News

Read all about Penn at the 2024 ASA Conference, as well as recap the Summer Institute in Computational Social Science led by Xi Song. Keep and eye out for the extra large section of researcher updates! Plus, a Penn discount code for the IAPHS conference.

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Read all about PARC @ AcademyHealth and the latest news and publications from our Research Associates - and catch up on Dorothy Roberts keynote at the recent symposium on Genetic Ancestry and Perceptions of Race.

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Come check out the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting hosted June 29th - July 2nd in Baltimore Maryland. Many of our PARC researchers have papers and posters being presented! We have gathered everything here for your convenience.

In a time when Philly's overall population has decreased, he points to welcoming immigrants as a key strategy for re-invigorating the city's growth. Parrado also suggests that the ebb and flow of young professionals in - and out - of the city isn't bad news.

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"Philadelphia Lost More Than 50,000 Residents During the Pandemic. Now What?" Philadelphia Magazine, S Smith, June 22, 2024.

Xi Song details how intergenerational mobility declined in the United States after World War II but then dives further to explore the diversity of experiences for different groups. She discusses the trends in mobility as broken down by race, immigration status, and gender. 

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The research shows Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are linked to aging and affluence and have replaced infectious diseases and malnutrition as the dominant causes of ill health and death in much of the world including India. The present study examines rising rates of two NCDs heart disease and diabetes. More »

Many workers with student loans found that saving for retirement is extremely difficult. With Secure 2.0 however, as workers pay off their student loans, their employers could match those payments with contributions to retirement accounts. Mitchell, a co-author of the National Bureau of Economic Research's study on Secure 2.0, said "My guess is that many large employers will find it useful in attracting and retaining scarce talent, but smaller firms might not."

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This newsletter includes congratulations for our spring graduates, a wrap up of the 2024 PARC Aging Retreat, upcoming events, news, and more!

Linda Aiken, Co-Director of Magnet4Europe, shares highlights of the 2024 conference. Research presented at the conference showed that hospital conditions can be improved, and in doing so have great results.

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"Magnet4Europe Celebration Conference 2024: A Milestone in Healthcare Excellence," Magnet4Europe, J Kleine & L Aiken, May 23, 2024.

Researchers study how households have changed over time and the effect this has on our daily lives.

"There isn’t a nursing shortage — it’s nurses’ refusal to be part of a system that puts profits before safety." Lasater says in her new article. 

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"What nurses really want: sufficient staffing for patient care," Stat News, K Lasater, J Muir, May 10, 2024.

Just a friendly reminder, the PARC Aging Retreat is happening this Friday! Take a look at the retreat program to see the agenda for the day.
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“We see financial literacy much like other kinds of education. It takes time to learn financial concepts and to apply them, and sometimes it takes money so that you can hire someone or take a course or what have you. " Mitchell says.

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“In general, the U.S. supports parents and caregivers less than many other countries,” Dr. Coe said, “which has numerous and lasting intergenerational effects on health and wealth.”

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Karen Lasater says that poor working conditions for nurses has been an ongoing problem that predates the pandemic.

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 “It’s very hard to avoid tracking because it’s baked into the fabric of Web 2.0 at this point,” Friedman said regarding medical-care websites.

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Many African American citizens are Charleston can not trace their lineage back beyond a few generations. However with the help of Schurr, DNA tests reveal much more information regarding their past.

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The study co-authored by Venkataramani found that lower-wage workers did not receive much economic benefit at all.

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"Doctors, Nurses, and Managers Received Wage Hikes After Medicaid Expansion While Lower-Paid Workers Did Not," Penn LDI, M Meline, April 4, 2024.

“I thought these robots were the most ridiculous things I had ever seen,” Cacchione said, “until I actually picked one up and felt it and interacted with it myself.” 

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"Baby seal robots are comforting older adults on Penn Presbyterian's acute care unit," Technical.ly, S Huffman, April 2, 2024.

The comprehensive list uses Mitchell's findings to dive deeper into what retirees wish they could have done sooner.

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"5 Biggest Regrets of Retirees (Hint: Claiming Social Security Too Early Is One of Them)" The Globe And Mail, March 30, 2024.

Mitchell explained that “This lack of financial literacy then translates into greater financial regret among older women” 

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The study found that increased incarceration rates had a noticeable effect on the birth weight of newborns. Both Boen as well as Venkataramani found that incarceration rates do have a direct impact on the overall health of the population.

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Penn SAS News features Irma Elo for being appointed as Tamsen and Michael Brown Presidential Professor. 

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“Many of our researchers and staff were actively looking for ways to respond and recognized the need for greater emphasis on justice and inclusion in our own research processes." said Halpern.

