2021 Family symposium to focus on environmental impact to relationships and well-being
Penn State’s 29th annual Symposium on Family Issues will examine the role of the physical environment in family relationships, behaviors, and well-being, with a focus on disasters, climate change, and the built environment.
“Environmental Impacts on Families: Change, Challenge, and Adaptation” will…
16th Annual De Jong Lecture in Social Demography taking place on Oct. 1
“Surviving Two Epidemics: Resilience and Health in the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health 1998-2021” will be presented by Hans-Peter Kohler at Penn State's 16th annual De Jong Lecture in Social Demography Oct. 1, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. in The Living Center, Henderson Building, and virtually…
Black women with ADHD start healing, with a diagnosis at last
CEDR Director and PRI associate Paul Morgan and his research team's IES-supported research was recently cited in a Washington Post story discussing the intersections of race, gender, and disability, found here.
PRI's Brian King named head of the Department of Geography
Brian King, professor of geography, associate head for the department’s resident graduate programs and Population Research Institute associate, has been appointed head of the Department of Geography. He began on July 1.
King succeeds Cynthia Brewer, who will remain an active member of the faculty…
Flood Risk is Higher in Rural and Disadvantaged Communities
A joint research brief by Penn State's Danielle Rhubert, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and Population Research Institute associate, and Yu Sun, Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Syracuse University, addresses how flood risk varies across places with different demographic and social…
New EIC Podcast - Unemployment and the Labor Market
This month on the Evidence-to-Impact Podcast, we continue the Pandemic Perspective series and examine how the pandemic impacted unemployment and the labor market.
To debunk some of the concerns and myths of unemployment and dive into the shifting economy, we spoke to Sarah Damaske, Ph.D., associate…
COVID-19 and The Commonwealth: County-Level Differences in Vaccination and Death Rates
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
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
Opinion by PRI Associate Director Sarah Damaske for CNN
An 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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,…
Local law-enforcement policy may affect pediatric health care
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
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
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
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
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
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…