Guy David and Alon Bergman's new study is featured, Penn LDI

Penn LDI highlights a study conducted by research associates at PARC, Guy David and Alon Bergman, revealing that advanced care is less prevalent in communities characterized by greater deprivation. 

Citations:

"Do Wealth and Poverty Affect Access to Less-Invasive Cardiac Surgery?" Penn LDI, C Tachibana, March 13, 2024. 

G David, A Bergman, et al. “Limited Access to Aortic Valve Procedures in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Areas,” Journal of the American Heart Association. 

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Eric Bressman and Rachel Werners's new study is featured, Penn LDI

Penn LDI presents an opinion piece authored by Eric Bressman, a research associate at PARC, discussing a recent study concerning the expiration of state licensure. Bressman collaborated on this study with Rachel Werner

Citations:

"A Big Boost for Patients That Largely Went Away: Telemedicine Made Care More Available During the Pandemic." Penn LDI, E Bressman, March 11, 2024.

E Bressman, R M Werner, et al. “Expiration of State Licensure Waivers and Out-of-State Telemedicine Relationships,JAMA Network Open. 

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Rachel Werner and Mary Ersek discuss the Medicare Hospice program, Penn LDI

Penn LDI features Rachel Werner and Mary Ersek on the virtual panel of experts exploring the benefit’s, challenges, and potential of the Medicare Hospice program. 

Citations:

"Medicare Hospice – Exploding in Size But Riddled with Quality Concerns." Penn LDI, H Levins, March 8, 2024. 

"Medicare Hospice Program," LDIvideo, Youtube, March 8, 2024. 

 

" "

Rachel Werner and Norma Coe's new study is featured, Penn LDI

Penn LDI features the new study by Rachel Werner and Norma Coe, that examined data on over 2 million Medicare beneficiaries who had knee or hip replacements, among the most common surgeries. They found that the switch to bundled payments caused a 9% to 15% increase in the need for additional help with daily tasks after paid home health services ended. 

Citations:

"Medicare Payment Reform Saves Money on Surgeries But Puts More Work on Unpaid Home Caregivers." Penn LDI, J Hinckley & H Levins, March 6, 2024. 

R M Werner, N B Coe, et al. "The Effects of Post-Acute Care Payment Reform on the Need for and Receipt of Caregiving," American Journal of Health Economics. 

"Increasing the Burden on Unpaid Home Caregivers," YouTube, LDIvideo, February 29, 2024. 

 

" "

Rachel Werner is quoted on funding for long-term care, Yahoo Finance

Yahoo Finance quotes research associate Rachel Werner on funding for long-term care. Werner says, "In the United States, we lack any sort of comprehensive approach to funding for long-term care."

Citations:

"Most Americans Flunk When it Comes to Retirement Literacy, Study Finds." Yahoo Finance, K Hannon, February 24, 2024. 

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Karen Lasater is quoted on nursing shortage problems, NPR

NPR features research associate Karen Lasater talking about nursing shortage problems in hospitals. She says that the nursing shortage is not a pipeline problem, but a leaky bucket problem.

Citations:

"After His Wife Died, He Joined Nurses to Push for New Staffing Rules in Hospitals." NPR, K Wells, February 22, 2024. 

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Olivia Mitchell is on the Wharton Business Daily show, Knowledge at Wharton

Knowledge at Wharton features executive director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council Olivia Mitchell joining the show to discuss why retirement gets better with annuities.

Citations:

"Why You Should Consider Deferred Income Annuities for Your Retirement Portfolio." Knowledge at Wharton, D Loney, February 22, 2024. 

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February 21, 2024 Newsletter

The new  Penn Population Studies Newsletter highlights researches in the news, awards received by researchers, new working papers, and some exciting events coming up. 

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Olivia Mitchell is referenced on Companies owing retirees, The Atlantic

The Atlantic features Olivia Mitchell in an article discussing what companies owe retirees. 

Citations:

"What Companies Owe Retirees." The Atlantic, L Kelley, February 20, 2024. 

