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The Interplay Of Social Constraints And Individual Variation In Risk Tolerance In The Emergence Of Superspreaders, Earl Carr, Matthew J. Young, Matthew J. Silk, Alexander J. Pritchard, Nina F. Fefferman
The Interplay Of Social Constraints And Individual Variation In Risk Tolerance In The Emergence Of Superspreaders, Earl Carr, Matthew J. Young, Matthew J. Silk, Alexander J. Pritchard, Nina F. Fefferman
Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Individual host behaviours can drastically impact the spread of infection through a population. Differences in the value individuals place on both socializing with others and avoiding infection have been shown to yield emergent homophily in social networks and thereby shape epidemic outcomes. We build on this understanding to explore how individuals who do not conform to their social surroundings contribute to the propagation of infection during outbreaks. We show how non-conforming individuals, even if they do not directly expose a disproportionate number of other individuals themselves, can become functional superspreaders through an emergent social structure that positions them as the …
From Academia To Action: The Aligncare Journey In Pet Health Equity, Michael J. Blackwell Dvm, Mph, Candice Hinkle Mba, Katy H. Carpenter, Linda Daugherty Mpa, T' Fisher, Kayla Anderson Mssw, Jamie Clanin Dvm, Brittany Permaul Mph, Beth Fagiola
From Academia To Action: The Aligncare Journey In Pet Health Equity, Michael J. Blackwell Dvm, Mph, Candice Hinkle Mba, Katy H. Carpenter, Linda Daugherty Mpa, T' Fisher, Kayla Anderson Mssw, Jamie Clanin Dvm, Brittany Permaul Mph, Beth Fagiola
Social Work Publications and Other Works
Imagine a future where every family, regardless of their financial situation, has access to the veterinary care their beloved pets need, along with essential services such as housing and transportation. In this vision of aligned communities, pets are recognized as integral family members, and their well-being is vital to the entire family's health and happiness. AlignCare offers a pathway to this future by providing a comprehensive, community based One Health system that aligns resources and services to support families holistically.
This report details the research, development, and testing of AlignCare by the Program for Pet Health Equity at the University …
Parting Comments From The Outgoing Editor, Steven N. Waller Ph.D.
Parting Comments From The Outgoing Editor, Steven N. Waller Ph.D.
Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies
This short reflective essay captures several transitional thoughts as Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies transitions the editorship of the journal. The following pages offer an examination of the strengths/assets of the journal as well as a “snapshot” of some of the challenges the journal has faced in the last five years. There are several recommendations offered to continue moving the journal forward. Implementation of these suggestions are contingent upon the incoming editor’s and Board of Directors review and approval. Most important need is to think strategically about the sustainability of …
Beyond Fentanyl Test Strips: The Need To Decriminalize All Drug Checking Equipment In Tennessee, Jeremy C. Kourvelas Mph
Beyond Fentanyl Test Strips: The Need To Decriminalize All Drug Checking Equipment In Tennessee, Jeremy C. Kourvelas Mph
SMART Policy Briefs
KEY POINTS
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In 2022, Tennessee decriminalized fentanyl test strips (FTS) through Public Chapter 764. Thousands have since been distributed by the state and nonprofit coalitions as a key harm reduction strategy. As of the end of 2023, 44 other states and D.C. had also decriminalized FTS.
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Research indicates that people who use drugs are five times as likely to change their behaviors (including reducing drug use overall) in response to a test result that is positive for fentanyl. People who use methamphetamine are especially likely to change their behaviors.
