Medical Minute
The Medical Minute: Preventing suicide during COVID-19
Latest News
University's research expenditures top $1 billion mark
Penn State’s research expenditures exceeded the $1 billion mark in fiscal year 2019-20. The total figure, $1.01 billion, places Penn State among a select group of research universities nationally, and reflects the interdisciplinary strength built over three decades.
Read MoreLeading local response to a pandemic, growth of virtual care and clinical innovation shaped 2019-2020 fiscal year
An unprecedented pandemic. Learning how to live with COVID-19. Participating in groundbreaking clinical trials. Continued growth to serve the region. Deborah Berini, president of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, talked about these hallmarks of a unique year during the hospital’s annual public Board of Directors meeting.
Read MoreDrPH student to present research in annual competition during Pediatric Trauma Society’s virtual meeting
Anna E. Ssentongo, a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) student at Penn State College of Medicine, has been selected to give a presentation on non-accidental trauma during the seventh annual meeting of the Pediatric Trauma Society, which will be held virtually in November.
Read MorePenn State Health names first chief diversity officer
Lynette Chappell-Williams has been appointed Penn State Health’s first systemwide vice president and chief diversity officer.
Read MoreHeart transplant program boasts best survival rates in Pennsylvania
One year after heart transplant surgery, Brandon Seiber, 22, of Enola is back playing basketball. Our heart transplant team boasts the highest one-year survival rate of all transplant centers statewide. Learn how our team helped Brandon.
Read MoreLatest Research
Researchers to use wearable device to measure resident wellness, prevent burnout
Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine are conducting a study to determine if a wearable device can measure wellness and predict burnout among resident physicians. The results from the clinical trial could be used to develop targeted interventions for depression and burnout in graduate medical education.
Read MoreNew computational tool allows researchers to predict key functional sites in proteins
A new tool developed by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine may be useful for protein engineering and drug design.
Read MoreCollege of Medicine study explores the association of malaria, HIV with anemia during pregnancy
Pregnant women from sub-Saharan Africa with malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a higher prevalence of anemia than pregnant women without infections according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
Read MoreCannabinoids may affect activity of other pharmaceuticals
Cannabinoid-containing products may alter the effects of some prescription drugs, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
Read MoreCaught in the act – microscopy reveals key detail in retrovirus replication
A protein that is critical for retrovirus replication may select viral genetic material for packaging within the nuclei of host cells, rather than in the cytoplasm, as was previously believed.
Read MoreLatest Medical Minutes
The Medical Minute: How COVID-19 has affected organ donation
With more than 109,000 people on the transplant waiting list nationwide, the need for organ donors remains great. A Penn State Health transplant surgeon explains how donors and recipients are kept safe during the COVID-19 pandemic in this week’s Medical Minute.
Read MoreThe Medical Minute: What to expect when COVID-19 meets flu season
The combining of the COVID-19 pandemic and seasonal flu could make this the best influenza season ever or the worst. Our experts explain why in this week’s Medical Minute.
Read MoreThe Medical Minute: Understanding pulmonary nodules
Most pulmonary nodules prove harmless. But in some cases, they can be a sign of lung cancer. Learn how doctors find, test and – if necessary – remove nodules from the lungs.
Read MoreThe Medical Minute: Will I need a C-section with my second child?
Many women pregnant for a second time wonder if they can have a vaginal birth if they previously had a cesarean delivery. Penn State Health experts say it depends a great deal on their first birth experience.
Read MoreThe Medical Minute: Common eye conditions in children
While pediatricians routinely screen infants and toddlers for vision problems, parents should also be aware of common eye conditions. With knowledge and action, they can help set up their children for healthy vision — for the classroom and beyond.
Read MoreLatest Education
Neurology resident Elfiky honored for exceptional teaching
Nora Elfiky, a trainee in Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center's Neurology Residency, was honored in September as part of the Exceptional Moments in Teaching program of Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine.
Read MoreDeWaters recognized for Exceptional Moments in Teaching
Dr. Ami DeWaters, assistant professor of Internal Medicine and assistant director of Health Systems Sciences Education, is featured for September in the “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program.
Read MoreCollege of Medicine welcomes incoming class of graduate students
Penn State College of Medicine welcomed more than 100 new graduate students on Aug. 17. They will study to obtain degrees in anatomy, biomedical science, biostatistics, clinical research, epidemiology, laboratory animal medicine, neuroscience and public health.
Read MoreCollege of Medicine welcomes incoming medical students
Penn State College of Medicine welcomed its incoming class of medical students during a virtual orientation July 15 to 17. The Office of Student Affairs presented the orientation online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MorePenn State College of Medicine physician assistant program creates partnership with Lincoln and Hampton universities
Penn State College of Medicine is creating a new partnership with Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Hampton University in Virginia that provides their undergraduate students early acceptance into its physician assistant program.