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"Adding Diversity to Your Research Process: A New System," Penn LDI, H Levins, March 18, 2024.

State and federal regulators have the authority to regulate insurers’ networks and could end the practice, Hoffman said. But until now “there hasn’t been federal regulation about continuity of coverage,” Hoffman said.

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Take a look at the Penn Population Studies Newsletter for upcoming events, new PARC research associates, and researchers featuring in news articles. 

“Nurses want to leave their jobs when care conditions are poor and those same unfavorable care conditions are not good for patients either,” said Aiken. Aiken then explains how the pandemic has effected our healthcare system long term.

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Penn LDI highlights a study conducted by research associates at PARC, Guy David and Alon Bergman, revealing that advanced care is less prevalent in communities characterized by greater deprivation. 

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Penn LDI presents an opinion piece authored by Eric Bressman, a research associate at PARC, discussing a recent study concerning the expiration of state licensure. Bressman collaborated on this study with Rachel Werner. 

The AD Scientific Index has ranked Jere R. Behrman among the world's Top 100 Economics and Econometrics Scientists for 2024! More »

Penn LDI features Rachel Werner and Mary Ersek on the virtual panel of experts exploring the benefit’s, challenges, and potential of the Medicare Hospice program. 

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Penn LDI features the new study by Rachel Werner and Norma Coe, that examined data on over 2 million Medicare beneficiaries who had knee or hip replacements, among the most common surgeries. More »

“Financial education is most effective when there is a rigorous curriculum, a specific course devoted to personal finance (rather than embedding these concepts into other classes), and trained teachers,” said Mitchell in a Journal Article last fall.

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“A goal would be for employers to offer more access and, when possible, encouragement to learn and implement important financial lessons during the worklife,” Mitchell said. 

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"Wage Gap Statistics: The Numbers Behind Pay Disparity," MarketWatch, R Henderson, T Addison, March 6, 2024.

While the decision’s practical impact shouldn’t be underestimated, the Fifth Circuit may pick up on a broader issue that could attract the US Supreme Court’s attention and affect a wide variety of cases—whether Congress improperly delegated its lawmaking authority to an advisory committee, Hoffman said.

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Volpp, the principal investigator of PMHH and director of the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, explains how the program works and who is eligible. 

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"Introducing Penn Medicine Healthy Heart: A Personal Companion to Heart Health," Penn Medicine News, M Toal, February 27, 2024.

“Research access and productivity do not need to be sacrificed in the name of data security,” said Werner in an opinion piece about the policy. “Using data should not strain the budgets of even the most well-financed institutions.” 

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Yahoo Finance quotes research associate Rachel Werner on funding for long-term care. Werner says, "In the United States, we lack any sort of comprehensive approach to funding for long-term care."

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NPR features research associate Karen Lasater talking about nursing shortage problems in hospitals. She says that the nursing shortage is not a pipeline problem, but a leaky bucket problem.

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Knowledge at Wharton features executive director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council Olivia Mitchell joining the show to discuss why retirement gets better with annuities.

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The new  Penn Population Studies Newsletter highlights researches in the news, awards received by researchers, new working papers, and some exciting events coming up. 

The Atlantic features Olivia Mitchell in an article discussing what companies owe retirees. 

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"What Companies Owe Retirees." The Atlantic, L Kelley, February 20, 2024. 

STAT features Rachel Werner discussing the tension between data security and research accessibility, highlighting the concerns over the new CMS rules implemented. 

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Penn LDI features the study by Nancy Hodgson and Adriana Perez that highlights the effect confident caregivers may have on family members. 

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Penn Today highlights a new study by Eugenio Paglino, Irma Elo, and Samuel Preston on the relation between natural and Covid-19 deaths. 

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Take a look at the Penn Population Studies Newsletter for upcoming events, recent publications by PSC and PARC research associates, and researchers featuring in news articles. 

Penn LDI features research associate Eric Roberts' new study that finds modest improvements from integrated care for dual-eligible beneficiaries. 

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Penn Today features Courtney Boen as the thesis advisor of Taussia Boadi. Their research looks at the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, birth outcomes, and resilience in Black women.

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Penn LDI highlights that Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab will be collaborating with Kevin Volpp, and his team at the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics to integrate dynamic adaptation and personalization into clinical trials. 

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Penn Today features Atheendar Venkataramani for finding that black adults across the U.S. suffer from sleep problems following exposure to news about unarmed black individuals killed by police during police encounters.

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Postdoctoral fellow Helene Purcell co-authored a paper along with Justine Herve and Sneha Mani. 

Research Associate Jeremy Greenwood co-authors a paper along with Effrosyni Adamopoulou, Nezih Guner, and Karen Kopecky. 

