Penn Medical Ethics and Health Policy | In the News

Dr. Ravi Parikh’s Proposal Wins Funding from NCCN Foundation

Congratulations to Ravi Parikh, MD, MPP, FACP, whose proposal on machine learning and behavioral nudges to improve palliative care utilization in advanced cancer has won funding from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® Foundation Young Investigator Awards Committee.

April 29, 2021 | Penn Undergraduate Biotech Society (PUBS) Podcast

Ethical Considerations in Mental Health Research and Care Delivery

Sylvanne Braganza speaks with Dr. Dominic A. Sisti about what constitutes and how to address the most relevant issues in the field of mental health ethics and the possibilities for mental health research going forward in the future.

April 25, 2021 | The Associated Press

FDA to scrutinize unproven cancer drugs after 10-year gap

Each year the U.S. approves dozens of new uses for cancer drugs based on early signs that they can shrink or slow the spread of tumors. But how often do those initial results translate into longer, healthier lives for patients?

April 18, 2021 | The Associated Press

Black Americans experiencing collective trauma, grief

Many Black Americans are facing a collective sense of grief and trauma that has grown more profound with the loss of each life at the hands of police in America.

April 14, 2021 | Newsweek

Biden's Infrastructure Plan Recognizes Our Invisible Home Care Workers

When President Biden included $400 billion for home health care in his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, he acknowledged what home care workers have known for decades: They are the infrastructure that keeps the industry intact, and they are an infrastructure that is crumbling and badly in need of repair.

April 14, 2021 | The Philadelphia Inquirer

Dementia, Alzheimer’s have reached crisis point, Penn researcher says. Here’s what we can do about it.

Mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer’s now affect so many people — those with symptoms, plus their caretakers — that Jason Karlawish, of the Penn Memory Center, terms it a crisis.

Welcoming Dr. Angela Shen

Please welcome our newest adjunct faculty member Angela K. Shen, ScD, MPH, to the Department.

April 9, 2021 | Philadelphia ICA

In Conversation: Louis Massiah, Jonathan Moreno, and Alex Pittman

On April 14, join the Philly ICA for an engaging discussion between documentary filmmaker Louis Massiah, Penn Professor Jonathan Moreno, and Professor Alex Pittman William Greaves’s cinematic social experiment, "In the Company of Men."

April 7, 2021 | The New York Times

A Novel Effort to See How Poverty Affects Young Brains

An emerging branch of neuroscience asks a question long on the minds of researchers. Recent stimulus payments make the study more relevant.

April 7, 2021 | STAT

A skeptic’s take on Neuralink and other consumer neurotech

The titans of Silicon Valley say that the brain-computer interface revolution is coming, and neurotech devices will soon meld mind and machine, allowing us to communicate effortlessly with our computers — and even one another — just by using our thoughts.

April 2, 2021 | Medpage Today

A Revolution Is Underway in Alzheimer's, and It's Not All Good

The disease is changing on many fronts, says Jason Karlawish, MD.

April 1, 2021 | Future Human

The Military Is Funding Ethicists to Keep Its Brain Enhancement Experiments in Check

Efforts involving brain-computer interfaces pose myriad risks to would-be supersoldiers

Congratulations to Dr. Raina Merchant on her promotion to Professor of Emergency Medicine

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Raina Merchant on her promotion to Professor of Emergency Medicine, effective July 1.

March 25, 2021 | STAT

With time running out, an ALS patient fights with Biogen over expanded access to its drug

When Biogen declined to allow an ALS patient to participate in a clinical trial under compassionate use, questions arose about whether patients should be allowed to try potentially life-saving drugs without jeopardizing trial results.

3 new postdoctoral fellows to join MEHP this summer

MEHP is thrilled to announce that three postdoctoral fellows, LaKisha David, Rebecca Mueller, and Kate Saylor, will join the department this summer to pursue research related to the ethical, legal,...

Dr. Connie Ulrich (PI) Awarded a D43 Grant to Develop Bioethics Scholars in Tanzania

Dr. Connie Ulrich (PI) along with her colleague and Co-Investigator, Dr. Jon Merz in the Department have been awarded a D43 from the Fogarty International Center at the NIH (1D43TW011809-01) for ENGAGE: Educating and Developing Bioethicists in Tanzania.

March 1, 2021 | STAT Madness

Vote for Penn Project in 2021 STAT Madness Competition

Vote in the STAT Madness competition for best innovations in biomedicine for a University of Pennsylvania project (Matchup 18)!

Dr. Schmidt Provides Public Comment at Inaugural Biden Health Equity Task Force

Dr. Harald Schmidt presented testimony at the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force meeting on February 26.

February 26, 2021

Dr. Buttenheim Provides Testimony to House Science, Space, and Technology Committee on Vaccine Science

Dr. Alison Buttenheim provided testimony on vaccine science to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science, Space, and Technology this month.

February 3, 2021

We Need Comprehensive Long-Term Care Reform, And We Need It Now

By 2050, 18.9 million Americans will be over the age of 85 and, if patterns continue, more than 40 percent of them will need long-term care (LTC) — the care that helps people with everyday activities.