Blog Post

LDI Research Blogs That Caught Your Attention in 2023

A Wide Range of Health Policy Issues Drew Interest

January 3, 2024

By:

Kaday Kamara, MPH
Mackenzie Bolas

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This year, LDI Staff covered health policy topics from A to Z. Within our coverage, we discussed all five of LDI’s focus areas, distilling the research contributions of our network of Fellows into digestible insights for you, our readers! Thank you so much for accompanying us on our journey through the complex landscape of health policy in 2023. Out of the research updates we wrote about, you loved these the most:

How a Penn LDI Program Lifted Researchers’ Altmetric Media Scores

A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine documented how the Amplify@LDI program resulted in a 177% increase in media mentions for Penn researchers.

Patients With Opioid Addiction Describe the Factors That Make Them Quit Methadone

In a Q&A, Ashish Thakrar discussed his study about several barriers that keep patients from receiving long-term methadone treatment for opioid addiction.

The Best Way to Prevent HIV is Often Out of Reach for Women and Marginalized People

LDI Fellows discussed barriers to utilization of the drug for marginalized communities, and gave recommendations on how to increase access.

The Nursing Burnout Crisis Is Also Happening in Primary Care

Research by J. Margo Brooks Carthon and Jacqueline Nikpour found that across all primary care settings, better work environments were associated with lower rates of burnout and higher rates of job satisfaction.

Extreme Heat and Cold Put People with Type 2 Diabetes at Risk for Dangerous Health Conditions

Charles Leonard, Sean Hennessy et al discovered that people with diabetes experienced higher rates of hypoglycemia and sudden cardiac arrest during extreme temperatures than during moderate weather.

The Wealth and Health Gap Between Black and White Americans

A study led by Atheendar Venkataramani indicated that reparations could close racial gaps in lifespan because wealth has important consequences for health outcomes.

Long-Term Care Insurance Changes Employment Among Adult Children with Aging Parents

Norma B. Coe et al found that coverage reduced parents’ perceptions of the willingness of their adult children to care for them, and that it lowered the likelihood that children were living with their parents.

Hospital Privatization Increases Profits, at What Cost?

Research by Atul Gupta and Zachary Templeton revealed that hospital privatization increases hospital profits, but privatized hospitals serve fewer patients, particularly those on Medicaid.

Vending Machines Are Dispensing Hope and Health in Philadelphia’s Opioid Crisis

Rebecca Stewart, Rachel French, and David Mandell explored the feasibility of expanding Vending Machines for Harm Reduction (VMHR), which dispense drugs and tools to combat the opioid epidemic, in Philadelphia.

Aging at Home May Be Harder in Rural Areas

A study by Norma B. Coe and colleagues found captivating disparities in the provision of formal and family care among urban and rural adults requiring assistance with their daily activities.