.

  • pregnancy

    A New Take on the Gift of Life

    November 06, 2017

    Uterine Factor Infertility (UFI) is a devastating and prevalent condition that affects five percent of women worldwide and 50,000 women in the United States. Whether congenital or acquired, women with UFI are unable to carry and deliver babies. But, advancements in women’s health and transplant surgery are helping to create new solutions for these women and their families.

  • mags

    The Not-so-Famous Way to Get Health Info

    November 03, 2017

    The truth is, celebrity news stories attract a lot of eyeballs. So it’s not surprising that media outlets continue to use that angle for stories on health and disease, with headlines like “14 Celebrities with Breast Cancer” or “Stars Who Have Battled Cancer.” What is surprising is that it may not be what patients actually want to read when they’re looking for health information.

  • horse image

    When Eadward Muybridge Came to Penn

    November 01, 2017

    Deep within the annals of Penn Medicine’s two-and-a-half centuries is a fun little story that ties together horse racing, an eccentric man with a Rip Van Winkle beard, The Matrix, and the University of Pennsylvania. It starts, as many good stories do, with a (possibly apocryphal) bet.

  • bra day

    Women Help Women at BRA Day 2017

    October 30, 2017

    Held annually on the third Wednesday of October – in the heart of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day is more than just an educational opportunity. It’s also a chance for women to help other women. That task was on the minds of both patients and survivors at Penn’s BRA Day event, held this year in the Smilow Center for Translational Research on October 18th.

  • volunteer

    An Ounce of Volunteering is Worth A Pound of Cure

    October 27, 2017

    Over the past two years, Jack Sheridan has seen his cardiovascular vital signs – total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) – decrease dramatically. Yet, during this time, he hasn’t exercised more or changed his diet. His weight has remained the same as have his medications. So what’s his secret? He volunteers.

  • kenya

    Building Tomorrow’s Global Health Leaders

    October 25, 2017

    Like many countries in eastern and southern Africa, Kenya has a high rate of pediatric HIV, with nearly 100,000 children living with the virus. Rosa Chemwey Ndiema hopes to put Kenya on the path to virtual elimination of the virus through research on how to better involve community leaders to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV—and that brought her to Philadelphia this summer to learn from renowned physicians and researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine.

  • concussions

    Changing How We Detect and Treat Sport Concussions

    October 23, 2017

    With another season of scholastic football in full swing at school districts across the country, a growing number of physicians and athletic trainers are re-evaluating how they diagnose and treat head injuries suffered during practices and games.

  • meds and money

    A Healthy Bottom Line: LDI's 50th Anniversary Symposium

    October 20, 2017

    Since the 1980s, the costs of health care in the Unites States has risen from nine percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product to now nearly twice that amount. With a population that is steadily increasing and aging, it appears that trend is not likely to slow anytime soon. The challenge is a tricky balancing act: providing the best possible care while controlling costs within an extraordinarily complex system of insurance networks, pharmaceutical companies, care providers, and so much more.

  • mito

    What Might a Future “Bioenergetic Medicine” Look Like?

    October 18, 2017

    What could medicine look like someday if, instead of focusing primarily on the organ affected by a disease — neurologists examining brain diseases, pulmonologists focusing on lung diseases — our system was centered on how cells process energy?

  • epic

    Getting to Know You

    October 16, 2017

    Starting today, Penn Medicine hospitals in Philadelphia are asking patients to share more information in their electronic health records. For example, in addition to reporting their sex at birth, patients are now offered the opportunity to provide specific information about their gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as their ethnicity and preferred spoken and written language.

  • main apothecary image

    The Evolution of the Apothecary for the Apothe-curious

    October 13, 2017

    A long, long time ago in a public health era far, far away, there was a world where CVS or Walgreens storefronts weren’t on every corner and drug regulations were nonexistent. This was the time of apothecaries – those fascinating druggists who meticulously mixed herbs and minerals, adding a dash of animal fat here and a bit of earwax there, all with the intent of curing the ailments of their fellow man.

