News Archives

Study of Breastfeeding Difficulties Due to Obesity Informs Need for Targeted Interventions for Better Breastfeeding Outcomes

October 18 -

Typically, within 50 to 72 hours of giving birth, a woman will begin to secrete copious milk in a process called lactogenesis II. Infants of mothers who want to breastfeed but who have delayed lactogenesis II experience excessive weight loss and therefore are at high risk for formula supplementation.

Improving Naloxone Access in Philadelphia (INAP)

October 17 - Penn Nursing PhD students Nicholas Giordano and Sydney Axson have committed to provide professional-led naloxone administration training among at-risk Philadelphia communities to decrease opioid overdoses and casualties.

Penn Nursing Professor Elected for Membership to the National Academy of Medicine

October 16 - Therese S. Richmond, PhD, FAAN, CRNP, the Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing and Associate Dean for Research & Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), has been elected for membership to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly the Institute of Medicine.

Insight Into the Challenges and Contributions of Nurse Bioethicists

October 13 -

Nurse bioethicists are a small but special subset of the nursing profession and bioethics community, focusing on the moral complexities that arise in clinical care, research, and health policy.

Penn Nursing Dean Receives Leadership Award

October 12 -

As part of its commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Al Dia News Media is recognizing four Philadelphia leaders – including Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel – for their contributions to the local Hispanic community in health, education, business and civic works.

Ersek to Receive 2017 Norma M. Lang Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy

October 4 -

The award is given annually to a Penn Nursing faculty member or a graduate from the School’s doctoral program who has made a distinguished contribution to nursing through scholarly practice.

Hurricane Irma: Penn Nursing Alum & PEP Prize Winner Volunteers with the Red Cross

September 29 - Recent Penn Nursing graduate Ian McCurry, Nu’17, was assigned to the largest shelter in Florida. Despite its enormity, the lead-up note stated simply, “1,200 patients, multiple medical needs, psych, chronic homeless.”

Understanding Connection Between HIV Transmission and Racial/ Ethnic and Geographical Differences Key to More Effective Interventions

September 28 -

The health effects of where people live, work, and interact are well documented, as are the value of neighborhood-level structural interventions designed to improve health. But place-based characteristics that contribute to disparities in HIV transmission and disease burden are poorly understood, possibly resulting in less-effective HIV risk reduction interventions and programming.

Leary is the Geek of the Year!

September 27 -

The annual award – sponsored by Geekadelphia, Generocity and Technical.ly Phl – honors outstanding achievements in Philadelphia’s vibrant geek community in the areas of innovation, technology and activism.

Rising Obesity Levels Underscore Need for Enhanced Nursing & Post-Acute Transitional Care Models

September 26 -

Elderly, chronically ill people experience frequent changes in health status that require transitions among health care providers and settings. Significant attention has been focused on coordinated transitional care models that assure continuity of care, prevention of hospital readmission, avoidance of complications, and close clinical treatment and management. But specific transitional needs of obese people who need to be transferred to nursing homes for post-acute care are often overlooked.

Penn Nursing Dean Named One of NBC’s Latino 20 for Hispanic Heritage Month

September 25 -

This designation from NBC honors achievers who are making Hispanic communities and the nation better. All of the honorees are fiercely proud of their heritage, which has guided their work and inspired their accomplishments.

American Academy of Nursing Announces New Fellows

September 20 - Seventeen nursing professionals with ties to Penn Nursing will be inducted as 2017 Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). Three are current Penn employees and alumnae; two being current faculty members; and one being a program director from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The additional 14 are Penn Nursing alumni.

Relationship Found Between HIV Risk & Individual AND Community Level Educational Status

September 18 -

African-American men who have sex with men (MSM) remain at heightened risk for HIV infection and account for the largest number of African-Americans living with HIV/AIDS. It has long been understood that there is a clear and persistent association between poverty, transactional sex behavior, and HIV risk. A new University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) study has investigated how educational status relates to HIV risk in this population.

Black Babies More Likely to Have Nursing Care Missed in Their NICU Stay

September 14 -

Everybody wants a healthy life for their baby.  Black babies are more likely to be born prematurely, which puts them at risk for death and developmental problems.  In fact, a third of all infant deaths are preterm-related. The critical period in preterm babies’ lives is when they are just born and are in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The care they receive is vital to a healthy future.

