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At this moment, more than 118,000 people in the United States are in need of a lifesaving organ transplant. And 64 percent of them are currently on a waiting list – to which roughly 1 person is added every 10 minutes – according to the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). That’s 75,868 people in line for a transplant. Unfortunately, only about half of them will actually receive the transplant they need this year. In an effort to encourage more people to register as organ and tissue donors, folks at Penn Medicine are tackling the issue from a few different angles – from advocacy to research to policy.

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A new study published in Nature provides clues that could enhance physicians’ ability to pinpoint, in real-time, which patients are not responding to therapy – and intervene with additional drugs to boost the chances of shrinking tumors.

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The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) has honored two members of the Penn community with its 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health award, which recognizes the next generation of thought leaders in reducing healthcare disparities.

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Men who attended a structured yoga class twice a week during prostate cancer radiation treatment reported less fatigue and better sexual and urinary function than those who didn’t, according to a clinical trial led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. It is the first randomized trial to look at the effect of twice-weekly yoga on the side-effects and quality of life issues caused by prostate cancer treatment.

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On March 10, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) increased the limit on work shifts for first-year physicians from 16 to 24 hours – allowing additional hours beyond that to ensure continuity and education, consistent with the limits in place for residents in their second year and beyond. In a Perspective published by the New England Journal of Medicine, David A. Asch, MD, MBA, a professor of Medicine at the Perelman School and of Healthcare Management at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, says that while the new rules may inflame ongoing controversies, a central message is that ACGME is raising the evidentiary standards for policy in medical education.

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Two doctors in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have been awarded Immuno-Oncology Innovative Research Grants (IRG) by Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). Michael Farwell, MD, an assistant professor of Radiology, and Gregory L. Beatty, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Hematology Oncology, and are two of just 10 researchers to receive these grants.

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A new imaging test may provide the ability to identify ovarian cancer patients who are candidates for an emerging treatment that targets a key enzyme cancer cells need to survive.

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Kristen W. Lynch, PhD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, following eight years as a tenured faculty member in the department.

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A new analysis of patients who have undergone treatment for prostate cancer shows a connection between androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) – a testosterone-lowering therapy and a common treatment for the disease – and dementia, according to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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The National Organization for Rare Disorders will present Penn Medicine’s Frederick S. Kaplan, MD, with a 2017 Rare Impact Award, which recognizes those working to make a difference in the lives of people with rare diseases.

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First-of-its kind study finds number of traumatic experiences and when they first occur significantly affects the risk of depression during menopause

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University of Pennsylvania cancer and HIV gene therapy pioneer Carl June, MD, has been named as a member of the 2017 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy.

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From using fluid in the lungs to better understand the potential of immunotherapy treatments in lung cancer, to tracking circulating tumor cells in prostate cancer, to conducting RNA sequencing of cancer cell clusters from the blood of pancreatic cancer patients, to finding new ways to biopsy tissue from patients who may have esophageal cancer, a series of studies from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrate the promise of new diagnostic methods.

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Doctors in Penn Medicine’s Division of Plastic Surgery recently performed their 5,000th free flap reconstructive surgery – in which tissue is taken from another part of the body and used to improve the appearance of a wound or scar. Focusing on breast reconstructions, as well as head and neck surgeries and leg surgeries, Penn has become the largest free flap reconstruction center in the United States by volume.

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Scott Halpern, MD, PhD,MBEPeter J. Snyder, MDTranslational Science 2017The ACTS Distinguished Investigator Award recognizes senior investigators whose innovative research or education leadership has significantly impacted clinical and translational science. The AFMR Outstanding Investigator Award is presented annually to an investigator age 45 or younger in recognition of excellence in biomedical research.

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Perelman School of Medicine at the University of PennsylvaniathLinton Whitaker, MD, professor and chief emeritus of Plastic Surgery, received the Clinician of the Year award, one of the most esteemed awards in the field. Joseph Serletti, MD, chief of Plastic Surgery, received the Robert Goldwyn American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons Mentor of the Year award.

