Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Understanding The Significance Of Virtual Support During Global Pandemic In Young Adults Diagnosed With Hepatitis C, Veronika Arkhipova

Master's Projects and Capstones

Hepatitis C is a viral infection that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation. In recent years, the prevalence of hepatitis C infections among 20 and 30 years of age has increased by 300 percent, and between 30 and 39 years by 400 percent. Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, people diagnosed with Hepatitis C have lost access to mental health services and resources, including in-person meetings with support groups. Since most states enforced stay-at-home order, many community centers, non-profit organizations that work with Hepatitis C patients and the affected population provide limited to no access to support group meetings …

Identifying And Structuring Long-Term Community Engagement Platforms For San Francisco's Ending The Hiv/Hcv/Sti Epidemics Initiative, Adam Landeros

Master's Projects and Capstones

Purpose: The primary objective for this project was to develop recommendations for a long-term community engagement structure and process for the ten-year implementation of the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Ending the HIV/HCV/STI Epidemics initiative.

Background: Community engagement offers public health practitioners, researchers, and policymakers the opportunity for open, respectful dialogue with community members in pursuit of a common goal. This project was designed to explore different community engagement coordinators’ experiences with undertaking such initiatives, in order to inform a large-scale funding proposal being pursued by the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH).

Methods: Phase 1 of the …

Promoting Community Engagement Through Basic User Tutorial Of Epa Geospatial Screening Tools, Jonas Nguyen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Social inequalities are riddled with health disparities and outcomes leading toward lower life expectancy. Communities of color, low income, and rural neighborhoods lack the voice and resources to effectively oppose industrial settlement which would likely lead to the release of toxic wastes into the water, air and ground ultimately affecting residential health. Empowering members through community engagement is a relatively new strategic process where researchers are finding mutual benefits in design, implementation, and results. This study aims to identify and promote tools for community engagement within the scope of environmental justice by working with EPA geospatial screening tools and designing …

Con Confianza: Using Community-Based Participatory Research Principles To Inform Community-Academic Partnership Practices And Build Trust In Hispanic Communities, Sharon Tafolla

Master's Projects and Capstones

Hispanic communities are at disproportionate risk for chronic diseases and researchers have cited the need for further community and culturally informed studies to improve research outcomes to either make treatments and interventions more generalizable or modify them to the needs of Hispanic communities. However, many of the same linguistic and cultural barriers to health care access and utilization also impact the ability for Hispanic groups to participate in research studies. Community Academic Partnerships (CAPs) are positioned to conduct culturally and linguistically competent research in Hispanic communities. For research in Hispanic communities to be effective, CAPs must prioritize practices that build …

Plant-Powered: A Digital Plant-Based Nutrition Intervention For Low-Income Patients With Type Ii Diabetes, Ellen Pelos

Master's Projects and Capstones

Purpose: This project aimed to measure the acceptability and feasibility of plant-based diets among low-income individuals with type II diabetes at the Samaritan House Food Pharmacy and to create a user-centered pilot program to encourage the adoption of a plant-based diet.

Background: Plant-based diets are effective for preventing, treating, and reversing type II diabetes, but there is not much evidence about the acceptability and feasibility of these diets.

Methods: Focus groups were used to gather qualitative data about the acceptability and feasibility of plant-based diets in the target population. The researcher conducted interviews with Food Pharmacy program leaders to learn …

Black Pregnancy Matters: Racial Reproductive Bias In African American Maternal Mortality, Juhi Khemani

Master's Projects and Capstones

This semester-long research project uncovers how racial biases demonstrated in the reproductive health field, and specifically before, during, and after childbirth, affect the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity for African American mothers in the United States. The rate of maternal mortality for this specific racial group is four times greater as compared to Caucasian women and this discrepancy will be investigated and analyzed throughout this capstone thesis. Interviews were conducted with key figures in the obstetric and gynecological field as well as with Black mothers themselves in an effort to uncover what factors, aside from medical anomalies, are leading …