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Oregon Doula Workforce Analysis, Aisha K Gilmore, Apoorva Somayazulu, Lindsay Dickey, Rosemelty Jimenez Medal

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Nursing Students’ Attitudes And Preparedness For Maid, Kristal Candray

Nursing | Senior Theses

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) also known as physician-assisted suicide in addition to euthanasia is on the rise with an increase in decriminalization of the practice(s) and enactment of practice-protected policies in many countries. Ethics and morals on the subject continue to be controversial in healthcare. As student nurses enter the field as clinicians, they may encounter a patient requesting MAiD. Studies from students in other countries where MAiD and/or euthanasia is practiced found that student nurses do not feel adequately prepared to navigate such situations. However, although MAiD has been legalized in a handful of states within the United …

Optimizing Discharge Education For Patients With Heart Failure, Connie-Rose Pangan

Nursing | Senior Theses

Noncompliance can be a result of a lack of comprehension of discharge instructions and a lack of concise, effective educational resources. Due to this deficit, patients with heart failure are less likely to comply with their discharge protocol and are therefore more likely to be readmitted to the hospital. The aim of the study is to consolidate a teaching method that accommodates one's existing educational barriers, implement follow-up to increase knowledge retention and improve self care, and prevent readmission among HF patients. Two hundred hospitalized, English-speaking patients with heart failure above 65 years old across 20 US Hospitals will be …

Nursing Knowledge Regarding Pap Smears For Transgender Men, Caytlin Capulong

Nursing | Senior Theses

Cervical cancer screening (CCS) is a crucial test used for preventative measures against cervical cancer, yet transgender men (TM) experience significantly lower screening rates in comparison to cisgender women due to pain, anxiety, and systemic healthcare barriers. A major factor for deterrence is pain during speculum insertion, often because of vaginal atrophy related to testosterone usage. Other factors include fear of discrimination, mistreatment, and lack of provider awareness, particularly among nurses who play a pivotal role in patient preparation and care. This research aims to assess the extent of nurses’ knowledge regarding Pap smears for female-to-male (FTM) patients through a …

The Remote Supervision Road To Registrar Training In Australia - Paving The Path With Pixels And Phones (A Narrative Review)., Nicholas Coburn, Kylie Fitzgerald, Brett Vaughan

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Specialist medical training in rural or remote Australia is limited due to current requirements of specialist medical colleges to supervise and train registrars onsite. Remote supervision, where the registrar is supervised via telephone and videoconferencing technology remotely, offers a solution that allows doctors to train in rural or remote areas. This review describes the opportunities, challenges, and recommendations to pave the path for a best practice model of remote supervision for private practice focused registrar training in Australia which may offer insights for other countries with rural and remote medical workforces.

Methods: Ovid Medline and Ovid Embase were …

Comparing The Patient Shielding Practices For Healthcare Facilities In Southeast Georgia, Genesis Horton

Honors College Theses

Since the discovery of X-rays in 1895, research has consistently been conducted on their capabilities and limitations in healthcare. One primary focus of interest is patient shielding, especially regarding radiation protection and patient safety. Introduced in the mid-1900s, patient shielding has been practiced to protect the gonads, the thyroid, and other radiosensitive body parts. This research project investigated common shielding protocols implemented in healthcare facilities, specifically within Southeast Georgia. This study utilized anonymized in-person interviews with local imaging departments regarding their procedures and protocols for patient shielding. Results from these interviews have been analyzed and compared to shielding best practices …

Advancing Person-Centred Care Through Palliative Care Wa’S Acp Workshops: The Longer-Term Impact, Gertrude G. Phiri, Emma Gunner, Philip Bafile, Davina Porock

