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Scott Halpern co-authors a study revealing significant underrepresentation of women, Black, and Hispanic/Latinx individuals in cardiovascular clinical trials, highlighting the need for more inclusive research practices, reports Penn LDI.

Citation:

"A Novel Study Quantifies Who is Missing from Cardiovascular Clinical Research," Penn LDI, C Weeks, March 31, 2025. 

Rachel Werner co-authored a study examining how Medicare Advantage plans have influenced the utilization of home health care services, reports Penn LDI. 

Citation:

"How Medicare Advantage Changed Home Health Care Use," Penn LDI, M Meline, April 23, 2025.

Kim S, Qi M. et al. 2025. "Home Health Care Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries From 2010 to 2020." Sage Journals.

Penn Today highlights Chenyi Ma and Dennis Culhane's research showing that economic hardship—not race alone—drives pandemic-related anxiety disparities across demographic groups.

Citation:
"How Economic Stressors and Vaccination Shaped Mental Health During the Pandemic," Penn Today, April 23, 2025.

Ma C, Culhane D. et al. 2025. "Generalized Anxiety Disorder Prevalence and Disparities Among U.S. Adults: The Roles Played by Job Loss, Food Insecurity, and Vaccinations During the COVID-19 Pandemic," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B.

Shana Stites and Rebecca Brown wrote an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune arguing that the U.S. health system must better support dementia caregivers, whose well-being directly impacts those they care for.

Citation:
"As the Deaths of Gene Hackman and His Wife Demonstrate, We Need to Care for Our Caregivers," Chicago Tribune, S Stites, R Brown, April 21, 2025.

Related Article

Gene Hackman’s Death Shows Why Caregivers Need More Care

Olivia Mitchell's op-ed in MarketWatch highlights research showing that financial and health literacy decline steadily with age, especially among older, less educated, and lower-income individuals, underscoring the need for early and sustained literacy interventions.

Citation:

"Financial Skills Slip as We Age: Here’s How We Can Learn to Stay Sharp," Master Watch, O Mitchell, April 18, 2025. 

Olivia Mitchell advocates for starting financial education at home from an early age to improve financial literacy and reduce economic burdens, reports Al Día.

Citation:

"How to Raise Financially Smart Kids, According to a Wharton Economist," Al Día, A M Quevedo, April 16, 2025.

Olivia Mitchell emphasizes that early financial literacy education for children fosters lifelong money management skills, reports Knowledge at Wharton.

Citation:
"How to Teach Your Child About Financial Literacy," Knowledge at Wharton, A Basiouny, April 15, 2024. 

The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that a new study co-authored by Olivia Mitchell finds older adults' financial and health literacy declines by about one percentage point per year, raising concerns about decision-making in later life.

Citation:
"Study Co-Authored by Wharton Professor Finds Financial Literacy in Adults Declines With Age," The Daily Pennsylvanian, J C Serrano, April 14, 2025. 

OMNIA highlights study co-authored by Pilar Gonalons-Pons which examines the high cost of childcare in the U.S. disproportionately reduces income for less-educated women, worsening family income inequality—an effect largely absent in countries with robust childcare support systems.

Citation:
"The Price of Parenthood," OMNIA, J Hill, March 24, 2025. 

Gonalons-Pons P, Marinescu I. et al. 2024. "Care Labor and Family Income Inequality: How Childcare Costs Exacerbate Inequality among U.S. Families," American Sociological Review.

​In the Talk of Iowa episode titled "How Gendered Understandings of Medicine Have Influenced Health Care", Derek Griffith discusses the historical and ongoing impact of gender disparities in health care.

Citation:

"How Gendered Understandings of Medicine have Influenced Health Care," Talk of Iowa, C Nebbe, C Troutman, April 10, 2025.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE

Annually, Penn researchers present Papers and Posters, Moderate Talks, act as Discussants, and more at the Population Association of America's Annual Meeting.

See the complete detailed Penn@PAA list of events HERE

View Just the Penn@PAA Papers Here

View Just the Penn@PAA Posters Here

Atheendar Venkataramani in a Virtual Health Lab Seminar highlights how targeted economic policies, like tax credits and unemployment support, can reduce health disparities and improve population health, especially for low-income individuals, reports Penn LDI.