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Currently, only 44 percent of adults in the United States receive an annual flu vaccination. Though the rate has increased in recent years, the change has been slow and marginal. But, a new study suggests that a simple behavioral economics technique known as “active choice” may be able to help. In the study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania programmed electronic health records (EHR) to alert care providers when a patient was eligible, and prompt them to choose to “accept” or “decline” a flu vaccination order. Results showed a six percent increase over clinics that did not use the alert system, representing a 37 percent relative increase in vaccinations from the prior year. The study is published online this month in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

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The new Albert Chadwick Research Room inside the Roberts Proton Therapy Center is no ordinary laboratory space. In fact, there’s nothing else quite like it anywhere else in the United States, and whether it’s treating patients with cancer or helping NASA with its plans to send astronauts to Mars, the discoveries that could propel scientists forward will happen right here.

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Current federal anti-kickback laws prohibit pharmaceutical companies and providers from bribing patients to seek their goods and services. Unfortunately, the laws also prevent hospitals from offering services that could potentially benefit patients, such as free rides to elderly or disabled patients to help them get to their appointments.

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Building on earlier work in designing chimeric human-simian immunodeficiency viruses (SHIVs) that serve as a model of HIV infection of humans, George M. Shaw, MD, PhD, a professor of Hematology/Oncology and Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received $16.3 million over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop a long-sought-after HIV vaccine.

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University of Pennsylvania, has received the 2017 Scientific Innovations Award from the Chicago-based Brain Research Foundation, which supports research for preventing and treating neurological diseases.

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Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a method that appears to provide earlier warning of organ transplant rejection compared to standard methods, and requires only a blood test rather than a more invasive and painful needle biopsy.

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Pembrolizumab, an antibody drug already used to treat other forms of cancer, can be effective in the treatment of the most common form of mesothelioma, according to a new study led by investigators from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, published this month in The Lancet Oncology, is the first to show a positive impact from checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy drugs on this disease.

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A typical intervention for PE patients includes anticoagulants in an effort to prevent migration of the blood clot, but the higher-risk PE population – about 30 percent of all PE patients – are potential candidates for catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) and systemic thrombolysis (ST), both of which employ “clot-busting” medications known as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). However, in a new study presented today at the American College of Cardiology 66th Annual Scientific Session, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found that the utilization rates of these potentially life-saving medications are low, particularly in the sub-group of PE patients who are critically ill.

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“Regina’s ability to lead across many areas and her deep understanding of hospital operations, especially the role of nursing, were key factors in this appointment,” said University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) CEO Ralph W. Muller.  “As we embark on greater integration of service lines across the hospitals and physician practices, and continuously focus on quality, we are confident that Regina’s thoughtful leadership, collaborative style, and expertise in administrative matters will serve the Health System well.

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For patients with persistent AF or those who are at high risk for recurring AF, catheter ablation – a minimally invasive procedure in which the areas of the heart causing the irregularity are cauterized – is recommended, followed most often by continued use of blood thinners, regardless of whether the ablation procedure was effective. In new study presented today at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found that patients with persistent AF, who are successfully treated with ablation many, in fact, no longer need blood thinners.

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PHILADELPHIA – Adolescence marks not only the period of physical maturation bridging childhood and adulthood, but also a crucial period for remodeling of the human brain. A Penn study reveals new patterns of coordinated development in the outer layer of the cerebrum of the human brain and describes how these structural patterns relate to functional networks.

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A study released today by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania documents the patient out-of-pocket cost burden under Medicare prescription drug plans (known as Medicare Part D) and finds that despite having insurance, Medicare patients using specialty drugs paid thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs in a calendar year. Study authors also propose policy changes that would help patients better predict monthly bills for critical medications.

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Kristy Weber, MD, chief of Orthopaedic Oncology for the University of Pennsylvania Health System and director of the Sarcoma Program in the Abramson Cancer Center, is poised to become the first woman to lead the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Weber will serve as second vice president from 2017 to 2018, as first vice president from 2018 to 2019, and she will become the Academy’s president in 2019.

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The University of Pennsylvania has announced new leaders in three top posts.

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Treating the brain with a preventative course of radiation may help Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) patients – whose tumors often spread to their brain -- live longer, according to a new study from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. A separate study revealed that the most commonly-targeted mutation of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is most likely to result in progression at the primary site.

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The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the 20th year in a row. According to the annual medical school survey in U.S. News & World Report's “Best Graduate Schools” report, Penn Medicine is ranked #5 in the country.