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Rachel Werner op-ed on Medicare and Medicaid data security, STAT

STAT features Rachel Werner discussing the tension between data security and research accessibility, highlighting the concerns over the new CMS rules implemented. 

Citations:

"New CMS Rules Will Throttle Access Researchers Need to Medicare, Medicaid Data." STAT, R M Werner, February 20, 2024. 

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Nancy Hodgson and Adriana Perez's study is highlighted, Penn LDI

Penn LDI features the study by Nancy Hodgson and Adriana Perez that highlights the effect confident caregivers may have on family members. 

Citations:

"Caregiver Mastery May Help Lower Anxiety For The Cognitively Impaired." Penn LDI, N Browning, February 14, 2024. 

N Hodgson, A Perez, et al. "Better Caregiver Mastery is Associated with Less Anxiety in Individuals with Cognitive Impairment," BMC Nursing. 

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Eugenio Paglino, Irma Elo, and Samuel Preston's new study is featured, Penn Today

Penn Today highlights a new study by Eugenio Paglino, Irma Elo, and Samuel Preston on the relation between natural and Covid-19 deaths. 

Citations:

"Researchers Find Many ‘Natural’ and COVID-19 Deaths Likely Related." Penn Today, N Magubane, February 14, 2024. 

E Paglino, I T Elo, S H Preston, et al. "Excess Natural-Cause Mortality in US Counties and Its Association with Reported COVID-19 Deaths," PNAS. 

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February 14, 2024 Newsletter

Take a look at the Penn Population Studies Newsletter for upcoming events, recent publications by PSC and PARC research associates, and researchers featuring in news articles. 

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Eric Roberts' new study on changes in care is featured, Penn LDI

Penn LDI features research associate Eric Roberts' new study that finds modest improvements from integrated care for dual-eligible beneficiaries. 

Citations:

"People on Both Medicare and Medicaid Should Get Better Care, But They Don’t." Penn LDI, J Hinckley, February 13, 2024. 

E T Roberts, et al. “Changes in Care Associated with Integrating Medicare and Medicaid for Dual-Eligible Individuals,” JAMA Health Forum. 

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Courtney Boen is featured as Taussia Boadi's thesis advisor, Penn Today

Penn Today features Courtney Boen as the thesis advisor of Taussia Boadi. Their research looks at the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, birth outcomes, and resilience in Black women.

Citations:

"Who, What, Why: Taussia Boadi on Trauma and Black Maternal Health." Penn Today, K d Groot, February 12, 2024. 

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Kevin Volpp to collaborate with Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab, Penn LDI

Penn LDI highlights that Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab will be collaborating with Kevin Volpp, and his team at the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics to integrate dynamic adaptation and personalization into clinical trials. 

Citations:

"Going Head-to-Head with the New Health Care AI Revolution." Penn LDI, H Levins, February 12, 2024.

 

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Atheendar Venkataramani's new study on Black Adults is featured, Penn Today

Penn Today features Atheendar Venkataramani for finding that black adults across the U.S. suffer from sleep problems following exposure to news about unarmed black individuals killed by police during police encounters.

Citations:

"Killings of Unarmed Black People and Racial Disparities in Sleep Health." Penn Today, E Horvath, February 8, 2024. 

A S Venkataramani, e al. "Officer-Involved Killings of Unarmed Black People and Racial Disparities in Sleep Health," JAMA Internal Medicine. 

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Helene Purcell co-authors a paper on Conscientiousness Matters

Postdoctoral fellow Helene Purcell co-authored a paper along with Justine Herve and Sneha Mani

Abstract: Personality traits play an important role in shaping labor market outcomes, but the associated behaviors that lead to these differences are understudied. In this paper, we examine the returns to the Big Five personality traits as well as the mechanisms through which personality affects employment and earnings. We find conscientiousness to be a significant predictor of both employment and earnings. We further show that the association between conscientiousness and earnings operates primarily through one specific behavior, namely, higher work intensity. Additionally, we are able to rule out selection into specific job types as potential channels for the positive relationship between conscientiousness and earnings.

