In the Media
Explore our collection of media mentions showcasing DBEI’s novel research
in biostatistics, epidemiology, and informatics at Penn Medicine.
In the Media
Questioning Restrictions on Physical Activity for Risk of Preterm Birth
September 18, 2024
Penn undergraduates assist Beth Leong Pineles, MD, PhD with a study of activity restriction during pregnancy with the goal of “deimplementation” in the Penn Medicine system and ultimately nationwide.
In the Media
Dr. Kit Delgado Featured in Undark for Advancing Health Care with Nudge Theory at Penn Medicine
September 5, 2024
In a recent Undark feature, Dr. M. Kit Delgado, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, discusses how behavioral science and nudge theory are transforming health care decision-making.
In the Media
When There’s Money to Lose, Phone Usage While Driving Drops
July 26, 2024
Can cash incentives make roads safer? A Penn Medicine study led by Dr. M. Kit Delgado reveals how rewards and feedback can significantly cut down handheld phone use while driving.
In the Media
New Study Links Atopic Dermatitis to Higher Risk of Irritable Bowel Disease
September 1, 2023
Joel Gelfand, MD, the James J. Leyden, M.D. Endowed Professor in Clinical Investigation of Dermatology and Epidemiology, and colleagues at Penn found that adults and children with atopic dermatitis (AD) […]
In the Media
Examining Places Where People Experiencing Homelessness Overdose
February 1, 2023
Elizabeth Nesoff, PhD, MPH discusses her recently published study in the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) blog investigating neighborhood features that were correlated with fatal opioid overdoses among the […]
In the Media
Podcast focuses on developing new ways to identify aggressive breast cancer
January 1, 2023
Anne Marie McCarthy, PhD was featured on the Real Pink Podcast where she discussed the development of new ways to identify people with high risk of aggressive breast cancer. Understanding your breask cancer risk
In the Media
Penn Medicine has opened a Center for Living Donation
January 1, 2023
Penn Medicine has opened a Center for Living Donation, bringing under one roof its services for patients who receive kidney, liver, and uterus transplants with organs donated by living people. […]
In the Media
Mapping Gene Activity Down to the Cellular Level
June 1, 2022
Advanced spatial transcriptomics techniques are advancing our understanding of cancer and other diseases at the cellular level: “You can zoom in, you can look at the tissue-specific features, how many […]
In the Media
The Latest on Paxlovid
May 1, 2022
In a review of current facts about the antiviral drug Paxlovid, Susan Ellenberg, PhD, comments on Pfizer’s unusual release of interim results during an ongoing clinical trial. Read the article […]
In the Media
Social Media’s Promise for Medical Research
April 1, 2022
For medical researchers who aim to understand the patient experience, “collecting abundant social-media data is cost-effective, does not involve burdening participants, and is available in real time,” Graciela Gonzalez Hernandez, […]
In the Media
Finding the Right Logic for Masking Rules
April 1, 2022
If Philadelphia’s masking policy aims to prevent spread of Covid-19, emphasizing hospitalization numbers, a lagging indicator, over case numbers isn’t wise, comments Michael Levy, PhD. “It’s like instead of using […]
In the Media
Many Hospitalized for Other Ailments Test Positive for Covid, Too
January 1, 2022
Amid the omicron surge, more patients are coming into the hospital for other reasons but testing positive for Covid-19 once they arrive. M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS, says that many […]
In the Media
Not Really a “˜White Man’s Disease’
January 1, 2022
A diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis finally explained Christi Taylor-Gentry’s throbbing joint pain. But as recently as 2006, when Alexis Ogdie-Beatty, MD, MSCE, became a doctor, she was taught that the […]
In the Media
Explaining the Increase in COVID-19 VAERS Reports
December 1, 2021
Jeffrey Morris, PhD, commented on how expanded reporting requirements and intense scrutiny of the hundreds of millions administered COVID-19 vaccine doses have driven record-high reporting of potential side effects to […]
In the Media
Can Pandemic Pressure Change Clinical Trials From Now On?
December 1, 2021
“We may have underestimated our ability to pivot and change rapidly,” Peter Merkel, M D, MPH, comments about the many ways Covid-19 has reshaped the way we conduct clinical trials ” […]
In the Media
Blood Still Needed, Pandemic or Not
November 1, 2021
Hospitals in Philly are facing a bad blood shortage. During a pandemic, people still get into accidents and get cancer that requires transfusions, says Meenakshi Bewtra, MD, PhD, MPH. Read […]
In the Media
Government Data Misused to Question COVID-19 Vaccine Safety
October 1, 2021
It’s frustrating when vaccine opponents use the government’s VAERS database to stoke false concerns about safety, says Susan Ellenberg, PhD, “especially when they interfere in such major ways with critical […]
In the Media
Booster Shot Shows Promise in Israeli Study
September 1, 2021
A new study showed that older Israelis who received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are much less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or to develop severe COVID-19 […]
In the Media
What to Expect With a Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection
September 1, 2021
The experience of a Covid-19 breakthrough infection can range “from being asymptomatic to feeling pretty lousy, but typically it’s a shorter course than what we’re seeing for COVID without the […]
In the Media
Smartwatch Blood Pressure Not Ready for Debut
September 1, 2021
Measuring blood pressure is hard, and getting it right is critical. Can we do it with a smartwatch? That technology is “not ready for primetime yet,” says Jordana Cohen, MD, […]
In the Media
Does Vaccine Power Really Wane?
