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.

READ HERE:

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.

READ HERE.

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.

Citation:

"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. 

Citation: 

"Xi Song on Intergenerational Mobility at Home and Abroad." The Inequality Podcast, October 23rd, 2023.

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. The following questions are addressed: Why has the prevalence of these two NCDs risen in recent years, whether social protection policies and restructuring of medical services can mitigate such surges in the near future, and whether lifestyle and dietary changes could be induced to further prevent the rising burden of these NCDs.

Authors: Gaiha Raghav, Vidhya Unnikrishnan, Vani S. Kulkarni

Citation:

Gaiha Raghav, Vidhya Unnikrishnan and Vani S. Kulkarni. 2024. “Is the Growing Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in India Preventable?” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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."

Citation: 

"Secure 2.0 may help student borrowers more with loans than with retirement, study predicts," Finnancial Planning,  N Place, May 29, 2024.

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.

Citation: 

"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.

Authors: Effrosyni Adamopoulou, Jeremy Greenwood, and Nezih Guner

A brief historical overview of the household equipment revolution and the women who transformed the home in Germany and the United States.

Citation: Adamopoulou, Effrosyni, Jeremy Greenwood and Nezih Guner. 2024. “The Household Equipment Revolution.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

"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. 

Citation: 

"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.

You are invited to attend the 2024 PARC Aging Retreat: "Healthy Aging for All -- Illusion or Promising Future?" This conference will bring together PARC Research Associates and aging researchers from across Penn and will include guests from other external aging centers. The Aging Retreat aims to foster collaborations for innovative aging research, provide networking opportunities, and encourage work that advances the PARC Research Themes. The hybrid day-long retreat will take place at the Population Studies Center's PSC Commons in 403 McNeil and will include keynote speeches by Jennifer Beam Dowd (University of Oxford) and Michael Kobor (University of British Columbia). PARC Research Associates, Affiliates, Fellows, and Penn aging researchers are encouraged to attend! If you haven't done so and plan to attend, REGISTER for the 2024 PARC Aging Retreat!

We look forward to seeing you on Friday!

Sincerely,
 

Hans-Peter Kohler & Norma B. Coe
Co-Directors of PARC

“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.

Citation:

"Wharton Experts on Financial Literacy," Penn Today, April 24, 2024.

“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.”

Citation: 

"Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Often Go Untreated for Parents on Medicaid," New York Times, E Baumgaertner, April 19, 2024.

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

Citation:

"Nurses across the U.S. cite employer failures as their top reason for leaving," Penn Today, April 12, 2024.

 “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.

Citation: 

"Why Health Privacy Online Is a Myth," Penn LDI, N Stedman, April 12, 2024.

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.

Citation:

"African American burial grounds across the United States have been erased or forgotten, and others are at risk of disappearing," The New York Times, C Gutman & E Chochrane, April 11, 2024.

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

Citation:

"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.” 

Citation: 

"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.

Citation:

"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” 

Citation:

"4 Innovative Ways Woman Can Supplement Their Paychecks and Grow Wealth in 2024,"  Yahoo Finance, V Cariaga, March 25, 2024.

Related Article: 

"Women’s Guide to Building Wealth (2024)"

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.

Citations: 

"How Are Infant Outcomes for Black Babies Affected by Incarceration Policy," Penn LDI, K Kamara, March 20, 2024.

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

Citations:

"Irma Elo Named Tamsen and Michael Brown Presidential Professor in Sociology." Penn SAS News, March 19, 2024. 

“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.

Citations:

"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.

Citation: 

"How Your In-Network Health Coverage Can Vanish Before You Know It," KFF Health News, E Rosenthal, March 15. 2024.

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.

Citation: 

"Study Links Nurses' Intention to Quit Jobs to Higher Patient Mortality for the First Time," EuroNews.Health, L Chadwick, March 14, 2024.

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. 