A National Award and Appointment for Riegel

September 14 -

Barbara Riegel, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA, the Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor of Gerontology at Penn Nursing, recently received a national award for her contributions to improving the care of patients with advanced heart failure, and has been appointed to a national task force dedicated to cardiovascular science.

George Demiris Appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor

September 12 -

Demiris, a leader in new technologies for e-health and home-based health care, will hold joint faculty appointments in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences of the School of Nursing and the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics of Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. 

Houstonian, Penn Undergraduate Nursing Student Writes About Hurricane Harvey

September 7 -

Sophomore Anita Söne Itaman gives a first-person account of her family’s experience in the aftermath of the storm that hit at the end of August.

University of Pennsylvania Names Calvin Bland Fellows

September 6 - The University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Futures Project (PFP) has named three Calvin Bland Faculty Fellows to collaborate on research for boys and young men of color. Supported by a $2 million endowment from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Fellows were selected from the faculty at University of Pennsylvania’s Schools of Nursing (Penn Nursing), Graduate School of Education (GSE) and Social Policy & Practice (SP2).

Sigma Theta Tau International Names Therese Richmond its 2017 Episteme Award Recipient

August 29 -

Supported by the Baxter International Foundation, the Prestigious Award Recognizes Richmond’s Research on the Psychological Effects of Violence and Injury

Welcome to the New Academic Year, 2017-2018

August 28 - A Message from Dean Antonia M. Villarruel

Penn Nursing Professor Co-authors New Guidelines for Nutrition Therapy in Critically Ill Children

August 21 -

The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) joined forces to develop new guidelines for the provision of optimal nutritional support therapy for critically ill children ages one month to 18 years of age.

Deans of Three Penn Schools Commit to Continuing Collaborations to Improve the Lives of Philadelphia Children and Families

July 28 - The Penn Futures Project (PFP) kicked off its second year by bringing together academic researchers, officials from Philadelphia and the city school district, and civic leaders for a roundtable on ways to support area children and families.

Study Provides First Evidence for American Nurses Credentialing Center Pathway to Excellence Program in Home Care

July 24 -

In a new study, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR), and the Rutgers University School of Nursing examined the factors influencing the likelihood of missed nursing care in the home care setting. Their findings indicate that home care nurses with poor work environments are more likely to miss required care.

Engaging Islamic Religious Leaders to Improve African American Muslim Women’s Attitudes About Breastfeeding

July 20 - While research has demonstrated the positive impact a woman’s social support network and faith community can have on influencing decisions to breastfeed, little is known regarding the influence of Islamic traditions on the breastfeeding beliefs and practices of African American Muslims.

A Discussion with Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky

July 19 -

Penn Nursing had the pleasure of welcoming Alex Gorsky, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Johnson & Johnson, to Fagin Hall on June 29.

Penn Nursing, Medicine Study: Standardized Policies Needed for How and When Police Interact with Trauma Patients

July 17 - Injured people often interact with police and other law enforcement agents before and during their injury care, particularly when their injuries are due to violence or major motor vehicle crashes. Yet, there are no professional guidelines in trauma medicine or nursing that standardize when and how police interact with injured patients.

New Director of Penn Nursing’s Hillman Scholars Program

June 20 - Nancy A. Hodgson, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Anthony Buividas Term Chair in Gerontology and Associate Professor of Nursing, will assume the role of Director of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation on July 1, 2017.

Little Clinical Evidence Qualifies Utility of Mobile Apps Designed for Palliative Care

June 16 -

The unprecedented digital connectivity and use of smartphone technology have transformed how people access, share, and communicate information – including information about health care. As of mid-2015, there were more than 165,000 mobile health applications (apps) in use worldwide, illustrating the important role of mobile technology in the way health care is delivered and received.

Penn Nursing, CHOP Study: Pediatric Nurses Miss Necessary Care More Often in Poor Work Environments

June 14 -

In a new study, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Center for Health Outcome and Policy Research (CHOPR) and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) examined the factors influencing the likelihood of missed nursing care in a pediatric setting. Their findings indicate that pediatric nurses with poor work environments and higher patient loads are more likely to miss required care.

Four Students First to Graduate with a Double Major that Includes Nutrition Science

June 12 - This year, four graduating seniors from Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Nursing stand out from the crowd because they are the first students to leave Penn with a double major in their primary area as well as Nutrition Science.