Archive of Senior Fellow News and Sightings

David Casarett, MD, MA, , is interviewed on WHYY Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane, discussing how health care providers manage difficult but necessary conversations about palliative care with patients and their families. (10/28/09) WHYY segment

Scott Harrington, PhD has an Op Ed piece "Competition and Health Insurance" published in the Wall Street Journal (10/21/09) Wall Street Journal article

Caryn Lerman, PhD is quoted in a Globe and Mail article about the effect of stress on cancer.The Globe and Mail article

Charles Branas, PhD is quoted in a Daily News article about gun violence. (10/02/09)Daily News article, UPI article

A recent study by Dr. David Asch, that looks at how obstetrics and gynecology residency programs differ in the quality of the physicians they produce is cited in two articles: "Better Residency Programs May Make Better Ob/Gyns" in MedPage Today (9/23/09) and "Having a Baby: Training and the Quality of an Obstetrician" in the New York Times (9/28/09)

Richard Shannon, MD co-authored an opinion article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, discussing Pennsylvania’s leading role in the reporting of medical outcomes. (9/23/09) Phildelphia Inquirer Opinion article

David Grande, MD, MPA, discusses drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline's announcement regarding changes in the way it pays for physician-training sessions, in the Philadelphia Inquirer. (9/22/09) Philadelphia Inquirer article

Richard Cooper, MD, LDI Senior Fellow and professor of Medicine was quoted in a Washington Post article about how President Obama often cites The Mayo Clinic as his model for national heath-care reform.(9/20/09) Washington Post article

Karin Rhodes, MD, MS, Director, Division of Health Policy Research, and Joanna Bisgaier, MSW, comment in a letter to the Wall Street Journal about Medicare reform (9/18/09) letter

Scott Harrington, PhD discusses President Obama's demonization of private health insurance in an article published int he Wall Street Journal titled(9/14/09) "Fact-checking the President on Health Insurance"

Richard Cooper, MD has an Op Ed piece "Wrong Map for Health Reform" published in the Washington Post (9/10/09) Op Ed Piece

Many media outlets covered a new Brookings Institute report on critical aspects of health care reform, developed by a group of 10 nationally recognized policy experts. The group included LDI Senior Fellow Mark Pauly, PhD and focused on the need to contain health care costs. (Kaiser Health News, Sept. 1, 2009) Brookings Report

Mark Pauly, PhD LDI Senior Fellow is quoted in a Philadelphia Inquirer article 'Public option' and its role in health-care debate" Inquirer Article (8/18/09)

David Casarett, MD, MA an LDI Senior Fellow discusses end-of-life issues in the context of new health care legislation in an NPR All Things Considered interview NPR Interview (8/18/09)

Scott Harrington, PhD discusses the cost/benefit of Health Co-Ops in a Wall Street Journal Article (8/14/09) Health Co-Ops: Slow Road to Government Care

LDI Senior Fellow, Raina Merchant's MD, study on the value of therapeutic hypothermia in preserving brain function following cardiac arrest is featured on ABC 6 (8/10/09)

LDI Senior Fellow, Mary Naylor, PHD, RN, FAAN, discusses how a "Transitional Care Model" for geriatric patients just discharged from the hospital will reduce re-entry rates and costs. (NPR Story, 7/28/09)

Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Health Incentives at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics discusses behavioral and system interventions when considering what kinds of comparative effectiveness research studies to undertake in The Pink Sheet. (The Pink Sheet article 7/27/09)

LDI Senior Fellows Mark Pauly, PhD, Kevin Volpp, PhD, and Richard Cooper, MD discuss the need for more primary care physicians if health care reform increases the pool of insured Americans (Knowledge@Wharton 7/22/09).

LDI Senior Fellow Flaura Winston discusses the emotional impact that injury has on children (USA Today, 7/16/09)

LDI Senior Fellow David Casarett discusses how patients and family members react to terminal illness (CNN, 5/12/09)

LDI Senior Fellow David Grande talks about the impact of pharmaceutical company gifts on medical students (Globe and Mail, 5/11/09)

LDI Senior Fellow Jalpa Doshi comments on her findings that many veterans forego needed medications when copayments rise. (Washington Post, 1/12/09)

Congratulations to Charles C. Branas, PhD, Eric Bradlow, PhD and Joshua P. Metlay, MD, PhD, who are three of eight faculty members named as inaugural Penn Fellows, a leadership-development program that recognizes faculty in mid-career. Penn Fellows build networks across the University, meet with distinguished academic leaders, think strategically about university governance and participate in monthly dinners with prominent speakers from within Penn and beyond.

LDI Senior Fellow Jerry Jacobs and his colleague Ann Boulis have just published a book on women physicians entitled, The Changing Face of Medicine.

LDI is pleased to congratulate Senior Fellows Sandy Schwartz and Ralph Muller on their election to the Institute of Medicine.