Citations:

"Do Wealth and Poverty Affect Access to Less-Invasive Cardiac Surgery?" Penn LDI, C Tachibana, March 13, 2024. 

G David, A Bergman, et al. “Limited Access to Aortic Valve Procedures in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Areas,” Journal of the American Heart Association. 

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. 

Citations:

"A Big Boost for Patients That Largely Went Away: Telemedicine Made Care More Available During the Pandemic." Penn LDI, E Bressman, March 11, 2024.

E Bressman, R M Werner, et al. “Expiration of State Licensure Waivers and Out-of-State Telemedicine Relationships,” JAMA Network Open. 

The AD Scientific Index has ranked Jere R. Behrman among the world's Top 100 Economics and Econometrics Scientists for 2024! He's #31in the world ranking, see how his other stats shake out here.

Citations: "Professors Behrman and Diebold, faulty in the department, are in AD World top 100 Economics and Econometrics Scientists 2024." Penn Economics, Marc 11, 2024.

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. 

Citations:

"Medicare Hospice – Exploding in Size But Riddled with Quality Concerns." Penn LDI, H Levins, March 8, 2024. 

"Medicare Hospice Program," LDIvideo, Youtube, March 8, 2024. 

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. They found that the switch to bundled payments caused a 9% to 15% increase in the need for additional help with daily tasks after paid home health services ended. 

Citations:

"Medicare Payment Reform Saves Money on Surgeries But Puts More Work on Unpaid Home Caregivers." Penn LDI, J Hinckley & H Levins, March 6, 2024. 

R M Werner, N B Coe, et al. "The Effects of Post-Acute Care Payment Reform on the Need for and Receipt of Caregiving," American Journal of Health Economics. 

"Increasing the Burden on Unpaid Home Caregivers," YouTube, LDIvideo, February 29, 2024. 

“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.

Citation:

"More high schools ae requiring financial-literacy classes. The pandemic may have played a key role." MarketWatch, A Keshner, March 6, 2024.

“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. 

Citations:

"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.

Citation:

"Obamacare Case Threatens Sweeping Loss of Preventative Care," Bloomberg Law, M Pazanowski, March 1, 2024.

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. 

Citation: 

"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.” 

Citation: 

"New rule could jeopardize research and oversight into federal healthcare programs," Washington Examiner, G Etzel, Febuary 26, 2024.

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."

Citations:

"Most Americans Flunk When it Comes to Retirement Literacy, Study Finds." Yahoo Finance, K Hannon, February 24, 2024. 

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.

Citations:

"After His Wife Died, He Joined Nurses to Push for New Staffing Rules in Hospitals." NPR, K Wells, February 22, 2024. 

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.

Citations:

"Why You Should Consider Deferred Income Annuities for Your Retirement Portfolio." Knowledge at Wharton, D Loney, February 22, 2024. 

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. 

Citations:

"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. 

Citations:

"New CMS Rules Will Throttle Access Researchers Need to Medicare, Medicaid Data." STAT, R M Werner, February 20, 2024. 

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

Citations:

"Caregiver Mastery May Help Lower Anxiety For The Cognitively Impaired." Penn LDI, N Browning, February 14, 2024. 

N Hodgson, A Perez, et al. "Better Caregiver Mastery is Associated with Less Anxiety in Individuals with Cognitive Impairment," BMC Nursing. 

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

Citations:

"Researchers Find Many ‘Natural’ and COVID-19 Deaths Likely Related." Penn Today, N Magubane, February 14, 2024. 

E Paglino, I T Elo, S H Preston, et al. "Excess Natural-Cause Mortality in US Counties and Its Association with Reported COVID-19 Deaths," PNAS. 

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. 

Citations:

"People on Both Medicare and Medicaid Should Get Better Care, But They Don’t." Penn LDI, J Hinckley, February 13, 2024. 

E T Roberts, et al. “Changes in Care Associated with Integrating Medicare and Medicaid for Dual-Eligible Individuals,” JAMA Health Forum. 

