John L. Jackson, Jr. named Penn’s next provost
The Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Richard Perry University Professor will begin his appointment on June 1, 2023.
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René Vidal appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor at Penn
Vidal, a global pioneer of data science, has joint appointments in radiology in the Perelman School of Medicine and electrical and systems engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
At Engaging Minds, three Penn Integrates Knowledge Professors take the stage
Alumni heard Lance Freeman examine racial equity in city planning, Dolores Albarracín talk about how conspiracy theories take hold, and Kevin Johnson discuss the importance of clear science communication.
A link between social environment and healthy brains in wild rhesus macaques
Research from Penn, Arizona State University, the National Institute of Mental Health, and elsewhere finds that on the island of Cayo Santiago, female monkeys with a higher social status had younger, more resilient molecular profiles.
Defining neural ‘representation’
Neuroscientists frequently say that neural activity ‘represents’ certain phenomena. PIK Professor Konrad Kording and postdoc Ben Baker led a study that took a philosophical approach to tease out what the term means.
TV news top driver of political echo chambers in U.S.
Duncan Watts and colleagues found that 17% of Americans consume television news from partisan left- or right-leaning sources compared to just 4% online. For TV news viewers, this audience segregation tends to last month over month.
Dorothy Roberts on the future of abortion advocacy
Legal scholar Dorothy Roberts discusses the Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and what it means for abortion access in the U.S.
Dorothy Roberts on ‘Black Families Matter’: Race and Regulation Podcast
In her book, ‘Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World’, Roberts says the U.S. should replace its current family surveillance system with one that improves children’s welfare.
PIK Professor Kevin Johnson: Informatics evangelist
The Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with appointments in Penn Engineering and the Perelman School of Medicine on forging his own path in the fields of health care and computer science.
In the pursuit of scientific truth, working with adversaries can pay off
The Adversarial Collaboration Project, run by Cory Clark and Philip Tetlock, helps scientists with competing perspectives design joint research that tests both arguments.
Desmond Patton appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Patton will be Penn’s Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor, with joint appointments in the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication and a secondary appointment in the Perelman School of Medicine.
Genomic differences selected through evolution may offer clues as to why COVID-19 outcomes vary widely
A team from the University of Pennsylvania analyzed genomic data from global populations, including thousands of ethnically diverse Africans, to identify genetic variants that may be associated with clinical COVID-19 outcomes.
Dirk Trauner appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Trauner, one of the world’s most innovative interdisciplinary chemists, will have joint appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences and in the Perelman School of Medicine.
Ben Franklin: A voice from the past that speaks to our time
At the 2022 Silfen Forum, Penn Interim President Wendell Pritchett chatted with filmmaker Ken Burns about his new two-part documentary on Benjamin Franklin.
Social connections influence brain structure of rhesus macaques
Researchers from Penn, Inserm, and elsewhere observed that the number of grooming partners an individual animal had predicted the size of brain areas associated with social decision-making and empathy.
Keepers of the cultural memory
In wartime, saving human lives is a top priority. But secondary considerations often include preserving the cultural heritage also under siege. Penn experts offer their thoughts as the situation in Ukraine continues to unfold.
New COVID-19 roadmap: Four takeaways
A report spearheaded by PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel, with input from other Penn experts, lays out a dozen priorities for the federal government to tackle in the next 12 months. The aim: to help guide the U.S. to the pandemic’s ‘next normal.’
Lance Freeman appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Interim President Wendell Pritchett and Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein announce the appointment of Lance Freeman as the University of Pennsylvania’s 29th Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor.
Do success stories cause false beliefs about success?
Does explicitly acknowledging bias make us less likely to make biased decisions? A new study examining how people justify decisions based on biased data finds that this is not exactly the case.
Inspiring people, place, and purpose
Penn President Amy Gutmann’s record tenure of nearly 18 years is the University’s most transformative.
Studying the past through a modern-day lens
In a Q & A, archaeologist and PIK Professor Lynn Meskell discusses her background, the subjects that interest her—from espionage to World Heritage sites—and collaborations that have organically arisen at Penn despite the pandemic and a mostly remote first year.