Read MoreLatest Patient Care
At age 8, “a second chance at life”: 2000th kidney transplant recipient shares her joy
Ruth Vega, Hershey Medical Center’s 2000th kidney transplant recipient, is living proof of the difference that the transplant team’s dedicated work makes.
Read MoreHershey Medical Center is the first in Pennsylvania to offer new deep brain stimulation implant to treat neurological disease
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has become the first hospital in the state to implant a patient with a more personalized treatment for neurological disease.
Read MoreKids can’t wait: Families battle challenges of therapy during COVID
Furloughed from in-person physical therapy by COVID-19 precautions, Joella Migliori and other children who depend on therapy to progress, are happily returning to 30 Hope Drive.
Read MoreVirtual ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ program helps prep parents-to-be
Penn State Health Women’s Health is offering a free, virtual class, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” on Sept. 16.
Read MoreSt. Joseph dental clinic transitions to electronic medical records
A new electronic medical record system has streamlined patient processes at the dental clinic on St. Joseph’s Downtown Campus.
Read MoreLatest Ask Us Anything About
Ask Us Anything About…Having a Baby Now
Things look a bit different for labor and delivery patients at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, from enhanced safety measures to opening our brand-new Women and Babies Center. Dr. Christina DeAngelis, obstetrician/gynecologis, provides important information for new moms.
Read MoreAsk Us Anything About…Midwifery
If natural childbirth is what you're seeking and if it's the best medical approach for you, a midwife can be an excellent option. Angela Klock, a certified nurse midwife with Penn State Health Obstetrics and Gynecology, answers questions and clears up confusion around this approach.
Read MoreAsk Us Anything About...Hernias
Hernias can prevent people from engaging in activities that they need to or love to do, and ignoring symptoms can sometimes lead to serious complications. Dr. Eric Pauli, chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, answers questions about hernias, from symptoms to diagnosis and treatment.
Read MoreAsk Us Anything About… Back Pain
As a large sector of the workforce continues to work from home each day, the result is often back strain -- as many people make offices out of kitchen tables or quiet nooks elsewhere in their homes. Dr. Timothy Reiter has some important tips to minimize and deal with back pain.
Read MoreAsk Us Anything About… Wearing a Mask
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Wearing a face mask is a simple way to help slow the spread of COVID-19 but there is a lot of misinformation about wearing a mask. Learn more from Dr. Jessica Ericson, pediatric infectious disease physician at Penn State Children’s Hospital.
Read MoreLatest Community
Growing Hispanic population means increasing need to tackle health care barriers
Penn State Health and the College of Medicine help to create better health care outcomes for Hispanics by fostering partnerships in communities.
Read MoreThe surgery she needed to get back to school, pain-free
When her doctor told she needed exploratory surgery for her debilitating pain, Laura Becker had two concerns: finding the best surgeon and being able to return to teaching in the fall. The Derry Township teacher’s physician referred her to Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Dr. Gerald Harkins, a surgeon with Penn State Health Women’s Health. Laura reviewed all of her options, did her own research and agreed that Penn State Health was where she wanted to go.
Read MoreSeparado pero unido: REACH program helps Hispanics, Latinos at local level
In the war against COVID-19 Penn State REACH is working around the clock in Lebanon and Berks counties to get information – in Spanish ― out to the people who need it.
Read MoreGiving effort to help families at risk for food insecurity reaches nearly $50,000
Launched two months ago, the Families in Need COVID Relief community giving effort has raised nearly $50,000 in support of food insecurity relief efforts.
Read MorePenn State Health to close donation centers Friday after strong community response
Friday, May 22, will be the last day that Penn State Health will accept drop-off donations of key supplies from the community at large. The health system will close its donation centers in Hershey, Reading, Lancaster and State College.
Read MoreLatest People
St. Joseph presents two nurses with Daisy Awards
Penn State Health St. Joseph presented DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Awards to Rachel Drzewicki, a nurse in the Family Birthing Center, and Jennifer Schemberg, a nurse educator on 2N at the Bern campus.
Read MoreI am Penn State Health: Kassie Heeman
Kassie Heeman knows she carries a lot of weight on her shoulders. “If I don’t see something, then the doctors don’t see it – and that’s a big deal,” said the Paxtonia resident who is a sonographer at Hershey Medical Center.
Read MoreTwilight museum: Anesthesiology department to display century’s worth of equipment
Join Dr. Berend Mets for a tour of his namesake museum. The College of Medicine will inaugurate the new facility — named the Dr. Berend Mets Museum of Anaesthesia — at an event memorializing the 50th anniversary of Mets’ department in October.
Read MoreWishing her well: On her last day, colleagues wish speedy recovery to nurse diagnosed with cancer
Registered Nurse Louise Kline’s colleagues have relied on her knowledge and expertise for years. Now, as she takes time off to undergo treatment for a rare form of breast cancer, Kline is going from caregiver to recipient.
Read MoreVascular surgeon Amin returns to Penn State Health St. Joseph
Dr. Ali Amin, a longtime Reading-area vascular surgeon, rejoined Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center after a 16-year absence.
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