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.

Citations:

"Who, What, Why: Taussia Boadi on Trauma and Black Maternal Health." Penn Today, K d Groot, February 12, 2024. 

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. 

Citations:

"Going Head-to-Head with the New Health Care AI Revolution." Penn LDI, H Levins, February 12, 2024.

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.

Citations:

"Killings of Unarmed Black People and Racial Disparities in Sleep Health." Penn Today, E Horvath, February 8, 2024. 

A S Venkataramani, e al. "Officer-Involved Killings of Unarmed Black People and Racial Disparities in Sleep Health," JAMA Internal Medicine. 

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

Abstract: Personality traits play an important role in shaping labor market outcomes, but the associated behaviors that lead to these differences are understudied. In this paper, we examine the returns to the Big Five personality traits as well as the mechanisms through which personality affects employment and earnings. We find conscientiousness to be a significant predictor of both employment and earnings. We further show that the association between conscientiousness and earnings operates primarily through one specific behavior, namely, higher work intensity. Additionally, we are able to rule out selection into specific job types as potential channels for the positive relationship between conscientiousness and earnings.

Herve, Justine, Helene Purcell, and Subha Mani. 2023. “Conscientiousness Matters: How Does Personality Affect Labor Market Outcomes?” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC)

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

Abstract: The role of friends in the US opioid epidemic is examined. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), adults aged 25-34 and their high school best friends are focused on. An instrumental variable technique is employed to estimate peer effects in opioid misuse. Severe injuries in the previous year are used as an instrument for opioid misuse in order to estimate the causal impact of someone misusing opioids on the probability that their best friends also misuse. The estimated peer effects are significant: Having a best friend with a reported serious injury in the previous year increases the probability of own opioid misuse by around 7 percentage points in a population where 17 percent ever misuses opioids. The effect is driven by individuals without a college degree and those who live in the same county as their best friends.

Adamopoulou, Effrosyni, Jeremy Greenwood, Nezih Guner, and Karen Kopecky. 2024. “The Role of Friends in the Opioid Epidemic.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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

Abstract: Various challenges are thought to render female-headed households (FHHs) vulnerable to poverty in the Arab region. Yet, previous studies have mixed results and the absence of household panel survey data hinders analysis of poverty dynamics. We address these challenges by proposing a novel typology of FHHs and analyze synthetic panels that we constructed from 20 rounds of repeated cross-sectional surveys spanning the past two decades from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Mauritania, Palestine, and Tunisia. We find that the definition of FHHs matters for measuring poverty levels and dynamics. Most types of FHHs are less poor than non-FHHs on average, but FHHs with a major share of female adults are generally poorer. FHHs are more likely to escape poverty than households on average, but FHHs without children are most likely to do so. While more children are generally associated with more poverty for FHHs, there is heterogeneity across countries in addition to heterogeneity across FHH measures. Our findings provide useful inputs for social protection and employment programs aiming at reducing gender inequalities and poverty in the Arab region.

AlAzzawi, Shireen, Hai-Anh Dang, Vladimir Hlasny, Kseniya Abanokova, and Jere Behrman. 2023. “Female Headship and Poverty in the Arab Region: Analysis of Trends and Dynamics Based on A New Typology.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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

Abstract: Most minimum wage (MW) research focuses on wage and employment impacts in high-income countries. Little is known about broader impacts, including on parental and child health in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) where most people affected by MWs live. This study studies MW effects on employment, earnings, parental health and child health in Indonesia, the third most-populous LMIC. Results include: MWs improve men’s earnings, parental hemoglobin, and child height-for age and reduce pregnancy complications. This study highlights nuanced but positive roles MWs may play in improving parental and child health, despite not directly affecting women’s earnings and labor supplies.

