Despite advances, behavioral health legislation still lags behind
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to over $16 trillion in increased healthcare, criminal justice, child welfare, education, and labor market costs, has pushed the topic of mental and behavioral health to the forefront for many Americans. In a new study, Penn State…
Diabetes prevention project needs participants
Penn State researchers are now actively recruiting adults to participate in online focus groups related to the prevention of Type II diabetes. Compensation of $25 will be provided for those that volunteer.
The online focus group will last around an hour and a half and include questions regarding…
Graduate student overcomes barriers to receive NIH award
Most people may not think it takes resilience to become a scientist, but a graduate student at Penn State says otherwise.
Despite various barriers, Berenice Anaya, a psychology doctoral student at Penn State, has been awarded the F99/K00 - NIH Blueprint D-SPAN Award, an NIH blueprint specialized…
Three new SSRI funding opportunities now accepting proposals
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute has announced a call for proposals for three grant programs.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Research Funding in Social and Behavioral Sciences RFP invites proposals to supplement ongoing, externally funded, interdisciplinary research projects to cover…
Impacts of the pandemic on school reopening plans
In 2020, as school boards around the country weighed the public health and education concerns brought on by COVID-19, districts developed vastly different reopening plans for the fall.
In this post, Penn State researchers Erica Frankenberg and Katharine Dulaney discuss comparing the proposed…
Buxton recognized with endowed appointment
SSRI cofund Orfeu M. Buxton, professor of biobehavioral health, was named the inaugural holder of the Elizabeth Fenton Susman Professorship in Biobehavioral Health in the College of Health and Human Development.
Buxton's research focuses on the causes of chronic sleep deficiency in the workplace,…
Registration open for Jan. 26 Recent Topics in Research Methods Seminar Series
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute will present "Data4Action: The Centre County COVID-19 Cohort Study" at its next Recent Topics in Research Methods Seminar Series from 4 to 5 p.m. on Jan. 26.
The Recent Topics in Research Methods Seminar Series features…
SSRI announces three new RFAs
The COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Research Funding in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Call for Proposals on Implementation Science, and Smart and Connected Health in Social Science Request for Pilot Grant Proposals have been developed with the goal of advancing SSRI’s strategic aims. Click on the…
Students join research team examining the Covid-19 pandemic in Centre County
The coronavirus pandemic is impacting every aspect of daily life with implications including social, psychological and economic well-being and education achievement.
The Data 4 Action Research Project aims to better understand such spillover impacts of COVID-19 in Centre County by assessing…
Applications open for clinical and translational science training programs
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute is now accepting applications for its 2021-2022 Translational Research Training Program (TL1) and summer 2021 Translational Science Fellowship Program.
The Translational Research Training Program provides tailored educational…
Fostering Lions Program receives scholarship to assist students
Although foster youth can face many challenges, those who continue into college are better prepared for adulthood and more likely to achieve economic independence and an improved quality of life. For the first time ever, a program designed to support foster youth at Penn State was recently awarded…
Data 4 Action Project Update
The Centre County COVID-19 Data 4 Action Research Project (Data 4 Action) is studying the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in Centre County. Adult residents of Centre County took a survey and were presented with an opportunity to take part in follow-up research studies, including blood, saliva,…
Impacts of the pandemic on opioid-related drug overdose
Opioid-related drug overdose is a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. When we consider individuals who use opioids, social factors including poor access to healthcare, unstable housing and employment, and social isolation may double as risk factors for infectious disease…
Weight-loss plan developed at Penn State named one of the nation's best
Restaurant closures, supply chain disruptions, and employment changes have altered people’s eating habits to varying degrees this year. Research shows that people have had a hard time maintaining their weight. People who are looking to lose weight may want to consider Volumetrics, a diet developed…
Podcast episode discusses research of exercise in cancer treatment
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute released the latest episode of its Engage Podcast featuring Kathleen Sturgeon, Ph.D., assistant professor of public health sciences, discussing her research into the use of exercise in cancer treatment. Sturgeon is a scholar in the institute’s…
Coronavirus Relief & Appropriations Package
Congress recently passed legislation to provide another round of coronavirus relief. The bill also included all FY 2021 appropriations bills to fund the federal government. The president is expected to sign the massive measure in the next few days. All told, the legislation totals more than 5,500…
Why Social Science? Because It Can Help Fight Stereotypes in the World of Science
By Kellina Craig-Henderson, PhD, Deputy Assistant Director, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate, National Science Foundation
The insidious negative effects of racist stereotypes on African Americans’ academic performance was described in The Atlantic in 1999 by former National…
Impacts of the pandemic teen anxiety
The anxiety, isolation, and uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented emotional challenge. Adolescence is a period of drastic emotional, social, and cognitive development, making this age group particularly vulnerable to the short- and long-term impact of the…
Box migration training sessions available
The Penn State IT Learning and Development team has created 1.5-hour live training sessions to help faculty and staff navigate Box migration steps before their migration. The Penn State community can find registration information, including session dates and details, on the Preparing for the Box to…
EIC Podcast on examining the delivery of special education services during COVID-19
The Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative Podcast is offering a new series called The Pandemic Perspective, where we examine how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and various aspects of our society, institutions, and other systems have collided, changed, and even collapsed in the last nine months.
For the…
College of Medicine receives $2.7 million to address COVID-19 health disparities
Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski, professor of medicine, public health sciences and pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, has received $2.69 million through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to establish projects aimed at addressing COVID-19 health disparities among nursing…
Preschool program linked with better social and emotional skills years later
A preschool enrichment program developed at Penn State helps boost social and emotional skills that still have positive effects years later during middle and high school, according to a new study.
The researchers found that students attending Head Start preschools that implemented the Research-…
Institute of State and Regional Affairs looks at COVID-19 senior isolation risk
Continuing its analysis on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pennsylvania, the Institute of State and Regional Affairs (ISRA) at Penn State Harrisburg has released new data, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Population Network, examining the impact of social isolation in the senior…
SSRI sponsors Centre Safe family
Once again, SSRI sponsored a mother and her three children this year through Centre Safe. The donations received from the Fall Gathering totaled $505, enabling us to purchase a $50 gift card for each family member and provided an additional $305 in checks. Thank you for helping us help a family in…
Impacts of the pandemic on emotion of fear
When people perceive themselves to be in danger, they usually experience some degree of fear. This emotion is useful because it can motivate them to learn more about the problem or to take some action to protect themselves against it, according to James Dillard, distinguished professor…