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Planning for end-of-life and associated decision-making is one of global significance as it impacts the quality of care in palliative care settings, including ensuring that personal preferences are honoured. It is a priority for the Australian health system to use Advance Care Planning (ACP) as it is an effective tool for individuals and their families to make their personal preferences known and implemented. The aim of this project was to evaluate the longer-term impact of the Palliative Care Western Australia (PCWA) ACP workshops. Semi-structured, open-ended questions were used to collect data from 21 participants. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to …

Intake Of Total, Classes, And Subclasses Of (Poly)Phenols And Risk Of Lymphoid Neoplasms: A Prospective Analysis In The Epic Cohort, Enrique Almanza-Aguilera, David Guananga-Álvarez, Yolanda Benavente, Alexandra Nieters, Caroline Besson, Fatemeh Saberi Hosnijeh, Cecilie Kyrø, Nicola P. Bondonno, Christina C. Dahm, Elisabete Weiderpass, Therese Truong, Mariem Louati-Hajji, Xuan Ren, Verena Katzke, Matthias B. Schulze, Fabrizio Pasanisi, Claudia Vener, Giovanna Masala, Maria Teresa Giraudo, Rosario Tumino, Amaia Aizpurua, Maria Jose Sánchez, José María Huerta, Marcela Guevara, Cristina Lasheras, Paolo Vineis

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Existing epidemiological evidence regarding the potential role of (poly)phenol intake in lymphoma development is limited. Methods: We investigated the associations between the intake of total and individual classes and subclasses of (poly)phenols and the risk of lymphoma, including main frequent subtypes in the EPIC cohort using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. Results: During a mean 14-year follow-up (time frame: from 1990–1994 to 2008–2013), 2394 incident lymphoma cases were diagnosed from a total of 367,463 individuals. No significant associations were observed between total intakes of (poly)phenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids and overall lymphoma risk. Total (poly)phenols, phenolic acid and hydroxycinnamic …

Treatment Refusal By Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Study Of Oncology Health Professionals’ Views And Experiences In Australia, Moira O’Connor, Ashleigh Pantaleo, Tracey Williams, Mary Theophilus, Jordan Joseph, Nicolas H. Hart, Darren Haywood

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In some cases, against medical advice, a person with cancer decides not to undergo any conventional, evidence-based cancer treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy hormone therapy and others. Estimates for treatment refusal range from 2.6% to 14.55%. Refusing evidence-based conventional cancer treatments is linked to rapid deterioration, poor prognosis and a higher risk of premature death. This study aimed to explore oncology health professionals’ experiences and views on why patients refuse standard cancer treatments. We employed an in-depth qualitative research design, adopting a social constructionist framework. Fourteen health professionals in Western Australia (WA) with experience working in oncology were interviewed. Four themes …

Effectiveness Of Video-Observed Therapy In The Management Of Tuberculosis: A Multi-Centre Randomised Control Trial In Terengganu, Malaysia, Kartik Kaliyana Sundaram

Student Works (2020-2029)

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading public health threat. In 2023, an estimated 10.8 million people developed the disease and 1.25 million died, making TB the world’s leading killer from a single treatable infection. In Malaysia, the notification rate of TB is 80.2 per 100,000 population and a rise of 5.5% from the previous year. Since its introduction in the early 1990s, Direct Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS) has been the standard of approach for TB treatment. While effective, DOTS is often logistically challenging for both patients and service providers. Daily clinic visits place significant time, travel, and staffing demands on …

Wearable-Derived Heart Rate Variability Reveals Autonomic Dysfunction In Schizophrenia (Preprint), Alec J. Pupo, Stephanie H. Felgoise

Internal Medicine Resident Research

Autonomic dysfunction has long been implicated in schizophrenia, yet objective physiological markers remain underutilized in psychiatric research. Heart rate variability (HRV), a noninvasive measure of autonomic regulation, is conventionally derived from short electrocardiographic recordings. In this study, we tested whether continuous, wearable-derived HRV can identify physiologic alterations in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Using the NIH All of Us database, we analyzed second-level Fitbit heart rate data from 26 individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum diagnoses and 26 matched controls. Frequency-domain analyses focused on ultra-low frequency (ULF), very low frequency (VLF), and truncated low frequency (tLF) bands, given sampling constraints. Schizophrenia participants showed significantly reduced power …