Majid, Farhan, Jere R. Behrman, and Hanna Wang. 2023. “Minimum Wages and Intergenerational Health.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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

Abstract: I develop a general equilibrium model in which households allocate their wealth to safe and risky assets (“bonds” and “stocks”) and accumulate financial literacy to raise their risk-adjusted stock returns. Calibrated to match financial literacy and stock market participation rate of U.S. households, the model demonstrates that a policy subsidizing financial literacy acquisition increases short-run stock investments. In equilibrium, however, the resulting aggregate capital growth lowers the average equity premium, thereby moderating the subsidy’s impact. The policy mitigates wealth inequality by inducing heterogeneous portfolio adjustments across the wealth distribution. With the subsidy, the middle wealth quartiles acquire more financial literacy and shift their portfolios toward stocks. The top quartile attains its maximum literacy level prior to the subsidy and shifts toward bonds to compensate for lower stock returns. The ratio of total wealth held by the top quartile versus the rest of the population decreases.

Kim, Min. 2023. “Financial Literacy, Portfolio Choice, and Wealth Inequality: A General Equilibrium Approach.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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". 

Citations:

"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.

Abstract: In the US, women for decades have gone to college at higher rates than men, but they are less likely to choose applied-STEM college majors or occupations. Using the NLSY79 and 97 datasets, this paper assesses the importance of adolescent skills and high school course-taking in explaining gender disparities in four-year college completion, college major, and occupational choice. It considers five cognitive skill areas (math, verbal, science, administrative, and mechanical) and one non-cognitive measure and examines how gender skill gaps evolve over a twenty-year time span. Logistic, CART and nonparametric random forest models are estimated to identify the skill sets, course-taking and family background characteristics that best predict educational and occupational choices. Results show that women are on average on par with men in mathematics skills and exceed men in verbal and noncognitive skills, but they lag behind in mechanical and, to a lesser extent, science skills. Estimates show that a combination of mathematics and mechanical skills along with intensive high school exposure to science and math courses are key predictors of choosing applied-STEM majors and careers. This paper also develops and implements a nonparametric decomposition approach to quantify how eliminating adolescent gender skill disparities would affect women’s and men’s entry into STEM fields.

Todd, Petra E. and Shasha Wang. 2023. “Understanding Gender Disparities in STEM Major and Occupation Choices: A Random Forest Approach.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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.

Citation:

"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. 

Citations:

"Improving Quality of Life and Sleep in People with Memory Problems Without Using Drugs." Penn Nursing, February 5, 2024. 

N Hodgson, A Perez, et al. "Timed Activity to Minimize Sleep Disturbance in People With Cognitive Impairment," Innovation in Aging. 

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.

Citations:

"Black Adults Across the U.S. Suffer From Sleep Problems Following Exposure to News About Unarmed Black Individuals Killed by Police During Police Encounters." Penn Medicine, February 5, 2024. 

A S Venkataramani, et al. "Officer-Involved Killings of Unarmed Black People and Racial Disparities in Sleep Health," JAMA Internal Medicine. 

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.

Citation:

"After Police Kill Unarmed Black People, Sleep Worsens — but Only for Black People," The New York Times, E Baumgaertner, February 5, 2024.

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.

Citations:

"Scientist Training Program Aimed at Improving Patient-Centered Research and Care Gets $5 Million Boost." Penn Medicine, February 1, 2024. 

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

Citations:

"Timely Doctor Visits Linked to Better Outcomes When Patients Enter a Skilled Nursing Facility." Penn LDI, K Kamara, January 29, 2024. 

K J Waddell, R E Burke, et al. "Association Between Timing of Clinical Evaluation by a Physician or Advanced Practitioner and Risk of Rehospitalization in Older Adults Admitted to a Skilled Nursing Facility Following Hospitalization: A Cohort Study," Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 

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

Citations:

"Expanded Medicaid Spurs Patient Visits for Heart Care." Penn LDI, J F Wilson, January 25, 2024.

P Groeneveld, et al. "Medicaid Expansion and Outpatient Cardiovascular Care Use Among Low-Income Nonelderly Adults, 2012-15," Health Affairs. 