Congratulations to LDI Senior Fellow Flaura Winston, MD, PhD, and her research team for receiving the 2008 Injury Prevention and Control Health Impact Award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

LDI Senior Fellow Caryn Lerman discusses new evidence that some smokers may be genetically prone to concentration and memory problems during quit attempts. (WHYY Radio Times, 1/2/09)

LDI Senior Fellow David Casarett finds that Medicare eligibility rules on hospice care restrict use by those most in need, disproportionately affecting African Americans (United Press International, December 26, 2008).

Multiple media outlets, including Good Morning America, featured LDI Senior Fellow Kevin Volpp, director of the new LDI Center for Health Incentives. He talked about research linking financial incentives to weight loss. For a sampling of the media coverage, click below. (NYT, 12/9/08)

On radio, LDI Senior Fellows Jason Karlawish, and Mark Salzer comment on the voting rights of people with cognitive disabilities. (WHYY, 11/4/08)

In conjunction with Penn’s Department of Medicine, LDI has established a new Center for Health Incentives (CHI) to generate and apply evidence on financial incentives to promote healthy behaviors. LDI Senior Fellow Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, will direct the CHI.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dan Polsky, PhD as LDI’s new Director of Research. Dan is Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Care Management at the School of Medicine and the Wharton School and has just returned to campus after a year advising the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

Congratulations to LDI Senior Fellow Terry Richmond, PhD, CRNP for receiving the prestigious Pioneering Spirit Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). The award, sponsored by GE Healthcare, recognizes her pioneering work in firearm injuries and violence. She accepted the award at the AACN’s national meeting in Chicago in May 2008.

LDI Senior Fellow Craig Pollack talks about his forthcoming research on the links between foreclosure and health status. (CBS3, 11/26/08)

LDI Senior Fellow Josh Metlay talks about the importance of proper instructions to prevent bleeding complications in patients taking a blood thinner. (UPI, 10/27/08, Consult 10/30/08)

Knowledge@Wharton interviews LDI Senior Fellows on the presidential candidates' positions on health care and entitlements. (Knowledge@Wharton, 10/15/08)

In an op-ed piece, LDI Executive Director David Asch asks, "If we can bail out the banking sector, can't we "bail out" our sickest and most vulnerable citizens?" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/02/08)

LDI Senior Fellow Peter Groeneveld comments on a new study that demonstrates the benefits of drug-coated stents over bare-metal stents for heart attack patients (US News & World Report, September 25, 2008)

LDI Senior Fellow Mehret Mandefro, MD, MSc is featured in "All of Us," a documentary about HIV/AIDS and African-American women in New York. See reviews in the September 19, 2008 New York Times and the September 16, 2008 Village Voice

LDI Senior Fellow Dennis Culhane comments on the remarkable reduction in chronic homelessness
(New York Times, July 28, 2008)

LDI Senior Fellow Tara Lagu comments on her recent study that discovered that blogs written by medical professionals may pose a threat to patient privacy (US News & World Report, August 7, 2008)

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has awarded LDI Senior Fellow Brian Strom its 2008 John Phillips Memorial Award. Since 1929, the ACP has bestowed this award for outstanding work in clinical medicine. Kudos to Brian on this well-deserved honor.

At a May 8, 2008 celebration, Sankey V. Williams, MD, Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, was honored with a video tribute.

LDI Senior Fellow Dennis Culhane comments on the remarkable reduction in chronic homelessness
(New York Times, July 28, 2008)

In April, three LDI Senior Fellows were honored at the Society for General Internal Medicine’s annual meeting: Sankey Williams received SGIM’s highest award, the Robert J. Glaser Award; Virginia Chang, received the Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year Award; and David Grande, received the Hamolsky Award for his scientific presentation at the annual meeting.

LDI Senior Fellow Mark Pauly is quoted on the unsustainability of the present Medicare program
(New York Times, July 20, 2008)

LDI Senior Fellow Kevin Volpp explains why paying people can be an effective way to encourage healthy behaviors
(Canada.com and multiple newspapers across Canada, July 2, 2008)

LDI Senior Fellow Shiriki Kumanyika chaired an American Heart Association Committee that has recommended a broader, community-based approach to cutting obesity rates
(ABC News, July 1, 2008)


LDI Senior Fellow Steve Kimmel talks about his ongoing study testing the effectiveness of a lottery system in prodding patients to take the prescription drugs they need. LDI Senior Fellow Kevin Volpp is the co-investigator on the study
(Hartford Courant, June 22, 2008)

LDI Senior Fellows Robert Hornik, Joshua Metlay and Therese Richmond received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching

LDI Senior Fellow Sandy Schwartz joins the US Preventive Services Task Force, the leading independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care

LDI Senior Fellow Scott Halpern receives ATS Fellow Career Development Award

LDI Executive Director David Asch receives VA Under Secretary's Award

In a commentary, LDI Senior Fellow Brendan Carr and C. William Schwab describe the impact of handgun violence and urge the Supreme Court to uphold the Washington DC ban on firearms (Philadelphia Inquirer, June 16, 2008)

LDI Senior Fellow Flaura Winston conducts a question and answer session about how to make teen driving safer (Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2008)


LDI Senior Fellow Eric Bradlow and Wharton colleagues write an article refuting the use of Roger Clemens' career statistics to prove his innocence (New York Times, 2/10/08)


LDI Senior Fellow Dennis Culhane talks about the need to prevent homelessness. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/7/08)


LDI Senior Fellow Virginia Chang discusses her study on the link between obesity and the location of fast food restaurants vs. full service restaurants (Washington Post, 1/25/08)


LDI Senior Fellow Mark Pauly comments on health insurers' use of clinical evidence to deny payment (Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/13/08)

LDI Senior Fellow Charlie Branas discusses the risk of being shot near take out alcohol outlets (ABC News, 7/19/07).