Determination Of Structural Factors Contributing To Protection Of Zinc Fingers In Estrogen Receptor Α Through Molecular Dynamic Simulations, Patricia B. Lutz, Wesley R. Coombs, Craig A. Bayse

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The ERα transcription factor that induces tumor growth is a potential target for breast cancer treatment. Each monomer of the ERα DNA-binding domain (ERαDBD) homodimer has two conserved (Cys)₄-type zinc fingers, ZF1 (N-terminal) and ZF2 (C-terminal). Electrophilic agents release Zn²⁺ by oxidizing the coordinating Cys of the more labile ZF2 to inhibit dimerization and DNA binding. Microsecond-length molecular dynamics (MD) simulations show that greater flexibility of ZF2 in the ERαDBD monomer leaves its Cys more solvent accessible and less shielded from electrophilic attack by sulfur-centered hydrogen bonds than ZF1 which is buried in the protein. In the …

The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Factors And Low Birth Rates In Ohio, Ryan Gora, Hannah Amin

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Background: The incidence of low birth weight (LBW) has not substantially fallen over time despite advances in medical interventions. LBW has been linked to several chronic diseases in adulthood including type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), making it a particularly salient public health issue.
Objective: To examine socioeconomic factors and diseases associated with LBW in Ohio between 2016-2022.
Methods: Using data from County Health Rankings, we identified socioeconomic factors predictive of LBW in Ohio between 2016-2022. We also examined the relationship between LBW and incidence of T2DM as well as food insecurity (FI). In addition, we investigated how …

Research For All: Building A Diverse Researcher Community For The All Of Us Research Program, Rubin Baskir, Minnkyong Lee, Sydney J Mcmaster, Jessica Lee, Faith Blackburne-Proctor, Romuladus Azuine, Nakia Mack, Sheri D Schully, Martin Mendoza, Janeth Sanchez, Yong Crosby, Erica Zumba, Michael Hahn, Naomi Aspaas, Ahmed Elmi, Shanté Alerté, Elizabeth Stewart, Danielle Wilfong, Meag Doherty, Margaret M Farrell, Grace B Hébert, Sula Hood, Cheryl M Thomas, Debra D Murray, Brendan Lee, Louisa A Stark, Megan A Lewis, Jen D Uhrig, Laura R Bartlett, Edgar Gil Rico, Adolph Falcón, Elizabeth Cohn, Mitchell R Lunn, Juno Obedin-Maliver, Linda Cottler, Milton Eder, Fornessa T Randal, Jason Karnes, Kitani Lemieux, Nelson Lemieux, Nelson Lemieux, Lilanta Bradley, Ronnie Tepp, Meredith Wilson, Monica Rodriguez, Chris Lunt, Karriem Watson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: The NIH All of Us Research Program (All of Us) is engaging a diverse community of more than 10 000 registered researchers using a robust engagement ecosystem model. We describe strategies used to build an ecosystem that attracts and supports a diverse and inclusive researcher community to use the All of Us dataset and provide metrics on All of Us researcher usage growth.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Researcher audiences and diversity categories were defined to guide a strategy. A researcher engagement strategy was codeveloped with program partners to support a researcher engagement ecosystem. An adapted ecological model guided the ecosystem …

Exploring The Reassessment Of Palliative Home Care Clients: A Mixed Methods Study, Maya Canham

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Introduction: The timely reassessment of clients receiving palliative home care (HC) is critical for supporting clinicians with care planning and service delivery. However, there is little information on the frequency of reassessments and factors driving reassessment in palliative HC clients.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the proportion of palliative HC clients reassessed with the interRAI Palliative Care (interRAI PC) instrument, (ii) calculate the average interRAI PC reassessment interval, (iii) identify the key factors driving interRAI PC reassessment at various intervals, and (iv) explore the factors that influence palliative HC clinicians to reassess their clients in …

