Impacts of the pandemic on emotion of fear
When people perceive themselves to be in danger, they usually experience some degree of fear. This emotion is useful because it can motivate them to learn more about the problem or to take some action to protect themselves against it, according to James Dillard, distinguished professor…
New research highlights the role and impact of integrated health systems in U.S.
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…
Parental stress biology and mental health symptoms affect young children
Parental depression and anxiety can have profound effects on children. For the first time, Penn State researchers demonstrated that stress biology relates to depressive and anxiety symptoms differently for mothers versus fathers, and that parents’ profiles of stress biology and symptoms can predict…
Preventing risky drinking by college students the focus of new Penn State study
Is there a simple way for parents to reduce the chance of their college-age children having problems resulting from drinking alcohol? Professor of Biobehavioral Health Robert Turrisi was recently awarded a 5-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to…
Important PSU information regarding postdoc travel
Uncertainties across the world related to the ongoing pandemic have led Penn State to suspend University-affiliated international travel and to discourage personal travel abroad by Penn State students, faculty, and staff. While we understand that many postdoctoral scholars and fellows (domestic or…
New CTSI Engage podcast discusses research ethics
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute released the latest episode of its Engage podcast, featuring Jen McCormick, associate professor of humanities, discussing research ethics. How research is conducted is an important topic. Scientists must balance several principles when…
New book on technology to support communication for people with Down syndrome
Individuals with Down syndrome often have intellectual disabilities and low vision or hearing, all of which can cause communication challenges, according to Krista Wilkinson, professor of communication sciences and disorders. Wilkinson recently co-edited a new book, "Multimodal AAC…
Impacts of the pandemic on anticipatory grief
Receiving a diagnosis from a doctor that explains your previously unexplainable symptoms can often bring about feelings of relief. But this year, the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, and its diagnosis has offered its targets no such comfort. Anxiety, sadness, and distress caused by the fear of a…
Building bridges to improve drug misuse prevention
Many agencies at the national, state and local levels are working to address the nation’s drug and alcohol misuse crisis. While this provides numerous opportunities for individuals to receive support, efforts across these agencies are often not closely coordinated.
A new million-dollar award from…
Registration open for a seminar on collaborating across disciplines
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute presents "Collaboration Across Disciplines" at its next Translational Science Seminar Series webinar from noon to 1 p.m. on Dec. 15.
Jessica Ericson and Winnie Adebayo will present the webinar. Both are part of a…
Join CCSA for Giving Tuesday on December 1
The Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) needs your help to support research focused on helping individuals and families through the opioid crisis and greater substance use issues.
Our work draws on the expertise of researchers, educators, and practitioners from Penn State campuses to…
SSRI Fall Gathering goes virtual
Faculty and staff from all of SSRI's units recently gathered together virtually to celebrate major accomplishments of the year and to announce staff awards.
The “Above and Beyond Award” was given to Barbara Rigg, SSRI grants and contracts manager and director of the administrative core, and Mark…
Next on WPSU’s ‘Digging Deeper:’ COVID-19 and the rise of the online classroom
The ways the coronavirus pandemic has changed the traditional brick-and-mortar learning experience and led to a new online classroom for K-12 and higher education students will be discussed during the next episode of WPSU’s “Digging Deeper” on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Paul Morgan, professor of education…
Engineering professor named as new Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse director
Paul Griffin, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering and recently returning Penn State faculty member, will become the next interim director of the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) beginning in summer 2021. Griffin, an expert in health systems engineering, is…
Impacts of the pandemic on college students’ sense of belonging
People have a fundamental human need to belong. Especially during transitions to a new environment like college, people often worry about whether they belong, even in non-pandemic times. With so many classes and social interactions shifted to a staid online setting, which precludes hallway…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Help Us Cope with Pandemic Fatigue
By Jay Maddock, PhD, Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University
As the pandemic drags on, following COVID-19 prevention guidelines can feel like more and more of a challenge.
This kind of fatigue is not unique to pandemic precautions like sticking with social distancing, masking up and…
COVID-19 and the potential costs of social isolation
The COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe and in the United States. Currently, science and medicine offer clear methods on how to reduce the risk of transmission — including social distancing. Yet this behavior comes with a potential cost of reduced social connections and research has shown…
Extended Guidance for Applicants Preparing Applications During the COVID-19 Pandemic
NIH grant applications should NOT include contingency plans that would outline steps needed to recover from temporary, emergency situations, or institutional return-to-the-workplace plans, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contingency plans will not be considered in peer review but, if needed,…
Book co-edited by Penn State faculty explores gender relations in agriculture
While women represent a significant portion of the global agricultural workforce, they face many roadblocks to success, including limited access to land, technological advancements, education and financing. They also often are excluded from household-level and policy decisions that determine their…
New report on The Veterans Metrics Initiative
Researchers at the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State, including PI and SSRI cofund Daniel Perkins, have been partners in a longitudinal study of veterans known as The Veterans Metrics Initiative: Linking Program Components to Post-Military Well-Being (TVMI Study).
The Henry…
Preventing child sexual abuse program effective addition to parent training
Researchers at Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network are using a novel approach to further prevent child sexual abuse.
They tested whether a child sexual abuse prevention program, Smart Parents–Safe and Healthy Kids (SPSHK), could be implemented as an additional module to already…
CATS Safety platform to regulate use of biohazardous materials in research
In early in 2021, Penn State will implement a new platform to manage the submission, review, and approval of the use of regulated and biohazardous materials in research and instruction (as defined in Penn State Policy RP11).
The new web-based system, CATS Safety, will provide investigators, staff,…
Berenbaum receives Pavouček Shields Faculty Award
Sheri Berenbaum, SSRI associate director and professor of psychology and pediatrics, is the recipient of the 2020 Pavouček Shields Faculty Award.
This award recognizes tenured faculty who have undertaken professionally oriented service and mentoring on behalf of women at the university. Dr.…
Family symposium highlights parent-child separations
Penn State’s 28th Annual National Symposium on Family Issues was recently held focusing on the causes and consequences of parent-child separations. For the first time ever, the event was held virtually, but that didn’t deter experts around the nation from participating and offering their diverse…
Impacts of the coronavirus on student athlete substance abuse
College is a well-known risk environment for problematic alcohol use and substance abuse. In this post, Katherine McLean, associate professor of criminal justice at Penn State Greater Allegheny, outlines why student athletes may be at particular risk for higher levels of alcohol consumption and…