Digital Commons Network^™

The Cadaver As The First Patient: Early Integration Of Pathology In The Preclinical Anatomy Laboratory, Sruthi Shriram, Lauren Desantis, Tulika Singhal, Kevin Ta, Courtney Shields, Muhammad Jawwad Arshad, Varna Taranikanti, Madison Konja

Posters

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Patient-Facing Ai Chatbot Questions To Improve Readability And Actionability In Anesthesia Education, Sarah Kadado, Bianca Elias, Roy Soto

Posters

In anesthesia, high patient anxiety and limited counseling time increase the need for clear, usable information. Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT) are increasingly used for patient anesthesia education. Many AI-generated responses exceed the recommended 6th-8th grade reading level for patient education information. Responses also often lack actionable guidance for patients. This study quantifies how optimizing patient-facing prompts improves readability, understandability, and actionability.

Implementation Of Self-Directed Learning In Preclinical Respiratory Course, Tai Metzger, Kaycee L. Fillmore, Inaya Hajj-Hussein, Dwayne Baxa, Kyeorda Kemp, Virginia Uhley, Claudio Cortes

Posters

Self-directed learning (SDL) is essential to incorporate into the medical curriculum to develop lifelong learning skills. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) defines four specific components of SDL that must be incorporated into medical education. We created an team-based SDL activity and evaluated whether this format aligned with the SDL components defined by the LCME, using students’ evaluations and reflections.

Perceptions Of Radiology Residency Staffing Models Across Years Of Training, Alex Zhang, Alexander Swantek, Adela Pouzar, Sayf Al-Katib

Posters

Case staffing is the primary method by which radiology residencies teach at the workstation. Despite this, the styles and methods for how staffing is performed have not yet been comprehensively described. Understanding these models and evaluating resident perspectives can inform best practices and enhance radiology education.

Do Preclinical Assessment Strategies Matter? Nbme Usage And Student Outcomes Across U.S. Medical Schools, Reem Fawaz, Aaryan Patel, David Thomas

Posters

Preclinical assessment strategies vary widely across U.S. medical schools. Limited data exist on how these strategies relate to student success outcomes. Our study examines whether exam usage patterns are associated with Step 1 performance, Step 2 performance, and overall match rate.

Equitable Exposure, Unequal Outcomes Summative Performance Following Clinical Integration Anatomy Laboratories, Christopher Ramus, Stefanie Attardi

Posters

Cadaver-based anatomy education remains essential but faces high content demands, limited physical and personnel resources, and a continually condensed timeline. These challenges necessitate efficient instructional efficient instructional strategies. Pedagogical research supports active learning strategies for better retention, engagement, and application.

Mapping Information Literary To The Medical Curriculum, Ella Hu, David Stewart

Posters

Medical school accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) requires library staff to be responsive to educational needs. Despite a move toward integrated learning, library instruction is often limited to single sessions early in the curriculum. Curriculum mapping addresses this by providing a systematic analysis of program courses to visualize teaching priorities and the student experience. This strategic tool enables librarians to shift from reactive service to proactive engagement, finding high-impact courses through syllabus analysis. Furthermore, aligning the ACRL Framework with medical education standards, such as AAMC Core EPAs and ACGME requirements, is essential for identifying instructional gaps …

Not All Health Problems Are Medical, Lisa George, Jennifer Hartke, Linda Caurdy-Bess, Karen Glorio

Posters

Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) started in 1993 in Boston. Currently MLP’s have been established in over 450 health care institutions in 49 states. Patient Legal Support (PLS) began in August 2009 and is a collaborative effort between Corewell Health East (then Beaumont Health system) and Lakeshore Legal Aid. Modeled after Boston Medical Center’s Family Advocacy Program, PLS provides educational training to health care providers, helping them recognize legal issues that affect the health of their patients, refer patients with legal problems, and improve their own advocacy skills.