Multimodal Wearable Intelligence For Dementia Care In Healthcare 4.0: A Survey, Po Yang, Gaoshan Bi, Jun Qi, Xulong Wang, Yun Yang, Li Da Xu

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

As a new revolution of Ubiquitous Computing and Internet of Things, multimodal wearable intelligence technique is rapidly becoming a new research topic in both academic and industrial fields. Owning to the rapid spread of wearable and mobile devices, this technique is evolving healthcare from traditional hub-based systems to more personalised healthcare systems. This trend is well-aligned with recent "Healthcare 4.0" which is a continuous process of transforming the entire healthcare value chain to be preventive, precise, predictive and personalised, with significant benefits to elder care. But empowering the utility of multimodal wearable intelligence technique for elderly care like people with …

Nutritional Management Of The Child With Chronic Kidney Disease And On Dialysis., Vanessa Shaw, Caroline Anderson, An Desloovere, Larry A. Greenbaum, Lyndsay Harshman, Christina L. Nelms, Pearl Pugh, Nonnie Polderman, José Renken-Terhaerdt, Evelien Snauwaert, Stella Stabouli, Jetta Tuokkola, Johan Vande Walle, Bradley A. Warady, Fabio Paglialonga, Rukshana Shroff

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

While it is widely accepted that the nutritional management of the infant with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is paramount to achieve normal growth and development, nutritional management is also of importance beyond 1 year of age, particularly in toddlers, to support the delayed infantile stage of growth that may extend to 2-3 years of age. Puberty is also a vulnerable period when nutritional needs are higher to support the expected growth spurt. Inadequate nutritional intake throughout childhood can result in failure to achieve full adult height potential, and there is an increased risk for abnormal neurodevelopment. Conversely, the rising prevalence …

A Community Effort To Develop Common Data Elements For Pre-Clinical Spinal Cord Injury Research., Britt A. Fedor, Abel Torres-Espin, Romana Vavrek, Maryann E. Martone, John L. Bixby, John C. Gensel, Vance Lemmon, Jeffrey S. Grethe, J. Russel Huie, Adam R. Ferguson, Karim Fouad, The Preclinical Sci Common Data Elements (Cde) Workshop Participants

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

For nearly 350 years, the process of disseminating scientific knowledge has remained largely unchanged. Scientists conduct experiments, analyze the data, and publish their findings in the form of scientific articles. Since the turn of the century, this process has been challenged by numerous open science and data sharing efforts to enhance transparency, reproducibility, and replicability of scientific research. Big data approaches, together with machine learning and artificial intelligence, are frequently used to gain insight into the ever-growing complexity of biological systems and biomedical research. To utilize these approaches and harness the continuously increasing computational power requires data to be both …

Barriers To Adherence To Standard Of Care In Appalachia: A Qualitative Assessment In Gastrointestinal Cancers, Brittany Levy, Jennifer T. Castle, Roshmita Bardhan, Mark Dignan, Avinash S. Bhakta

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Purpose: Appalachian Kentucky, a 32-county region in the eastern part of the state, has elevated colon cancer mortality rates. While recommended as the standard of care, access to adjuvant chemotherapy treatment is limited in this region due to scarce health services and significant social and geographical barriers. The purpose of this investigation was to improve understanding of barriers that cancer patients residing in rural areas not served directly by tertiary medical systems must overcome in completing adjuvant therapy.

Methods: Participants were recruited from two medical centers: A tertiary care NCI designated Cancer Center and a regional hospital. Participants underwent a …

Rcpneoperu Trial: A Cluster Randomized Pilot Trial To Assess Traditional Neonatal Resuscitation Compared To Partially Virtual Training In Remote Areas., Carlos A Delgado, Enrique Gómez Pomar, Pablo Velásquez, Víctor Sánchez, Roberto Shimabuku, Luis Huicho

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of a neonatal resuscitation training program using traditional training and partial distance learning.