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However, the law only applies to “narcotic testing equipment used to …
Chronic Inequities: Environmental & Structural Racism During Covid-19 And Hurricane Laura Disaster Recovery, Tomeka M. Robinson, Sabrina Singh
Chronic Inequities: Environmental & Structural Racism During Covid-19 And Hurricane Laura Disaster Recovery, Tomeka M. Robinson, Sabrina Singh
Critical Disaster Studies
The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the realities of systemic health inequities within the United States. While the virus has severely impacted the entire country, people of color bear the brunt of this pandemic, from surges of COVID-19 cases in their communities to spikes in unemployment rates. Simultaneously, citizens are dealing with the impacts of natural disasters such as hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. The common denominator concerning these two stressors is that they can be exacerbated by institutional racism. This can be seen in the case of a small city in Southwest Louisiana, namely, Lake Charles, which has become a …
Book Review: The Shaming State: How The U.S. Treats Citizens In Need, Steve Matthewman
Book Review: The Shaming State: How The U.S. Treats Citizens In Need, Steve Matthewman
Critical Disaster Studies
Salman’s book centers two different constituencies, in two different locations, in the 2010s, who have been impacted by two different disasters. The first group are Iraqi refugees who have been resettled in Wayne County, Michigan. Trying to start again over half a world away, they are trapped in the transit lounge of life, never able to move on, never able to properly belong. They found a state in recession, the automobile industry collapsing, the city of Detroit bankrupt. Their particular county had higher unemployment than the state’s average and a poor median income as well. Economically speaking, ‘Michigan fared worse …
Water Affordability In Tennessee: Applying Modern Portfolio Theory To Assess The Risk-Return Trade-Off Of Clean Water Act Subsidies, Hannah E. Williams
Water Affordability In Tennessee: Applying Modern Portfolio Theory To Assess The Risk-Return Trade-Off Of Clean Water Act Subsidies, Hannah E. Williams
Masters Theses
Affordable access to clean water is an environmental justice concern in the United States (US); economic conditions, income, and location influence a community’s access to clean water and their ability to afford critical upgrades to existing water system infrastructure. In 1987, amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA) created the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) which allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to annually allocate funds to the states to offer assistance for water infrastructure projects. This amendment allows communities to better afford upgrades to their wastewater infrastructure by applying for subsidies, in the form of principal loan forgiveness, …
Bridging Biological Systems With Social Behavior, Conservation, Decision Making, And Well-Being Through Hybrid Mathematical Modeling, Maggie Renee Sullens
Bridging Biological Systems With Social Behavior, Conservation, Decision Making, And Well-Being Through Hybrid Mathematical Modeling, Maggie Renee Sullens
Doctoral Dissertations
Mathematical modeling can achieve otherwise inaccessible insights into bio-logical questions. We use ODE (ordinary differential equations) and Game Theory models to demonstrate the breadth and power of these models by studying three very different biological questions, involving socio-behavioral and socio-economic systems, conservation biology, policy and decision making, and organismal homeostasis.
We adapt techniques from Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) epidemiological models to examine the mental well-being of a community facing the collapse of the industry on which it’s economically dependent. We consider the case study of a fishing community facing the extinction of its primary harvest species. Using an ODE framework with a …
Revealing The Superintendency: Developing The National Longitudinal Superintendent Database And Evaluating Trends In K-12 Superintendent Attrition, Sarah A. Harper
Revealing The Superintendency: Developing The National Longitudinal Superintendent Database And Evaluating Trends In K-12 Superintendent Attrition, Sarah A. Harper
Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects
No abstract provided.
Bridging Biological Systems With Social Behavior, Conservation, Decision Making, And Well-Being Through Hybrid Mathematical Modeling, Maggie Renee Sullens
Bridging Biological Systems With Social Behavior, Conservation, Decision Making, And Well-Being Through Hybrid Mathematical Modeling, Maggie Renee Sullens
Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Mathematics
This dissertation defense presentation highlights the power of hybrid mathematical modeling and addresses crucial issues such as:
1️. The Impact of Industry Collapse on Community Mental Health: A Complex Contagion ODE Model.
2️. Budget Allocation and Illegal Fishing: A Game Theoretic Model.
3️. Reactive Scope Model with an Energy Budget and Multiple Mediators: An ODE Model
The overarching theme of Hybrid Mathematical Modeling beautifully captures the essence of this work, demonstrating its potential to unravel ecological issues while addressing the intricate interactions between humans and the environment.
Interrogating Households In Anticipation Of Disasters: The Feminization Of Preparedness, Chika Watanabe, Celie Hanson
Interrogating Households In Anticipation Of Disasters: The Feminization Of Preparedness, Chika Watanabe, Celie Hanson
Critical Disaster Studies
It is now a maxim among scholars and policy-makers alike that disaster preparedness needs to involve community-based approaches in order to be effective. These include preparedness strategies in the household. But how do disaster preparedness policies and public discourses define “the household” in the first place? In this article, we explore how particular gendered notions of the household are reproduced in disaster preparedness policies and activities in Japan and the UK. Drawing on historical and cross-cultural analyses, we suggest that household preparedness efforts place the burden of labor on people coded as women—a phenomenon we call “the feminization of preparedness.” …
Development And Validation Of A Survey To Identify Predictors Of Choice And Early Departure Among Tennessee Promise Scholarship Recipients, Patrick Biddix, Gresham D. Collom
Development And Validation Of A Survey To Identify Predictors Of Choice And Early Departure Among Tennessee Promise Scholarship Recipients, Patrick Biddix, Gresham D. Collom
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Publications and Other Works
In this study, we developed and validated an instrument to reveal factors affecting college choice and early community or technical college departure among Tennessee Promise-eligible participants. This scale may be used by colleges and states to predict who may be at risk of either not enrolling or dropping out in free college contexts. Our findings suggest that state policymakers and institutions need to address factors beyond finances that may serve as barriers to student enrollment and success in statewide promise programs.