How Medical Education Reframes Perceptions Of Substance Use Disorder: A Study Of Evolving Student Attitudes, Eva Neueunschwander, Cameron Davidson

Posters

According to the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in 2022 about 50 million people had experienced a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year.1 Despite the alarming prevalence of SUD, stigma remains a major barrier to seeking and obtaining high quality treatment. Understanding how medical students view SUD and how perceptions change across their educational journey is essential for improving patient care. While previous studies have investigated SUD stigma among medical students, the effect of study year on attitudes remains largely mixed and unclear.2 This project compares attitudes across educational levels to understand how medical training influences …

The Library As A Partner In Wellness: A Curated Resource Collection For Medical Students, David Stewart

Posters

Medical education involves intense stress; 82% of students experience high distress, facing higher rates of burnout and mental illness than the general population2,3. This is often attributed to a medical culture prioritizing technical efficiency over humanistic care1 . Medical libraries are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap, as students perceive them as safe, confidential communal spaces2 . Despite this, only 18% of U.S. medical libraries currently offer dedicated wellness resources2 . To address this, Narrative Medicine, the engagement with patient stories, has emerged as one way to foster narrative competence1 . These interventions improve clinical connections and self-perspective, helping students …

Reframing Inclusion Through Scholarship & Equity (Rise) Equity Project 2026, Tonya Bailey, Brandon Harris, Abhinav Krishnan, Trini Mathew, Amita Pai, Julie Zaituna, Tracey Taylor

Posters

The OUWB RISE program is a faculty development educational initiative, and this poster disseminates both clinical and foundation faculty scholars’ year-long, project-based learning focused on advancing inclusive and equitable medical education.

Short-Term Bayesian Influenza Forecasting In A Hospital Environment Using A Linear Kalman Filter., Shankar Kaleeswaran Mani, Grzegorz A Rempala, Eben Kenah, Fernanda L Schumacher

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

Accurately forecasting the weekly number of influenza (flu) lab tests and positive cases is important for hospitals as they work to plan staffing, manage supplies, and provide timely patient care. In this paper, we describe a practical use of a Bayesian Kalman filter to forecast weekly flu tests and positives in a hospital setting. Using data from a large hospital system in Ohio, we show that this approach, which blends real-time hospital information with historical patterns, offers a dependable way to anticipate flu-related patient volume as far as four weeks ahead.

Pharmacogenomic-Guided Prescribing And Polypharmacy Across Age Groups In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Retrospective Study, Sheldon R Garrison, Matthew W Boyer, Anthony W Zoghbi, Rachel A Schwartz, Nicolette Weisensel, Martin E Franklin, Madeline M Hartig, Maharaj Singh, Sreya Vadapalli

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: This study evaluated medication utilization in children, adolescents, and adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a chronic psychiatric condition characterized by intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors. Although first-line treatments include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the heterogeneous biological underpinnings contribute to suboptimal outcomes, with 40-60% of individuals not responding to SSRIs. This complex phenotype often leads to psychotropic polypharmacy, which may be mitigated by incorporating combinatorial pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing into protocol-based care to identify potential gene-drug interactions.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of individuals with OCD aged 8 to 65 years who received either …

Rational Design And Efficacy Evaluation Of A Novel Solid Dispersion-Based Bempedoic Acid–Ezetimibe Fixed-Dose Combination Tablet Versus Nexlizet®, Mohamed A. Heikal, Wael Ali, Mahmoud A. Mahdy, Eman Gomaa

Nanotechnology Research Centre

Background/Objectives: For hyperlipidemic patients with statin resistance, a fixed-dose combination of a non-statin drug such as ezetimibe (EZT) and bempedoic acid (BA) provides a significant benefit. Although both drugs exhibit poor aqueous solubility, the oral bioavailability of EZT is more critically limited by dissolution, whereas BA maintains adequate absorption due to its high intestinal permeability. With regard to the reference product, Nexlizet® (180/10 mg), our study focused on developing a novel tablet with superior in vitro performance without incorporating sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), as it may potentially alter BA absorption. Methods: The solid dispersion technique (co-precipitation) was applied using the …

Motivating Lung Cancer Screening Uptake: An Experimental Test Of Didactic Versus Narrative Messages For Lung Cancer Screening Among Individuals Who Currently Smoke Or Formerly Smoked, Honor M. Woodward

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death in the United States and worldwide. Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been associated with a 20% reduction in lung cancer-related mortality. Despite the obvious benefits of lung cancer screening with LDCT, screening is heavily underutilized compared to other cancer screening tests. Thus, it is critically important to develop strategies that help motivate screening uptake among eligible individuals. This study explored the effectiveness of narrative messages for motivating lung cancer screening uptake among individuals eligible for lung cancer screening who currently smoke or formerly smoked. Drawing from …

