News Archives

New Medicare Model Produces Expert Nurses to Address Shortage of Primary Care

June 19 -

In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania researchers call for modernizing the way Medicare pays for training nurses, and highlight a successful new model of cost-effectively training more advanced practice nurses to practice community-based primary care. 

Johnson & Johnson Gift Provides Undergraduate Financial Aid and Serves Communities through the Nursing/Wharton Impact Scholars Loan Program

June 15 - The University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce a gift of $1 million from Johnson & Johnson to the School of Nursing and the Wharton School. This investment launches the Nursing/Wharton Impact Scholars Loan Program, a program that will increase the number of health care leaders with expertise in both business and clinical care by offering financial aid, and provide underserved communities with greater access to health professionals.

National Study: Patients and Family Caregivers Desire Clear Accountability, Care Continuity, and Caring Attitudes in Care Transitions

June 11 -

Despite the intensity of efforts launched in the past decade to understand how to reduce unnecessary healthcare utilization, reduce hospital readmissions and improve patient experience, patients and their family members still experience suboptimal transitions from hospital to home (i.e., care transitions). Importantly, little is known about what patients and their family caregivers actually experience and desire from this process.

Incarceration’s Impact on Communities and People of Color

June 7 -

At a day-long workshop, held at Penn Nursing, public health and criminal justice experts addressed how health and well-being are affected not only during incarceration, but after release, as well.

Conflicting Guidance on Opioid Prescribing Can Jeopardize Pain Management for Patients with Cancer

May 30 -

In a JAMA Oncology article, researchers from Penn Nursing and Penn Medicine are calling for key governmental agencies, medical associations, and oncology societies to collaborate on developing more consistent clinical opioid prescribing guidelines for patients with chronic cancer-related pain.

The Bates Center’s “Preserving our Future” Campaign Makes History

May 30 - As health care continues to evolve with anticipated and unanticipated consequences, using the lessons of history to shape and inform the future has never been more relevant. And with the record-breaking success of The Bates Center’s Preserving our Future Campaign, these lessons will be more accessible than ever before.

Four Skills Key in Establishing Nurse-led Cross-sector Collaborations That Improve Community Health and Well-being

May 29 -

About 70 percent of all variations in health care outcomes are explained by individuals’ social conditions including housing, neighborhood conditions, and income, data show. In order to establish community cultures of health where people are empowered to live healthier lives, health care providers and community sector leaders in transportation, government, schools, and businesses must collaborate to address the social conditions that affect population health.

Technology, Aging Patients, and the People Who Care for Them

May 25 -

Penn’s newest PIK professor George Demiris, PhD, FACMI, who has joint appointments in Penn Nursing and Penn Medicine, studies smart homes and health informatics in a quest to ease the care process for older adults, the very sick, and their family-member caregivers.

‘Candy Aspirin,’ Safety Caps, and the History of Children’s Drugs

May 23 -

A new book from Penn Nursing’s Cynthia Connolly, PhD, RN, FAAN, looks at case studies surrounding development, use, and marketing of medications for children in the 20th century.

Penn Nursing Alumni Weekend 2018 – May 11-12, 2018

May 21 - Alumni from across the country came back to campus to reconnect with classmates, celebrate with awardees, and to see the many ways that Penn Nursing has changed – and remains the same

Welcome to Our Newest Alumni

May 14 -

Another class can now be counted among the ranks of Penn Nursing Alumni. On May 13, 2018, the graduating class, faculty, staff, and administrators gathered at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate our School’s annual commencement.

Penn Nursing Launches Innovating for Life and Living Campaign

May 9 - April 13^th brought over a hundred people together at Fagin Hall to celebrate the launch of Penn Nursing’s Innovating for Life and Living Campaign. Hosted by Dean Antonia Villarruel, guests included members of the Board of Overseers and other volunteer leaders, students and alumni – including all Penn Nursing recipients of the Penn President’s Engagement Prize, many faculty and friends, and Dean Emerita, Dr. Afaf Meleis.

Penn Nursing Students Run Exam Prep Boot Camp at Kensington Health Sciences Academy

May 8 -

As part of course NURS 354 - Addressing the Social Determinants of Health: Community Engagement Immersion, Penn Nursing juniors Isabel Braun and Morgan Shick spent time each week at Kensington Health Sciences Academy (KHSA) working with teenage students, and together, prepared these students for their final exam. Isabel shared her thoughts and the process behind developing the exam-prep boot camp with Morgan and reflected on the experience overall. Penn’s involvement at KHSA is part of the Penn Futures Project collaboration between Penn Nursing, GSE, and SP2.

Penn Nursing Think Tank: A National Conversation is Essential to Addressing Challenging Needs of an Aging Population

May 7 -

Over forty percent of all older adults in the United States are living with four or more chronic illnesses, receive care from a fragmented health care system, and are struggling with rising costs and uneven quality. To confront this national crisis, more than fifty health system leaders, policy makers, innovators, and scholars convened last week to identify actionable recommendations designed to transform care delivery for older adults with complex health and social needs and support their family caregivers.