Citation:

"Using Tax and Labor Policies to Improve Population Health," Penn LDI, H Levins, April 7, 2025.

Insights from Wharton features Olivia Mitchell offering practical advice on improving financial literacy at all ages to avoid costly mistakes and enhance long-term financial well-being.

Citation:

"How to Empower the Next Generation with Financial Education: April 2025 Insights from the Wharton School," Insights from Wharton, April 7, 2025.

“It’s really concerning because, to me, what it’s saying is that the set of stressors that are harming the health of Americans is very widespread, to the point where even being wealthy or rich, you’re not going to be able to escape them,” Atheendar Venkataramani told NBC News.

Citation:
"Not even wealth is saving Americans from dying at rates seen among some of the poorest Europeans," NBC News, A Bendix, April 2, 2025.

Olivia Mitchell, in Wharton Business Daily, discusses the state of U.S. financial education, the effects of illiteracy, and how parents can teach kids essential money management skills.

Citation:

"Teaching Financial Responsibility: Strategies for Parents and Educators," Wharton Business Daily, April 2, 2025. 

Kevin Volpp in a Q&A with CHIBE discusses leading a national “Food Is Medicine” initiative with the AHA to design effective, scalable nutrition-based health interventions.

Citation:
"How to build a good research partnership: A Q&A with Dr. Kevin Volpp on his work with the AHA," CHIBE, April 2, 2025.

“As people age, changes occur in the parts of the brain responsible for executive functioning [affecting their thoughts, emotions, and behavior], even if they don't have a condition like Alzheimer's,” Jason Karlawish told Brain & Life.

Citation:

"Cognitive Decline Can Lead to Financial Struggles and Scams—Here's What to Look For," Brain & Life, H Levine, April 2025. 

Knowledge at Wharton features a study co-authored by Olivia Mitchell revealing that financial and health literacy decline with age, increasing the risk of poor decisions and vulnerability among older adults—especially women.

Citation:

"Does Financial Literacy Decline with Age?" Knowledge at Wharton, S Parameshwaran, April 1, 2025.

Boyle P, Mitchell O. et al. 2025. "Declining Financial and Health Literacy among Older Men and Women." Science Direct. 

Related Article:
Does Financial Literacy Decline with Age?

“I think that nursing homes are going to really struggle,” Rachel Werner told Bloomberg “Quality of care is going to be terrible. It’s going to harm residents most of all,” but staff would also feel the pain.

Citation:
"Nursing Homes Anxious as Republicans Ponder Deep Medicaid Cuts," Bloomberg, T Pugh, March 31, 2025.

“I think that nursing homes are going to really struggle,” in the face of Medicaid cuts, Rachel Werner told Bloomberg Law. “Quality of care is going to be terrible. It’s going to harm residents most of all,” but staff would also feel the pain.

Citation: 

"Nursing Homes Anxious as Republicans Ponder Deep Medicaid Cuts," Bloomberg Law, T Pugh, March 31, 2025. 

In an interview with Stroke, Kevin Volpp explores how integrating food and nutrition into healthcare can improve outcomes, reduce costs, and promote equity through innovative, patient-centered approaches.

Citation:

"Author Interview: Dr. Kevin G. Volpp on Food Is Medicine: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association," Stroke, H Chen, March 28, 2025.

Kevin Volpp, Angela Lee Duckworth, and Aaron Richterman, in their research reported by CHIBE, highlight techniques such as gamification, incentives, and text-based nudges to help patients make healthier choices.

Citation:
"5 Examples of How Behavioral Economics Can Influence Patient Behavior," CHIBE, March 26, 2025.

Fanaroff A, Volpp K. et al. 2024. "Effect of Gamification, Financial Incentives, or Both to Increase Physical Activity Among Patients at High Risk of Cardiovascular Events: The BE ACTIVE Randomized Controlled Trial," Circulation.

PSC and PARC Associates Aaron Richterman, Atheendar Venkataramani, and Alison Buttenheim co-authored a study, reported by Penn LDI, evaluating the B-OK tool's effectiveness in improving HIV medication understanding and adherence in Philadelphia.