Nuclear Security: Making Gender Equality A Working Reality, Muhammed Ali Alkış, Polina Sinovets
Nuclear Security: Making Gender Equality A Working Reality, Muhammed Ali Alkış, Polina Sinovets
International Journal of Nuclear Security
Gender equality is an indispensable part of both democracy and justice, and it is fundamental to peace and security worldwide. As various research on gender equality has shown, teams with diversity, equity, and inclusion achieve the best outcomes. Having gender equality and women’s presence in the workforce in nuclear fields is a requirement to contribute to peace and security discussions, adding value and sustaining policies and long-lasting positive outcomes. In this regard, the paper will discuss the importance of gender equality and why the Odesa Center for Nonproliferation has committed itself to this issue. The article also details the Odesa …
Gender Undone: Confronting Bias In The Nuclear Field, Sneha Nair, Christina Mcallister, Annina Pluff, Katherine C. Mack
Gender Undone: Confronting Bias In The Nuclear Field, Sneha Nair, Christina Mcallister, Annina Pluff, Katherine C. Mack
International Journal of Nuclear Security
In the face of evolving security needs, diversity is critical in nonproliferation, nuclear security, and other related fields. Despite multiple studies highlighting the need for gender balance and diversity in the nuclear nonproliferation and security space and targeted recruitment and capacity-building efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency and states, gains in the representation of women (as well as historically underrepresented groups) have been set back by the gendered effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and slow cultural change at nuclear facilities and organizations. This issue is in large part due to the inability of initiatives aimed at diversity, equity, inclusion, …
Access To Veterinary Care & Animal Welfare Organizations, Linda Daugherty Mpa, Sue Neal Dpa
Access To Veterinary Care & Animal Welfare Organizations, Linda Daugherty Mpa, Sue Neal Dpa
Social Work Publications and Other Works
The purpose of this study is to better understand the challenges animal welfare organizations face around access to veterinary care and how these challenges impact the animals in their care. The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and Program for Pet Health Equity (PPHE) at the University of Tennessee joined forces to conduct a survey of shelters and rescues at the national level. This study grew out of a project completed for the California Access to Care Working Group (CACWG) by PPHE that explored challenges experienced by animal shelters in California due to inequitable access to veterinary care. The CACWG …
The Language Of Nuclear Security: New Case Studies Exploring Online Open-Source Information From Turkey, India, And Jordan, Zenobia S. Homan, Shraddha Rane, Yara Shaban, Fadime Ö. Özkan, Eunha Yun
The Language Of Nuclear Security: New Case Studies Exploring Online Open-Source Information From Turkey, India, And Jordan, Zenobia S. Homan, Shraddha Rane, Yara Shaban, Fadime Ö. Özkan, Eunha Yun
International Journal of Nuclear Security
This paper presents a novel internet search methodology and new data on the language of nuclear security. Through three case studies (Turkey, India, and Jordan), it describes what openly accessible information exists about nuclear security in a given national context, where more information is needed, and why. In doing so, the paper highlights the importance of documenting the social and geopolitical context of key nuclear concepts. It also examines the role of language and publicly available information on nuclear security and safety to facilitate the articulation and adoption of international best practices.
