Digital Commons Network^™

Characterizing Core Outcomes Of Responsible Stewardship For Human Genomic Data In The Cloud, Vasiliki Rahimzadeh, Bronwyn Walsh, Heidi L Rehm, Mildred Cho, Amy L Mcguire

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

We present findings from a scoping review of the genomic data sharing literature used to inform a core outcomes set for responsible data stewardship in the cloud. Genomic and related health data stemming from government funded research have undergone mass migration to the cloud where they can be more securely stored, accessed, and analyzed within shared computing environments. While this migration reflects a shift in privacy and security infrastructure for cloud-based repositories as oversight becomes more globalized, it also necessitates new data stewardship responsibilities to align authorized data access with ethical data use. Responsible data stewardship refers to the ethical …

Improving Restraint Care Plan Documentation Among Nursing Staff, Samson E. Okotie

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to improve nursing compliance with restraint care plan documentation standards using bundled interventions, including targeted education, electronic health record (EHR) prompts, and unit-based audit and feedback processes. The goal was to achieve at least a 70% improvement in documentation compliance within 12 weeks.

Background: Accurate restraint documentation is essential for patient safety, ethical practice, interdisciplinary communication, and regulatory compliance. Despite existing policies and education, institutional audits revealed compliance rates of 50% or less, demonstrating a persistent gap in practice and the need for structured interventions.

Methodology: The project used the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework across …

Multi-Scale Data Improves Performance Of Machine Learning Model For Long Covid Identification, Christopher Guardo, Zhang Xinmeng, Srushti Gangireddy, Yan Chao, V Eric Kerchberger, Alyson L Dickson, Emily R Pfaff, Hiral Master, Xin Yi, Melissa Basford, Christopher G Chute, Nguyen K Tran, Salvatore Mancuso, Toufeeq Ahmed Syed, Zhao Zhongming, Feng Qiping, Melissa Haendel, Christopher Lunt, Paul A Harris, Li Lang, Geoffrey S Ginsburg, Joshua C Denny, Dan M Roden, Wei Wei-Qi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Long COVID affects a substantial proportion of the over 778 million individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2, yet predictive models remain limited in scope. While existing efforts, such as the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), have leveraged electronic health record (EHR) data for risk prediction and identification, accumulating evidence points to additional contributions from social, behavioral, and genetic factors.

Methods: Using a diverse cohort of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals (n > 17,200) from the NIH All of Us Research Program, we investigated whether integrating EHR data with survey-based and genomic information improves model performance.

Results: Our multi-scale approach outperforms EHR-only model's area under the …

Large-Scale Genetic Characterization Of Parkinson’S Disease In The African And African Admixed Populations, Fulya Akçimen, Kimberly Paquette, Peter Wild Crea, Kathryn Step, Emily Waldo, Mathew J Koretsky, Paula Saffie-Awad, Charles Achoru, Funmilola Taiwo, Simon Ozomma, Gerald Onwuegbuzie, Marzieh Khani, Spencer Grant, Lukman Owolabi, Chiamaka Okereke, Olajumoke Oshinaike, Emmanuel Iwuozo, Suleyman Can Akerman, Paul Suhwan Lee, Shyngle Oyakhire, Nosakhare Osemwegie, Kensuke Daida, Sani Abubakar, Adedunni Olusanya, Mariam Isayan, Christiane Alvarez, Rami Traurig, Adebimpe Ogunmodede, Sarah Samuel, Mary B Makarious, Fadimatu Sa'ad, Rashidat Olanigan, Kristin Levine, Ewere Marie Ogbimi, Dan Vitale, Francis Odiase, Francis Ojini, Olanike Odeniyi, Zih-Hua Fang, Nkechi Obianozie, Deborah A Hall, Ernest Nwazor, Tao Xie, Francesca Nwaokorie, Mahesh Padmanaban, Paul Nwani, Ejaz A Shamim, Alero Nnama, David Standaert, Morenikeji Komolafe, Marissa Dean, Godwin Osaigbovo, Elizabeth Disbrow, Ismaila Ishola, Ashley Rawls, Frank Imarhiagbe, Shivika Chandra, Cyril Erameh, Vanessa Hinson, Naomi Louie, Ahmed Idowu, J Solle, Scott A Norris, Abdullahi Ibrahim, Camilla Kilbane, Gauthaman Sukumar, Lisa M Shulman, Daniel Ezuduemoih, Julia Staisch, Sarah Breaux, Clifton Dalgard, Erin R Foster, Abiodun Bello, Andrew Ameri, Raquel Real, Erica Ikwenu, Huw R Morris, Roosevelt Anyanwu, Erin Furr Stimming, Kimberley Billingsley, Wemimo Alaofin, Pilar Alvarez Jerez, Osigwe Agabi, Dena G Hernandez, Rufus Akinyemi, Sampath Arepalli, Laksh Malik, Raymond Owolabi, Yakub Nyandaiti, Hampton L Leonard, Kolawole Wahab, Oladunni Abiodun, Carlos F Hernandez, Fatima Abdulai, Hirotaka Iwaki, Soraya Bardien, Christine Klein, John Hardy, Henry Houlden, Kamalini Ghosh Galvelis, Mike A Nalls, Nabila Dahodwala, Whitley Aamodt, Emily Hill, Alberto Espay, Stewart Factor, Chantale Branson, Cornelis Blauwendraat, Andrew B Singleton, Oluwadamilola Ojo, Lana M Chahine, Njideka Okubadejo, Sara Bandres-Ciga

