Penn State seeks community partners for advance care planning project
Reducing health disparities by examining the effectiveness of tools that encourage end-of-life conversations may improve the likelihood that underserved patients receive care that is consistent with their values and beliefs. To achieve this outcome, Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) has partnered…
E-cigarettes with cigarette-like nicotine delivery reduce exposure to carcinogen
E-cigarettes that deliver a cigarette-like amount of nicotine are associated with reduced smoking and reduced exposure to a major cancer-causing chemical, or carcinogen, in tobacco even with concurrent smoking, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and…
GIS technology helps map out how America's mafia networks were 'connected
At its height in the mid-20th century, American organized crime groups, often called the mafia, grossed approximately $40 billion each year, typically raising that money through illegal or untaxed activities, such as extortion and gambling.
A team of researchers used geographic information systems…
Grant provides funds to study housing program impact
A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant will provide funding to a team of Penn State faculty as they evaluate the effect of an innovative housing program on neighborhood racial and economic equity in Pittsburgh.
Support for “The Impact of Pittsburgh’s Innovative Mobility Vouchers and Mobility…
Workshop: Dynamical Systems Approaches to Intensive Longitudinal Data
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute will present the workshop “Dynamical Systems Approaches to Intensive Longitudinal Data” from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on May 12.
Sy-Miin Chow, SSRI cofunded faculty member and professor of human development and family studies, will provide an overview…
2021 Lecture on Compassion to focus on preventing premature aging
Early life experiences involving feelings of love, safety and fear may influence whether someone remains healthy as they age.
“In many ways, aging, and resilience to premature aging, begins in the womb, and is especially influenced early in life,” said Elissa Epel, professor of psychiatry at the…
Data science talk to focus on COVID-19 database available to Penn State faculty
Finding the right dataset can sometimes be a challenge in data science. A new initiative will provide Penn State researchers with access to a trove of COVID-19 data, updated frequently by health care systems around the United States. Penn State faculty can learn how to get access to the database…
Penn State faculty offer tips on avoiding burnout amid pandemic
As employees and students of Penn State face the uncertain circumstances of the pandemic, University faculty offer advice on how to avoid burnout or, if you are already feeling sapped of energy and interest -- how to recover.
According to the World Health Organization, burnout is an…
Nearly 40,000 kids who lost a parent to COVID-19 need immediate support
Approximately 40,000 children in the United States may have lost a parent to COVID-19 since February 2020, according to a statistical model created by a team of researchers. The researchers anticipate that without immediate interventions, the trauma from losing a parent could cast a shadow of…
Rural availability of sexual assault nurse examiners
For victims of sexual assault, high-quality health care provided by sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) is associated with improved health and prosecutorial outcomes. However, very little is known about access to SANEs.
Sheridan Miyamoto, assistant professor and SAFE-T Center principal…
Family ties protect young adults from substance misuse
Opioid use disorders now affect over 2.1 million people in the United States, and rates of drug overdose have skyrocketed over the past three decades. In a collaboration between the Penn State Population Research Institute and Syracuse University’s Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion,…
Data collection for human science, 2D materials focus of data science talks
The upcoming Data Science Community Research Talks will feature two researchers using data science approaches in their research, one studying ethical ways to conduct human science while maintaining data privacy, and another using techniques to accelerate the development of two-dimensional materials…
Frontline health care workers share perspective and advice
SSRI cofund Sheridan Miyamoto, assistant professor of nursing and principal investigator of the SAFE-T Center, is featured as one of Penn States hard-working health care heroes during the pandemic and shares advice on staying vigilant and how everyone can continue to do their part to help…
EIC Podcast on PacMAT with Max Crowley and Laura Fassbende now available
This month, the Evidence-to-Impact Podcast is taking a short break from our Pandemic Perspective series to examine an existing working relationship between academia and government. For our March episode, we explore the Pennsylvania Coordinated Medication-Assisted Treatment Program, or PacMAT,…
Podcast episode discusses sexually transmitted infection testing in young people
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute released the latest episode of its Engage Podcast discussing research into sexually transmitted infection testing in young people. Winnie Adebayo, Ph.D., an assistant professor of nursing at Penn State College of Nursing, discusses her work…
Why Social Science? Because Engineering Is Intended to Benefit Society
By John L. Anderson, President, National Academy of Engineering
Why introduce the social sciences into engineering education and practice? The intent of engineers is to “do good” – to improve the quality and security of life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out this way, often because of a…
Addressing stigma and discrimination one story at a time
The Story Powered Initiative is a newly relaunched nationally focused initiative that addresses stigma and discrimination through sharing individual stories. Founded and led by Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington and…
Penn State researchers combat problems of substance misuse
The misuse of alcohol, opioids, and other substances poses many serious, well-known risks to people’s health and communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, economic stress, social isolation, and anxiety about the future may have deepened the public health emergency posed by substance misuse and…
Living a stress-free life may have benefits, but also a downside
Stress is a universal human experience that almost everyone deals with from time to time. But a new study found that not only do some people report feeling no stress at all, but that there may be downsides to not experiencing stress.
The researchers found that people who reported experiencing no…
Local law-enforcement policy may affect pediatric health care
Local law-enforcement of immigration policy may affect preventable hospitalization rates for children, according to new research led by a Penn State investigator.
“This research shows that there is an association between these policies and the health of the entire community’s children,” said…
Youth obesity rates unaffected by income increases
Does higher income for family households lead to lower youth obesity rates? A Penn State researcher found study results that suggest the answer is no.
Molly Martin, associate professor of sociology and demography, recently published the findings of her study in the Social Science & Medicine…
Family Symposium book series releases latest edition
The most recent volume in the Family Symposium book series, “Families, Food, and Parenting: Integrating Research, Practice, and Policy”, was published by Springer.
The 11th volume in the series is edited by Penn State professors Lori A. Francis, Susan M. McHale, Valarie King, and Jennifer E. Glick…
Treatment and vaccine research and development during the COVID-19 pandemic
Penn State’s Jennifer McCormick discusses randomized and placebo control trials and some of the ethical implications of placebo control trials in the context of vaccine development in this post.
For more, visit the Insights from Experts website — a partnership of Penn State's Social Science…
Annual substance use and addiction conference to be held virtually on May 3
Penn State’s Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) will hold its second annual conference to bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, foundation representatives and the public to discuss significant and emerging problems in combating substance use and…
Data4Action Project Update
As the Centre County COVID-19 Data4Action Research Project moves into phase three, the next round of clinic visits and surveys for the student participants is underway as of April 1, 2021 - please watch for emails with the information. For the community resident participants, scheduling…