The case studies demonstrate how someone may acquire …
"If I Go, I'Ll Probably End Up Dropping Out Too": College Enrollment Choices In A Free College Context, Gresham D. Collom, Ashton R. Cooper, Patrick Biddix, Alexis Hartley
"If I Go, I'Ll Probably End Up Dropping Out Too": College Enrollment Choices In A Free College Context, Gresham D. Collom, Ashton R. Cooper, Patrick Biddix, Alexis Hartley
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Publications and Other Works
Objective: In this qualitative study, we explored why students in a free community college environment in Tennessee chose not to enroll in college or dropped out of college shortly after enrolling. Methods: We conducted 27 in-depth interviews with individuals who were eligible for the Tennessee Promise. Perna’s (2006) conceptual model for college access and choice guided our analysis. We analyzed data using a three-tier approach, which included open/emergent coding, followed by a priori/theoretical analysis. Results: We identified 15 emergent themes common among interview participants, which we then categorized into the four constructs of Perna’s model. Conclusions: …
Book Review: Under The Weather: Reimagining Mobility In The Climate Crisis., Raymond Murphy
Book Review: Under The Weather: Reimagining Mobility In The Climate Crisis., Raymond Murphy
Critical Disaster Studies
Under the Weather: Reimagining Mobility in the Climate Crisis is an insightful, important book that reports on a fine-grained investigation Sodero made of the consequences and response to the disasters resulting from Hurricane Juan in Nova Scotia in 2003 and Hurricane Igor in Newfoundland in 2010, with comparisons to Hurricane Sandy in New York, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the 1998 ice storm in northeastern North America and the Icelandic ash cloud. One original feature is the focus on mobility, how indispensable it is in modern societies, how it is disrupted by extreme weather, and …
Serving American Veterans: A Review And Analysis Of Gaps In Service In The Needs Of Veterans, Mary Elisabeth Germann
Serving American Veterans: A Review And Analysis Of Gaps In Service In The Needs Of Veterans, Mary Elisabeth Germann
Baker Scholar Projects
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is the agency of the federal government that is responsible for providing benefits, health care, and cemetery services to US military Veterans and their families. About a quarter of the nation’s population, approximately 70 million people, are potentially eligible for VA benefits and services because they are veterans, family members, or survivors of veterans. Due to this expansive demand, the United States has developed the most comprehensive system of Veterans assistance programs in the World. But many argue that the US VA still falls short of expectations and fails to fulfill the needs …
The Eagle’S Eye On The Rising Dragon: Why The United States Has Shifted Its View Of China, Jackson Scott
The Eagle’S Eye On The Rising Dragon: Why The United States Has Shifted Its View Of China, Jackson Scott
Baker Scholar Projects
Since 1978, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has long been viewed as an economic trading partner of the United States of America (US). The PRC has grown to be an economic powerhouse, and the US directly helped with that process and still benefits from it. However, during the mid-2010’s, US rhetoric began to turn sour against the PRC. The American government rhetoric toward the PRC, beginning with the Obama administration, switched. As Trump’s administration came along, they bolstered this rhetoric from non-friendly to more or less hostile. Then, Biden’s administration strengthened Trump’s rhetoric. Over the past ten years or …
Competing For Innovation: A Case Study Of Knoxville And Similar Metropolitan Areas, Lucille G. Marret
Competing For Innovation: A Case Study Of Knoxville And Similar Metropolitan Areas, Lucille G. Marret
Baker Scholar Projects
Knoxville competes with other mid-sized metropolitan areas for economic development and business attraction at the national level. Cities such as Greenville, SC, Huntsville, AL, and Ann Arbor, MI have similar resources and attributes to Knoxville, yet they are consistently surpassing Knoxville in business attraction and expansion. It is necessary for policy makers to understand what factors are contributing to underperformance in order to better support Knoxville’s efforts to create an innovation fund. Comparing available assets and access to funding for each MSA reveals that Knoxville has the necessary resources through the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to …
Centrality And Compliance: Unitary Vs. Federalist Political Systems In The Implementation Of The Kyoto Protocol In Argentina And Uruguay, Aidan Homan
Baker Scholar Projects
When Uruguay and Argentina first gained their respective independence in the early 1800s, they appeared to be following the same path of development As countries that came from the same Spanish colonization, share almost identical agricultural economies, and retain a close relationship, it is logical that they would follow similar trajectories. This assumption proves to be inaccurate in more ways than one, but most prominently within the environmental sphere. One way to analyze this difference in policy implementation lies in compliance with international environmental treaties which contain specific goals and limits for all parties involved. The Kyoto Protocol presents a …
Ballad Health: Understanding Appalachia’S Regional Healthcare Monopoly, Meredith A. Bailey
Ballad Health: Understanding Appalachia’S Regional Healthcare Monopoly, Meredith A. Bailey
Baker Scholar Projects
The Ballad Health merger of 2018, which combined the now 21 hospitals in the region under one organization, has impacted the healthcare landscape in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Historically, Appalachia has had to persevere through primary physician shortages, a lack of specialty care, geographic obstacles to accessing healthcare, challenges related to substance abuse, and much more. Since the merger of Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System, little research has been done to assess the perceived impact the aggregation of providers has had on the population it serves. This study utilizes an online survey to better understand the …