Citation:

"Research Brief: Simple Visual Aids Raise Awareness and Knowledge About HIV Treatment," Penn LDI, C Tachibana, March 26, 2025.

Buttenheim A, Richterman A. et al. 2025. "B-OK: A Visual and Tactile Tool for Improving HIV Mental Models in a United States Urban Center." Global Implementation Research and Applications.

Penn Today highlights Derek Griffith's research revealing expectant and new fathers, particularly Black American fathers, express a significant need for more resources and support to better assist mothers during pregnancy and childbirth.

Citation:

"Expectant and New Fathers Seek More Support to Improve Maternal Health," Penn Nursing, March 24, 2025.

Griffith D.M, Jaeger E.C. et al. 2025. "Expectant and New Fathers Say They Need Resources and Sources of Support."  BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 25.

“Philadelphia is still a place that’s attracting young people, professionals forming families and they are having children,” Emilio Parrado told WHYY.

Citation:

"Immigration Is Driving Philadelphia’s Population Gains, Census Data Shows," WHYY, K Mosbrucker-Garza, March 24, 2025. 

Derek Griffith’s study, reported by Penn LDI, examines why some Black barbershop health interventions succeed while others fail. Using an innovative “implementation premortem” method, the research highlights trust, access, and cultural alignment as critical success factors.

Citation:
"What’s the Best Way to Design a Black Barbershop Health Intervention?" Penn LDI, H Levins, March 20, 2025.  

Griffith D, Dylan W. et al. 2024. "Application of an Implementation Premortem: A Novel Qualitative Approach Leveraging Prospective Hindsight to Enhance Barbershop Health Interventions for Black Men." Translational Behavioral Medicine. 

Jason Karlawish wrote an op-ed in MedPage Today, responding to Doctored, defending the integrity of Alzheimer's drug research and highlighting the importance of scientific transparency and self-correction.

Citation:

"How a Book Is Undermining Progress Against Alzheimer's," MedPage Today, J Karlawish, March 5, 2025. 

Related Articles:

Rebutting Doctored: Alzheimer’s researchers defend integrity, science, and progress.

Penn Today reports that Penn Nursing Ph.D. student Oonjee Oh, with faculty advisors George Demiris and Connie Ulrich, explores AI's role in ethical palliative care decision-making in their research study.

Citation: 

"Exploring the Role of AI in Palliative Care and Decision-making," Penn Today, E Moser, February 28, 2025. 

Oh O, Demiris G. et al. 2024. "The Ethical Dimensions of Utilizing Artificial Intelligence in Palliative Care." Sage Journals.

Iliana V. Kohler and Hans-Peter Kohler co-authored a study exploring the use of dried plasma spot technology to measure Alzheimer's disease prevalence in Malawi's aging population, addressing global health disparities.

Citation:

"Bridging Borders: Advancing Aging Research in Malawi," Penn Memory Center, M McCarthy, February 26, 2025. 

Olivia Mitchell discusses common retirement regrets and the need for increased savings due to the impending insolvency of the Social Security Trust Fund on Decoding Retirement, as reported by Yahoo Finance.

Citation:

"How to Avoid Retirement Regrets," Yahoo Finance, February 25, 2025. 

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Rachel Werner co-authored an issue brief in Penn LDI, offering recommendations to enhance Community Health Centers' participation in value-based payment models and align these efforts with health equity goals.

Citation: 

"Issue Brief: Paying for Value and Health Equity in Community Health Centers," Penn LDI, P Chatterjee, R Werner, J Weiner, February 25, 2025. 

Rachel Werner, as reported by Penn LDI, highlights ways to enhance value-based payment models to better support community health centers and advance health equity.

Citation:

"Issue Brief: Paying for Value and Health Equity in Community Health Centers," Penn LDI, P Chatterjee and R Werner, February 25, 2025. 

In an episode of Decoding Retirement on Yahoo Finance, Olivia Mitchell explains that, due to the projected insolvency of the Social Security Trust Fund, retirement planners will need to increase their personal savings to ensure financial security in retirement. 

