Aug 9, 2022

The National Academies presented a public release webinar of a new report on Tuesday, August 9 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm EDT. The report, Review of Fate, Exposure, and Effects of Sunscreens in Aquatic Environments and Implications for Sunscreen Usage and Human Health, calls on the U.S. EPA to conduct an ecological risk assessment of UV filters to characterize possible risks to aquatic ecosystems and the species that live in them. The report contains information useful for such an assessment. It also describes the role of sunscreens in preventing skin cancer and what is known about how human health could be affected by potential changes in usage. The committee chairs shared key takeaways and responded to questions during the webinar.
For further details about the study, visit the project webpage.
UPennPRC and CHBR director and UPenn DBEI faculty, Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, is on the committee. Dr. Glanz addressed the impact of UV filters on human health and stated the many factors involved, including correct application of sunscreen and the use of other barriers such as rash guards. Read the article on the report that she co-authored for The Conversation, here.
Download the report
View webinar slides
Watch the webinar

Mar 29, 2022
The Community Engagement and Research (CEAR) Core of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) at the University of Pennsylvania is making pilot grant funding available for research with public and community health relevance. We are especially interested in proposals that address prevention and management of heart disease and cancer risk.
This call for proposals is open to faculty and postdocs with significant public and community health-related experience at Penn and is intended to:
- Foster interdisciplinary research in public health at Penn that will have meaningful results at the community level.
- Assist in garnering external support for large-scale studies in the field of public health.
- Encourage additional faculty and staff at Penn to become involved in public health research.
- Identify the innovative methodologies in the field of public health that have the potential of informing local, state, and national policy and programming.
Click HERE for the Call for Proposals.
DEADLINE EXTENDED! Applications for the 2022-2023 funding cycle are due Thursday, April 7, 2022 by 5pm for a June 1st, 2022 start date.
Any questions should be directed to Krista Scheffey (krista.scheffey@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).
CEAR Core also awards pilot grant funds through Community-Driven Research Day (CDRD). Community-Driven Research Day is a collaboration between community groups and researchers at Penn, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Temple University, Drexel University, and Thomas Jefferson University. CDRD is an opportunity for members of community organizations and academic researchers to come together to meet and discuss potential collaborations and community-academic partnerships.
Dec 16, 2021

Community-Driven Research Day (CDRD) encourages collaborations between researchers and community-based organizations (CBOs) and community groups who have research questions that they are interested in answering, specifically in ways that address social determinants of health. The 12th annual CDRD will take place virtually on Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 9:30am-12:30pm EST.
Through virtual presentations in themed breakout sessions, CBOs and community groups will highlight their questions to CDRD participants, who will include area nonprofits, community groups, public sector partners, and researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, The University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. CBOs, community groups, academic researchers, and students will be able to virtually meet and discuss mutually-beneficial collaborations around the 12th Annual CDRD theme of “Advancing Health and Equity Through Community-Academic Partnerships.”
Following CDRD, a competitive pilot grant program supports partnerships formed as a result of participation in CDRD between academic researchers and community-based organizations. The eight $10,000 grants are limited to faculty of The University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine who have significant community health-related research experience, and are working in collaboration with community partners who present at CDRD.
CDRD Details & Additional Information
The 12th Annual CDRD will be held virtually on Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 9:30am-12:30pm EST. Registration is now open for both presenters and attendees.
Call for Submissions: CBOs and Community Groups
CBOs and community groups interested in developing partnerships to conduct research are urged to participate in an interactive virtual poster presentation that will highlight the organization’s/group’s mission, goals, and major accomplishments. Posters/Powerpoint will also display questions that they are interested in answering about partnering for healthy and safe communities.
Submissions are due by Monday, January 10, 2022. Click here to apply to present.
Register to Attend: Non-Presenting Participants
All non-presenting individuals interested in attending Community-Driven Research Day, including academic faculty, staff, students, lay community members, and representatives of non-academic institutions should register by Thursday, January 20, 2022. Click here to register.
Click here to access the 2022 CDRD flyer.
Nov 9, 2021
Leadership recognized
On October 26, 2021, the dean of the Perelman School of Medicine, announced the recipients of the 2021 Awards of Excellence. J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD writes, “The distinguished awardees exemplify our profession’s highest values of scholarship, teaching, innovation, commitment to service, leadership, inclusion, and dedication to patient care. They epitomize the preeminence and impact we all strive to achieve. Each recipient was chosen by a committee of distinguished faculty from the Perelman School of Medicine or the University of Pennsylvania. The contributions of these clinicians and scientists exemplify the outstanding quality of patient care, mentoring, research, and teaching of our world-class faculty.”
We were pleased to learn that two of our colleagues received awards for their years mentorship, Frances K. Barg, PhD, MEd and Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, FACP.
The awardees:

Arthur K. Asbury Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award to Frances K. Barg, PhD, MEd, Emeritus Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health. Dr. Barg is a pioneer in the field of qualitative health research and is a role model for medical faculty who wish to pursue research that incorporates patient and community perspectives.
Dr. Barg contributed to our project, “Building Local Community Health Leadership for Action on Preventing Chronic Disease,” and served as an advisor to the UPenn Prevention Research Center.
Duncan Van Dusen Professionalism Award for Faculty to Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, FACP, Ruth C. and Raymond G. Perelman Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Associate Director of Diversity and Outreach, Abramson Cancer Center. Dr. Guerra’s multifaceted leadership in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion has had far-reaching impact across Penn Medicine.
Dr. Guerra serves as a co-investigator on our Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network, and works with Dr. Glanz in the Abramson Cancer Center Cancer Control Program.
Read the full article here.