The Pink Tax: A Comparative Case Study Between Tennessee And Washington State, Megha Chitturi
The Pink Tax: A Comparative Case Study Between Tennessee And Washington State, Megha Chitturi
Baker Scholar Projects
The imposition of an additional luxury tax on menstrual health products, otherwise referred to as the “Pink Tax” or the “Tampon Tax”, is present in some states while absent in others. The decision to repeal such a tax is one that has proven to be critical, as it removes the connotation that such products are of “luxury” and make them more accessible to menstruators throughout the state. As of 2023, twenty-three states have eliminated the tax. The state of Washington falls under that parameter while Tennessee does not. The purpose of this undergraduate honors thesis is to explore the potential …
The Development Of Health System Resiliency: How Kenya's Experience With Malaria Impacted Its Reaction To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Zoe A. Ward
Baker Scholar Projects
Public health scholars have recently focused on health system resiliency to explain how previous experiences dealing with public health crises impact the healthcare sector, public behavior, and policy response to novel crises. However, it is unclear how resiliency develops. This study contributes by testing whether a health system’s experience with a health emergency and significant interventions impacts the response to a novel crisis. This research asks, “How has Kenya’s experience with malaria impacted its response to COVID-19?” Using the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS), I develop a malaria adherence score to measure county-level compliance …
Does Electoral Proximity Influence Commitment To International Human Rights Law?, Nolan Ragland
Does Electoral Proximity Influence Commitment To International Human Rights Law?, Nolan Ragland
Baker Scholar Projects
The core international human rights treaties from the United Nations have been signed and ratified by varying groups of states, and much of previous research has been dominated by a desire to explain ratification of international human rights law (IHRL) through the democratic lock-in effect and states’ economic and political ties to one another. In this paper, I seek to understand when states are ratifying IHRL, testing whether the presence of elections influences commitment to three of the nine core international human rights treaties: the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of …
The Eagle’S Eye On The Rising Dragon: Why The United States Has Shifted Its View Of China, Jackson Craig Scott
The Eagle’S Eye On The Rising Dragon: Why The United States Has Shifted Its View Of China, Jackson Craig Scott
Baker Scholar Projects
Since 1978, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has long been viewed as an economic trading partner of the United States of America (US). The PRC has grown to be an economic powerhouse, and the US directly helped with that process and still benefits from it. However, during the mid-2010’s, US rhetoric began to turn sour against the PRC. The American government rhetoric toward the PRC, beginning with the Obama administration, switched. As Trump’s administration came along, they bolstered this rhetoric from non-friendly to more or less hostile. Then, Biden’s administration strengthened Trump’s rhetoric. Over the past ten years or …
When The Rural Hospital Closes: An Analysis Of Acute Health Impacts Following Closure Of Rural Hospitals In Appalachia, Bret M. Berry
When The Rural Hospital Closes: An Analysis Of Acute Health Impacts Following Closure Of Rural Hospitals In Appalachia, Bret M. Berry
Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects
No abstract provided.
The Practice Environment For Nurse Anesthetists In Tennessee, Taylor Cathey, Jessica Hobbs, Matthew Owen, Alexis Varney, James Alberding, Tausha Alexander
The Practice Environment For Nurse Anesthetists In Tennessee, Taylor Cathey, Jessica Hobbs, Matthew Owen, Alexis Varney, James Alberding, Tausha Alexander
Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Potential consequences of anesthesia provider shortages may include a reduction in health care access, poor patient outcomes, and increased costs to government funded agencies. Current leaders in the anesthesia profession need to establish a work environment that is embracing, supportive, and safe so that certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) can remain healthy and productive. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly project was to provide an overview of the current CRNA practice environment in Tennessee and advocate for policies to promote CRNA retention and enhance patient access to care. The overarching goal included gathering sufficient evidence regarding …
For The Poor, It Was Just Friday: The Implicit Focus On Middle-Class Habitus In Conceptualizing Disaster, Amy Sorensen, Shelley Koch
For The Poor, It Was Just Friday: The Implicit Focus On Middle-Class Habitus In Conceptualizing Disaster, Amy Sorensen, Shelley Koch
Critical Disaster Studies
The importance of the academic study of disaster is in its potential application to policy and practice in times of dire circumstance and human suffering. In this paper, we situate the Covid-19 pandemic as an exemplar for an exploration of “disaster” using a framework that connects sociological theory and critical disaster studies. We use a Bourdieusian approach to situate the re-stabilization of the middle class habitus as implicitly central to disaster mitigation strategies. This theoretical approach illuminates the disconnect between critical disaster studies and on-the-ground disaster recovery approaches. It is this disconnect that leads to the disparate impact of disaster …