Research Associate Jere Behrman co-authors a paper with Shireen AlAzzawi, Hai-Anh Dang, Vladimir Hlasny, and Kseniya Abanokova. 

Research Associate Jere Behrman co-authors a paper along with Muhammad Farhan Majid and Hanna Wang. 

Min Kim writes a paper on Financial Literacy, Portfolio Choice, and Wealth Inequality.

Medpage Today features Linda Aiken talking about the late Claire Fagin. She says she was a "nurse visionary with the savvy to make things happen". 

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"Nurse Community Mourns 'Trailblazer' Claire Fagin, PhD, RN." Medpage Today, S Firth, February 6, 2024. 

Research Associate Petra Todd co-authors a paper along with Shasha Wang.

Biogen claims their decision was simply "a reprioritization of resources." However, Karlawish explains how the decision to stop the study and sale of Adulhem was simply for profit.

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"Aduhelm was a mess — and it could happen again," STAT, J Karlawish, February 6, 2024.

Penn Nursing features the new study by Nancy Hodgson and Adriana Perez that shows promising results in improving the quality of life (QOL) and sleep quality in individuals living with memory problems. 

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Penn Medicine features Atheendar Venkataramani's research that found statistically significant decreases in sleep duration among Black adults, after exposure to deaths of unarmed Black individuals during police encounters.

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The article featuring Venkataramanis' study shows that black people were consistently more likely to report harmfully low levels of sleep after such a killing than they did before it occurred, the researchers found, regardless of whether the killing was a nearby event or a high-profile incident captured in media.

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Penn Medicine showcases Scott Halpern and his leadership in a project within the scientist training program, which aims to enhance patient-centered research and care, receiving a $5 million boost.

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Medicare rules need updating to ensure patients get care when they need it. Penn LDI features Kimberly Waddell and Robert Burke's study. 

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Penn LDI features Peter Groeneveld's study revealing how the affordable care act has helped improve cardiovascular outcomes. 

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Werners' study shows the number of Medicaid-covered patients seeking home care increased by over 1.2 million people between 2008 and 2019, and rates during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that number will only continue to grow.

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"10 health care industries with the largest share of retirement-age workers," Incredible Health, H Young, January 25, 2024.

Check out the first Penn Population Studies Newsletter of 2024. This newsletter showcases researchers featured in the news, upcoming events such as PARC aging chats and the aging retreat, updates on the PSC Colloquium Series, and information on the Quartet Pilot Research Project Competition.

Healthday quotes PARC research associate Scott Halpern for his study on Palliative care. 

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“Coaches try to break goals down to a point that the first levels of goal achievement are almost guaranteed… Psychologists call this goal gradients—the idea that people work much harder to achieve goals that are seen as being in reach.” Volpp said. 

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"How AI Can Help Humans Become More Human," Time, A Huffington, January 22, 2024.

Penn Medicine features Scott Damrauer as one of the six physician-scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who have been elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation.

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MarketWatch quotes Olivia Mitchell, stating that individuals experiencing loneliness or depression are significantly more susceptible to falling victim to fraud.

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Penn LDI features Courtney Boen's research, which illuminates the health consequences of a Racialized Society and explores potential strategies for mitigation. 

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Penn LDI features Scott Halpern and Mary Ersek's study showing a simple intervention improving end-of-life care for seriously ill patients. 

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Penn Medicine highlights the palliative care study conducted by Scott Halpern as the largest ever study demonstrating scalable strategies to increase support for serious patients. 

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Penn Today features Sarah Tishkoff's study to offer a better understanding of genes and variants responsible for skin color, providing insights into human evolution and local adaptation.

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Research Associate Hans-Peter Kohler co-authors a paper along with Alberto Ciancio, Fabrice Kampfen, and Rebecca Thornton. 

Knowledge at Wharton highlights Olivia Mitchell's study making a case for deferred income annuities with some equity exposure in defined contribution plans.

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Wisconsin Public Radio features Rachel Werner's interaction with the WPR'S "The Morning Show". 

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"Froedtert Hospital Planning 9-Story Patient Tower at Wauwatosa Campus." Wisconsin Public Radio, C Hess, January 9, 2024. 

Penn LDI highlights the projects of Catherine Auriemma and Guy David for the Penn LDI small grants program in 2024.

Penn LDI highlights health policy research blogs featuring PARC and PSC associates. 

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"LDI Research Blogs That Caught Your Attention in 2023." Penn LDI, K Kamara & M Bolas, January 3, 2024. 

Penn LDI showcases attention-grabbing news articles that spotlight some of the PARC and PSC research associates. 

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"LDI News That Caught Your Attention in 2023." Penn LDI, H Levins, January 3, 2024.