Eric Bressman and Kevin Volpp co-authored a study highlighted in Penn LDI, which examined the effectiveness of BP Pal, a text message-based hypertension management program, revealing high patient engagement but underscoring the need for rigorous testing of digital health innovations.

Citation:

"Automated Text Messaging for Hypertension Gets High Ratings—and Shows why Randomized Controlled Trials are Important," Penn LDI, C Tachibana, February 4, 2025. 

Bressman E, Volpp. et al. 2024. "Automated Text Message-Based Program to Improve Uncontrolled Blood Pressure in Primary Care Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial." Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Penn Today reports that Penn Nursing Ph.D. student Oonjee Oh, with faculty advisors George Demiris and Connie Ulrich, explores AI's role in ethical palliative care decision-making in their research study.

Citation: 

"Exploring the Role of AI in Palliative Care and Decision-making," Penn Today, E Moser, February 28, 2025. 

Oh O, Demiris G. et al. 2024. "The Ethical Dimensions of Utilizing Artificial Intelligence in Palliative Care." Sage Journals.

Iliana V. Kohler and Hans-Peter Kohler co-authored a study exploring the use of dried plasma spot technology to measure Alzheimer's disease prevalence in Malawi's aging population, addressing global health disparities.

Citation:

"Bridging Borders: Advancing Aging Research in Malawi," Penn Memory Center, M McCarthy, February 26, 2025. 

Olivia Mitchell discusses common retirement regrets and the need for increased savings due to the impending insolvency of the Social Security Trust Fund on Decoding Retirement, as reported by Yahoo Finance.

Citation:

"How to Avoid Retirement Regrets," Yahoo Finance, February 25, 2025. 

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Rachel Werner co-authored an issue brief in Penn LDI, offering recommendations to enhance Community Health Centers' participation in value-based payment models and align these efforts with health equity goals.

Citation: 

"Issue Brief: Paying for Value and Health Equity in Community Health Centers," Penn LDI, P Chatterjee, R Werner, J Weiner, February 25, 2025. 

“The shelters are not a solution,” Dennis Culhane told Cal Matters, “We have every reason to believe that if we scaled up income support and provided rental assistance, we would probably see the homeless numbers cut in half.”

Citation:

"‘A Volunteer Jail’: Inside the Scandals and Abuse Pushing California’s Homeless Out of Shelters," Cal Matters, L Hepler, February 25, 2025.

In an Interview with NPR, Derek Griffith talks about the widening longevity gap between men and women, advocating for greater national focus on men's physical and mental health.

Citation:

"Men Die Younger than Women. Is It Time for a Focus on Men's Health?" NPR, February 19, 2025.

"The government should restore all the data that had been previously collected and make it available," says Irma Elo. She describes the federal statistical system, which collects population-level census and health data, as "the only independent source of data that we have."

"You cannot just replace it without having a huge influx of resources," she says, or without the expertise of statistical agencies that have collected and published these data for decades.

Citation:

"Some Federal Health Websites Restored, Others Still Down, after Data Purge," NPR, W Stone, P Huang, February 6, 2025. 

Molly Candon and Rebecca E. Stewart review a study in Jama Network Open on employer-sponsored digital health platforms for mental wellness, emphasizing cost savings while advocating for a broader perspective on their long-term value.

Citation: 

"Employer-Sponsored Digital Health Platforms for Mental Wellness—A Good Investment," Jama Network Open, M Candon, R Stewart, February 5, 2025. 

In a conversation with All Home Care Matters, Jason Karlawish discusses advancements in dementia care and memory research.

Citation: 

"The Co-Director of the Penn Memory Center Dr. Jason Karlawish," All Home Care Matters, February 2, 2025. 

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Karen Lasater co-authored a study, reported by Penn LDI, exploring how nurse work environments impact care for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). 

Citation:
"Improving Care for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency," Penn LDI, G Rettberg, January 30, 2025. 

Sliwinski K, Lasater K. et al. 2025. "Reducing Disparities in Emergency Department Outcomes for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency: The Nurse Work Environment," Science Direct.

“Nursing science has always been at the forefront of innovation, driven by a deep commitment to improving human health,” said workshop chair George Demiris to Penn Nursing. “By embracing the potential of AI, we can unlock new frontiers in patient care, empower nurses with advanced tools, and ensure that technology meets the needs of individuals and communities.” 