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Renowned cardiac metabolism expert Daniel P. Kelly, MD, has been named director of the Penn Cardiovascular Institute, a multi-disciplinary group of researchers and physicians dedicated to scientific discoveries and medical breakthroughs in heart and vascular care. He will lead a cross-disciplinary team of basic, translational and clinical researchers, leveraging laboratory research to develop the next generation of therapies for cardiovascular disease.

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Guo-li Ming, MD, PhD, and Hongjun Song, PhD, internationally renowned neuroscientists, have been appointed professors in the department of Neuroscience in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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The U.S. medical community needs a better understanding of the biology of pain and how it plays out in individuals to be able to combat the national epidemic of addiction to painkillers.

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Several public health insurance programs and mandates that were protected or extended by the ACA, including Medicaid, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), are now at risk of being negatively altered or removed, posing a serious threat to the health and well-being of children and adults with disabilities according to a new perspective paper published by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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In a Viewpoint published this week in JAMA Surgery, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, argue for more research on firearm injury, including the establishment of a national database on incidents of gun violence. The authors point to recent research showing that in Philadelphia, gun murders and injuries are much more strongly associated with race than neighborhood income levels.

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By comparing two strains of mice -- one that becomes obese and diabetic on a high-fat diet and another resistant to a high-fat regimen -- researchers identified genome-wide changes caused by a high-fat diet.

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Implicit gender bias has long been suspected in many medical training programs, but until recently has been difficult to study objectively. Now, for the first time, a nationally standardized milestone evaluation system for emergency medicine residents is shining a light on these potential biases. In study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that although male and female emergency medicine specialists start off residency on an equal playing field, by the end of the three-year training program male residents, on average, received higher evaluations on all 23 emergency medicine training categories – including medical knowledge, patient safety, team management, and communication.

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There is new hope for the hundreds of millions of women worldwide who have been subjected to genital mutilation. A surgeon in Penn Medicine’s Center for Human Appearance has developed a reconstructive procedure that can increase sexual function and, patients’ early experiences suggest, help heal the emotional and psychological wounds associated with the mutilation.

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Over the past few decades, hundreds of patient-advocacy organizations have emerged in the United States, promoting disease research and influencing FDA and health insurer policies. Now, a new study reveals a large proportion of these organizations have funding or other connections with drug or medical device makers, yet do not adequately disclose the details of these connections or have publicly accessible policies in place describing how they manage them.

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Using antibodies to treat disease has been one of the great success stories of early 21st-century medicine. Already five of the ten top-selling pharmaceuticals in the United States are antibody products. But antibodies are large, complex proteins that can be expensive to manufacture. Now, a team led by scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrates in an animal model a new way to deliver safer and more cost-effective therapeutic antibodies.

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A team engineered mice with the G1 and G2 APOL1 gene mutations that cause human-like kidney disease to study these gene variants found almost exclusively in people of West African descent. These mutations carry an increased risk of kidney disease. The study established that these mutations are disease causing.

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Since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, which provided access to health insurance to millions of previously uninsured adults in the United States, the availability of appointments with primary care physicians has improved for patients with Medicaid and remains unchanged for patients with private coverage, according to new research led by the Perelman School of Medicine and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, which compared new patient appointment availability in 10 states between 2012/13 (before the Affordable Care Act came into effect) and 2016, is published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Fathers who use cocaine at the time of conceiving a child may be putting their sons at risk of learning disabilities and memory loss. The findings of the animal study were published online in Molecular Psychiatry by a team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Unlike the self-repair abilities of our skin, bone and other tissues, which can readily heal and rebuild themselves after injury, evolution has left the mammalian heart with relatively little regenerative capacity. Finding new ways to repair and protect a broken heart is the core of labs like those of physician-scientists Jon Epstein, MD, executive vice dean and chief science officer at Penn Medicine, and Rajan Jain, MD an assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine.

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Chyke Doubeni, MD, MPH, chair and the presidential professor of the department of Family Medicine and Community Health, in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been appointed to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Established in 1984, this independent, volunteer group of experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine improve the Nation’s health by providing recommendations on clinical preventive services, such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications.

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It is commonly known that testosterone levels decrease as men age, but until last year, little was known about the effects of testosterone treatment in older men with low testosterone. Today, in a group of papers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that testosterone treatment improved bone density and anemia for men over 65 with unequivocally low testosterone. However, testosterone treatment did not improve cognitive function, and it increased the amount of plaque buildup in participants’ coronary arteries.