Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

E-Cigarette Prevention Among Vermont Youth, Tyler W. Wark

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

E-cigarettes are increasingly used by U.S. adolescents, a trend that is particularly troublesome from a public health perspective because they have been linked to conventional tobacco smoking. In Vermont, recent data from 2015 reports that 30% of high school students ever used electronic vapor products. At present the scientific, regulatory, and lay communities all have a dearth of quality information regarding e-cigarettes and their potential adverse health effects. This school-based intervention aims to promote awareness and educate at-risk youth in the Milton School District about e-cigarettes through an educational fact sheet and health blog post.

Rutland City Public School At Risk Youth Mentorship, Michael J. Marallo

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This after school program’s purpose is to address the unique challenges of Rutland, VT Middle/High School students with multiple psychosocial risk factors (as determined by comparison to the ACE questionnaire) through mentorship, health and life skills education, and by guiding the development of positive coping skills. Activities will allow for self-expression outside of the classroom in a safe environment. Focus will be placed on assisting paraeducators and teachers with meeting goals that are appropriate for each individual student.

Talking To Your Teens About Pregnancy, Sergio Andres Munoz

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Teen parents are at risk for a variety of adverse life outcomes. The rate of low birth weight and premature delivery is higher among teen mothers than the average population. Teen pregnancy and birth are major contributors to lower educational achievement and income as they are less likely to graduate High school and college, leading to increased rates of poverty among teen mothers. This project aims to educate parents of at risk teens on how to approach the topic with their kids and to provide them with a list of online sources to aid in the process.

Breast Density Notification: A Primary Care Summary, Nicole Lin Mendelson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

On January 15^th, 2017 Vermont Senate Bill 157 took effect requiring healthcare facilities that perform mammography to provide patients information that identifies their individual breast tissue classification. 40-50% of women fall into the category of having increased breast density. Increased breast density reduces the sensitivity of mammography and increases the chance that cancer will not be detected. Additionally, women who have dense breasts are at an increased risk for developing breast cancer. Supplemental screening provides an opportunity to increase detection of breast cancer, but comes with an increased rate of false positives. With this new law in place, …

Promoting Skin Cancer Awareness, Sree Sahithi Kolli

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the nation and the cost to treat it is around 8 billion dollars a year. Sun exposure is linked to all three types of skin cancer and incidence of melanoma is highest in Caucasians compared to other races. In Brookfield, CT which is comprised of a predominantly Caucasian population, there is a lack of awareness of skin cancer detection and prevention. One of the best ways to promote skin cancer awareness is through education about the different types of skin cancers and sun safety behaviors. The idea is to start the conversation …

Promoting Awareness Of The Opioid Epidemic In Rural Vermont, Kathleen Olson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Vermont is in the middle of an opioid epidemic. Heroin use fatalities are on the rise and the number of people in treatment for opioid use disorder in Rutland County has tripled in recent years. Despite this widespread problem, community members of Rutland County feel that there is reluctance to talk about opioid misuse and lack of awareness. This project aims to bring awareness, provide resources, and encourage people struggling with opioid use disorder to seek treatment.

Prostate Cancer: Screening, Current Guidelines And Patient Education, Timothy F. Flanagan

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Recent changes in prostate cancer screening guidelines may create an opportunity for patient education. By creating a succinct hand-out on prostate cancer screening, providers enable their patients to understand screening, and provide sites with opportunities for further learning.

E-Cigarettes: What Primary Care Providers Need To Know, Jennifer S. Albert

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

E-cigarettes are gaining in popularity, yet our understanding of their health effects remains uncertain. Many people believe that they can aid in smoking cessation, however the evidence is inconclusive. The conflicting information in the public media has led some providers in Central Vermont to recommend e-cigarettes to their patients. This intervention aims to educate primary care providers about e-cigarettes by creating and distributing a fact sheet that can guide patient-provider interactions.

Childhood Obesity: A National Emergency, Elaine E. Wang

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Childhood obesity rates and the related public health costs are rising every year. Many projects have addressed family education on the importance of diet and exercise. However, though patients reportedly understand this concept, they are still have challenges implementing their knowledge. We seek to address this discrepancy with an educational brochure based on suggestions for parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Importance Of Collecting An Accurate Family Medical History, Danielle T. Leahy

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Family medical history has been recognized as an important non-modifiable risk factor for many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even several types of cancer. However, a number of studies have shown that patients’ recall of their family history is often inaccurate and missing important information such as family members’ age at onset or diagnosis of a disease. Additionally, there is substantial variation regarding how often family physicians are actually obtaining FMH during visits. Patients’ understanding of the importance of obtaining an accurate FMH and even their perception of familial risk of common chronic diseases is also highly variable …

A Confidential Sms Texting Service For Lgbtq Youth Sexual And Reproductive Health, Matthew A. Shear

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Compared to heterosexual youth, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth are at higher risk for depression, tobacco, alcohol and other drug use, suicide, and unhealthy sexual behaviors. The #1 priority set by Vermont's LGBTQ youth was access to queer-inclusive sex education during middle and high school. In collaboration with OutrightVT, an LGBTQ youth service organization based in Burlington, we worked to expand access to a 24 hour text-messaging based reproductive health hotline 724-888-7277 (SASS).

The number and frequency of text messages submitted to the hotline pre- and post-intervention were used measure the increase in access/awareness.

Pap Smear Compliance Study At Emmc, Bangor Maine, Do Gwak

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Many factors contribute to the accurate reporting of pap smear compliance in patients population. The factors identified during the study are system failure of EMR to track pap smear records and lack of communication among different clinics.

Improving Awareness Of Low Health Literacy And Strategies To Overcome It, Sherilyn Destefano

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project outlines an intervention delivered at a family medicine residency program in Bangor, ME to increase residents' knowledge of the impact of low health literacy and supply them with communication techniques to help improve patient understanding. Over 36% of U.S. adults have basic or below basic health literacy skills and low health literacy has been shown to lead to poorer health outcomes, increased health disparities, and increased cost. Our presentation focused on communication techniques like Teach-Back, an evidence-based strategy that assesses patient understanding by asking patients to repeat back healthcare instructions in their own words, that has been shown …

The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Health Care Share: An Immunization For The Future, Paul Feenan

Food Systems Summit 2015

In 2012, The Farm at VYCC partnered with Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) to pilot the Health Care Share (HCS), a food security initiative that provides farm fresh produce and poultry to families in need. In 2013, the University of Vermont Medical Center (then Fletcher Allen Health Care), joined the program. Medical providers identify patient and employee families who are unable to afford or access fresh, nutritious food. Families enrolled in the HCS receive a weekly allotment of fresh produce, information on food storage and preparation, and increased access to nutritional counseling.

The HCS relies on a constellation of local …

Osteoporosis: Prevention, Screening, And Treatment In The Primary Care Setting, Jeanne T. Gosselin

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Osteoporosis, with its related fragility fractures, is largely a preventable disorder, not an inevitable part of aging. Through effective education, screening, and treatement in the primary care setting, it may be possible to curb the impending rise of osteoporosis and costly fractures as the population ages. A time-conserving patient education pamphlet on osteoporosis was developed for a family medicine practice in central Vermont. The educational intervention is sensitive to the time constraints of a busy practice and may provide a much needed foundation for osteoporosis education in the primary care setting.