Health and Human Development

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Latest News

Penn State News RSS Feed

Charlene Friedman

Landmark gift to build program promoting empathy and compassion

July 13, 2026

A woman's hands scoop a ripe avocado above a cutting board in a kitchen

Eating an avocado a day lowers heart disease risk factor for people with obesity

July 13, 2026

The torso of a woman in a black suit covered with small hoses reclines on a hospital bed. Her right arm rests on a table with two sensors attached to it.

Unmedicated women with depression do not tolerate heat as well as those on SSRIs

July 09, 2026

A manager and three wait staff stand in an otherwise empty restaurant, discussing tasks for the coming shift.

Employees who feel overqualified view more work tasks as unreasonable

July 08, 2026

mother, father, approximately 8-year-old boy, and teacher all looking pleased at parent-teacher conference in a classroom

Coaching parents of preschool children improved child skills through grade seven

June 10, 2026

Nelson Roque is looking at a smartphone, and Rinanda Shaleha is looking at a tablet in front of a glass wall

Q&A: When is screen time healthy and when is it not?

June 09, 2026

A researcher, Owen Griffith, fits a cooling cap onto the head of a seated volunteer, co-author Maddie McLaughlin.

Head cooling may reduce depression symptoms and change brain activity

June 09, 2026

Several football players in dated uniforms are captured in mid-play while a crowd sits in the bleachers in the background.

Ask an expert: 250 years of sports in the United States

June 08, 2026

Two smiling women in professional attire, with one holding an award statue

Research Professor Sarah Chilenski wins international mentoring award

June 05, 2026

A conference room filled with people seated at tables, listening to a presentation. The presenter stands at the front near a screen displaying information about the pillars of human flourishing. Participants are engaged, with laptops and papers on the tables. The room has bright lighting and educational decor.

Penn State brings 'Science of Human Connection' to Pittsburgh

June 02, 2026

A wide variety of cannabis-derived products on display for sale

Q&A: What are the risks of cannabis use?

May 26, 2026

healthy foods in bowls and on a clean counter, including raw salmon steak, vegetables, olive oil, and nuts

Q&A: What is in the new American Heart Association dietary recommendations?

May 19, 2026

Mother lectures preschooler.

Harshly parented children show poorer development of stress regulation

May 12, 2026

Qiaofeng Ye and Idan Shalev in their laboratory, loading a plate of samples into an analyzer

Child abuse may be connected to changes in development, body regulation

May 07, 2026

HHD-Biobehavioral Health Building

College of Health and Human Development ranked first in NIH-funding category

May 06, 2026

During a visit to a doctor’s office, a doctor and a pregnant person rest their hands on the baby bump. Their faces are not visible.

Elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy may result in poorer birth outcomes

May 06, 2026

An older woman's hand with six prunes in her palm

Q&A: What should women do to keep their bones healthy?

April 28, 2026

father and teenage son playing basketball

Q&A: What do teenagers need from their parents?

April 22, 2026

hands of an older woman peeling an orange

Postmenopausal white women with genetic risk regain weight two times faster

April 21, 2026

X-ray of a shoulder with a reverse shoulder replacement joint installed

Risk indicators for hospital readmission after shoulder surgery in Pennsylvania

March 17, 2026

A person reading a picture book to her two sleepy young children on a couch.

Routine helps children adjust to school, but harsh parenting may undo benefits

March 02, 2026

Person at drive-thru ordering with AI and person at drive-thru ordering with a human employee. The word "vs." is in between each ordering scenario.

Fries with that? Ordering from AI linked to selecting more indulgent foods

February 25, 2026

A loaf of whole grain bread sits on a cooling rack on a kitchen island. In the background is a bowl of fruit including grapefruit, avocado, and apple.