Fall-Prevention Program For A Long-Term Care Organization, Roslyn Y. Heyward

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

An Educational Module On Safe Nighttime Medication Administration In A Correctional Setting, Linda Asongtia Foleke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Gut Microbiota Modulation Of Regulatory Dna Elements Revealed By Massively Parallel Functional Characterization, Chadmirah Zaratiana, Adheet Ganesh, Yang E Li, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) are central to dynamic gene regulation in hepatocytes, yet most functional annotations derive from in vitro models that poorly capture physiological regulation. We systematically profiled 109,386 human liver-derived CREs using massively parallel reporter assays in hepatocytes under matched in vitro and in vivo conditions. In vivo-active functional CREs (fCREs) were enriched for H3K27ac and chromatin accessibility and were regulated by diverse transcription factors in the human liver. We further demonstrate that gut microbiota-derived signals modulate fCRE activity and target gene expression in vivo, in part via the KEAP1/NFE2L2 antioxidant pathway. Specific microbial metabolites directly altered the activity …

Cellular And Molecular Basis Of Pfcoronin Function In Artemisinin Resistance In Plasmodium Falciparum, Imran Ullah, Eva S Istvan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Artemisinin combination therapies are central to malaria control, but their efficacy is threatened by the emergence of resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains. While the role of Pfkelch13 mutations is well established, mutations in Pfcoronin have also been implicated in treatment failure, revealing layers of resistance complexity. Here, we define the cellular mechanism of Pfcoronin‑mediated artemisinin resistance. PfCoronin interacts with PfActin and localizes to the parasite plasma membrane, the digestive vacuole membrane, and small vesicles containing host cell material. Mutations in PfCoronin disrupt its localization and perturb PfActin homeostasis, altering the distribution of ring‑stage morphologies, including a reduced proportion of parasites adopting …

Agenda (Pdf), Department Of Surgery

Surgery Research Symposium

Agenda for the 4th Annual Surgery Research Symposium held May 7, 2026.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction Of Proximal Junctional Pathology After Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Systematic Review And Diagnostic Test Accuracy Meta-Analysis, Shaan Patel, Shiva A. Nischal, Yi Hein Chai, Kush M. Kale, Kevin Hines, Joshua Pelta-Heller, Jack Jallo, James S. Harrop, Srinivas K. Prasad

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and failure (PJF) remain challenging and incompletely predictable adverse event following adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. Machine learning (ML) models have been proposed to improve risk stratification, but performance varies and clinical applicability remains uncertain. A systematic review and diagnostic test accuracy meta-analysis was performed to synthesize the predictive performance of ML-based models for proximal junctional pathology after ASD surgery.

METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL were searched from inception to February 2026. Studies developing or validating ML models predicting PJK or PJF following ASD surgery were included. Diagnostic performance was synthesized using random-effects models, pooling …

A Transgenerational Analysis Of Factors Influencing Fertility Among Jamaican Men, Shanique Deniellia Essuman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education On The Phq-9 Tool And Its Use, Claudine Agwi Mbah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Perspective On Speech Therapy, Aac Devices, And Community Support: A Case Study Of A Caregiver Of An Adult With Down Syndrome, Ella Harris

Honors College Theses

For someone with a disability such as Down syndrome (DS), they often present with deficits in speech and language. These individuals typically require a caregiver for their physical, mental, and social needs, and their caregiver also often serves as their primary communication partner. This study explored caregiver perspectives on how they facilitate communication including their experiences with speech therapy services, augmentative and alternative communication, and community communication supports. A caregiver of an adult with DS participated in a structured interview to discuss their experiences as a caregiver for an individual with complex communication needs. The data from the interview was …

Genetic Analysis Of The X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy Gene Abcd1 In Drosophila Uncovers A Conserved Phenotype, Joshua Manor, Sharayu V Jangam, Hyung-Lok Chung, Pranjali Bhagwat, Jonathan C Andrews, Hillary Chester, Shu Kondo, Saurabh Srivastav, Juan Botas, Ann B Moser, Suzette M Huguenin, Michael F Wangler

