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Penn Integrates Knowledge Professors
Want to reduce political polarization? Start by looking beyond politics
New research from PIK University Professor Duncan Watts sheds light on how even hardliners can be swayed when coming in contact with opposing viewpoints.
A novel theory on how conspiracy theories take shape
In a new book, Dolores Albarracín, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, and colleagues show that two factors—the conservative media and societal fear and anxiety—have driven recent widespread conspiracies, from Pizzagate to those around COVID-19 vaccines.
PIK Professor Kevin Johnson named University Professor
Kevin Johnson, who has appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication, will become the David L. Cohen University Professor.
New insights into T-cell exhaustion could improve cancer immunotherapies
A new Penn Medicine study finds that suppressing key exhaustion genes may allow CAR T cell treatments to be used much more effectively against pancreatic and other solid cancers.
University professorships for Konrad Kording, George Demiris
Kording, a data scientist who studies the brain, will become the Nathan Francis Mossell University Professor. Demiris, a gerontologist who studies IT to support older adults, will become the Mary Alice Bennett University Professor.
Putting community first, in a new social justice initiative
The Community Collaboratory for Co-Creation, led by Penn Nursing and Penn Engineering, will focus on research, education, and community engagement and outreach.
‘Black Families Matter’
In a lecture organized by the Penn Program on Regulation, PIK Professor Dorothy E. Roberts argued that the U.S. child welfare system is designed to police Black families, not to protect children, and must be abolished and replaced with a new vision of family support and child safety.
Mandates likely work to increase vaccine uptake
Rather than causing a backlash, vaccination requirements will succeed at getting more people inoculated, according to research from PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín and colleagues at Penn.
Penn concludes landmark fundraising and engagement campaign with extraordinary results
The Campaign exceeded its initial goal, making this fundraising and engagement effort the most successful in Penn’s history.
In rural America, religious attendance reduces compassion regarding opioids
Rural areas—particularly those in Appalachian and Midwestern states—are hard hit by the opioid epidemic. However, many individuals in those same states do not support policies scientifically proven to help, like medically aided treatment and syringe exchanges.
In the News
There is one major element missing from the debate on kids and social media
In an opinion essay, PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that gun violence needs to be part of the conversation about how smartphones and social media impact young people.
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How to die in good health
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that incessantly preparing for old age mistakes a long life for a worthwhile one.
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Many cancer drugs remain unproven five years after accelerated approval, a study finds
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that there should be definitive benefits to cancer drugs five years after their initial accelerated approval.
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How much would you pay to make sure you never sawed off a finger?
PIK Professor Herbert Hovenkamp says that the Consumer Protection Safety Commission deals with problems of safety, not competition implications.
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Scholars at risk in their own countries find a new home at Penn
Penn Global’s Scholars-at-Risk program is featured. Global’s Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Scott Moore, Penn Carey Law’s Eric Feldman, and Wharton’s Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, along with former and current scholars Angel Alvarado, Pavel Golubev, and Jawad Moradi are interviewed.
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Monopoly case pits Justice Department against Apple’s antitrust winning streak
PIK Professor Herbert Hovenkamp says that the government has an uphill climb to convince a court that Apple’s policies result in higher prices and hurt consumers, rather than protecting them.
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