Author: Greg Richter

Greg covers Medicine, Public Health, Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems. He graduated from Rowan University, where he also worked in its Office of Media and Public Relations and also had a brief stint as its mascot for the opening of its medical school. Before Drexel, he worked in Penn Medicine’s Office of Communications, most recently as a senior medical communications officer. When not covering news at Drexel, he’s trying out a new recipe or trying to decide if he actually enjoys running. Follow him @DrexelGreg or view his blog posts here. Contact Greg at gdr33@drexel.edu or 215-895-2614.
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NOW THAT TAX DAY HAS PASSED, LET’S PLAN HOW TO BEST USE PUBLIC DOLLARS TO INVEST IN HEALTH 

We’ve passed the annual tax-filing deadline, and households across the country have gathered financial papers documenting tax payments — with the ostensible goal of paying our share so the government can provide for the public good. But as the pandemic continues into its third year, it’s reasonable to wonder how those tax dollars are being used to build healthier, more equitable communities — and how we are to know if those programs are working.

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WHAT EXPLAINS GENDER DISPARITIES IN RECOVERY FROM TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY?

Ramesh Raghupathi, PhD, a professor in Drexel’s College of Medicine, who has studied concussions and other forms of traumatic brain injuries for decades, was recently senior author on a research letter that reveals new insights into why females are more at-risk for depression than males are after a concussion – and offers a new lead in developing treatment regimens to prevent depression that can occur after a traumatic brain injury.  

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COULD AN INJECTION REPAIR CARTILAGE AND PREVENT SURGERY IN OSTEOARTHRITIS PATIENTS?

What if a treatment could prevent tissue damage from becoming a serious osteoarthritis case months, or even decades later? This is the challenge being tackled by researchers at Drexel’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, in conjunction with researchers at Villanova University, University of Delaware and Tulane University, recently published in ACS Nano.

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Drexel Researchers Develop and Employ Cell-Based Approach to Studying Mechanisms of Gulf War Illness

Thirty years ago, George H.W. Bush was the U.S. President, and the United States was in a two-month war: Operation Desert Storm. A total of 154 U.S. service members died and approximately 250,000 returned home suffering from a host of chronic symptoms, ranging from memory deficits, mood disorders, gastrointestinal problems, to headaches and sleep disorders. These health problems, caused by exposure during battle to chemicals such as pesticides, nerve agents and certain prophylactic drugs, continue to plague these veterans — a diagnosis known as Gulf War Illness.

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Q+A: How Can We Persuade Organ Donors to Vaccinate Against COVID-19?

More than 150 million Americans – 46% of the country – has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 36% of the country’s population is fully vaccinated. Despite very rare side effects, public health officials consider vaccines to be effective at preventing severe illness and be the ticket to something resembling pre-pandemic life.haryha

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The Pandemic Will End, but We’re Probably Stuck with the Coronavirus

Many scientists believe that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, will become “endemic.” It will seasonally circulate in a similar fashion to the other common respiratory viruses, such as those that cause the common cold or flu. If this bears out, there will not be a true end to the pandemic (with accompanying ticker tape parade down Broad Street), but a gradual transition, to an illness that we will have to live with.