Citation:

"The Future of Nursing: Embracing the Power of AI," Penn Nursing, January 30, 2025.

In Penn IUR, Lance Freeman discusses the need for updated comprehensive plans and streamlined approval processes to address the housing shortage and expand affordable housing supply.

Citation:

"Expert Voices 2025 | Access to Sustainable and Affordable Housing," Penn IUR, January 28, 2025. 

Greg Ridgeway co-founded the Data-Driven Discovery Initiative (DDDI) at Penn to foster collaboration among the university's data scientists. The initiative focuses on breaking down silos and advancing interdisciplinary connections in data science across various fields, as reported by OMNIA.

Citation:

"The Missing Data Link," OMNIA, L Dattaro, January 28, 2025.

A study co-authored by Nazar Khalid, along with PSC Associates Emily Hannum and Jere Behrman, explores how flooding in India exacerbates learning gaps for marginalized children, underscoring climate change’s unequal impact, as reported by OMINA.

Citation: 

"India, Floods, and Learning Outcomes," OMNIA, K Silva, January 27, 2025.

Khalid N, Nehrman J, Hannum E. et al. 2024. "Floods and Children’s Education in Rural India." The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.

Penn Today highlights Michel Guillot's study, which reveals that life expectancy in Gaza has dropped by 46.3% since October 2023, from 75.5 to 40.5 years. The decline is more pronounced in men, and the study cautions that mortality estimates may be underestimated due to incomplete identification and the indirect effects of the war.

Citation:
"Study Shows Drop in Life Expectancy in the Gaza Strip," Penn Today, January 23, 2025. 

Guillot M, Draidi M. et al. 2025. "Life Expectancy Losses in the Gaza Strip during the Period October 2023 to September 2024." The Lancet. 

Penn LDI features a study on birth certificate data, co-authored by Diana Montoya-Williams, highlighting how refining racial and ethnic categorizations can enhance equity in preterm birth research and outcomes.

Citation:
"A Preterm Birth Study by LDI Fellows Supports Newly Instituted Changes to Racial and Ethnic Categorizations by a Key U.S. Agency," Penn LDI, K Holloway, January 22, 2025. 

Holloway K R, Montoya-Williams D. et al. 2024. “The “Other” Race Category on Birth Certificates and its Impact on Analyses of Preterm Birth Inequity.” Journal of Perinatology.

Jason Karlawish wrote an op-ed for The STAT, urging a national strategy to address rising dementia risk, with policies and industry collaboration on healthy aging.

Citation:

"Dementia Risk, Higher than Thought, Requires a National Strategy," The STAT, J Karlawish, January 18, 2025.

Fang M, Hu J. et al. 2025. "Lifetime Risk and Projected Burden of Dementia." Nature Medicine.

Derek Griffith co-authors a Health Affairs article arguing that policies restricting discussions on structural racism undermine efforts to address health inequities.

Citation: 

"‘Divisive Concepts’ Prohibitions: Implications For Health And Health Equity," Health Affairs, D Griffith, A Twinamatsiko, January 16, 2025.

"New Article Warns Against Restricting Discussions on Structural Racism," Medical Press, January 17, 2025.

“By limiting discussions of structural racism, these policies ignore the historical and environmental factors that shape health outcomes,” Derek Griffith told Penn Nursing.  

Citation:

"Highlighting the Dangers of Restricting Discussions of Structural Racism," Penn Nursing, January 16, 2025. 

Related Articles: 

‘Divisive Concepts’ Prohibitions: Implications For Health And Health Equity

Penn Nursing highlights Health Affairs Brief co-authored by Derek Griffith on the Dangers of Restricting Discussions of Structural Racism in Health Policy.

Citation:

"Highlighting the Dangers of Restricting Discussions of Structural Racism," Penn Nursing, January 16, 2025. 

Penn Carey Law highlights Allison Hoffman's course, 'Health, Disability & Justice,' which examines the intersections of health and disability law, with a focus on caregiving, equity, and legal regulation.

Citation: 

"Health, Disability & Justice," Penn Carey Law, January 16, 2025. 

Penn LDI highlights research by Molly Candon and PSC research associates Rachel Werner and David Mandell, revealing that increased insurance coverage for acupuncture from 2010 to 2019 led to greater use among individuals with low back pain.

Citation:

"Chart of the Day: More U.S. Patients Use Acupuncture for Low Back Pain, But it Remains Rare," Penn LDI, C Weeks, January 15, 2025.