Hard barriers and soft power: Study assesses outsider perceptions of border walls
Two researchers explore how border walls damage a country’s international image, with real soft power implications.
Ten from Penn elected 2021 AAAS Fellows
Faculty from the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Annenberg School for Communication, and Wharton School are among those honored.
Anti-racism and reproductive justice
Alexis McGill Johnson of Planned Parenthood joined PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts in the 21st annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture in Social Justice.
Landmark gift endows Penn Integrates Knowledge Professorship in honor of Amy Gutmann
A $5 million commitment from James S. and Gail Petty Riepe will endow a new PIK Professorship in recognition of Dr. Gutmann’s distinguished tenure as Penn’s longest-serving President
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
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
A new study from the Annenberg School for Communication finds that religious individuals in Appalachian and Midwestern states were more likely to support punitive drug policies.
When trust in science fosters pseudoscience
A study co-authored by PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín finds that people who trust science are more likely to believe and disseminate false claims containing scientific references than people who do not trust science.
Dolores Albarracín appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Albarracín will be the Alexandra Heyman Nash University Professor, with joint appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication and the Department of Family and Community Health in the School of Nursing.
Kevin Johnson appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Johnson, the University’s 27th PIK Professor, will hold joint appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication.
A modified game of ‘chicken’ reveals what happens in the brain during decision-making
Research from the Platt Labs found that in rhesus macaques, two regions of the brain mirror those of similar regions in humans, broadening the understanding of what unfolds, neurologically, when people interact and cooperate.
Lynn Meskell appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
The world-renowned archaeologist has joint appointments in the Department of Anthropology, the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation and the Department of City and Regional Planning, and the Penn Museum as a curator in both the Asian and Near East sections.
Roberto Gonzales appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
The world-renowned scholar of the lives of immigrants in the United States, will be the Richard Perry University Professor, with joint appointments in the Department of Sociology of the School of Arts & Sciences and in the Graduate School of Education.
Crowd-sourcing optogenetics data to tackle neurological diseases
The specialized field of neuroscience, optogenetics, shows clinical promise for conditions like epilepsy and Parkinson’s. But before human trials can get fully underway, the field must better understand a crucial intermediate step, aided by 45 labs in nine countries sharing information.
Gaze and pupil dilation can reveal a decision before it’s made
These two biomarkers may offer clues into the underlying biological processes at play in decision making, according to research from neuroscientist Michael Platt.
Karen Tani named a Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Karen Tani has been named the University of Pennsylvania’s 24th Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor, effective July 1.
Gutmann, Moreno op-ed details ‘ethical mess’ of health care system
“Surely our fellow Americans with life-threatening diseases of all sorts are also worth saving,” they write.
The future of Annenberg, with John L. Jackson Jr. at the helm
Under his leadership, the school is poised to further engage in the pressing cultural, political, and ideological conversations happening in today’s unprecedented media landscape.
Duncan Watts appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett are pleased to announce the appointment of Duncan Watts as the University of Pennsylvania’s twenty-third Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor.
Thoughts from a medical ethicist on gene editing babies
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno discusses using CRISPR technology on humans and the future of the field.
‘The Power of Penn’ propels forward
In Los Angeles, President Amy Gutmann continues the kickoff of the University’s bold campaign to raise $4.1 billion.
Penn names inaugural faculty co-directors of the Office of Penn First Plus Students
University of Pennsylvania Provost Wendell Pritchett has announced the appointments of Camille Charles and Robert Ghrist as the inaugural faculty co-directors of the Office of Penn First Plus Students.
In the News
In the News
Financial Times
Can you predict the year ahead better than superforecasters?
PIK Professor Philip Tetlock is noted for co-founding the Good Judgment project at Penn in response to a search for the best methods to forecast geopolitical events.
1/22/2023
The Washington Post
Drug shortages are an urgent national danger. Here’s how we fix them
In an Op-Ed, PIK Professor Ezekiel J. Emanuel writes that the fragility of outsourced pharmaceutical supply chains is a risk to U.S. national security and health.