Herve, Justine, Helene Purcell, and Subha Mani. 2023. “Conscientiousness Matters: How Does Personality Affect Labor Market Outcomes?University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC)

 

" "

Jeremy Greenwood co-authors a paper on the Role of Friends in the Opioid Epidemic

Research Associate Jeremy Greenwood co-authors a paper along with Effrosyni AdamopoulouNezih Guner, and Karen Kopecky

Abstract: The role of friends in the US opioid epidemic is examined. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), adults aged 25-34 and their high school best friends are focused on. An instrumental variable technique is employed to estimate peer effects in opioid misuse. Severe injuries in the previous year are used as an instrument for opioid misuse in order to estimate the causal impact of someone misusing opioids on the probability that their best friends also misuse. The estimated peer effects are significant: Having a best friend with a reported serious injury in the previous year increases the probability of own opioid misuse by around 7 percentage points in a population where 17 percent ever misuses opioids. The effect is driven by individuals without a college degree and those who live in the same county as their best friends.

Adamopoulou, Effrosyni, Jeremy Greenwood, Nezih Guner, and Karen Kopecky. 2024. “The Role of Friends in the Opioid Epidemic.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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Jere Behrman co-authors a paper on Female Headship and Poverty in the Arab Region

Research Associate Jere Behrman co-authors a paper with Shireen AlAzzawiHai-Anh DangVladimir Hlasny, and Kseniya Abanokova

Abstract: Various challenges are thought to render female-headed households (FHHs) vulnerable to poverty in the Arab region. Yet, previous studies have mixed results and the absence of household panel survey data hinders analysis of poverty dynamics. We address these challenges by proposing a novel typology of FHHs and analyze synthetic panels that we constructed from 20 rounds of repeated cross-sectional surveys spanning the past two decades from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Mauritania, Palestine, and Tunisia. We find that the definition of FHHs matters for measuring poverty levels and dynamics. Most types of FHHs are less poor than non-FHHs on average, but FHHs with a major share of female adults are generally poorer. FHHs are more likely to escape poverty than households on average, but FHHs without children are most likely to do so. While more children are generally associated with more poverty for FHHs, there is heterogeneity across countries in addition to heterogeneity across FHH measures. Our findings provide useful inputs for social protection and employment programs aiming at reducing gender inequalities and poverty in the Arab region.

AlAzzawi, Shireen, Hai-Anh Dang, Vladimir Hlasny, Kseniya Abanokova, and Jere Behrman. 2023. “Female Headship and Poverty in the Arab Region: Analysis of Trends and Dynamics Based on A New Typology.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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Jere Behrman co-authors a paper on Minimum Wages and Intergenerational Health

Research Associate Jere Behrman co-authors a paper along with Muhammad Farhan Majid and Hanna Wang

Abstract: Most minimum wage (MW) research focuses on wage and employment impacts in high-income countries. Little is known about broader impacts, including on parental and child health in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) where most people affected by MWs live. This study studies MW effects on employment, earnings, parental health and child health in Indonesia, the third most-populous LMIC. Results include: MWs improve men’s earnings, parental hemoglobin, and child height-for age and reduce pregnancy complications. This study highlights nuanced but positive roles MWs may play in improving parental and child health, despite not directly affecting women’s earnings and labor supplies.

Majid, Farhan, Jere R. Behrman, and Hanna Wang. 2023. “Minimum Wages and Intergenerational Health.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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Min Kim authors a paper on financial literacy

Min Kim writes a paper on Financial Literacy, Portfolio Choice, and Wealth Inequality.

Abstract: I develop a general equilibrium model in which households allocate their wealth to safe and risky assets (“bonds” and “stocks”) and accumulate financial literacy to raise their risk-adjusted stock returns. Calibrated to match financial literacy and stock market participation rate of U.S. households, the model demonstrates that a policy subsidizing financial literacy acquisition increases short-run stock investments. In equilibrium, however, the resulting aggregate capital growth lowers the average equity premium, thereby moderating the subsidy’s impact. The policy mitigates wealth inequality by inducing heterogeneous portfolio adjustments across the wealth distribution. With the subsidy, the middle wealth quartiles acquire more financial literacy and shift their portfolios toward stocks. The top quartile attains its maximum literacy level prior to the subsidy and shifts toward bonds to compensate for lower stock returns. The ratio of total wealth held by the top quartile versus the rest of the population decreases.