Candon M, Werner R, Mandell D. et al. 2024. “Utilization of Reimbursed Acupuncture Therapy for Low Back Pain.” JAMA Network Open.

George Demiris told Penn Today, “With machine learning and natural language processing, you can extract meaning from large volumes of text, images, or other materials, gaining insights much more quickly.”

Citation:
"The Future of Nursing Care," Penn Today, January 15, 2025.

Penn Carey Law highlights Dorothy Roberts' Penn Carey Law course on reproductive justice, exploring legal, ethical, and constitutional issues beyond abortion access, including parenting, contraception, and freedom.

Citation:

"Reproductive Rights & Justice," Penn Carey Law, December 17, 2024.

"Dorothy Roberts on Reproductive Rights and Justice," Penn Today, January 13, 2025.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Penn LDI features Eric Bressman's AI-driven tool to enhance handoffs, reduce provider burden, and improve communication in hospital care.

Citation: 

"2025 LDI-Penn Medicine Research Laboratory Projects Announced," Penn LDI, January 8, 2025.

Dennis Culhane in an interview with The Signal addresses the troubling increase in homelessness across the U.S., focusing on the sharp rise in homelessness among immigrants.

Citation:

"Mother of Exiles," The Signal, D Culhane and G Jönsson, January 7, 2025.

Read the PSC 2024 Year In Review annual newsletter and discover all the highlights of the Population Studies Center's work from the past year. Sections include: a letter from PSC Directors Emilio A. Parrado & Paula Fomby, 2024 By The Numbers, New Associates, Population Center Working Papers, PSC Funded Pilots, Funding, Awards & Honors, GGD Awards & Honors, In the News, Op-Eds, and Colloquium Videos.

Read the 2024 PARC Year In Review Newsletter, which includes a letter from PARC Co-Director's, PARC 2024 By The Numbers, New PARC Associates, GEAR UP, Awards & Honors, Funding, In The News, Op-Eds, Population Center Working Paper Series (PSC/PARC), and Events.

Dolores Albarracín, co-author of the study highlighted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, says, “These findings are important for media outlets and policymakers as they navigate the complex choices in how to portray and engage with international conflicts, and they also shed light on the psychological forces that shape policy support in the context of war.” 

Citation:

"Coverage of Civilian Casualties in Allied Countries Boosts Support for U.S. Involvement," Annenberg Public Policy Center, January 6, 2025.

Albarracín D, Kraitzman A. et al. 2025. "How Civilian Casualty Information Shapes Support for U.S. Involvement in an Ally Country’s War Effort." Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

"If we think about what can take us to the next level, it's not the next drug," Aaron Richterman told NPR. "It's probably not the vaccine that we're all waiting for. It may be something like this, which I think we have good reason to believe could help potentially end something like a TB epidemic,"

Citation: 

"Tuberculosis Rates Plunge When Families Living in Poverty Receive Monthly Cash Payouts," NPR, G Emanuel, January 3, 2025.

Jesus G, Silva A. et al. 2025. "Effects of Conditional Cash Transfers on Tuberculosis Incidence and Mortality According to Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Factors in the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort." Nature Medicine.

Related Article:

Tuberculosis rates plunge when families living in poverty get a monthly cash payout

Hanming Fang and Yi Chen won the 2024 JER Best Article Award for their article "The State of Mental Health among Older Chinese and the Role of Children" in The Japanese Economic Review. The article examined the mental health of older Chinese and the role of children.

Citation: 
Chen Y, Fang H. 2024. "The State of Mental Health among Older Chinese and the Role of Children." The Japanese Economic Review.

Dolores Albarracín told Annenberg. "Our research provides a map for what might be effective, even for behaviors nobody has studied. Just like masking became a critical behavior during the pandemic, but we had no research on masking, a broad empirical study of intervention efficacy can guide future efforts for an array of behaviors we have not directly studied but that need to be promoted during a crisis."

Citation:

"Groundbreaking Analysis Unveils Secrets to Predicting and Changing Human Behavior," Annenberg, January 1, 2025.

Iourii Manovskii's research on local labor market dynamics and unemployment variability was featured in the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Citation:

"Unemployment is Local," Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, L C McKay, November 13, 2024. 

Kuhn M, Manovskii I. et al. 2024. "The Geography of Job Creation and Job Destruction." Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.