Past News

How can artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) be used to develop more precise psychiatric phenotypes for mental health care diagnoses and treatment? That goal is what LDI Senior Fellow and Penn Medicine Professor Yong Chen, PhD, will be working on for the next five years in a project that has the potential to revolutionize the way mental health disorders are studied and treated.

“The IMPACT-MH project is highly unique because it seeks to apply precision medicine concepts in the mental health field, where heterogeneity is especially challenging,” said Chen, a Professor of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics at the Perelman School of Medicine. “The integration of multimodal data, including behavioral, clinical, and biological information, into computational phenotyping is a groundbreaking approach that promises to revolutionize patient care by making mental health diagnostics and treatment more personalized, precise, and data driven. This level of integration is not yet common in mental health research.”

Statins are lifesaving to those with high cholesterol, but patients don’t always take them. A nudge that increased long-term prescriptions could be key. “Making the right choice the easy choice is a core tenet of nudging. What’s exciting is that this small change requiring zero additional work on the part of clinicians could have such a profound impact,” says senior author M. Kit Delgado, [MD, MS] faculty director of the Nudge Unit and an associate professor of emergency medicine and epidemiology.

“In this multicenter cohort study of adults who received baseline LCS between 2015 and 2018 across 5 US health care systems, adherence to annual LCS decreased with each round of screening, and adherence during round T1 was associated with subsequent round T2 adherence. Annual LCS adherence was significantly associated with increased lung cancer detection during each round of screening and a greater ratio of early- to late-stage disease by round T2,” lead study author Roger Y. Kim, MD, MSCE, from the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care in the Department of Medicine at Perelman School of Medicine of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, wrote with coauthors. “The finding that annual LCS adherence rates decreased across subsequent rounds of screening supports the use of annual adherence as a quality metric for LCS programs seeking to maximize the benefits of LCS for early lung cancer detection and, ultimately, reduced lung cancer-related deaths.”

Instead of special protection against long COVID, vaccines kept children and adolescents from developing the condition by blocking COVID-19 infections in the first place.

“In other words, vaccination has been key to preventing COVID-19 infection, which is important to reducing the risk of long COVID as well,” said Yong Chen, PhD, a professor of Biostatistics and senior author of the study.

Dr. [Alexis] Ogdie [MD, MSCE] talks with Health about how her understanding and treatment of chronic pain in PsA have evolved since her early days as a rheumatologist—and how she approaches the condition with her patients.

Please join us in congratulating two of our senior scholars on their prestigious achievements:

• Michael Harhay, PhD, MPH - recipient of the Marjorie A. Bowman New Investigator Research Award
  • His innovative research in clinical trial methodology...exceptional ability to develop and implement cutting-edge statistical frameworks, coupled with his dedication as an educator and collaborator, has positioned him as a leading figure in the health evaluation sciences, significantly transforming approaches to care for critically and seriously ill patients.
• John H. Holmes, PhD - recipient of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching
  • This Award highlights the extraordinary commitment to education and the transformative impact he has had on the intellectual and personal development of his students and reflects not only his exceptional teaching prowess but also his inspiring dedication to nurturing a dynamic and engaging learning community at Penn.

By poring over decades worth of data, researchers hope to better determine how pesticides, metals, and exposures to other elements impact Alzheimer’s disease risk.

“We are striving toward understanding the origins of increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. If there’s an environmental link, we could encourage reduction of environmental exposures in early- and mid-life, decades before cognitive decline and other dementia symptoms,” said the study’s principal investigator, Aimin Chen, MD, PhD, a professor of Epidemiology at Penn. “The findings may also inform environmental health policymaking to potentially reduce instances of brain aging disorders.”

On Tuesday, October 22, individuals and teams from PPMC were honored with 2024 PMX Advocacy Awards recognizing employees who embody the Penn Medicine Experience Standards.

This year’s PPMC winners are:

• Nicholas Grillo, Pharmacy;
• Mohammed Krubally, Trauma;
• Amanda McKee, Cardiology;
• Kelly Monaghan, Radiation Oncology;
• Taylor Raymond, Cherry Hill Operations;
• Nina Redl, Pastoral Care;
• Jennifer Smithwick, PSR Cherry Hill;
• Dr. Jessie Torgersen, Infectious Disease Physician;
• NAC Team, PPMC Nursing Administration.

LDI Senior Fellows Kathryn Bowles, Scott Halpern [MD, PhD], and Eugenia South were named new members of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) at the organization’s Oct. 20 annual meeting in Washington, D.C....The three were among 100 new members named to what is one of the highest honors in the field of health and medicine. They join thirty other LDI Senior Fellows who are members of the prestigious National Academy. NAM President Victor J. Dzau characterized the new crop of members as “the most exceptional researchers and leaders in health and medicine, who have made significant breakthroughs, led the response to major public health challenges, and advanced health equity.”

“We hope to engage, encourage and motivate scientists, clinicians, students, and community members from many disciplines and perspectives to come together to build healthier communities,” Karen Glanz PhD, MPH, said. “We are fortunate that there are already many initiatives in progress at Penn, and we aspire to forge even more productive academic-healthcare-community partnerships that can be sustained long-term.”

“That’s why expert opinion ends up being very important here,” said Expert Panel Co-Chair Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE, FASCO, of Penn Medicine. “We don’t have data on optimal sequencing in the first, second, and third line, and we don’t have data on head-to-head comparison for drugs that are targeting PIK3CA pathway alterations. That’s where an expert guideline comes in—when you don’t have that kind of feedback.”