Kim, Min. 2023. “Financial Literacy, Portfolio Choice, and Wealth Inequality: A General Equilibrium Approach.University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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Linda Aiken talks about the late Claire Fagin, Medpage Today

Medpage Today features Linda Aiken talking about the late Claire Fagin. She says she was a "nurse visionary with the savvy to make things happen". 

Citations:

"Nurse Community Mourns 'Trailblazer' Claire Fagin, PhD, RN." Medpage Today, S Firth, February 6, 2024. 

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Petra Todd Co-Authors a paper on understanding gender disparities in STEM majors and occupations

Research Associate Petra Todd co-authors a paper along with Shasha Wang.

Abstract: In the US, women for decades have gone to college at higher rates than men, but they are less likely to choose applied-STEM college majors or occupations. Using the NLSY79 and 97 datasets, this paper assesses the importance of adolescent skills and high school course-taking in explaining gender disparities in four-year college completion, college major, and occupational choice. It considers five cognitive skill areas (math, verbal, science, administrative, and mechanical) and one non-cognitive measure and examines how gender skill gaps evolve over a twenty-year time span. Logistic, CART and nonparametric random forest models are estimated to identify the skill sets, course-taking and family background characteristics that best predict educational and occupational choices. Results show that women are on average on par with men in mathematics skills and exceed men in verbal and noncognitive skills, but they lag behind in mechanical and, to a lesser extent, science skills. Estimates show that a combination of mathematics and mechanical skills along with intensive high school exposure to science and math courses are key predictors of choosing applied-STEM majors and careers. This paper also develops and implements a nonparametric decomposition approach to quantify how eliminating adolescent gender skill disparities would affect women’s and men’s entry into STEM fields.

Todd, Petra E. and Shasha Wang. 2023. “Understanding Gender Disparities in STEM Major and Occupation Choices: A Random Forest Approach.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

 

" "

Nancy Hodgson and Adriana Perez's new study is featured, Penn Nursing

Penn Nursing features the new study by Nancy Hodgson and Adriana Perez that shows promising results in improving the quality of life (QOL) and sleep quality in individuals living with memory problems. 

Citations:

"Improving Quality of Life and Sleep in People with Memory Problems Without Using Drugs." Penn Nursing, February 5, 2024. 

N Hodgson, A Perez, et al. "Timed Activity to Minimize Sleep Disturbance in People With Cognitive Impairment," Innovation in Aging

" "

Atheendar Venkataramani's new study is highlighted, Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine features Atheendar Venkataramani's research that found statistically significant decreases in sleep duration among Black adults, after exposure to deaths of unarmed Black individuals during police encounters.

Citations:

"Black Adults Across the U.S. Suffer From Sleep Problems Following Exposure to News About Unarmed Black Individuals Killed by Police During Police Encounters." Penn Medicine, February 5, 2024. 

A S Venkataramani, et al. "Officer-Involved Killings of Unarmed Black People and Racial Disparities in Sleep Health," JAMA Internal Medicine. 

" "

Scott Halpern's team receives a grant, Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine showcases Scott Halpern and his leadership in a project within the scientist training program, which aims to enhance patient-centered research and care, receiving a $5 million boost.

Citations:

"Scientist Training Program Aimed at Improving Patient-Centered Research and Care Gets $5 Million Boost." Penn Medicine, February 1, 2024. 

" "

Kimberly Waddell and Robert Burke's study is featured, Penn LDI

Medicare rules need updating to ensure patients get care when they need it. Penn LDI features Kimberly Waddell and Robert Burke's study. 

Citations:

"Timely Doctor Visits Linked to Better Outcomes When Patients Enter a Skilled Nursing Facility." Penn LDI, K Kamara, January 29, 2024. 

