A study examining pain and prescription use among hip fracture patients compared outcomes among those who had spinal anesthesia and those who had general anesthesia
Tag: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Study: Text Messaging Shows Promise in Reaching Unvaccinated Patients
While automated texting did not get more patients to get their vaccinations against COVID-19, it reached roughly the same amount as manned phone calls
Racial Gap in Completed Doctor Visits Disappeared in 2020 as Telemedicine Adopted
As COVID-19 necessitated the wider adoption of telemedicine, the rate of completed primary care visits for Black patients rose to the same level of non-Black patients, Penn Medicine study finds
Program Issuing Mailed Kits Doubles Rate of Leftover Opioids Disposal
Study finds that patients of orthopaedic and urologic procedures were more likely to dispose of their extra opioid tablets when they received kits in the mail to do so
Penn Medicine, Philadelphia Department of Public Health Partner to Increase Virtual Care for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder
Through a collaboration, a virtual “bridge clinic” will expand access to more extensive and personalized care for patients struggling with opioid use
DNA Analysis Provides Insight into Associations Between Worse COVID and Other Conditions
Through analyzing human DNA samples in a large biobank, Penn Medicine researchers found associations between genetic variants with severe COVID and conditions involving blood clots and respiratory issues
Making a Game of It: Contests Help New Moms Increase Their Steps
Study Used Wearable Tech to Foster Activity in High-Risk, Diverse Populations
Piezo1 Possible Key to Supporting Muscle Regeneration in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Tracing the impact of a single protein, Piezo1, Penn researchers found that restoring it in muscles affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy could improve their ability to heal efficiently
Online Tool Effective in Triaging Nearly All COVID-19 Patients
The COVID-19 Triage Tool at Penn Medicine categorized almost every patient into a safe classification and took burdens off clinicians during the height of the pandemic
Penn Study Illuminates the Biology of Common Heart Disorder
Dilated cardiomyopathy due to titin gene mutations involves both a shortage of good titin and a buildup of mutant, potentially “bad” titin
A ‘Dented’ Internal Clock Provides Insight Into Shift Workers’ Weight Gain and Diabetes
Weight gain and high blood sugar caused by a damaged internal clock was corrected by researchers, who changed the length of the “day” in mice
Penn Medicine’s Pavilion Marks a Healthcare ‘First’ with Prestigious LEED Gold Building Certification for Sustainability
Penn Medicine’s new Pavilion on the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s campus has broken new ground for sustainable healthcare construction and design with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Healthcare Gold Certification.
Engineering CAR T Cells to Deliver Endogenous RNA Wakes Solid Tumors to Respond to Therapy
New study shows CAR T cells expressing RN7SL1 can activate the body’s natural immune cells against difficult-to-treat cancers
Choosing Personal Exercise Goals, Then Tackling Them Immediately is Key to Sustatining Change
A Penn Medicine study showed that giving underserved patients at risk of heart disease a choice in their physical activity goal, then having them start right away, resulted in the most change
Penn Medicine and Wharton Social Impact Initiative Launch $5 Million Investment Fund for Health Equity
“Fund for Health” announced first round of funding for companies that aim to strengthen social determinants of health
Penn Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders NIH Grant Renewed for $4 Million
The United States’ longest-running NIH-sponsored musculoskeletal research center will receive $4M to continue its studies of everything from ligament tears to osteoarthritis
Penn-led Consortium Identifies More Genetic Markers for Inherited Testicular Cancer
A meta-analysis of nearly 200,000 men revealed 22 new genetic locations that could be susceptible to inherited testicular germ cell tumors.
Penn Medicine Launching Center for Applied Health Informatics
To better coordinate health data projects across the health system and cement its status as a leader in informatics, Penn Medicine is launching a new hub center
AACI Members Choose Winn as President-Elect
Robert Winn, MD, director of VCU Massey Cancer Center, has been elected by the members of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) to serve as vice president/president-elect of AACI’s board of directors.
Combining Gamification, Cash Incentive Increases Veterans’ Exercise
Daily step counts increased by approximately 1,200 among veterans who were given goals and participated in game-like interventions with loss-framed cash rewards
Pulling Wisdom Teeth Can Improve Long-Term Taste Function
Patients who had their wisdom teeth extracted had improved tasting abilities decades after having the surgery.