Too many saturated fats may be more harmful than too many refined carbohydrates

February 10, 2026

Blue graphic with names of the Keesler Graham Early Career Professorship awardees: Katie Burkhouse and Yogasudha Veturi

Two SSRI co-hires receive early career professorship awards

January 30, 2026

line drawing of a happy family. The child has their arms around the mom's neck, and the dad is kissing the daughter on the cheek.

Fathers’ early interactions with babies may affect child health years later

January 15, 2026

Older person sits on the edge of a bed with a hand on their back, indicating discomfort

Back pain linked to worse sleep years later in men over 65, according to study

January 05, 2026

Close up of elderly person lying awake in bed in a dark room

Night waking impacts cognitive performance regardless of sleep duration

December 18, 2025

A large group of people in a roundtable meeting at Wilton Park.

Experts gather for international empathy and global citizenship summit

December 16, 2025

small piece of steak on a plate with raw spinach and roasted vegetables

Eating lean beef as part of a healthy diet may not increase heart disease risk

November 18, 2025

Jason and Julie Borrelli

Philanthropists make $2 million gift toward a future of improved mental health

November 17, 2025

Asher Rosinger drinking a glass of water

Q&A: Can drinking tap water reduce how many calories children drink?

November 13, 2025

blocks displaying photos of teachers and students engaged in learning and play

School-based prevention of mental health problems the focus of Bennett Lecture

October 27, 2025

Child sits on a hospital room bed and looks at a doctor.

Child welfare system involvement may improve diagnosis of developmental delays

October 24, 2025

Jonelle Prokopchak

Q&A: How to support people who stutter

October 22, 2025

A child sits at a table with one of the sample meals used in the study and looks at a research assistant prior to eating.

Counting bites with AI might one day help prevent childhood obesity

October 15, 2025

smiling woman wearing blouse and sweater, with her hands on her hips

New mentoring opportunity for Penn State faculty building their research careers

October 14, 2025

A man in his 70s talks fondly to a man in his 30s while they look at an old photo album

Penn State to co-lead national brain health and dementia prevention initiative

September 25, 2025

Mark Latash and Sayan Deep De smile at the camera

Q&A: How do humans control their bodies?

September 25, 2025

Paramedics taking patient on stretcher from ambulance to hospital

Not all heart attack patients receive the same type of care, researchers find

September 18, 2025

The arms of an older person rest in a sink that is filling with water

Submerging forearms in water may help protect older adults during extreme heat

September 15, 2025

A child, sitting at a counter in a kitchen with apple slices and oranges, eats an apple

Young girls may be less responsive to food fullness cues than young boys

September 11, 2025

An older person, seen from the back, is standing on a scale while a medical professional weighs them

Weight change may contribute to cognitive decline in older adults

September 04, 2025

Lacy Alexander and Auni Williams pose in a lab to simulate a woman putting her hand in a bucket of water

Endometriosis affects more systems in women’s bodies than previously understood

August 20, 2025

Mitchell Case, Emma Elko and Kevin Williams

Turning gestures into speech for people with limited communication

July 30, 2025

Person working in food shop training person with down syndrome how to use checkout

Mutual benefits of hotels hiring individuals with intellectual disabilities

July 24, 2025

Q&A: Understanding cost and benefit for publicly funded health programs

July 22, 2025

A small wooden bowl overflowing with pistachios and topped with sprigs of mint

Nighttime pistachio snacking may reshape gut microbiome in prediabetic adults

July 07, 2025

Two nurses monitor a baby in a neonatal intensive care unit

Outcomes of very preterm infants may vary across health systems

June 25, 2025

Mark Ramos holds his duaghter Mabel in a room on Penn State University Park campus

Concerned father, statistician develops software to improve skills therapy

June 23, 2025

An older woman leans mops her brow in the sunshine

Q&A: Who is in the most danger during a heatwave?

June 18, 2025

Collage featuring Aaron Bonsu and images of hockey and newspapers

Q&A: Sports arenas — the importance of politics, fan response and public money

June 16, 2025

The CSUA annual conference poster winners pose for a photo.