  • tom

    A Tale of Two Toms

    October 11, 2017

    This is the tale of two Toms. One Tom is famous, a singer, an international legend. The other Tom is local, a tech guy, an avid cyclist. Other than their first names, they don’t seem to have much in common, except one big thing – they both suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

  • fop

    Piecing Together the Puzzle of a Rare-Among-Rare Bone Disorder

    October 09, 2017

    About 850 people worldwide have been diagnosed with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP) in the last five decades. Contrast that to the fewer than 100 individuals with progressive osseous heteroplasia (POH) who have been identified around the world since Penn Medicine's Fred Kaplan first described it in the early 1990s. “That makes FOP an ultra-rare genetic disease and POH ultra-ultra rare,” he said.

  • app

    The App Doctors Want You to Delete

    October 06, 2017

    Debbie Cohen, MD, director of the Clinical Hypertension Program at Penn Medicine, doesn’t mince words when talking about the smartphone apps and kiosks in malls and pharmacies that take blood pressure. “People shouldn’t be using them,” said Cohen. “The readings can be completely inaccurate.”

  • mohler

    Lessons Learned from a Vascular Medicine Pioneer

    October 04, 2017

    When he was in fifth grade, Emile Mohler III built a wooden incubator with his father’s help, and picked up 25 fertilized chicken eggs at a Federal Poultry Research facility in Beltsville, Maryland. He wanted to see how the chick embryos progressed each day before hatching. Thus began a life of scientific experimentation and discovery.

  • notes

    Meeting the Dietitian — My GDM Experience

    October 02, 2017

    Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is the most common type of diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy; it is also one of the most common pregnancy complications, affecting up to 18 percent of expecting women. Yet most women don’t learn much about the condition until after they are diagnosed. At 33 weeks into my pregnancy, I failed a glucose tolerance test and was diagnosed with GDM. Nothing really prepares you to hear a bad diagnosis.

  • heart

    What Becomes of the Broken Hearted

    September 29, 2017

    The term “heart surgery” carries with it a certain amount of baggage: mostly some combination of grisly imagery and long, difficult recoveries. Thankfully, recent developments to both the technology and technique have resulted in a field rapidly evolving to improve the safety and comfort of one particular procedure that had, until recently, been hugely invasive.

  • screen

    Tech Habits that can Change Your Health

    September 27, 2017

    Our lives, our careers, our homes are now dependent on technology, and all the time we spend using it can have a negative impact on our health. The overuse of digital technology can hurt your eyes, your posture and your ability to get a good night’s sleep.

  • burwell

    Memories to Pass On

    September 25, 2017

    The Legacy Program, launched earlier this year by Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, seeks to help patients tell their own stories that they can share with loved ones. The monthly sessions are for patients who have received a cancer diagnosis, either recent or years past.

  • mental health

    Making Mental Health Care a Global Health Priority

    September 22, 2017

    Depression is the leading cause of illness and disability worldwide. To help raise awareness about it, the World Health Organization launched a global campaign, called “Depression: Let’s Talk,” to encourage health care providers and people who are living with mental illness to seek the treatment they need.

  • addiction

    Breaking the Cycle of Addiction

    September 20, 2017

    “For a lot of these patients, it’s been a revolving door,” Barnett said. “It’s a tough population. We treat them, they leave, and they come back to be revived again. There’s more hope now that they’ll get treatment.”

  • brain1

    Life after Brain Injury

    September 18, 2017

    Every brain injury is different. Traumatic brain injury may result in some physical changes, such as seizures and temporary paralysis, but the majority of the lingering difficulties experienced by brain injury survivors are unnoticeable to the average passerby, often leading to painful and dangerous stigma.

  • doc patient

    Training Doctors for the Hardest Talk

    September 15, 2017

    When a doctor tells a patient there are no realistic paths for curative treatment, the doctor needs to be confident about that. Yet with so many experimental therapies, promising new drugs, and clinical trials offering hope to even the sickest of patients, how can any doctor, even the best doctor, be sure?

