News Blog

“I am extremely proud of the collaborative action of the group,” said Renée Betancourt, MD, an assistant professor and vice chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the department. “The true leadership within the task force comes from the individual task force members who propose initiatives and move our efforts forward. What we’ve been working for is incredibly important and special.”

People who’ve had the opportunity to be vaccinated so far are understandably feeling relief that they’re better protected. But even for someone who’s still patiently (or impatiently) waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine to become available, the rollout of vaccines to anyone in their community is still good news.

“The practice of mindfulness helps you to find calm and helps you to settle when situations are turbulent,” said Michael Baime, MD, director of the Penn Program for Mindfulness. “You’re finding a part within yourself that is stable and not turning with everything around you.”

A passionate photographer, John Hansen-Flaschen, MD, a professor of Medicine and Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care in the Perelman School of Medicine and the founding director of Penn’s Paul Harron Lung Center, set his camera on a tripod directly over his shoulder and captured his colleagues working together at that moment in time where medical experts and the world tried to make sense of the new pandemic.

Approximately one million people are suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy in the United States. But far fewer get surgery for the condition — only around one thousand surgeries a year — even though these procedures end seizures in around 70 percent of patients.

For one of the many talented couples on the Penn Medicine team, preparing to “move in” to the Pavilion—also known as HUP East — is a family affair and an exciting new chapter for professional collaboration. The holiday of hearts and flowers gave us an opportunity to check in with them about what lies ahead for this milestone moment at Penn Medicine.

With an increase in remote work, virtual meetings, and video chats, many of us may not realize we are now on the front lines of stroke detection via the speakers on our computers, phones and other devices.

Free events for physicals typically held over the summer didn’t happen this year, putting some students in a jam. And for some student-athletes, not having their physical exam for this season means that they haven’t seen a doctor at all in almost two full years, so more of them could have developed new medical conditions than in past exams.

Every Monday, Milla, a patient at the Penn Memory Center, sits at a laptop in her home, virtually “hanging out” with Emily, a student at the University of Pennsylvania. Despite having memory issues from dementia, she remembers her buddy from week to week.

Michele Sensenig faithfully follows the recommendations of her health care team, whether that involves brushing her teeth twice a day, getting regular exercise or scheduling her annual breast cancer screening.