Citation:
"How to Avoid Retirement Regrets," Yahoo Finance, February 25, 2025. 

Watch the Video Here

In an Interview with NPR, Derek Griffith talks about the widening longevity gap between men and women, advocating for greater national focus on men's physical and mental health.

Citation:

"Men Die Younger than Women. Is It Time for a Focus on Men's Health?" NPR, February 19, 2025.

"The government should restore all the data that had been previously collected and make it available," says Irma Elo. She describes the federal statistical system, which collects population-level census and health data, as "the only independent source of data that we have."

"You cannot just replace it without having a huge influx of resources," she says, or without the expertise of statistical agencies that have collected and published these data for decades.

Citation:

"Some Federal Health Websites Restored, Others Still Down, after Data Purge," NPR, W Stone, P Huang, February 6, 2025. 

Molly Candon and Rebecca E. Stewart review a study in Jama Network Open on employer-sponsored digital health platforms for mental wellness, emphasizing cost savings while advocating for a broader perspective on their long-term value.

Citation: 

"Employer-Sponsored Digital Health Platforms for Mental Wellness—A Good Investment," Jama Network Open, M Candon, R Stewart, February 5, 2025. 

Eric Bressman and Kevin Volpp co-authored a study highlighted in Penn LDI, which examined the effectiveness of BP Pal, a text message-based hypertension management program, revealing high patient engagement but underscoring the need for rigorous testing of digital health innovations.

Citation:

"Automated Text Messaging for Hypertension Gets High Ratings—and Shows why Randomized Controlled Trials are Important," Penn LDI, C Tachibana, February 4, 2025. 

Bressman E, Volpp. et al. 2024. "Automated Text Message-Based Program to Improve Uncontrolled Blood Pressure in Primary Care Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial." Journal of General Internal Medicine.

In a conversation with All Home Care Matters, Jason Karlawish discusses advancements in dementia care and memory research.

Citation: 

"The Co-Director of the Penn Memory Center Dr. Jason Karlawish," All Home Care Matters, February 2, 2025. 

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Karen Lasater co-authored a study, reported by Penn LDI, exploring how nurse work environments impact care for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). 

Citation:
"Improving Care for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency," Penn LDI, G Rettberg, January 30, 2025. 

Sliwinski K, Lasater K. et al. 2025. "Reducing Disparities in Emergency Department Outcomes for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency: The Nurse Work Environment," Science Direct.

“Nursing science has always been at the forefront of innovation, driven by a deep commitment to improving human health,” said workshop chair George Demiris to Penn Nursing. “By embracing the potential of AI, we can unlock new frontiers in patient care, empower nurses with advanced tools, and ensure that technology meets the needs of individuals and communities.” 

Citation:

"The Future of Nursing: Embracing the Power of AI," Penn Nursing, January 30, 2025.

A study co-authored by Nazar Khalid, along with PSC Associates Emily Hannum and Jere Behrman, explores how flooding in India exacerbates learning gaps for marginalized children, underscoring climate change’s unequal impact, as reported by OMINA.

Citation: 

"India, Floods, and Learning Outcomes," OMNIA, K Silva, January 27, 2025.

Khalid N, Nehrman J, Hannum E. et al. 2024. "Floods and Children’s Education in Rural India." The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.

Penn Today highlights Michel Guillot's study, which reveals that life expectancy in Gaza has dropped by 46.3% since October 2023, from 75.5 to 40.5 years. The decline is more pronounced in men, and the study cautions that mortality estimates may be underestimated due to incomplete identification and the indirect effects of the war.

Citation:
"Study Shows Drop in Life Expectancy in the Gaza Strip," Penn Today, January 23, 2025. 

Guillot M, Draidi M. et al. 2025. "Life Expectancy Losses in the Gaza Strip during the Period October 2023 to September 2024." The Lancet. 

Jason Karlawish wrote an op-ed for The STAT, urging a national strategy to address rising dementia risk, with policies and industry collaboration on healthy aging.

Citation:

"Dementia Risk, Higher than Thought, Requires a National Strategy," The STAT, J Karlawish, January 18, 2025.