Annual substance use conference examines psychiatric and opioid use disorders

June 12, 2025

Counselor interacting with elementary students

How youth teach environmental educators through intergenerational learning

June 10, 2025

Person in coffee shop on phone looking bored

Chronic loneliness may harm cognitive health in young adults

May 29, 2025

A senior woman holding a cane, looking out a window

Link between loneliness, heart disease persists across different cultures

May 29, 2025

An athlete and coach, outdoors at a track, discuss something on a clipboard

New online tool predicts risk of energy deficiency in young, exercising women

May 27, 2025

Person interacting with service robot

Gender characteristics of service robots can influence customer decisions

May 06, 2025

John Dattilo floating in a kayak on a lake with a cliff in the background

Q&A: Can leisure make us healthier as individuals and as a society?

May 06, 2025

Two people running outdoors. One has stylized holes in their body to represent lack of energy sufficiency.

Energy deficiency impacts collegiate running performance

April 30, 2025

Emily Hill and Ken Siedlecki

Undergraduate researchers share work, reward of studying childhood nutrition

April 22, 2025

Nelson Roque and Alexis Santos in downtown State College

How safe is the air to breathe? 50 million people in the US don't know

April 21, 2025

An older person in bed in a dark room stares at the ceiling, looking uncomfortable. A small bedside light is on, and the clock reads 3:25.

Insomnia and sleep medication use connected to disability in older adults

April 17, 2025

Two people talking with each other in business clothes

Using AI to meet customer expectations in hospitality industry

April 14, 2025

Two people sit on opposite ends of a couch with unhappy expressions, looking away from each other

PTSD can undermine healthy couple communication when people fear their emotions

March 31, 2025

The hands of an older man holding a receipt over a shopping cart in a store

Recurring food insecurity linked to unhealthy weight changes in older adults 

March 21, 2025

shelled pecans in a bowl on a cutting board

Replacing other snacks with pecans may improve cholesterol, diet quality

March 17, 2025

Latest News

Penn State News RSS Feed

Charlene Friedman

Landmark gift to build program promoting empathy and compassion

July 13, 2026

A woman's hands scoop a ripe avocado above a cutting board in a kitchen

Eating an avocado a day lowers heart disease risk factor for people with obesity

July 13, 2026

The torso of a woman in a black suit covered with small hoses reclines on a hospital bed. Her right arm rests on a table with two sensors attached to it.

Unmedicated women with depression do not tolerate heat as well as those on SSRIs

July 09, 2026

A manager and three wait staff stand in an otherwise empty restaurant, discussing tasks for the coming shift.

Employees who feel overqualified view more work tasks as unreasonable

July 08, 2026

mother, father, approximately 8-year-old boy, and teacher all looking pleased at parent-teacher conference in a classroom

Coaching parents of preschool children improved child skills through grade seven

June 10, 2026

Nelson Roque is looking at a smartphone, and Rinanda Shaleha is looking at a tablet in front of a glass wall

Q&A: When is screen time healthy and when is it not?

June 09, 2026

A researcher, Owen Griffith, fits a cooling cap onto the head of a seated volunteer, co-author Maddie McLaughlin.

Head cooling may reduce depression symptoms and change brain activity

June 09, 2026

Several football players in dated uniforms are captured in mid-play while a crowd sits in the bleachers in the background.

Ask an expert: 250 years of sports in the United States

June 08, 2026

Two smiling women in professional attire, with one holding an award statue

Research Professor Sarah Chilenski wins international mentoring award

June 05, 2026

A conference room filled with people seated at tables, listening to a presentation. The presenter stands at the front near a screen displaying information about the pillars of human flourishing. Participants are engaged, with laptops and papers on the tables. The room has bright lighting and educational decor.

Penn State brings 'Science of Human Connection' to Pittsburgh

June 02, 2026

A wide variety of cannabis-derived products on display for sale

Q&A: What are the risks of cannabis use?