Data shows that cases of inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer are on the rise. At the same time, social media is inundated with ads and influencers touting products that promise to boost what’s broadly called “gut health.” How do we separate the facts from the fads? Dr. Shazia Siddique, an assistant professor of gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania, joins John Yang to discuss.

New research from Joel Gelfand, MD, the James J. Leyden, M.D. Endowed Professor in Clinical Investigation and director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center, revealed that home-based phototherapy is on par with in-clinic phototherapy for individuals with plaque psoriasis or guttate psoriasis. “Many patients want to try phototherapy for psoriasis and want to try it at home,” said Gelfand.

Peter Merkel, MD, MPH, a professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and chief of Rheumatology, discussed the significant challenges in this field and expressed optimism for the future during the Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Disease Summit.

On the latest episode of Last Week Tonight (aired Sunday, 12/3/23), John Oliver discussed the topic of Organ and Body Donations and cited research by a senior scholar of the CCEB: Dr. Vishnu Potluri. Click to view the segment from the episode.

Angela DeMichele, MD and her team have recently received a $10 million grant to expand their work on how to prevent breast cancer recurrence, which is often fatal.

Especially given how quickly we are trying to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, it’s a good sign that the AstraZeneca trial paused to investigate an unexplained illness, commented Susan Ellenberg, PhD.

Susan Ellenberg, PhD, comments on the state of COVID-19 vaccine development: She hopes people are reassured by the AstraZeneca trial's pause for safety and says it's unlikely that we’ll have a vaccine this fall.

New COVID-19 infections were about 30 percent lower in counties where the highest number of people stopped going in to their offices for work, found research led by Joshua Baker, MD, MSCE.

When we’re offered a COVID-19 vaccine, we should ask: Does it protect people, without causing major toxicities or health problems? If so—and after the FDA and its expert committees review— “I will certainly be in line to get one," Susan Ellenberg, PhD, commented on the radio show Ask an Expert.

For tuberculosis patients who are also HIV-positive, mortality risk is up to four times higher. Gregory Bisson, MD, MSCE, comments on how we can dramatically improve their chances.

For a useful COVID-19 analogy, look to the time before antilock brakes, says Michael Levy, PhD. “You had to slam on the brakes, ease up a little and apply the brakes again—and eventually the car would stop.”

Some of COVID-19's scientific challenges resemble those faced in the past—with HIV, SARS, H1N1 and Ebola—while others are new. Susan Ellenberg, PhD, unpacks what we need to know about clinical trials during the current pandemic. Read the perspective piece in Clinical Trials.

Seeing groups hanging out together at concerts, bars and parties with few masks in sight, “It’s not surprising that people are spreading the virus,” Ebbing Lautenbach, MD, MPH, MSCE, told Philadelphia’s NBC10.

The pandemic presents an opportunity to rethink the way we do clinical research, write Stephen Kimmel, MD, MSCE, and collaborators.

M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS, comments on the safety of ride sharing services during the COVID-19 crisis.

Jordana Cohen, MD, MSCE, and co-investigator Julio Chirinos, MD, launched an international, multisite study to find out more about how ACE inhibitors and ARBS affect COVID-19. They are cautious about the drugs’ effects until they finish their research.

Peter Reese, MD, MSCE, and co-authors outline strategies to help save financially vulnerable safety-net hospitals that are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and at the risk of bankruptcy.

Health officials need good reporting to “understand the relationship between the epidemic that we can’t see, and the data that we can see,” commented Michael Levy, PhD.

To reopen schools safely amidst the continuing pandemic, group Philadelphia school students into small, closed “pods” that meet outdoors as much as possible, recommend Michael Z. Levy, PhD, and Penn colleague Alison Buttenheim, PhD, MBA.

On Philadelphia local television, Michael Levy, PhD, elaborated on the difficulties of mixing data from COVID-19 genetic tests and antibody tests.

An update to data from a team that includes Jing Huang, PhD, and Gregory Tasian, MD, MsC, MSCE, shows that a cautious, incremental reopening strategy can help mitigate risk for a second wave. But some areas that have too quickly relaxed social distancing face high risk for resurgence. 

Per Michael Levy, PhD, a contrast between the rates in a high-income zip code and, say, Chester City would be glaring.

Michael Z. Levy, PhD, commented in Spanish on regional station Telemundo 62 about COVID-19 in the Philadelphia area. His message: “The first wave hit us hard; we weren't ready. Now we can prepare and get our balance for the next one.”

With COVID19 testing not available for all, “there’s no way to calculate your risk right now between households,” comments Michael Levy, PhD.

The US and France have seen far fewer transplantations w/the advent of COVID-19, found a team including Peter Reese, MD, MSCE. Among the many reasons: An organ donor takes up an ICU bed and a ventilator.

Susan Ellenberg, PhD, commented today on ABC’s Good Morning America about good clinical trial practice: As we race toward a COVID-19 vaccine, she feels we should not cut corners.  

COVID-19 clinical trials to develop treatments will get answers faster if people collaborate, Susan Ellenberg, PhD, commented.  “As some treatments show evidence of benefit, we will be moving to studies of drug combinations, and these trials will require larger sample sizes — meaning, in most cases, multicenter trials.”

Ebbing Lautenbach, MD, MPH, MSCE, commented on sudden second-week decline in some patients with COVID-19. Two and a half months into the pandemic, it’s well documented, “but we’re still not sure why it happens,” he said.

Jing Huang, PhD, commented that in Lehigh County, PA, a previously high rate of COVID-19 transmission appeared to drop—perhaps because, as suggested by cell phone data, residents began more effectively social distancing. But comparisons between cities, said Michael Levy, PhD, are difficult, given the lack of comparable rigorous data.