In an opinion piece, Spencer Rand, a clinical assistant professor at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, comments on the stagnation of Social Security benefits. He writes that the last welfare increase in Pennsylvania happened in 1990. By contrast, SSI and Social Security have been better with cost-of-living adjustments steadily increasing monthly by almost 75 percent. But this year, for the first time since 1975, Social Security and SSI benefits are not increasing. “We must ensure that this stagnation of Social Security and SSI benefits is a onetime event. As Pennsylvanians, if we are judged by how well we care for the poor, we are failing. Let's not let the federal government follow our lead,” writes Rand, who with his students represents clients through the Temple Legal Aid Office.

January 14, 2010 | Jewish Exponent

Almost anyone with temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) will admit readily that pain associated with this dental disorder can be severe to excruciating. But according to Michael E. Pliskin, chair of the department of oral and maxillofacial pathology medicine and surgery at Temple’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, "TMJ is actually a misnomer. It's really TMD, but can be referred to as TMJ/TMD, and it can affect the joint but is primarily a muscular problem."

January 13, 2010 | WHYY-FM
(There is no link to this report.)

Several Philadelphians— including business owners, immigrants, students and doctors—have ties to Haiti. Josh Bresler, a Philadelphia-area dentist, heads a program out of the Temple University School of Dentistry that takes students to Haiti each year to provide free oral health care there. He remembers giving medical care on even the best of days: "Often, the hospitals are only a few rooms, and there aren't enough medical supplies for every doctor. So everyone is trying to find the instruments they need to perform the very basic services."

January 13, 2010 | MedPage Today

The earthquake that hammered Haiti on Tuesday has created a medical nightmare, according to some medical professionals familiar with the country. While there are currently no reliable estimates of dead and injured, "it's frightening to consider how bad this could turn out to be," said Paul Lyons, professor of family and community medicine at Temple University, who has worked in the Port-au-Prince area.