METHOD: Through an open cluster-randomized trial, the authors compared a traditional approach involving face-to-face theory and practice sessions using information and communication technology to offer theory and distance examination, followed by face-to-face practice. Twelve health facilities were allocated by blocked randomization. Comparisons were made adjusting for clustering in qualitative and quantitative data. The primary outcome was the percentage of infants with heart rates ≥100 per minute at the second minute after birth. The authors performed a cluster-level analysis for cluster randomized trials, …

Facilitated Group Care For Maternal And Child Health Model Fidelity: A Scoping Review, Ashley Gresh, Phoebe Parker, Anne Batchelder, Jalana Lazar, Christina X. Marea, Camilla Bjelland, Rohan D. Jeremiah, Giovanna Cristina Machado-Kayzuka, Hayden Geibel, Dhruvi R. Patel, Esnath Kapito, Kathleen F. Norr, Crystal L. Patil

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Group care is a transformative model of prenatal, postnatal, and well-child care. The Centering-based group care model has three core components: health care, interactive learning, and community building. It has been implemented in 33 countries with associated improved maternal and child health outcomes. Maintaining fidelity to the model is essential for its effectiveness. However, to date no standardised measure of fidelity to the group care model exists. This review aimed to explore how fidelity is measured in group care and identify common themes to understand what is essential to maintain fidelity. We used the scoping review framework by Arksey & …

Disrupted Calcium Dynamics In Reactive Astrocytes Occur With End Feet–Arteriole Decoupling In An Amyloid Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Blaine Weiss, John C. Gant, Ruei-Lung Lin, Jenna L. Gollihue, Colin B. Rogers, Susan D. Kraner, Edmund B. Rucker, Yuriko Katsumata, Yang Jiang, Peter T. Nelson, Donna M. Wilcock, Pradoldej Sompol, Olivier Thibault, Christopher M. Norris

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

While cerebrovascular dysfunction and reactive astrocytosis are extensively characterized hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias, the dynamic relationship between reactive astrocytes and cerebral vessels remains poorly understood. Here, we used jGCaMP8f and two-photon microscopy to investigate calcium signaling in multiple astrocyte subcompartments, concurrent with changes in cerebral arteriole activity, in fully awake 7- to 8-month-old male and female 5xFAD mice, a model for AD-like pathology, and wild-type (WT) littermates. In the absence of movement, spontaneous calcium transients in barrel cortex occurred more frequently in astrocyte somata, processes, and perivascular regions of 5xFAD mice. However, evoked arteriole dilations (in …

Advance Care Planning Utilization Among Non-White Individuals With Heart Disease And Cancer Using Health Retirement Study (Hrs) Data, Trizah M. Njoroge

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

Advance Care Planning (ACP) is a critical component of patient-centered care, yet its utilization remains disproportionately low among Non-White populations in the United States, particularly among individuals with chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. This article explores racial disparities in ACP engagement using secondary analysis of the 2018 and 2020 waves data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), guided by Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (SET). The study examines how race, disease type, comorbidity, and survey year predict ACP service utilization, defined as completing five key ACP components: a legal will, a medical care discussion, surrogate assignment (DPOA), a …

Improving Glucose Levels In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Kaitlin Castillo

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Type 2 diabetes is a growing health crisis, posing significant challenges not only to individual well-being but also to healthcare systems' financial sustainability. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes continues to rise annually, contributing to increased medical costs, hospitalizations, and long-term complications. Houston, Texas, has a diabetes prevalence of 13.5%, exceeding the national average of 10%. A clinical gap exists in providers’ ability to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes. Prioritizing prevention, early intervention, and improved patient monitoring can reduce incidence rates, lower healthcare costs, and enhance overall population health. A Plan Do Study Act model was utilized for the …

Guideline For The Management Of Immunotherapy-Related Adrenal Insufficiency At A Cancer Center, Rachna R. Patel

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: Immunotherapy has become an important treatment option for cancer care and is being utilized more often. Immunotherapy-related adrenal insufficiency (irAI) is a potential adverse effect of immunotherapy that requires endocrine expertise for management. The goal of this project was to create a guideline with an algorithm for the safe and comprehensive management of irAI in an advanced-practice provider-led clinic.