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a loss-of-function (LOF) mutation in the ATP-binding cassette subfamily D member 1 (ABCD1) gene, leading to the accumulation of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). This disorder exhibits striking heterogeneity; some male patients develop an early childhood neuroinflammatory demyelination disorder, while other patients, including adult males and most affected female carriers, experience a chronic progressive myelopathy. Adrenocortical failure is observed in almost all male patients, with the age of onset varying, sometimes being the first diagnostic finding. The gene underlying this spectrum of disease encodes an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter that …

Development Of Small-Molecule Therapeutics Targeting Neurodegenerative Diseases And Oncology, Thomas Webster

Theses & Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and colorectal cancer (CRC) remain significant clinical challenges requiring improved therapeutic strategies. This dissertation describes the design, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of structurally diverse small-molecule scaffolds targeting the sigma-1 receptor (S1R) for symptomatic modulation in AD, the dopamine D4 receptor (D4R) for management of L-DOPA–induced dyskinesia in PD, and claudin-1 for targeted intervention in CRC. Fused azabicyclic scaffolds were developed as S1R modulators, and systematic structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies identified key structural features governing receptor affinity, selectivity, metabolic stability, and central nervous system penetration. Optimized analogs demonstrated improved metabolic stability and favorable brain exposure, …

Mind Over Measure: The Role Of Self-Care Practices In Mitigating Mental Health Strain Among K-12 Educators, Jerry Burkett, Ryan Hulla

School Leadership Review

Teacher mental health is a critical concern in K-12 education, with high rates of burnout demanding effective protective strategies. This study investigated the relationship between five dimensions of teacher self-care (Physical, Psychological, Emotional, Spiritual, and Professional) and overall mental health outcomes, while specifically exploring differences between elementary (K-5) and high school (9-12) educators. A sample of K-12 teachers completed the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and the Self-Care Inventory. Correlational analysis found that all five self-care dimensions were significantly and positively associated with mental health, with Professional Self-Care demonstrating the strongest link (r=.48, p

Screening Novel Secreted Proteins For Their Effects On Pancreatic Islet Function Using Qpcr-Based Gene Expression Analysis, Deepti Agarwal, Neha Mishra, Marcus Seldin

Cumberland Medica

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) involves progressive dysfunction of pancreatic β-cells and systemic insulin resistance. Although a handful of secreted factors acting on pancreatic islet have emerged as important therapeutic targets, many additional signaling processes remain unknown. The identification of such mediators can make a new contribution to the regulation of islet biology and serve as another approach for disease treatment. This study aimed to investigate whether three novel peptides could modulate islet-specific gene expression in vivo. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were injected with proteins then pancreatic tissues were collected six hours post-treatment. Total RNA was isolated, converted to cDNA, and …

Comparative Analysis Of Antegrade And Retrograde Nailing For Proximal, Shaft, And Distal Femur Fractures, Saahil Noupada

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background:

Antegrade and retrograde intramedullary nailing are widely used for femoral fractures, yet their relative advantages across fracture locations remain debated. This study compares union rates, time to union, malunion, and functional outcomes between approaches, stratified by AO/OTA classification.

Methods:

A systematic review of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus (2015 to 2025) was performed. Studies reporting outcomes of antegrade and/or retrograde nailing for proximal (31), diaphyseal (32), and distal (33) femoral fractures were included. Data on demographics, fracture classification, fixation method, and outcomes were extracted. Risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I. Pooled estimates were calculated …

Medical Providers’ Perspective On Barriers Faced By Intellectual And Developmental Disabled (Idd) Patients From Medically Underserved Backgrounds, Mayra A. Flores

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

•Complexities of obtaining healthcare access can be difficult for all patients across the board, so much so that it’s viewed as a maze. Studies have shown that these challenges are added on for medically underserved communities.2-3 Some of these challenges include insurance, language barriers, appointment availability, stigma, financial limitations and lack of transportation.2 •Identify the barriers that patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) from medically underserved backgrounds face in healthcare access. •Intellectually and developmentally disabled patients from medically underserved communities face exacerbated barriers in healthcare access. •Participating medical providers from the Regional Integrated Special Needs Center (RISN) – Sewell …