May 26, 2026

healthy foods in bowls and on a clean counter, including raw salmon steak, vegetables, olive oil, and nuts

Q&A: What is in the new American Heart Association dietary recommendations?

May 19, 2026

Mother lectures preschooler.

Harshly parented children show poorer development of stress regulation

May 12, 2026

Qiaofeng Ye and Idan Shalev in their laboratory, loading a plate of samples into an analyzer

Child abuse may be connected to changes in development, body regulation

May 07, 2026

HHD-Biobehavioral Health Building

College of Health and Human Development ranked first in NIH-funding category

May 06, 2026

During a visit to a doctor’s office, a doctor and a pregnant person rest their hands on the baby bump. Their faces are not visible.

Elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy may result in poorer birth outcomes

May 06, 2026

An older woman's hand with six prunes in her palm

Q&A: What should women do to keep their bones healthy?

April 28, 2026

father and teenage son playing basketball

Q&A: What do teenagers need from their parents?

April 22, 2026

hands of an older woman peeling an orange

Postmenopausal white women with genetic risk regain weight two times faster

April 21, 2026

X-ray of a shoulder with a reverse shoulder replacement joint installed

Risk indicators for hospital readmission after shoulder surgery in Pennsylvania

March 17, 2026

A person reading a picture book to her two sleepy young children on a couch.

Routine helps children adjust to school, but harsh parenting may undo benefits

March 02, 2026

Person at drive-thru ordering with AI and person at drive-thru ordering with a human employee. The word "vs." is in between each ordering scenario.

Fries with that? Ordering from AI linked to selecting more indulgent foods

February 25, 2026

A loaf of whole grain bread sits on a cooling rack on a kitchen island. In the background is a bowl of fruit including grapefruit, avocado, and apple.

Too many saturated fats may be more harmful than too many refined carbohydrates

February 10, 2026

Blue graphic with names of the Keesler Graham Early Career Professorship awardees: Katie Burkhouse and Yogasudha Veturi

Two SSRI co-hires receive early career professorship awards

January 30, 2026

line drawing of a happy family. The child has their arms around the mom's neck, and the dad is kissing the daughter on the cheek.

Fathers’ early interactions with babies may affect child health years later

January 15, 2026

Older person sits on the edge of a bed with a hand on their back, indicating discomfort

Back pain linked to worse sleep years later in men over 65, according to study

January 05, 2026

Close up of elderly person lying awake in bed in a dark room

Night waking impacts cognitive performance regardless of sleep duration

December 18, 2025

A large group of people in a roundtable meeting at Wilton Park.

Experts gather for international empathy and global citizenship summit

December 16, 2025

small piece of steak on a plate with raw spinach and roasted vegetables

Eating lean beef as part of a healthy diet may not increase heart disease risk

November 18, 2025

Jason and Julie Borrelli

Philanthropists make $2 million gift toward a future of improved mental health

November 17, 2025

Asher Rosinger drinking a glass of water

Q&A: Can drinking tap water reduce how many calories children drink?

November 13, 2025

blocks displaying photos of teachers and students engaged in learning and play

School-based prevention of mental health problems the focus of Bennett Lecture

October 27, 2025

Child sits on a hospital room bed and looks at a doctor.

Child welfare system involvement may improve diagnosis of developmental delays

October 24, 2025

Jonelle Prokopchak

Q&A: How to support people who stutter

October 22, 2025

A child sits at a table with one of the sample meals used in the study and looks at a research assistant prior to eating.

Counting bites with AI might one day help prevent childhood obesity

October 15, 2025

smiling woman wearing blouse and sweater, with her hands on her hips

New mentoring opportunity for Penn State faculty building their research careers

October 14, 2025

A man in his 70s talks fondly to a man in his 30s while they look at an old photo album

Penn State to co-lead national brain health and dementia prevention initiative

September 25, 2025

Mark Latash and Sayan Deep De smile at the camera

Q&A: How do humans control their bodies?