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Elucidating the genetic contributions to Parkinson's disease aetiology across diverse ancestries is a critical priority for the development of targeted therapies in a global context. We conducted the largest sequencing characterization of potentially disease-causing, protein-altering and splicing mutations in 710 cases and 11 827 controls from genetically predicted African or African admixed ancestries. We explored copy number variants (CNVs) and runs of homozygosity in prioritized early onset and familial cases. Our study identified rare GBA1 coding variants to be the most frequent mutations among patients with Parkinson's disease, with a frequency of 4% in our case cohort. Of the 18 …

Small Partial Deletion Of A Highly Gc-Rich Foxf1 Exon 1 In Two Deceased Siblings With Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia, Hiuling Chan Joiner, Shruti A Pande, Przemyslaw Szafranski, Partha Sen, Gail Deutsch, Pawel Stankiewicz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACDMPV) is a rare lethal lung developmental disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of FOXF1. While larger-sized coding and noncoding copy-number variant (CNV) deletions involving the FOXF1 locus are detected in approximately half of histopathologically-diagnosed ACDMPV patients, small CNVs remain diagnostically challenging. Here, we revisited an unsolved case of familial ACDMPV with two affected siblings. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 30-year-old archival lung autopsy tissue analyzed using AI powered platform revealed a 151 bp CNV deletion involving a highly GC-rich portion of exon 1 of FOXF1 that was not detected using Sanger sequencing and …

Apathy, Effort-Based Decisions And Brain Integrity In Alzheimer’S And Parkinson’S Diseases, Lee-Anne Morris, Hideo Suzuki, Seonjoo Lee, Zekai Jin, Bryan B Chen, Ana Marin, Edward D Huey, Yunglin Gazes, Sarah R Heilbronner, Campbell J Le Heron, Nora Vanegas-Arroyave

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Apathy, or loss of motivation, is a prominent syndrome accompanying both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, in addition to other disorders. One approach to understanding motivational loss is to examine the processes underlying goal-directed behaviour. Weighing up rewarding outcomes against the effort costs required to obtain them (effort-based decision-making) is a core computation when deciding to act for outcomes. Although a growing body of evidence points to disruption of this computation in people with apathy, which underlying decision parameters drive this disruption, their neural associations and whether these would generalize or differ across brain disorders have not been examined. People with …

Timing Isn't Everything: Rethinking Mortality Risk In Type A Aortic Dissection Surgery, Anna H Xue, Joseph S Coselli

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Purine Metabolic Adaptation Protects The Endothelium From Disturbed Flow-Induced Dna Damage And Atherosclerosis, Qian Ma, Yongfeng Cai, Zhidan Zhang, Dingwei Zhao, Yuan Zhao, Peishan Xu, Tammy Lu, Wendy Zhang, Qiuhua Yang, Yaqi Zhou, Varadarajan Sudhahar, Tohru Fukai, Hanjoong Jo, Yiming Xu, Yuqing Huo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Despite effective lipid-lowering therapies, atherosclerosis continues to be a leading cause of death, with considerable residual cardiovascular risk. Atherosclerotic lesions develop preferentially at arterial regions exposed to disturbed flow (d-flow), which induces genomic stress, endothelial injury, and barrier dysfunction. Hemodynamic forces are known to reprogram endothelial metabolism, but the role of de novo purine synthesis (DNPS), which supplies nucleotides for genome maintenance and whose terminal steps are catalyzed by the bifunctional enzyme ATIC, remains undefined in atherosclerosis. By integrating bulk and single-cell multiomics with in vitro flow systems and in vivo models, we show that d-flow upregulates DNPS and ATIC …

