COVID-19 and The Commonwealth: County-Level Differences in Vaccination and Death Rates
Jul 13, 2021
A recent policy brief by the Pennsylvania Population Network at Penn State shows the “great differences” in COVID-19 vaccination rates across the Commonwealth. Written by Cassandra Krencisz, Anna E. Shetler, Samiha Taseen and Raeven Faye Chandler, this report explores these differences and analyzes…
Morgan named AERA Fellow
Jul 13, 2021
CEDR Director and PRI Affiliate Paul Morgan, the Harry & Marion Eberly Faculty Fellow and professor of education (education theory and policy) in the Penn State College of Education, is one of 19 exemplary scholars chosen by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) as 2021 AERA…
US women feel guilty about this, but men don't
Jun 28, 2021
Opinion by PRI Associate Director Sarah Damaske for CNNAn engaged mother of three, Vanessa worked as a certified nursing assistant, making just above minimum wage. She had no savings when her employer downsized, and she worried about how her job loss would impact her kids and her fiancé. She…
Ehrenthal named director of Social Science Research Institute
Jun 23, 2021
The Office of the Senior Vice President for Research welcomes Deborah Ehrenthal, MD, MPH, as the new Director of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), effective September 1, 2021. Dr. Ehrenthal succeeds Dr. Susan McHale, who is returning to her full‐time faculty position after 14 years as…
After School Shootings, Well-Off Families Flee and Enrollment Drops. Low-Income Kids are Left to Confront the Aftermath
Jun 21, 2021
For more than a decade after the 1999 school shooting at Columbine High School in suburban Denver, Frank DeAngelis held a simple promise: He’d stay on as principal until every student class enrolled in the district during the attack reached the graduation stage.Despite the community upheaval and…
New book, 'The Tolls of Uncertainty,' examines the US unemployment system
Jun 18, 2021
In April 2020, soon after the pandemic forced the U.S. into lockdown, the unemployment rate reached 14.8%, the highest documented since data collection began in 1948. More than a year later, 4.2 million fewer women and 3.5 million fewer men are employed, compared to just before the start of the…
McHale featured in Best and Worst Places to Raise a Family feature
Jun 15, 2021
SSRI Director Susan McHale is featured as an expert in WalletHub's 2021 Best and Worst Places to Raise a Family feature. Read McHale's insight and advice here.
Consequences of COVID-19 on adolescent behavior
May 12, 2021
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been widely reported, but less is known about the indirect consequences on health-related behaviors. Researchers recently discovered that while there was a decline in physical activity in adolescents during stay-at-home orders, there were no changes in the…
Frankenberg recognized with 2021 Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award
Apr 23, 2021
Erica Frankenberg, professor of education and demography in the College of Education and PRI affiliate, is the recipient of Penn State's 2021 Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award.The award honors and recognizes outstanding achievement by a faculty member with at least five years of service who…
Glick recognized by Penn State Global Programs
Apr 20, 2021
Penn State Global Programs has announced the 2020-21 recipients of its annual awards that recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and academic programs at Penn State who have helped to advance the University’s global engagement goals.The Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes one…
Byun honored at recent College of Education awards ceremony
Apr 19, 2021
Penn State College of Education faculty, staff and students who have made compelling and momentous contributions to their chosen fields or majors over the past year were honored April 15 at the college’s virtual spring appreciation and awards ceremony.Winners were selected through nomination…
Family ties protect young adults from substance misuse
Mar 29, 2021
Opioid use disorders now affect over 2.1 million people in the United States, and rates of drug overdose have skyrocketed over the past three decades. In a collaboration between the Penn State Population Research Institute and Syracuse University’s Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion,…
EIC Podcast on PacMAT with Max Crowley and Laura Fassbende now available
Mar 24, 2021
This month, the Evidence-to-Impact Podcast is taking a short break from our Pandemic Perspective series to examine an existing working relationship between academia and government. For our March episode, we explore the Pennsylvania Coordinated Medication-Assisted Treatment Program, or PacMAT, which…
Local law-enforcement policy may affect pediatric health care
Mar 22, 2021
Local law-enforcement of immigration policy may affect preventable hospitalization rates for children, according to new research led by a Penn State investigator.“This research shows that there is an association between these policies and the health of the entire community’s children,” said…
Youth obesity rates unaffected by income increases
Mar 19, 2021
Does higher income for family households lead to lower youth obesity rates? A Penn State researcher found study results that suggest the answer is no.Molly Martin, associate professor of sociology and demography, recently published the findings of her study in the Social Science & Medicine…
Family Symposium book series releases latest edition
Mar 19, 2021
The most recent volume in the Family Symposium book series, “Families, Food, and Parenting: Integrating Research, Practice, and Policy”, was published by Springer.The 11th volume in the series is edited by Penn State professors Lori A. Francis, Susan M. McHale, Valarie King, and Jennifer E. Glick…
COVID-19 Case Rates in Rural & Urban PA
Mar 11, 2021
When the COVID-19 pandemic became widespread in the United States, much of the discussion and attention centered on urban epicenters with rapid spread due to the high population density. While rural areas are less populous, other characteristics of rural America make those individuals living there…
Deaths in the family can shape kids' educational attainment in unexpected ways
Mar 9, 2021
Deaths of family members may trigger ripple effects across family networks, reverberating in the lives of children in complex and, sometimes, unexpected ways.In a study, the researchers found that deaths in the family can affect the educational attainment of children. That impact most often is…
Research brief ties increased income from Marcellus Shale natural gas development to youth obesity rates
Feb 16, 2021
The Marcellus Shale natural gas development increased income for families in several rural Pennsylvania counties. In the U.S., children in families with more income typically have lower rates of obesity. But, despite the sudden influx of income to the communities around the Marcellus Shale, rates…
Buxton recognized with endowed appointment
Jan 12, 2021
SSRI cofund Orfeu M. Buxton, professor of biobehavioral health, was named the inaugural holder of the Elizabeth Fenton Susman Professorship in Biobehavioral Health in the College of Health and Human Development.Buxton's research focuses on the causes of chronic sleep deficiency in the workplace,…
Institute of State and Regional Affairs looks at COVID-19 senior isolation risk
Dec 10, 2020
Continuing its analysis on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pennsylvania, the Institute of State and Regional Affairs (ISRA) at Penn State Harrisburg has released new data, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Population Network, examining the impact of social isolation in the senior…
Family symposium highlights parent-child separations
Nov 9, 2020
Penn State’s 28th Annual National Symposium on Family Issues was recently held focusing on the causes and consequences of parent-child separations. For the first time ever, the event was held virtually, but that didn’t deter experts around the nation from participating and offering their diverse…
Jensen co-edits special issue on rural and small-town America
Nov 2, 2020
SSRI Associate Director Leif Jensen, distinguished professor of rural sociology and demography, and Tim Slack, professor of sociology at LSU, have co-edited a new special issue of Population Research and Policy Review on “The Changing Demography of Rural and Small-Town America.”
SSRI associate director and cofunded faculty on team that wins national excellence award for research
Nov 2, 2020
Faculty in SSRI are part of a multidisciplinary, multi-institution research team that was recently awarded the National Excellence in Multistate Research Award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the United States Department of Agriculture.This prestigious and highly…
Barriers to health care for violence victims
Oct 30, 2020
Violence is a serious health concern and is one of the leading causes of death for adults under the age of 45 in the United States. Among those who are injured during a violent crime, only half of those who need medical treatment use health care services. Penn State researchers are exploring…