September 25, 2025

Paramedics taking patient on stretcher from ambulance to hospital

Not all heart attack patients receive the same type of care, researchers find

September 18, 2025

The arms of an older person rest in a sink that is filling with water

Submerging forearms in water may help protect older adults during extreme heat

September 15, 2025

A child, sitting at a counter in a kitchen with apple slices and oranges, eats an apple

Young girls may be less responsive to food fullness cues than young boys

September 11, 2025

An older person, seen from the back, is standing on a scale while a medical professional weighs them

Weight change may contribute to cognitive decline in older adults

September 04, 2025

Lacy Alexander and Auni Williams pose in a lab to simulate a woman putting her hand in a bucket of water

Endometriosis affects more systems in women’s bodies than previously understood

August 20, 2025

Mitchell Case, Emma Elko and Kevin Williams

Turning gestures into speech for people with limited communication

July 30, 2025

Person working in food shop training person with down syndrome how to use checkout

Mutual benefits of hotels hiring individuals with intellectual disabilities

July 24, 2025

Q&A: Understanding cost and benefit for publicly funded health programs

July 22, 2025

A small wooden bowl overflowing with pistachios and topped with sprigs of mint

Nighttime pistachio snacking may reshape gut microbiome in prediabetic adults

July 07, 2025

Two nurses monitor a baby in a neonatal intensive care unit

Outcomes of very preterm infants may vary across health systems

June 25, 2025

Mark Ramos holds his duaghter Mabel in a room on Penn State University Park campus

Concerned father, statistician develops software to improve skills therapy

June 23, 2025

An older woman leans mops her brow in the sunshine

Q&A: Who is in the most danger during a heatwave?

June 18, 2025

Collage featuring Aaron Bonsu and images of hockey and newspapers

Q&A: Sports arenas — the importance of politics, fan response and public money

June 16, 2025

The CSUA annual conference poster winners pose for a photo.

Annual substance use conference examines psychiatric and opioid use disorders

June 12, 2025

Counselor interacting with elementary students

How youth teach environmental educators through intergenerational learning

June 10, 2025

Person in coffee shop on phone looking bored

Chronic loneliness may harm cognitive health in young adults

May 29, 2025

A senior woman holding a cane, looking out a window

Link between loneliness, heart disease persists across different cultures

May 29, 2025

An athlete and coach, outdoors at a track, discuss something on a clipboard

New online tool predicts risk of energy deficiency in young, exercising women

May 27, 2025

Person interacting with service robot

Gender characteristics of service robots can influence customer decisions

May 06, 2025

John Dattilo floating in a kayak on a lake with a cliff in the background

Q&A: Can leisure make us healthier as individuals and as a society?

May 06, 2025

Two people running outdoors. One has stylized holes in their body to represent lack of energy sufficiency.

Energy deficiency impacts collegiate running performance

April 30, 2025

Emily Hill and Ken Siedlecki

Undergraduate researchers share work, reward of studying childhood nutrition

April 22, 2025

Nelson Roque and Alexis Santos in downtown State College

How safe is the air to breathe? 50 million people in the US don't know

April 21, 2025

An older person in bed in a dark room stares at the ceiling, looking uncomfortable. A small bedside light is on, and the clock reads 3:25.

Insomnia and sleep medication use connected to disability in older adults

April 17, 2025

Two people talking with each other in business clothes

Using AI to meet customer expectations in hospitality industry

April 14, 2025

Two people sit on opposite ends of a couch with unhappy expressions, looking away from each other

PTSD can undermine healthy couple communication when people fear their emotions

March 31, 2025

The hands of an older man holding a receipt over a shopping cart in a store

Recurring food insecurity linked to unhealthy weight changes in older adults 

March 21, 2025

shelled pecans in a bowl on a cutting board

Replacing other snacks with pecans may improve cholesterol, diet quality

March 17, 2025

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