LDI Senior Fellow Flaura Winston is interviewed about her new study on the dangers of distractions for teen drivers (ABC News, Jan. 25, 2007)


LDI Senior Fellow Dennis Culhane discusses preliminary results from Massachusetts that suggest that most resources devoted to combatting homelessness are not getting to families most in need. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/2/07)


LDI Research Director and Senior Fellow Katrina Armstrong talks about new evidence that early treatment of prostate cancer may lengthen survival for elderly men.
(Philadelphia Tribune online, 12/19/06)


LDI Senior Fellow Richard Cooper comments on the downside of "boutique medicine." (CBS News, 7/20/06)


Senior Fellow Flaura Winston's crash data study confirms child safety seats, boosters offer survival advantage to child passengers. (PRNewswire, (6/05/06)


Senior Fellow Shiriki Kumanyika, PhD, MPH, comments on the reasons poorer teens are more apt to be fat. (Baltimore Sun - 5/24/06) Note - If you do not have an account with the Baltimore Sun, you will be required to register. Registration is free.


Senior Fellow Caryn Lerman conducts smoking study that has researchers one step closer to tailored treatment to help smokers quit smoking (Science Daily - 5/19/06)

Researchers from Penn and CHOP, including LDI Senior Fellow James Lewis, conduct study that proves childhood arthritis raises risk of broken bones. (Medical News Today - 5/12/06)


Senior Fellow Judith Long discusses ways to reduce health disparities (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/20/06)


LDI Senior Fellow David Casarett comments on quality of care in for-profit hospices (Reuters, 4/10/06)

Senior Fellow Art Caplan discusses the ethics of informed consent for the patient receiving the world's first partial face transplant (Baltimore Sun, 12/04/2005)


LDI Senior Fellow Dennis Culhane, Director of Penn's Cartographic Modeling Laboratory, comments on the potential applications of electronic 3-D computer modeling of buildings and places (NY Times, 2/17/05).


LDI Senior Fellow Charles Branas notes that gun suicides in rural areas equal gun homicides in urban areas (NY Times, 2/13/05)

LDI Senior Fellow Brian Strom voices concerns about the possibility of cholesterol-lowering drugs becoming available without a prescription. (NY Times, 1/13/05)

LDI Senior Fellows Art Caplan and Jason Karlawish comment on ensuring voting rights for the aging and mentally ill: At what point is someone too impaired to cast a ballot? (MSNBC News 9/14/04)

LDI Senior Fellow Chris Feudtner comments on as diseases become more treatable, ethical challenges emerge. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/5/04)

LDI Senior Fellow Terry Richmond comments on Philadelphia's high murder rate, relative to New York.

LDI Senior Fellow Jason Karlawish comments on the limitations of current drugs for Alzheimer's (NY Times, (4/7/04).

LDI Senior Fellow Brian Strom comments on the marketing of new blockbuster drugs (Phila. Inquirer, 3/10/04)

LDI Senior Fellow Rob Field is interviewed on NPR about new genetic tests that can predict individual reactions to many prescription drugs. (6/25/03) (segment starts 4:16 into the broadcast)

LDI Senior Fellows Linda Aiken and Maureen McClausland comment about the nationwide nursing shortage in the Philadelphia Inquirer (10/10/00)

LDI Senior Fellow Mark Pauly comments on Penn's financial turnaround this year (9/15/00)

Dennis Culhane, LDI Senior Fellow, discusses homelessness and public shelter in an online forum on 7/27/00 . go to transcript

LDI Senior Fellow Peter Ubel discussed the high cost of prescription drugs, on NPR's "Fresh Air." (7/13/00)

LDI Senior Fellow Glenn McGee was interviewed on NPR about the future of genetics research. (6/26/00). And McGee and colleague David Magnus comment on the ethical and social impact of genetic breakthroughs in The Philadelphia Inquirer. (6/29/00)

NPR Interview	Inquirer article

Children ages 2-5 using seat belts are four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury as young children in car seats or booster seats, according to a study by Senior Fellow Flaura Winston. (06/06/00)

Dr. Winston and colleagues were also featured in the New York Times and USA Today. The researchers found that children who are not buckled up are three times more likely to be seriously hurt in a traffic accident. (5/23/00)

The New York Times:	USA Today: