Older adults more likely to have multiple health ailments than prior generations
Jun 22, 2022
Later-born generations of older adults in the United States are more likely to have a greater number of chronic health conditions than the generations that preceded them, according to a study conducted by Penn State and Texas State University. According to the researchers, the increasing frequency…
Penn State receives $25 million to enhance medical research, human health
Oct 22, 2021
Expanded partnerships, access to clinical trials, and new medical and behavioral treatments and interventions reaching individuals more quickly will benefit communities in Pennsylvania and beyond thanks to the renewal of Penn State’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) funded by the…
New EIC Podcast on healthcare innovations now available
Oct 1, 2021
This month on the Evidence-to-Impact Podcast, we explored innovations in healthcare. We dive into how we can get more value out of the country's healthcare system without sacrificing the quality of care as well as lowering barriers for underserved populations. We spoke to Dr. Doug Jacobs, M.D., M.P…News Topics: EIC PodcastHealth Care
New research highlights the role and impact of integrated health systems in U.S.
Dec 8, 2020
Health care delivery in the United States is complex and often problematic — it is costly, short on quality, and inequitable. A team of researchers suggest one potential remedy may be found in integrated health systems, a type of organization that has grown significantly in recent years and often…News Topics: Health CareHealth Policy and Administration
Why Social Science? Because We Will Need to Do Better in the Next Crisis
May 22, 2020
By John Haaga, PhD The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a surge of interest in the press and social media in comparisons with other countries. When did the new virus reach other countries, how did they handle it, and how well did they do? I have lost count of the number of times I have read that the…
Why Social Science? Because Institutional Racism Exacerbates our Health and Economic Challenges
Apr 21, 2020
By Allison, Plyer, ScD, Chief Demographer, The Data Center of Southeast Louisiana The COVID-19 epidemic is hitting African Americans particularly hard. As of this writing, 70% of all COVID-19 deaths in Louisiana are black residents in a state where only one-third of the population is black. To date…
Seven projects funded through translational science pilot grant program
Nov 6, 2019
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute generates innovative health research ideas and promotes collaboration through its Bridges to Translation pilot grant program. This program seeks to link researchers not traditionally in health research with those who can help mold a new idea.…
Health care provider deserts may leave patients in the cold
Nov 5, 2019
People with health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have access to fewer health care providers — and may also have to drive further to see them — than people with other plans, according to researchers. In a new study — published today (Nov. 4) as part of the November issue of…
New REDCap feature protects from 'bot' respondents
Oct 18, 2019
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s data collection and storage tool, REDCap, now offers an option to protect against malicious software, known as "bots," from completing fraudulent surveys. When completing a survey, users will complete a CAPTCHA process. CAPTCHA is short for…
Registration open for seminar on underrepresented population recruitment
Aug 13, 2019
A seminar titled “Recruiting Underrepresented Populations in Clinical Trials” will be presented at the next installment of the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Bench to Bedside and Beyond Seminar Series from noon to 1 p.m. on Aug. 20. In addition to being held in Room H4504…
Researchers estimate societal costs of the opioid epidemic
Aug 6, 2019
The devastating consequences of the opioid crisis are far-reaching in the United States, impacting public health as well as social and economic welfare. Penn State researchers recently collaborated to address the issue in a supplement of The American Journal of Managed Care, titled “Deaths, Dollars…
Machine learning in critical care
Jul 23, 2019
Machine learning and artificial intelligence are currently being heralded as a way to address societal challenges, including healthcare. Vasant Honavar, professor and Edward Frymoyer Chair of Information Sciences and Technology, was recently featured as the author of the guest editorial for the…
Penn State College of Medicine will collaborate for medical marijuana research
Jul 2, 2019
Penn State College of Medicine and PA Options for Wellness will work together to investigate the potential benefits and risks of using marijuana extracts to treat a variety of health issues. “I think this unique opportunity places the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the forefront of promoting high-…
Penn State team supports implementation of novel Pennsylvania Rural Health Model
Jul 2, 2019
Pennsylvania is the first state in the nation to design and implement an alternative payment model focused solely on rural hospitals, with an emphasis on both containing health care spending and transforming care to better meet community needs. A multi-disciplinary team of Penn State faculty and…
Nursing researchers to enhance age-friendly care for older adults in rural PA
Jun 20, 2019
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded Penn State's College of Nursing and its collaborators $3,750,000 to support medically underserved regions throughout rural Pennsylvania. This funding will support the…
Hospitals may divert ambulances to avoid treating certain patients
Jun 17, 2019
Some hospitals may strategically divert ambulances to avoid treating low‐paying patients who are uninsured or who have Medicaid, according to a recent analysis. Charleen Hsuan, assistant professor of health policy and administration at Penn State, led a study that examined whether hospitals are…
Seven key health measures may help predict future risk of heart disease
Jun 3, 2019
Seven key measures of heart health may help predict future risk of cardiovascular disease, according to researchers. They added that improving these measures also may help decrease the risk of CVD in the future. The team of researchers, including three from Penn State, studied how seven key health…
Penn State researchers to study need for hospice care in rural Pennsylvania
May 2, 2019
A new grant from the Center for Rural Pennsylvaniawill enable researchers in the College of Nursing and the Department of Health Policy and Administration in the College of Health and Human Development to assess the need for hospice and palliative care in rural Pennsylvania. Co-investigators Lisa…
Evaluating spousal caregivers stress
Mar 29, 2019
Spousal caregivers can face increased health risks, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, possibly due to the stress of caring for an ailing spouse. To evaluate this stress in daily life situations, researchers Stephanie Wilson, postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State's Institute for Behavioral…
Housing is health: 'Ask the Experts' addresses social determinants of health
Mar 4, 2019
The latest episode of the “Ask the Experts” series features Ann Kunkel and Dianna Benaknin of WellSpan Health. In a discussion highlighting WellSpan's interest in addressing social determinants of health, Kunkel and Benaknin focus on the impact of housing on health and describe a number of programs…
Project ECHO prepares doctors to manage addiction care closer to home
Feb 20, 2019
For patients suffering from opioid use disorder, and for the physicians in small towns across Pennsylvania who are their first level of care, Project ECHO offers hope. The effort aims to give primary care physicians the tools they need to treat the growing group of Pennsylvanians addicted to…
'Ask the Experts' addresses health care transparency
Jan 13, 2019
The latest episode in the “Ask the Experts” series features Jessica Altman, insurance commissioner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, discussing the importance of transparency in health care and the Pennsylvania Shoppable Care Work Group, whose primary goal is to enhance consumers' ability to…News Topics: Health Care
Newly funded project to focus on health of rural communities in Pennsylvania
Oct 12, 2018
Many rural Pennsylvania communities are seeing unique challenges related to the health of residents. Deaths related to heart and liver diseases, diabetes, accidental opioid overdose and suicide are rising in American small towns. Recognizing these unique problems, Penn State Clinical and…
Fellowship equips researchers with skills to engage community in research
Mar 19, 2018
Gina Brelsford’s daughter was born at 32 weeks in 2007 and was hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care (NICU) unit for five weeks. That experience inspired the associate professor of psychology at Penn State Harrisburg to study the role of religion and spirituality in coping by parents of…