  • migraine

    Medicating for Migraines

    September 13, 2017

    In part one of this post, we talked about the nature of migraines — where they come from, and what models physicians are using to approach them. In this part, we look at the complexities inherent to medicating something that’s such a moving target.

  • aromatherapy blog pah

    Soothing “Sniffers” and Holistic Healing

    September 11, 2017

    “How to Keep Fat Burning Post-Workout.” “Your Clean Eating Grocery List.” “25 Essential Oil Remedies for Every Ailment.” In the (paraphrased) words of Sesame Street, one of these articles is not like the others...or is it? The focus on mind and body wellness no longer ends at 30-day exercise challenges, detox nutrition guides, and a few yoga poses and mindfulness tips. Complementary therapies, such as aromatherapy, have made their way into hospitals as legitimate pain and anxiety management methods, including at Pennsylvania Hospital.

  • menopause

    The New Midlife: Why 60 is the New 40

    September 08, 2017

    It wasn’t long ago that the hot flashes and night sweats that came with menopause signaled an unofficial end to one’s sex life, and in some sense was a big blaring reminder that the end was approaching. But the average lifespan of a woman today is 81, and the average age of menopause is 51 – making the post-menopausal stage of life considerable.

  • rader blog

    Human Genetics Studies Reveal New Targets to Reduce Heart Disease

    September 06, 2017

    Again and again, it’s the rare among humans that help the rest of us. The exploration of human genetics is revealing new targets to combat heart disease among atypical variants. Mutations in genes that play a role in heart health are the inspiration for a cluster of new heart drugs.

  • donation

    The Ins and Outs of Organ Donation

    September 01, 2017

    Twenty-seven European countries have shifted from an “opt-in” organ donation system to an “opt-out” (or “presumed consent”). But what works in one country may not work in another, especially when talking about a place like the United States.

  • laces

    How Penn Researchers Simplify Science

    August 30, 2017

    When it comes to presenting information in an easy to understand way, clinicians and researchers at Penn Medicine often turn to analogies – much like our 9th grade bio teachers did – to help explain the complexities of what they do, to boil down seemingly common but not always easily defined treatments and diseases, and give some relatable context to their research.

  • yoga

    Combining Yoga with Medical Studies Helps Students Connect, Recharge, Remember

    August 28, 2017

    By mindfully moving and breathing with the body parts that earlier in the day they had learned about in lectures and examined up-close in donated cadavers in the lab, first-year medical students at Penn gain a deeper appreciation of these structures in a living body.

  • cch care

    Reducing Avoidable Readmissions by Extending Care Beyond the Hospital

    August 25, 2017

    Underlying chronic conditions or unexpected accidents can undermine a patient’s quest to be in good health, prompt a visit to an emergency room, or create the need for an inpatient stay. Sometimes, hospitalization just can’t be avoided. For that reason, Chester County Hospital’s Continuum of Care Program helps patients lessen the likelihood of being readmitted to the hospital down the road.

  • surgery

    Cut and Dry Insights to Prevent Surgical Site Infections

    August 23, 2017

    In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published guidelines on surgical site infection prevention. The update to that guideline began over five years ago, but Ebola, Zika and other national and international healthcare emergencies delayed its completion. The news blog checked in with Penn Medicine's Craig Umscheid to see what the major takeaways are from this guideline and how it can improve the safety of surgical procedures.

  • socks

    Saving Our Sox for the Homeless

    August 21, 2017

    Anyone who’s ever been a patient in a hospital is most likely familiar with nonslip socks. Some patients take the socks home with them — but, most often, the socks are left behind and then thrown out after just a single wear. A new initiative at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is slowly changing that scenario, repurposing the socks for the homeless.

  • perelman

    Happy 100th Birthday to Ray Perelman!

    August 21, 2017

    August 22 marks Raymond Perelman’s 100th birthday. Whether you’re a long-time alumnus, a recent graduate, or Philadelphia resident, you’re no doubt familiar with the exceptional generosity of Ray and his late wife, Ruth. Their historic gift of $225 million named the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine and has helped boost student financial aid, recruit the best physicians and scientists, and accelerate innovative research.

