Penn Biologists Believe Migration is Behind Rise in Lyme Disease

University of Pennsylvania biologists, along with researchers from the New York Department of Health and State University of New York at Albany, have identified migrating populations of blacklegged ticks as the source of the spread of Lyme disease in areas in the United States historically free of the disease. In the study, published in the journal Evolution, the researchers used genetic and phylogeographic analysis to discern the migratory patterns of new tick populations in the Northeastern United States. The study was led by postdoctoral researcher Camilo E. Khatchikian, a member of the labor of Associate Professor of Biology Dustin Brisson, senior author of the study. The findings have implications regarding future strategies to control tick populations and reduce the spread of the disease.

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Arts & Sciences News

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Hanming Fang Named Inaugural Norman C. Grosman Professor of Economics

An applied microeconomist who integrates rigorous modeling with data analysis, Fang’s research within the field of public economics focuses on health insurance and healthcare markets.

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Xi Song Named Inaugural Schiffman Family Presidential Associate Professor of Sociology

Song’s research interests include social mobility, occupations, Asian Americans, population studies, and quantitative methodology.

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Julie Nelson Davis Named Paul F. Miller, Jr. and E. Warren Shafer Miller Professor of History of Art

Davis specializes in the arts and material cultures of 18th- and 19th-century Japan, with a focus on prints, paintings, and illustrated books.

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Justin Khoury Named Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Khoury’s research interests lie at the intersection of particle physics and cosmology.

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University of Pennsylvania, Neubauer Family Foundation, and Philadelphia Police Department Partner to Support Police Leadership Education

The first-of-its-kind graduate degree in the U.S. for police leaders launches this fall at the School of Arts & Sciences.

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Professor of Biology Philip Rea Wins Neal Award for Scientific Journalism

Rea won for the award for Best Technical/Scientific Content for his article “Gliflozins for Diabetes: From Bark to Bench to Bedside,” published in American Scientist.

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