Equipping military kids with the tools they need to succeed
Teachers, school psychologists and counselors are frequently called upon to provide emotional support for students so they can achieve positive behavioral and academic outcomes. A new Penn State-led, five-year project will provide additional support for children of military families, who can be at…
Health care provider deserts may leave patients in the cold
People with health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have access to fewer health care providers — and may also have to drive further to see them — than people with other plans, according to researchers.
In a new study — published today (Nov. 4) as part of the November issue of…
Heard on Campus: VP for Research Lora Weiss on breaking down research boundaries
At the Nittany Lion Inn on Oct. 27, Penn State Senior Vice President for Research Lora Weiss spoke to a crowd of nearly 500 of the nation’s top science journalists about the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and how Penn State is fostering research that breaks down traditional…
Penn State, PA team up to promote treatments for substance abuse disorders
The opioid epidemic and larger problems of substance misuse continue to deeply impact communities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the nation. In 2017, more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States, with Pennsylvania ranking third with the highest rates of death due…
New project to track post-prison trajectories of men living with addiction
Despite widespread national attention, the opioid epidemic and larger problems of substance use and misuse continue to deeply affect communities across Pennsylvania and throughout the nation. The impact of the opioid crisis and other substance abuse problems hits even harder for people grappling…
SSRI Annual Report now available
The Social Science Research Institute’s 2018-2019 Annual Report contains an overview the Institute’s research units and activities and includes the announcement of two new initiatives, the Evidence to Impact Collaborative and the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse.
Additionally, the report…
SAFE-T Center expands efforts to support sexual assault nurse examiners
Sexual assault rates are higher in rural areas of Pennsylvania than in urban areas, yet many rural hospitals don’t have the resources to provide high-quality sexual assault care.
A $2.4 million grant from the Pennsylvania Commission On Crime And Delinquency will expand the efforts of Penn State’s…
Short to deliver De Jong Lecture in Social Demography on Nov. 21
Susan Short, professor of sociology and director of the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University, will deliver the 14th annual De Jong Lecture in Social Demography at 9 a.m. Nov. 21 at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State’s University Park campus.
Short’s research focuses…
Nov. 20 seminar seeks to expand research software developers' toolkits
Software is an indispensable tool for researchers using advanced or high-performance computing methods in their work. It enables them to analyze data sets, develop simulations and visualizations, and build sophisticated models. Yet the value of software developed by researchers is sometimes…
Online guidebook now available for conducting clinical research at Penn State
An online guidebook detailing the clinical research process and available support resources at Penn State is now available for faculty and staff at all University campuses.
Based on a guidebook released last year specifically for Penn State College of Medicine, it is a…
Hall recipient of early career professorship award
Molly Hall, assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical studies at Penn State, was recently named recipient of the Dr. Frances Keesler Graham Early Career Professorship.
Hall was awarded the Graham Professorship by the Social Science Research Institute(SSRI) for her work on identifying…
College of Medicine researchers receive NIH funding for addiction research
The National Institutes of Health have awarded more than $2 million to Patricia “Sue” Grigson, professor and chair in the Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, and Scott Bunce, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health and clinical psychologist, as part of the…
2019 Bennett Lecture discusses how mindfulness can help treat people living with addiction
Mindfulness was the topic at hand for this year’s Bennett Lecture in Prevention Science, held on Oct. 15 in 110 Henderson Building. The Bennett Lecture is an annual fall eventhosted by the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center. This year’s speaker, Katie Witkiewitz, professor of…
Collaborative Community Service Conference offers opiate addiction resources
Penn State Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Hospital – Schuylkill collaborated to present “Opioids: The Crisis Next Door,” a free conference held on campus Sept. 19 that detailed the facts and signs of addiction, as well as the resources available to help community members affected by the epidemic. The…
Why Social Science? - Because It Provides Empirical Answers to Critical Public Health Questions
By Jeni L. Burnette, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology & Sarah L. Desmarais, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, North Carolina State University
What do the opioid and obesity epidemics have in common? For starters, they are both public health crises in which the disease model is used to…
Bad break-ups may not trigger weight gain from emotional eating
That pint of ice cream after a nasty breakup may not do as much damage as you think. Despite the emotional turmoil, people on average do not report gaining weight after a relationship dissolution, according to new research.
The study, which included researchers from Penn State, were investigating…
New REDCap feature protects from 'bot' respondents
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s data collection and storage tool, REDCap, now offers an option to protect against malicious software, known as "bots," from completing fraudulent surveys. When completing a survey, users will complete a CAPTCHA process.
CAPTCHA is short…
New project to study harsh parenting to inform better interventions
Research shows that harsh parenting results in children with lower self-esteem and behavior problems, but many parents still practice it. Penn State researchers were recently awarded a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to improve the scientific understanding of harsh…
Penn State research informs PA report on school start times
Later school start times improve educational and health outcomes by giving students more sleep, according to a new reportfrom the Pennsylvania Joint State Commission on School Start Times, released today (Oct. 17).
Orfeu Buxton, professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, was asked to…
Professor to moderate congressional briefing on opioid dependence, addiction
Diana Fishbein, professor of human development and family studies and director of the Program of Translational Research on Adversity Neurodevelopment in the Prevention Research Center at Penn State, is co-organizing and moderating the congressional briefing, “The Real Dangers of Equating…
Exercise can now be prescribed like medicine for people with and beyond cancer
It’s well known that exercise is good for preventing and treating many forms of heart disease, but less commonly known are the benefits of physical activity for people living with and beyond cancer.
A new initiative called Moving Through Cancer — led by Kathryn Schmitz, professor of public…
Career expo to feature on crime, law, and policy agencies and organizations
The Criminal Justice Research Center will be hosting its inaugural crime, law, and policy-focused career expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, in Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center. The Government and Public Sector Career Expo will allow students to access various agencies and organizations…
Early Lessons for States Trying to Achieve a Culture of Health Detailed in September Issue of The American Journal of Accountable Care®
While states face many barriers to implement a culture of health (COH)—moving toward improved population health, well-being and health equity—there are five action steps state policymakers can use to guide such efforts, according to early research published in the September issue of …
2019 Bennett Lecture to focus on mindfulness-based Interventions for addiction
On Oct. 15, at 4 p.m., Katie Witkiewitz, psychology professor at the University of New Mexico, will present the 2019 Bennett Lecture in Prevention Science, "Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Addiction: Making a Better Band-Aid," in 110 Henderson Building. The event is free and open to the public…
27th Annual National Symposium on Family Issues will take place Oct. 21-22
Helping children develop healthy diets is no easy task. The practice is dependent on the crucial roles families play in children’s eating behaviors and orientations toward food. The 2019 National Symposium on Family Issues will provide an overview of the many interconnections between…