Fang M, Hu J. et al. 2025. "Lifetime Risk and Projected Burden of Dementia." Nature Medicine.

Kevin Volpp Receives AHA’s 2025 Edward S. Cooper Award for Transformative Contributions to Behavioral Economics and Community Health, Reports CHIBE.

Citation:

"Dr. Kevin Volpp Receives AHA’s 2025 Edward S. Cooper Award," CHIBE, January 16, 2025.

Derek Griffith co-authors a Health Affairs article arguing that policies restricting discussions on structural racism undermine efforts to address health inequities.

Citation: 

"‘Divisive Concepts’ Prohibitions: Implications For Health And Health Equity," Health Affairs, D Griffith, A Twinamatsiko, January 16, 2025.

"New Article Warns Against Restricting Discussions on Structural Racism," Medical Press, January 17, 2025.

“By limiting discussions of structural racism, these policies ignore the historical and environmental factors that shape health outcomes,” Derek Griffith told Penn Nursing.  

Citation:

"Highlighting the Dangers of Restricting Discussions of Structural Racism," Penn Nursing, January 16, 2025. 

Related Articles: 

‘Divisive Concepts’ Prohibitions: Implications For Health And Health Equity

Penn Nursing highlights Health Affairs Brief co-authored by Derek Griffith on the Dangers of Restricting Discussions of Structural Racism in Health Policy.

Citation:

"Highlighting the Dangers of Restricting Discussions of Structural Racism," Penn Nursing, January 16, 2025. 

Penn Carey Law highlights Allison Hoffman's course, 'Health, Disability & Justice,' which examines the intersections of health and disability law, with a focus on caregiving, equity, and legal regulation.

Citation: 

"Health, Disability & Justice," Penn Carey Law, January 16, 2025. 

Penn LDI highlights research by Molly Candon and PSC research associates Rachel Werner and David Mandell, revealing that increased insurance coverage for acupuncture from 2010 to 2019 led to greater use among individuals with low back pain.

Citation:

"Chart of the Day: More U.S. Patients Use Acupuncture for Low Back Pain, But it Remains Rare," Penn LDI, C Weeks, January 15, 2025.

Candon M, Werner R, Mandell D. et al. 2024. “Utilization of Reimbursed Acupuncture Therapy for Low Back Pain.” JAMA Network Open.

George Demiris told Penn Today, “With machine learning and natural language processing, you can extract meaning from large volumes of text, images, or other materials, gaining insights much more quickly.”

Citation:
"The Future of Nursing Care," Penn Today, January 15, 2025.

Penn LDI features Eric Bressman's AI-driven tool to enhance handoffs, reduce provider burden, and improve communication in hospital care.

Citation: 

"2025 LDI-Penn Medicine Research Laboratory Projects Announced," Penn LDI, January 8, 2025.

Read the 2024 PARC Year In Review Newsletter, which includes a letter from PARC Co-Director's, PARC 2024 By The Numbers, New PARC Associates, GEAR UP, Awards & Honors, Funding, In The News, Op-Eds, Population Center Working Paper Series (PSC/PARC), and Events.

"If we think about what can take us to the next level, it's not the next drug," Aaron Richterman told NPR. "It's probably not the vaccine that we're all waiting for. It may be something like this, which I think we have good reason to believe could help potentially end something like a TB epidemic,"

Citation: 

"Tuberculosis Rates Plunge When Families Living in Poverty Receive Monthly Cash Payouts," NPR, G Emanuel, January 3, 2025.

Jesus G, Silva A. et al. 2025. "Effects of Conditional Cash Transfers on Tuberculosis Incidence and Mortality According to Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Factors in the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort." Nature Medicine.

Related Article:

Tuberculosis rates plunge when families living in poverty get a monthly cash payout

Hanming Fang and Yi Chen won the 2024 JER Best Article Award for their article "The State of Mental Health among Older Chinese and the Role of Children" in The Japanese Economic Review. The article examined the mental health of older Chinese and the role of children.

Citation: 
Chen Y, Fang H. 2024. "The State of Mental Health among Older Chinese and the Role of Children." The Japanese Economic Review.