September 1, 2021
Some evidence that the protection of the Covid19 vaccine wanes comes from observational studies ” and so we must view our inferences critically, says Jeffrey Morris, PhD. In everyday life, […]
In the Media
Complexities of the Late-Stage Pandemic
August 1, 2021
An analysis by Jeffrey Morris, PhD, showed how Israel’s Covid19 data were easily misinterpreted: the elderly are both most vaccinated and most at risk for severe illness. The findings were […]
In the Media
Unpacking a Vaccine Paradox
August 1, 2021
Covid-19 vaccines work, but a statistical illusion makes some people think they don’t. This perspective piece prominently cites work by Jeffrey Morris, PhD. Read the perspective in the Washington Post
In the Media
Slowing Delta in Philadelphia
August 1, 2021
To slow spread of the Covid-19 delta variant, Philadelphia needs an even greater, on-the-ground push for more vaccination, comments Michael Levy, PhD: “This thing is just about momentum.” Read the […]
In the Media
Eviction Risk High, COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Low
August 1, 2021
Michael Z. Levy, PhD, warned that the looming return of evictions comes at a time when COVID-19 vaccination rates in the U.S. have plateaued and while the highly transmissible Delta […]
In the Media
Festivals on a Different Footing
August 1, 2021
Can a music festival be safe during the Covid-19 pandemic? It’s not so much about attendees’ personal risk, comments Michael Levy, PhD. It’s about what happens when they bring the […]
In the Media
Helping Teens to Concentrate on Driving
July 1, 2021
M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS, commented on evidence-based tips to help teens reduce distraction when driving. Read the article in the Wall Street Journal
In the Media
Persuading the Vaccine Hesitant: The Numbers Say It All
June 1, 2021
Pennsylvania isn’t tracking all Covid-19 cases in vaccinated residents, but other states’ data show a clear, relevant trend, says Jeffrey Morris, PhD: “The vaccines are really working, and the unvaccinated […]
In the Media
The Surveillance System We Need for Vaccines
June 1, 2021
To maintain public safety and trust in vaccines, we need an agile, internationally harmonized surveillance system, argue Vincent Lo Re III, MD, MSCE, and colleagues. Read the commentary in BMJ […]
In the Media
Normality, with a Note of Caution
May 1, 2021
Where vaccination rates are highest, we see fewer Covid-19 cases. But if virus activity increases in winter, areas with low vaccination rates will be at higher risk, commented Jing Huang, […]
In the Media
Despite Local Lags, a Positive Big Picture
May 1, 2021
As Pennsylvania nears a Covid-19 vaccination benchmark, Jeffrey Morris, PhD, says county-level variations won’t be a big problem: While we may see some local brush fires, we won’t have a […]
In the Media
Battling Vaccine Misinformation
May 1, 2021
Some people do misinterpret events reported in the public Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), says Susan Ellenberg, PhD. “But without public access, I think it’s worse. Because then you […]
In the Media
Consequences of Overturning the Eviction Ban
May 1, 2021
Michael Z. Levy, PhD, commented on the potential public health consequences of a federal judge’s ruling (later staid, temporarily, by the US Justice Deptl) to end the CDC’s national eviction […]
In the Media
Vaccine Safety and Risk
April 1, 2021
Susan Ellenberg, PhD, sorted out recent news about COVID-19 vaccines, and how the public can evaluate various facts. Listen to the Stats + Stories podcast
In the Media
During the Pandemic, Pressures on Women in Science
April 1, 2021
“That first month was really hard,” commented Alisa Stephens-Shields, PhD, about the COVID-19 lockdown. Her infant daughter’s day care was closed, and her five-year-old was at home, not at school. […]
In the Media
Halting Evictions Helped Reduce Spread of COVID-19 in Philadelphia
April 1, 2021
The CDC’s order prohibiting evictions in fall ” winter 2020 likely prevented thousands of COVID-19 infections per million metropolitan residents, showed a study co-led by Michael Z. Levy, PhD. Dr. […]
In the Media
An “End” of the Pandemic?
April 1, 2021
It will be hard to say when the COVID-19 pandemic is “over” in the United States, says Michael Z. Levy, PhD. “These things don’t necessarily end cleanly,” he said in […]
In the Media
Maternity Risks Higher in a Black Neighborhood
April 1, 2021
A new study found that living in a majority-Black neighborhood in Philadelphia is linked to increased maternal health issues. Mary Regina Boland, MA, MPhil, PhD, commented. Read the coverage on […]
In the Media
Deciding When to Suspend a Vaccine
March 1, 2021
Susan Ellenberg, PhD, discussed the risks of blood clots connected with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and weighed whether it was necessary to suspend use. Hear the coverage on the BBC
In the Media
Not a Catch-All
March 1, 2021
Susan Ellenberg, PhD, said some reports of post-vaccination symptoms may actually be unrelated to the COVID-19 vaccine. “Vaccines protect against one thing: the infection or the infection plus disease,” she […]
In the Media
On the Ground Strategies
March 1, 2021
“When you have the whole world working on something at the same time “the evidence evolves fast,” Meghan Brooks Lane-Fall, MD, MSHP, FCCM, commented about COVID-19 care. “Every time I […]
In the Media
As COVID-19 Vaccines Become Available, Questions About the Trials
February 1, 2021
“People can make the argument: I volunteered to be in the trial”¦I should be able to get the vaccine right away even if I’m young and healthy,” Susan Ellenberg, PhD, […]
In the Media
What AIDS Can Teach Us About Covid Behavior
December 1, 2020
The parallels between AIDS and Covid-19 are striking, comments Robert Gross, MD, MSCE. Both are spread asymptomatically, and shaming over whether one does or doesn’t wear a mask is not […]
In the Media
How AI Can Help Us Fight COVID-19
October 1, 2020
Artificial intelligence and machine learning can help us fight COVID-19, Jason Moore, PhD, told The Washington Post. But if you study only populations that are primarily Caucasian, that may not […]