1/16/2023
Axios
Congress’ pandemic prep effort receives mixed reviews
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that Congress’ bipartisan PREVENT Pandemics Act isn’t fixing the aspects that led to a bad COVID response, which doesn’t bode well for future variants and pandemics.
12/21/2022
Chicago Tribune
Jeffery Leving: Illinois should follow federal guidance and stop charging parents for their kids’ foster care
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts says that Black families are twice as likely as white families to be negatively affected by the foster care system.
12/19/2022
CBC Radio (Canada)
The push to list the Great Barrier Reef as endangered
On an episode of “The Current with Matt Galloway,” PIK Professor Lynn Meskell discusses whether the Great Barrier Reef could be added to UNESCO’s endangered list.
12/15/2022
Science
Prehistoric carvings depict showdowns between humans and beasts
PIK Professor Lynn Meskell says that newly discovered prehistoric artwork needs to be considered alongside archaeological evidence like food remains, human skeletons, and other artifacts.
12/7/2022
Salon.com
Fixing foster care wouldn't actually be that hard—or that expensive
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts argues for dismantling the current “multi-billion-dollar apparatus” of foster care, since the bulk of its investigations and removals penalize specific families for poverty.
12/4/2022
KQED Radio (San Francisco)
How Twitter became one of the world’s preferred platforms for sharing ideas
PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that Twitter has issues that need to be fixed, but that the tool has more hope and potential than negativity.
11/22/2022
Slate.com
The Clinton-era adoption law that still devastates Black families today
In an Op-Ed, PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts urges the repeal of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 for its negative impact on Black families.
11/21/2022
Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien
First-time home buyers priced out by high mortgage rates and price points
PIK Professor Lance Freeman discusses the forces that first-time home buyers must fight against when it comes to gentrification.
11/20/2022
KPFA
Abolition and the child welfare system w/ Dorothy Roberts
On an episode of “Law and Disorder,” PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts addresses the widespread impact and damage done to Black Americans by agencies like Child Protective Services.
11/8/2022
The New York Times
‘Kind of awkward’: Doctors find themselves on a first-name basis
PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno recalls when it was unheard-of to call doctors by their first names, both in his own family and in the popular culture of the 1960s and ’70s.
10/13/2022
Vice
Why you should be worried about the Supreme Court
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts appears on an episode of “System Error” to explain how the overturning of Roe v. Wade has impacted and disenfranchised women, particularly Black women.
10/1/2022
The Guardian
Biden’s claim that COVID pandemic is over sparks debate over future
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that President Biden’s remarks reflect the general population’s current disregard of masks and pandemic precautions.
9/24/2022
ABC Australia
World Heritage—too much of a good thing?
PIK Professor Lynn Meskell, also of the Penn Museum, joins a radio conversation to discuss how the World Heritage Convention has become a victim of its own success.
9/17/2022
Nature
Billion-dollar U.S. health agency gets new chief—but its direction remains in limbo
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel applauds President Biden’s choice of Renee Wegrzyn as new head of ARPA-H, though he hopes Wegrzyn will keep the agency prioritized on health over medicine.
9/12/2022
USA Today
Livestreamed violence compounds America’s horror and inspires copycats, experts say. When will it stop?
PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that the digital trail of evidence left by violent criminals needs study, resources, and intervention to avoid exacerbating community trauma and damaging mental health, especially for people of color.
9/10/2022
Healthcare Dive
Ezekiel Emanuel on the state of COVID-19 in the US and the ‘major issue’ of health care burnout
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel discusses the nation’s new attitude towards COVID-19 and explains what’s known about long COVID.
9/6/2022
New York Magazine
Dorothy Roberts tried to warn us
A profile on PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts explores her past work detailing the criminalization of pregnancy, 25 years before the demise of Roe v. Wade.
9/6/2022
“Midday,” WYPR Radio (Baltimore)
Dorothy Roberts’ ‘Torn Apart’ spotlights inequities in foster care
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts discusses the release of her book “Torn Apart,” which argues that the nation’s child welfare system deprives Black families of fundamental rights and should be dismantled.
8/31/2022