Higher COVID-19 Mortality Among Black Patients Linked to Unequal Hospital Quality
If Black patients were admitted to the same hospitals that serve a majority of White patients, researchers showed their risk of death would drop by 10 percent
Researchers Discover Drug that Blocks Multiple SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Mice
A small molecule STING agonist was highly protective against the virus that causes COVID-19 and likely other coronaviruses
Game on: Game-Based Program Boosts Physical Activity Among Diabetes Patients
Researchers showed that adding gamification with either competition or support increased physical activity for patients with Type 2 diabetes
Penn Medicine to Require All Health System Employees to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
Philadelphia-Based Top Academic Health System Becomes Nation’s Largest to Mandate Vaccination, Calling for Workforce to Set an Example to End the Pandemic
New Method Identifies Tau Aggregates Occurring in Healthy Body Structures
Researchers used microscopy and machine learning to distinguish tau protein aggregates occurring as part of healthy functions from those occurring in disease
New Emergency Department Program Enables Patients to Recover at Home Safely
Program established at Penn Medicine to improve support for patients after emergency department visits, helping them recover at home instead of the hospital
Text Message Program Shows 60 Percent of Opioid Tablets Unused After Common Procedures
A Penn Medicine new study of how text messaging could inform opioid prescribing practices showed that 60 percent of opioids are left over after orthopaedic and urologic procedures
Study Illuminates the Molecular Details of Lung Development
Findings should empower the search for better treatments for lung diseases
Staff Dedication Key To Patient Satisfaction with Substance Use Treatment Facilities, Study Shows
Researchers at Penn Medicine used machine learning-aided analysis to uncover top positive and negative themes in patient Yelp reviews of substance use treatment facilities
Overlooked Cilium Could Be Genetic Key to Common Diseases
Long thought a vestigial part of human cells, new genetic analysis of the primary cilium shows that it may be tied to common conditions like diabetes and kidney failure
Discovery Illuminates How Thyroid Hormone ‘Dims’ Metabolism
Basic biology finding on thyroid hormone function could lead to new treatments for obesity, diabetes and related disorders
Medication Keeps More Patients with ANCA-Associated Vasculitis in Remission Than Steroids
Avacopan, which targets a receptor that attracts the cells that cause inflammation, was shown to be more effective at keeping patients in remission for a year than prednisone

Penn Medicine Cancer Cell Therapy Pioneer Carl June, MD, Named 2021 Dan David Prize Laureate
International cancer cell therapy pioneer Carl June, MD, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, has been named a 2021 Dan David Prize Laureate.
Take-At-Home Tests Boost Colorectal Cancer Screening Tenfold for Health Center Serving Minorities
By making it the default to send colorectal cancer screening tests to patients’ homes unless they opted out via text message, screening rates increased by more than 1,000 percent
Stem Cell Study Illuminates the Cause of a Devastating Inherited Heart Disorder
Stem cell study findings show that LMNA gene mutations can disrupt the “identity” of heart muscle cells
Opiate Overdoses Spike in Black Philadelphians, But Drop in White Residents Since COVID-19
New research into opioid overdoses that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted new disparities along racial lines that are likely fueled by existing inequality
Patients in Cancer Remission at High Risk for Severe COVID-19 Illness
Patients with inactive cancer and not currently undergoing treatments also face a significantly higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, a new study from Penn Medicine published online today in JNCI Cancer Spectrum shows.
Target Discovered That Halts Osteoarthritis-Like Knee Cartilage Degeneration
In a mouse study, researchers used nanotechnology and previous knowledge of a protein pathway to significantly reduce knee cartilage degeneration and pain
Cardiac Rehabilitation is Underused Across the Country. One Simple Change Could Fix That.
Making doctors opt out from prescribing cardiac rehabilitation instead of opting in increased referrals by roughly 70 percent
New Statistical Method Exponentially Increases Ability to Discover Genetic Insights
A test of the Sum-Share statistical method using only summary-level data found 1,734 genetic variations associated with cardiovascular-related conditions when just one had previously been likely
Significant Disparities in Telemedicine Use, Especially Among Older and Non-White Patients
Older people as well as minorities, non-English speakers and those with lower incomes face inequities in accessing telemedicine care amid COVID-19
Community Spread of COVID-19 Tied to Patient Survival Rates at Area Hospitals
Discovering wide variation in hospitals’ COVID-19 survival rates, researchers found that the levels of the novel coronavirus in the surrounding community was likely the driving factor
Remote Monitoring Leads to 4x Decline in Returns to Hospital After Joint Replacements
The rate of hospital readmissions for hip and knee replacement patients declined from roughly 12 percent to 3 percent when they were enrolled in a “hovering” program
329 People Injured by Firearms in U.S. Each Day, But for Every Death, Two Survive
Researchers examine trends in fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries to inform prevention strategies, finding that twice as many people who died from gunshots survive
Potential Cellular Target for Eliminating Bone Breakdown in Osteoporosis Found
By disabling a function of a set of cells in mice, researchers appear to have halted the process that breaks down bone, a likely boon for osteoporosis treatment
COVID-19 Patients Survive In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest at Pre-Pandemic Rates
Resuscitation and survival rates for hospitalized COVID-19 patients who have cardiac arrest are much higher than earlier reports of near-zero; variation at the individual hospital level may have affected overall numbers
Penn Medicine and Comcast/Independence Health’s Quil Come Together for Digital Patient Education
Internationally recognized leaders in health care and connectivity partner with Quil platform to customize and enhance care and patient education through video and digital communication
From 84 Days to 5 Hours: Telemedicine Reduces Dermatology Consult Time
Allowing primary care doctors to take photos and send them to dermatologists improved access to specialty care
Trauma Hospitalizations Fall in Philly During COVID-19 Lockdown, But Gun Violence Rises
Non-intentional trauma fell compared to the period before COVID this year, but ratios of gun violence patients increased after stay-at-home orders were implemented, and were high compared to the same timeframe in previous years