Reducing Intraoperative Hypothermia In Adults 18-60 Undergoing Primary Elective Unilateral Total Knee Replacement With General Anesthesia, Carrigan Collinsworth

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Reducing Intraoperative Hypothermia in Adults 18-60 Undergoing Primary Elective Unilateral Total Knee Replacement with General Anesthesia

Background

Intraoperative hypothermia (core temperature < 36°C) is associated with increased surgical site infections, blood loss, prolonged recovery, and longer hospital stays. Because forced-air warming devices are restricted during total joint arthroplasty at the project site due to infection concerns, patients relied on passive warming, resulting in a baseline hypothermia rate of 63.3%

Purpose

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to reduce the incidence of intraoperative hypothermia among adults aged 18-60 undergoing primary elective unilateral total knee arthroplasty with general anesthesia by implementing a conductive warming device in the operating room of a large level 1 trauma hospital

Methodology

This evidence-based quality improvement project implemented a conductive warming blanket following staff education. Data was collected through the electronic health record. Primary outcomes included hypothermia incidence and average intraoperative temperature. Secondary …

Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Antibiotic Cement Bead Pouch Versus Negative Pressure Wound Therapy For The Management Of Severe Open Tibia Fracture Wounds: Beads Versus Vac (Bvv) Protocol, Lucas S Marchand, Gerard Slobogean, Nathan N O'Hara, Anthony D Harris, David W Grainger, Lehana Thabane, Mohit Bhandari, Gregory J Della Rocca, Patrick J Kellam, Robert D Zura, Debra Marvel, Jeffrey L Wells, I Leah Gitajn, Kyle J Jeray, Robert V O'Toole, Zachary M Working, Roman M Natoli, Patrick F Bergin, Jennifer E Hagen, Ashley E Levack, Ernesto Guerra-Farfan, Gregory M Schrank, Joan N Hebden, Franca Mossuto, Cassandra Tsoutsounakis, David Pogorzelski, Hailey Pineda, Sofia Bzovsky, Sheila Sprague, Bvv Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Early open fracture management aims to minimise the risk of complications. For the most severe open fracture wounds, multiple irrigation and debridement surgeries are required to overcome severe wound contamination, to reassess the evolving tissue injury or to temporise and plan further surgery. When multiple irrigation and debridement surgeries are needed, uncertainty remains about how the open fracture wound should be managed to best minimise complications. The primary aim of this trial is to compare the antibiotic cement bead pouch vs negative pressure wound therapy in the management of patients with severe open tibia fracture wounds.

Methods and analysis: …

Investigating Causal Associations Among Inflammatory Proteins, Blood Metabolites, And Alzheimer’S Disease Risk, Shuai Liu, Jingjing Zhu, Hua Zhong, Dan Zhou, Quan Long, Zichen Zhang, Xiaochen Yang, Qing Wu, Chao Cheng, Jianyong Wu, Hung N Luu, Jing Wang, Bingxin Zhao, Chong Wu, Youping Deng, Lang Wu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent degenerative neurological disorder with limited treatment options. Prior studies reported specific metabolites and inflammatory proteins to be related to AD risk. However, the intricate relationship between inflammatory proteins, blood metabolites, and AD risk in European population remains unclear. Genetic instruments for 1,091 metabolites and 736 inflammatory proteins were derived from two recent comprehensive genome-wide association studies. Univariable Mendelian Randomization was employed to assess potential causal effects of metabolites on AD risk, potential effects of inflammatory proteins on metabolites, and effects of inflammatory proteins on AD risk. Multivariable MR (MVMR) was further applied to disentangle …

Syrah: A Pipeline To Maximize Spatial Transcriptomics Data Output, Carolyn Brewster, Frederick G Mann, Blair Benham-Pyle, Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Spatial analysis of gene expression patterns has been a key technique for revealing the potential functions of genes. Traditionally, these analyses conducted using in-situ hybridizations and other labor-intensive protocols were constrained to examining only a few candidate genes per sample. However, the advent of spatial transcriptomic techniques like Slide-seqV2 has transformed this field, enabling massively parallel exploration of gene expression patterns within their tissue contexts by pairing spatial locations with RNA sequencing. Despite its potential, Slide-seqV2 datasets often produce fewer usable reads than expected. We have identified that a significant source of errors in the technology stems from the chemical …