K J Waddell, R E Burke, et al. "Association Between Timing of Clinical Evaluation by a Physician or Advanced Practitioner and Risk of Rehospitalization in Older Adults Admitted to a Skilled Nursing Facility Following Hospitalization: A Cohort Study," Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 

" "

Peter Groeneveld's study on medicaid expansion is featured, Penn LDI

Penn LDI features Peter Groeneveld's study revealing how the affordable care act has helped improve cardiovascular outcomes. 

Citations:

"Expanded Medicaid Spurs Patient Visits for Heart Care." Penn LDI, J F Wilson, January 25, 2024.

P Groeneveld, et al. "Medicaid Expansion and Outpatient Cardiovascular Care Use Among Low-Income Nonelderly Adults, 2012-15," Health Affairs. 

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January 23, 2024 Newsletter

Check out the first Penn Population Studies Newsletter of 2024. This newsletter showcases researchers featured in the news, upcoming events such as PARC aging chats and the aging retreat, updates on the PSC Colloquium Series, and information on the Quartet Pilot Research Project Competition.

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Hans-Peter Kohler and Iliana V. Kohler are featured for their research in Malawi, Penn Today

Penn Today highlights PARC and PSC research associates Hans-Peter Kohler and Iliana V. Kohler for the two-and-a-half decades of research in Malawi. As the country’s life expectancy has risen, the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health has shifted its current and future research to aging.

Citations:

"Two-And-A-Half Decades of Research in Malawi." Penn Today, E Moser, January 22, 2024. 

 

" "

Scott Halpern's study on Palliative care is featured, Healthday

Healthday quotes PARC research associate Scott Halpern for his study on Palliative care. 

Citations:

"Ordering Palliative Care Consult by Default Increases Rate of Consultation." Healthday, E Gotkine, January 22, 2024. 

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Scott Damrauer is elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine features Scott Damrauer as one of the six physician-scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who have been elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation.

Citations:

"American Society For Clinical Investigation Elects Six New Members From Penn, CHOP." Penn Medicine, January 19, 2024. 

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Olivia Mitchell is quoted on financial literacy, MarketWatch

MarketWatch quotes Olivia Mitchell, stating that individuals experiencing loneliness or depression are significantly more susceptible to falling victim to fraud.

Citations:

"A Rude Awakening: Lack of Financial Literacy Hurts The Young. What About Older People?" MarketWatch, M Stettner, January 18, 2024. 

 

" "

Courtney Boen is featured for her study on Racial Health Disparities, Penn LDI

Penn LDI features Courtney Boen's research, which illuminates the health consequences of a Racialized Society and explores potential strategies for mitigation. 

Citations:

"How Racism “Gets Under the Skin” and Prematurely Ages Black People." Penn LDI, C Tachibana & H Levins, January 17, 2024. 

"Biological Age vs. Chronological Age: The Racial Health Disparities." Youtube, LDIvideo. 

C Boen, et al. “Patterns and Life Course Determinants of Black-White Disparities in Biological Age Acceleration: A Decomposition Analysis,” Demography. 

C Boen, et al. "Death by a Thousand Cuts: Stress Exposure and Black–White Disparities in Physiological Functioning in Late Life," Oxford Journals. 

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Scott Halpern and Mary Ersek's study on Palliative care is featured, Penn LDI

Penn LDI features Scott Halpern and Mary Ersek's study showing a simple intervention improving end-of-life care for seriously ill patients. 

Citations:

"Chart of the Day: Default Orders Increased Palliative Care Consultations But Did Not Shorten Hospital Stays for Older Patients." Penn LDI, C Weeks, January 16, 2024. 

M Ersek, S D Halpern, et al. "Default Palliative Care Consultation for Seriously Ill Hospitalized Patients: A Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Trial," JAMA. 

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Scott Halpern's study on Palliative Care is the largest study ever, Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine highlights the palliative care study conducted by Scott Halpern as the largest ever study demonstrating scalable strategies to increase support for serious patients. 