Meghani Appointed to NASEM Committee

May 4 -

Penn Nursing’s Salimah Meghani, PhD, MBE, RN, FAAN, Associate Professor of Nursing and Term Chair of Palliative Care in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, and a member in the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, has been appointed to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine planning committee.

Fairman First Nurse to Deliver Garrison Lecture

May 3 -

The Garrison Lecturer is a scholar distinguished for contributions to medical history or other fields of science and learning, who presents original and previously unpublished research in a lecture given at the American Association for the History of Medicine’s (AAHM) annual meeting.

Student-run Penn Dance Marathon Raises Money for CHOP Homeless Initiative

May 2 - On March 24th, the student-run Penn Dance Marathon went above and beyond their fundraising goal and raised $11,252.40 at their annual 48-hour Dance Marathon event.

A Potential New Weapon in the Battle Against Addiction

May 1 -

FDA-approved drugs to treat diabetes and obesity may reduce cocaine relapse and help addicted people break the habit

Special Series Examines the Use of Pasteurized Donor Human Milk for Vulnerable Infants

April 23 -

A special series about research and clinical practice recommendations regarding pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) has been published in the Journal of Obstetric Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing. Guest editor of the series is Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, Professor of Perinatal Nursing and the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing).

Understanding Barriers to Mental Health Care for Urban Black Men Who Experience Traumatic Injury

April 12 -

Psychological distress is common in the aftermath of a traumatic injury. Symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress can make it harder to re-establish one’s social and family life, work performance, and wellbeing after injury.

Deputy Surgeon General Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN, to Speak at 2018 Penn Nursing Commencement

April 9 -

The School of Nursing graduation ceremony will be on Sunday, May 13, 2018, at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts beginning at 3:00 PM.

Congratulations to the 2018 Penn Nursing Faculty Award Recipients

April 5 -

All the honorees will be recognized during the Student-Alumni-Faculty Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 11, at 4:00 pm in the Ann L. Roy Auditorium of Fagin Hall.

Penn Nursing Student Wins 2018 President’s Engagement Prize

April 3 -

Penn Nursing senior Alaina Hall is among the nine winners of the 2018 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes. Awarded annually, the President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes provide $100,000 in funding for Penn seniors to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world.

CHOPR: Surgical Patients with Dementia Fare Better with Higher Educated Nurses

March 29 -

A new study found that surgical patients with coexisting Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are more likely to die within 30 days of admission and to die following a complication compared with patients without ADRD. Having more nurses with at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the bedside improved the likelihood of good outcomes for all patients, but it had a much greater effect for patients with ADRD.

Linking Teen Driving Behaviors to ADHD, Other Mental Health Factors

March 27 -

Teenage drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times more likely to get into fatal accidents than their older counterparts. In this age group, around twenty percent 20 in the United States have been affected by symptoms associated with mental health disorders, including 9 percent with a lifetime history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). What’s the relationship between these well-documented conclusions?

Penn Nursing Ranked #1 Nursing School in the World for the Third Year in a Row

March 19 -

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) is again the number one nursing school in the world according to a recent ranking by QS World University. The rankings highlight the world’s top universities in 48 different subject areas (as of 2018) based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact. This is the third consecutive year that Penn Nursing has taken the top spot.

New Leaders for Penn Futures

March 16 -

The Deans of the School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), the Graduate School of Education (GSE), and the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) are appointing two faculty leaders to the Penn Futures Project (PFP) in order to build upon and accelerate the successes of the program since its inception.

Core Elements Identified for Successful Transitions in Care for Older Adults with Dementia

March 15 -

For older adults with multiple chronic conditions and complex care requirements, transitioning between levels of care and across care settings is common. It is well understood that high-quality transitional care is important for both the well-being of the older adult and for family caregivers. While there has been an increased focus on person-centered models of care transition for cognitively intact older adults from hospital to home, little is known about the core elements of successful transitions in care specifically for persons with dementia.

Applying Implementation Science to Improve Cervical Cancer Prevention in sub-Saharan Africa

March 14 -

While cervical cancer – one of the most common cancers in women – has significantly decreased in the United States, it is still the second most common cancer in women who live in less developed countries, according to the World Health Organization. Women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have the largest age-standardized incidence and mortality rates of this potentially preventable and non-communicable disease due to the difficulty in implementing prevention, screening, and treatment programs.

Knowledge Under Fire: Penn Faculty Senate Responds With ‘Teach-In’ Series of Free Public Forums and Events

March 12 -

Penn Nursing’s Therese Richmond, PhD, and Terri Lipman, PhD, will both be part of this unique, week-long event. Richmond will be featured as part of “Firearm Violence: Science, Policy & Politics” on Monday, March 19. Lipman will participate in the panel discussion “Developing a Culture of Health” on Wednesday, March 21. The event concludes with a March 22 discussion on the future of education featuring Penn Nursing’s Dean Antonia Villarruel, PhD, and Jennifer Pinto –Martin, PhD.