Methods: A guideline project utilizing the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Quality Measures Clearinghouse (NQMC) Measure Domain Framework was conducted at this cancer care facility. A literature search was conducted to gather the best available evidence and …

Bundled Approach To Improve Colorectal Cancer In Primary Care, Elizabeth Reddiar

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, despite being preventable through timely screening. National guidelines recommend regular screening for adults aged 45 to 75; (American cancer Society (ACS), 2025) however, screening rates remain suboptimal, particularly in primary care settings serving diverse and high-volume populations. Local Problem: At the project site, a community-oriented primary care clinic in North Texas, baseline data revealed CRC screening completion rates were below benchmarks set by the organization. Barriers included limited patient awareness, inconsistent provider reminders, and workflow challenges in distributing and tracking fecal immunochemical test …

Leveraging Clinical Standards To Improve The Translational Relevance Of Therapies For Experimental Spinal Cord Injury, Aaron L. Silverstein

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Efforts to improve treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) often use animals to develop effective therapeutics, intending to improve the survival and the quality of life of persons with SCI. Over half of all SCIs in the United States occur at the cervical level and often cause locomotor deficits and life-threatening breathing dysfunction. Thus, my dissertation is focused on this important patient population.

After beginning with a description of translational research and surveying SCI from a clinical standpoint, I turned to describe experimental models of cervical SCI and more detailed neuroimmunological findings relevant to my work. Then, I conducted a …

Changes In Cancer Diagnosis And Survival In The United States During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Justin T. Burus

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

The COVID-19 Pandemic led to global societal disruptions as political leaders and public health authorities attempted to control the spread of the newly discovered SARS- CoV-2 virus. While these measures were designed to lessen morbidity and mortality from a novel pathogen, their impact was also felt in many other, often unintended ways. The purpose of this dissertation is to use cancer surveillance research methods to examine the association between COVID-19 Pandemic-related disruptions and changes in the normal diagnosis and care of cancer in the United States.

The first two studies of this dissertation analyzed reductions in cancer diagnoses in the …

M1 Macrophage-Engineered Vesicles Have Anti-Cancer Activity In Ovarian Cancer, Connie Du Cao

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Ovarian cancer typically presents at an advanced stage, has a poor prognosis, and is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived membrane-bound nanoparticles that function in specific cell-to-cell communication and are under development as novel drug delivery vehicles and modulators of the tumor microenvironment. Artificial cell-derived vesicles (ACDVs) derived from M1 macrophages are able to repolarize M2 macrophages to the M1 phenotype and target tumor cells in in vitro studies.

In this study, we generated engineered EVs (EEVs) by membrane disruption of M1 macrophages (MEVs) in the presence and absence of cisplatin to generate …

Biochemical And Biophysical Properties Of Failing Myocardium In Rare Patient Populations, Gregory Nathaniel Milburn

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Heart failure has diverse underlying etiologies, complicating research. While some types, like ischemic disease or inherited mutations, are well-studied, research on rarer forms has lagged. Understanding the molecular drivers in these populations may enhance diagnostics and therapies. This work examines two rare groups: patients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis and those receiving mechanical assist device support. We show that myocardium from patients with amyloidosis has increased fibrosis and reduced force production without changes in cross-bridge kinetics. Additionally, we show that the passive stiffness of amyloidosis myocardium is not different from non-failing myocardium, indicating increased ventricular wall thickness may cause restrictive filling. …