Mogad Is The Most Common Cause Of Isolated Optic Neuritis In Children, Chaitanya Aduru, Akansha Chandrasekar, Kyla Blasingame, Jonathan Rosen, Jesse M Levine, Karla Salazar, Madhuri Chilakapati, Rod Foroozan, Victoria Hardwick, Jonathan M Yarimi, Nikita Shukla, Timothy E Lotze, Kristen S Fisher, Alexander J Sandweiss

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: The study aimed to characterize the clinical features, etiologies, and outcomes of isolated, first-time pediatric ON in the post-MOG-IgG era.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study at Texas Children's Hospital of patients diagnosed with first-time ON between 2018-2024, with follow-up data collected through 2025. Inclusion criteria required monocular or binocular subacute vision loss with supportive paraclinical signs. Subjects were excluded if they had a prior history of demyelinating disease or extra-orbital demyelinating lesions on initial brain/spine MRI. Primary outcomes were the proportion of MOG-IgG seropositivity, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and visual acuity at onset and most …

Nuclear Export As A Therapeutic Vulnerability In Zfta-Rela Ependymoma, Siri M Ippagunta, Amir Arabzade, Srinidhi Varadharajan, Erik Emanus, Amanda Bland, Alisha Kardian, Nicholas Laboe, Hua Sun, Tuyu Zheng, Amelia Hancock, Mark Zhai, Emma Caesar, Maxwell Park, Wilda Orisme, Melissa Johnson, Brittany Rodgers, Gregory H Turner, Jeffrey Steinberg, Burgess Freeman, Martine F Roussel, Anang Shelat, Richard Kriwacki, Thomas E Merchant, Benjamin Deneen, Michael D Taylor, Sameer Agnihotri, Shondra Pruett-Miller, Jacob A Steele, Anoop Murthy Kavirayani, David W Ellison, Arzu Onar-Thomas, Giles Robinson, Stephen C Mack, Kelsey C Bertrand

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Ependymoma (EPN) is the third most common pediatric brain tumor with no targeted therapies available to patients. In supratentorial ependymoma, the most frequent driver alteration is a gene fusion between ZFTA and RELA (denoted ZR), leads to constitutive localization of ZR in the nucleus. Because ZR is not currently druggable, we tested whether ZR expression leads to aberrant protein interactions that could represent therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Methods: Using CRISPR-Cas9 pooled screening, we identified many novel druggable ZR interacting proteins including XPO1, CARM1, SMARCA4, and CDK1. We focused on the nuclear export protein (XPO1), given the ability of most XPO1 inhibitors …

Tractor Workflow: A Scalable Nextflow Framework For Local Ancestry-Aware Genome-Wide Association Studies, Nirav N Shah, Taotao Tan, Jessica Honorato-Mauer, Yi-Sian Lin, Adam X Maihofer, Clement C Zai, Pgc-Ptsd Ancestry Working Group, Marcos Santoro, Caroline M Nievergelt, Elizabeth G Atkinson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Motivation: The routine exclusion of admixed individuals from traditional genome-wide association studies (GWAS) due to concerns about spurious associations has limited multi-ancestry genetic discovery. Tractor addresses this issue by incorporating local ancestry into association testing, enabling the identification of ancestry-enriched signals and generating ancestry-specific summary statistics. However, adoption has been constrained by the complexity of prerequisite steps, including phasing and local ancestry inference, which require substantial bioinformatics expertise and introduce key analytical decision points.

Results: We developed a scalable, automated Nextflow workflow that integrates phasing, local ancestry inference, and Tractor association testing into a reproducible end-to-end pipeline. To demonstrate its …

Experiences Of Discrimination, Paternal Support, And Hypertensive Disorders Of Pregnancy (Hdp) In The Miehr Study, Houston, Texas, Tahereh Alinia, Elaine Symanski, Juan Manuel Alvarez, Kristina Walker Whitworth

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Discrimination is a psychosocial stressor that, through activation of stress-response pathways, may influence risk of adverse perinatal health outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the association between discrimination and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), and none have explored effect modification by race or paternal support, which may buffer the adverse effects of discrimination.