  • White Coat 2017

    New Perelman School of Medicine Students Embrace the Future and Honor the Past

    August 18, 2017

    The Perelman School of Medicine’s White Coat ceremony has become an annual rite of passage for new medical students. One by one, students are garbed in short white clinician’s coats, given a stethoscope, and as they walk across the stage they symbolically take their first steps on a long journey to becoming a doctor.

  • doc

    The Value — and Rarity — of Accurately Understanding a Cancer Diagnosis

    August 16, 2017

    In a recent study of 208 patients, nearly half did not know their stage of cancer. One in four patients were unsure whether they were free of cancer or in remission. The review established a baseline of patient comprehension, and identifies several groups more likely to need extra conversation or support at initial diagnosis, throughout survivorship, and in incurable disease.

  • connectome

    Using Data to Map the Human Brain

    August 14, 2017

    The Human Connectome Project (HCP) is one of many ways researchers are working together to discover and share knowledge about the human brain.

  • scan

    Coaching the Pros

    August 11, 2017

    Even professionals need coaching. It’s why the best major league pitchers still need a coach to visit the mound from time to time. Sometimes another experienced set of eyes can spot something even the pros missed, hopefully heading off problems before they become bad habits. In medicine, it works much the same way.

  • thrombolysis

    College Grad's Return Flight from Thailand Lands Her in the Hospital

    August 09, 2017

    Julie Park graduated this year from Rowan University, but she almost didn’t make it to graduation. Last January, she sprained her ankle. A week later, she flew from her South Jersey home to Thailand for vacation. Although her ankle hurt during the trip, she didn’t think it merited going to a hospital while out of the country. What she didn’t realize at the time was that such indecision could have cost her life.

  • self

    “Snowflakes” and Selfies: Misconceptions of Millennial Self-Care

    August 07, 2017

    Between “killing” entire industries (chain restaurants, breakfast cereal, napkins, etc.), documenting the aforementioned murders via Snapchat, and finding new ways to combine healthcare and the arts, us Millennials are rather busy—but we leave plenty of time in our full schedules to worry. So I took to Twitter to ask my peers about the health concerns that keep them up at night.

  • phone

    The Complicated Issue of “See Something, Say Something” in Science

    August 04, 2017

    Mobile technology provides researchers with new cost-effective ways to gain a much more nuanced understanding of risky behaviors. However, the “big data” collected from these technologies in real time also opens up a plethora of ethical questions and challenges that plague health care professionals and medical ethicists alike.

  • cancer

    Ferreting Out Causes of Resistance to Cancer Drugs

    August 02, 2017

    According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the number of people beating a cancer diagnosis reached nearly 14.5 million in 2014 and is expected to rise to almost 19 million by 2024. Now, that’s good news, but it doesn’t mean that cancer researchers — in the lab or clinic — are resting on any laurels.

  • scale

    To Weigh or Not to Weigh?

    July 31, 2017

    When it comes to health advice, the internet tends to contradict itself. The benefits of food get flipped around, and longstanding fitness tips can suddenly be deemed ineffective. Self-weighing is another one. Don’t jump on the scale – it’s counterproductive and will drive you crazy. Or, step on it – it’s motivating and keeps you in check. So, which is it?

  • OR

    Life Inside the OR: An Outsider’s Perspective

    July 28, 2017

    When I started my career seven years ago, it hadn’t crossed my mind that at some point I would spend nearly 12 hours – overnight hours, to be exact – inside an operating room for anything other than a potential surgery of my own. That is, until I had the opportunity to don paper scrubs, a facemask and hair net, and observe a life-changing procedure –with a film crew in tow.

About this Blog

This blog is written and produced by Penn Medicine’s Department of Communications. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive an e-mail notification when new content goes live!

Views expressed are those of the author or other attributed individual and do not necessarily represent the official opinion of the related Department(s), University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine), or the University of Pennsylvania, unless explicitly stated with the authority to do so.

Health information is provided for educational purposes and should not be used as a source of personal medical advice.

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