Citations:

"Largest-Ever Study of Palliative Care Demonstrates Scalable Strategy to Increase Support For Seriously Ill Patients in the Hospital." Penn Medicine, January 16, 2024. 

S D Halpern, et al. "Default Palliative Care Consultation for Seriously Ill Hospitalized Patients," JAMA. 

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Sarah Tishkoff's study on Genomic Analyses is featured, Penn Today

Penn Today features Sarah Tishkoff's study to offer a better understanding of genes and variants responsible for skin color, providing insights into human evolution and local adaptation.

Citations:

"A Molecular Look at The Mechanisms Behind Pigmentation Variation." Penn Today, N Magubane, January 11, 2024. 

S Tishkoff, et al. "Integrative Functional Genomic Analyses Identify Genetic Variants Influencing Skin Pigmentation in Africans," Nature Genetics. 

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Hans-Peter Kohler co-authors a paper on how to survive bad news

Research Associate Hans-Peter Kohler co-authors a paper along with Alberto Ciancio, Fabrice Kampfen, and Rebecca Thornton

Abstract: Providing personal health information allows individuals to take action to improve their health. If treatment is not available, however, being informed about having a life-threatening disease could lead to feelings of despair or fatalistic behaviors resulting in negative health outcomes. We document this possibility utilizing an experiment in Malawi that randomized incentives to learn HIV testing results in a context where anti-retroviral treatment (ART) was not yet available. Six years after the experiment, receiving an HIV+ diagnosis reduced survival rates by 23% points and this effect persists after 15 years. We show that HIV+ persons who learned they were HIV+ engaged in more risky health behaviors, have greater anxiety and a higher discount rate. We do not find any effects of receiving an HIV - diagnosis on survival.

Ciancio, Alberto, Fabrice Kämpfen, Hans-Peter Kohler, and Rebecca Thornton. 2024. “Surviving Bad News: Health Information without Treatment Options.” University of Pennsylvania Population Center Working Paper (PSC/PARC).

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Olivia Mitchell's study on Fixed and Variable Longevity Annuities in Defined Contribution Plans is featured, Knowledge at Whartont

Knowledge at Wharton highlights Olivia Mitchell's study making a case for deferred income annuities with some equity exposure in defined contribution plans.

Citations:

"Why Retirement Gets Better With Annuities." Knowledge at Wharton, S Parameshwaran, January 9, 2024. 

O S Mitchell, et al. “Fixed and Variable Longevity Annuities in Defined Contribution Plans: Optimal Retirement Portfolios Taking Social Security into Account,” Wharton Pension Research Council. 

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Rachel Werner is highlighted for her interaction with WPR, Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin Public Radio features Rachel Werner's interaction with the WPR'S "The Morning Show". 

Citations:

"Froedtert Hospital Planning 9-Story Patient Tower at Wauwatosa Campus." Wisconsin Public Radio, C Hess, January 9, 2024. 

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Catherine Auriemma and Guy David's projects have received the 2024 PENN LDI Small Grants Program, Penn LDI

Penn LDI highlights the projects of Catherine Auriemma and Guy David for the Penn LDI small grants program in 2024.

Catherine Auriemma leads the project titled "Identifying Meaningful Outcome Metrics in Severe Brain Injury" as the Principal Investigator.

Guy David serves as the Co-Investigator for the project titled "Access to Elective Surgery in the United States: Evidence from the Outpatient Surgery Market."

Citations:

"Penn LDI Small Grants Program 2024 Projects." Penn LDI, January 2024. 

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Research Blogs that Caught your attention, Penn LDI

Penn LDI highlights health policy research blogs featuring PARC and PSC associates. 

Citations:

"LDI Research Blogs That Caught Your Attention in 2023." Penn LDI, K Kamara & M Bolas, January 3, 2024. 

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News that caught your attention, Penn LDI

Penn LDI showcases attention-grabbing news articles that spotlight some of the PARC and PSC research associates. 

Citations:

"LDI News That Caught Your Attention in 2023." Penn LDI, H Levins, January 3, 2024. 

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