Methods: We included 1,847 non-Hispanic Black and White participants from the Maternal and Infant Environmental Health Riskscape (MIEHR) study. Krieger's validated Experiences of Discrimination (EOD) scale was used to assess occurrence (yes/no) and frequency (once, 2-3, ≥ 4 times) of discrimination in nine situations. We created …

Minimal Change Disease Following B-Cell Maturation Antigen-Directed Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy, Kiran Shivaraj, Omar Mamlouk, Amanda Tchakarov, Krina Patel, Ala Abudayyeh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a well-recognized complication of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, typically attributed to cytokine release syndrome and acute tubular injury. However, glomerular disease post CAR-T cell is rare. We report a case of minimal change disease presenting with AKI and nephrotic-range proteinuria 3 weeks after B-cell maturation antigen-directed CAR-T cell therapy, ciltacabtagene autoleucel, in a patient with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma. The kidney biopsy revealed diffuse podocyte foot process effacement and a predominance of CD4+ T cells with potential on-target, off-tumor effect of B-cell maturation antigen-directed CAR-T cell therapy, leading to podocyte injury. The patient …

Improving Dimensional Stability Of Irreversible Hydrocolloid By Condensation Silicone Incorporation, Jefferson David Melo De Matos, João Pedro Oliveira De Batista, Jozely Francisca Mello Lima, Mário Alexandre Coelho Sinhoreti, Umberto Demoner Ramos, Daher Antonio Queiroz, Daniel Sartorelli Marques De Castro

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Irreversible hydrocolloid (alginate) is widely used for dental impressions, but its poor dimensional stability over time limits accuracy when delays in pouring occur. Enhancing its stability through material modification, such as incorporating condensation silicone, may improve clinical outcomes.

Materials and methods: Three groups (n = 10) were evaluated: Group I (conventional alginate, Avagel), Group II (extended-pour alginate, Hydrogum 5), and Group III (alginate modified with condensation silicone). Specimens were fabricated using standardized molds and stored under controlled humidity. Dimensional stability was assessed at five time points (immediate, 24, 48, 72, and 120 h) by measuring mass and linear dimensions. …

Donor Sex And Platelet Storage Change The Therapeutic Effects Of Platelet-Derived Extracellular Vesicles On Endothelium, Mandeep Kaur, Malvika Gupta, Sowmya Shree Gopal, Charles E Wade, Jessica C Cardenas, Amit K Srivastava

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs) play an active role in vascular protection and repair and are being explored as a viable alternative to platelet therapy. Because platelet function and stability are shaped by donor sex and storage conditions, these same factors are likely to influence the PEVs they release. Understanding these influences is key to developing PEVs into a safe and dependable therapeutic option. In this study, we investigated how donor sex and platelet storage affect the therapeutic properties of PEVs. To address this, PEVs were isolated from platelets of healthy male and female donors. Platelets were either processed immediately after …

Plasma Constituents Promote Endothelial Thromboinflammatory Dysfunction After Hemorrhagic Shock, Kelly E Sanders, Marissa D Pokharel, Baron K Osborn, Yao-Wei Wang, Charles E Wade, Lucy Z Kornblith, Mitchell J Cohen, Jessica C Cardenas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Hemorrhagic shock (HS) following traumatic injury is hallmarked by innate immune activation, hypercoagulability, and thromboinflammatory complications. To date, the direct link between HS, injury severity, and endothelial cell (EC) contributions to thromboinflammation remains poorly understood. The goals of this study were to determine the impact of injury severity and HS on endothelial-mediated thromboinflammation and examine whether these changes increase the propensity for thrombosis.

Methods: Plasma from 89 male trauma patients, stratified by HS and injury severity, and 10 healthy subjects were assessed for inflammatory mediators by BioPlex. Human lung microvascular endothelial cells were exposed to patient plasma for 4 …

Learn More About The Crown Jewel Of The Mcgovern Historical Center, Katie Prentice

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

No abstract provided.