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.

Citation: 

"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.

Citations:

"Two-And-A-Half Decades of Research in Malawi." Penn Today, E Moser, January 22, 2024. 

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

Citations:

"Ordering Palliative Care Consult by Default Increases Rate of Consultation." Healthday, E Gotkine, January 22, 2024. 

“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. 

Citation: 

"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.

Citations:

"American Society For Clinical Investigation Elects Six New Members From Penn, CHOP." Penn Medicine, January 19, 2024. 

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

Citations:

"A Rude Awakening: Lack of Financial Literacy Hurts The Young. What About Older People?" MarketWatch, M Stettner, January 18, 2024. 

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

Citations:

"How Racism “Gets Under the Skin” and Prematurely Ages Black People." Penn LDI, C Tachibana & H Levins, January 17, 2024. 

"Biological Age vs. Chronological Age: The Racial Health Disparities." Youtube, LDIvideo. 

C Boen, et al. “Patterns and Life Course Determinants of Black-White Disparities in Biological Age Acceleration: A Decomposition Analysis,” Demography. 

C Boen, et al. "Death by a Thousand Cuts: Stress Exposure and Black–White Disparities in Physiological Functioning in Late Life," Oxford Journals. 

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

Citations:

"Chart of the Day: Default Orders Increased Palliative Care Consultations But Did Not Shorten Hospital Stays for Older Patients." Penn LDI, C Weeks, January 16, 2024. 

M Ersek, S D Halpern, et al. "Default Palliative Care Consultation for Seriously Ill Hospitalized Patients: A Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Trial," JAMA. 

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. 

Citations:

"Largest-Ever Study of Palliative Care Demonstrates Scalable Strategy to Increase Support For Seriously Ill Patients in the Hospital." Penn Medicine, January 16, 2024. 

S D Halpern, et al. "Default Palliative Care Consultation for Seriously Ill Hospitalized Patients," JAMA. 

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.

Citations:

"A Molecular Look at The Mechanisms Behind Pigmentation Variation." Penn Today, N Magubane, January 11, 2024. 

S Tishkoff, et al. "Integrative Functional Genomic Analyses Identify Genetic Variants Influencing Skin Pigmentation in Africans," Nature Genetics. 

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

Abstract: Providing personal health information allows individuals to take action to improve their health. If treatment is not available, however, being informed about having a life-threatening disease could lead to feelings of despair or fatalistic behaviors resulting in negative health outcomes. We document this possibility utilizing an experiment in Malawi that randomized incentives to learn HIV testing results in a context where anti-retroviral treatment (ART) was not yet available. Six years after the experiment, receiving an HIV+ diagnosis reduced survival rates by 23% points and this effect persists after 15 years. We show that HIV+ persons who learned they were HIV+ engaged in more risky health behaviors, have greater anxiety and a higher discount rate. We do not find any effects of receiving an HIV - diagnosis on survival.

Ciancio, Alberto, Fabrice Kämpfen, Hans-Peter Kohler, and Rebecca Thornton. 2024. “Surviving Bad News: Health Information without Treatment Options.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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

Citations:

"Why Retirement Gets Better With Annuities." Knowledge at Wharton, S Parameshwaran, January 9, 2024. 

O S Mitchell, et al. “Fixed and Variable Longevity Annuities in Defined Contribution Plans: Optimal Retirement Portfolios Taking Social Security into Account,” Wharton Pension Research Council. 

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

Citations:

"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.

Catherine Auriemma leads the project titled "Identifying Meaningful Outcome Metrics in Severe Brain Injury" as the Principal Investigator.

Guy David serves as the Co-Investigator for the project titled "Access to Elective Surgery in the United States: Evidence from the Outpatient Surgery Market."

Citations:

"Penn LDI Small Grants Program 2024 Projects." Penn LDI, January 2024. 

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

Citations:

"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. 

Citations:

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