Advances In Glp-1 Receptor Agonists Delivery Systems For Obesity And Diabetes, Mehrnaz Abbasi, Kai Sun, Kevin W Huggins, Braeden Heath, Hannah Deloit, Lauren Mcginness, Kate Mccamy

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Obesity and diabetes are chronic metabolic diseases affecting millions worldwide. Current treatments, including lifestyle changes, medications, and surgery, face challenges like poor adherence and side effects. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are recommended innovative medications for these conditions, with studies showing significant clinical benefits. GLP-1RAs are traditionally delivered orally or via subcutaneous injections, but these methods have limitations, including low bioavailability, poor solubility, the need for high doses, gastrointestinal side effects, and frequent dosing requirements. Novel delivery technologies offer promising strategies to overcome these challenges and enhance therapeutic effectiveness. Recent advances in drug delivery technologies, including nanocarrier- and microcarrier-based systems, …

Ultrasonic Cavity Preparation With Cvd Diamond Tips: A Scanning Electron Microscopy Study Of Dentin Surface Morphology And Smear Layer Formation, Mauricio Schneider, Jefferson David Melo De Matos, Mário Alexandre Coelho Sinhoreti, Diego Telomaro Peiter, José Eduardo Bastian, Daher Antonio Queiroz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Minimally invasive dentistry has driven the development of alternative cavity preparation techniques aimed at preserving tooth structure and improving biological outcomes. Ultrasonic systems associated with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond tips have emerged as a potential alternative to conventional rotary instruments; however, evidence regarding their effects on dentin surface morphology and smear layer characteristics under SEM remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the morphological characteristics of dentin surfaces after cavity preparation using ultrasonic and conventional rotary techniques.

Materials and methods: Twenty extracted human teeth were sectioned longitudinally to obtain standardized specimens. Samples were assigned to ultrasonic preparation using …

The Impact Of Structured Family Meetings In The Intensive Care Unit, Loyce T. Mofor

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

The Impact of Structured Family Meetings in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Purpose

Train providers at an academic institution in a large metropolitan area to conduct family meetings using a structured approach and evaluate this intervention's impact on family satisfaction with communication in the ICU.

Background

Inadequate communication between families and healthcare teams leads to lower family satisfaction, heightened feelings of guilt, and diminished capacity for making clinical decisions.

Methodology

VitalTalk training was utilized to improve providers’ communication skills. Structured family meetings were conducted for Surgical and Thoracic ICU patients with an ICU length of stay of > 5 days or …

Improving The Quality Of Bone Marrow Specimen Collection Through Powered Bone Marrow Device Simulation And Supervised Procedures, Ethel C. Estrada

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Improving the Quality of Bone Marrow Specimen Collection Through Powered Bone Marrow Device Simulation and Supervised Procedures

Purpose

This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to implement powered bone marrow simulation training and supervised procedures for the Advanced Practice Provider (APP) proceduralists to increase proceduralists' use of powered bone marrow devices and reduce poor bone marrow sampling.

Background

This project was implemented within the Bone Marrow Aspiration Clinic (BMAC) of an academic cancer center in Houston, Texas.

Methodology

Five APP proceduralists completed powered bone marrow device simulation training on the Bone Marrow (BM) Skills Simulator, followed by supervised procedures. Data were …

Enhancing Healthcare Communication With Artificial Intelligence Translation Methods For Improved Patient Healthcare Satisfaction, Mireille Signe

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose:

To evaluate whether artificial intelligence (AI) verbal translation improved communication-related satisfaction during routine nurse–patient interactions.

Background:

In the ICU, brief, frequent conversations with patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) often occur without timely access to professional interpreters, contributing to delays, improvised communication, and lower satisfaction. AI tools offer immediate access for low‑complexity exchanges but require evaluation for feasibility and effectiveness as a supplement to certified interpreter services.

Methodology:

Twelve nurse-LEP proxy patient dyads were evaluated using a mixed-methods design (8/2025-12/2025) in a 16-bed ICU during QI PDSA cycles. Standardized care communication scenarios were completed using the AI tool. Process …

Newly Registered Nurses With Neurodiversities: A Qualitative Study Of Their Experiences During Transition To Professional Practice, Heather Wallace

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Abstract Introduction: Transition-to-practice (TTP) programs play a crucial role in bridging the academic-to-practice gap for newly licensed Registered Nurses (NLRNs) and improving first-year retention rates. However, these programs may fall short in addressing the specific needs of NLRNs with neurodiversities (NLRN-ND). Neurodiversity (ND) encompasses Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tourette Syndrome, and the 3 Ds – Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia. Unsupportive environments for disclosing neurodiversity and requesting accommodations may contribute to the 10-25% NLRNs leaving their jobs within the first year, with 1-3% exiting the nursing profession altogether. Objectives: This study aimed to (1) explore NLRN-ND …

Exploring Teamwork Between Virtual And Bedside Nurses, Caitlin Weinheimer

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Advancing technologies and the use of telehealth have expanded in hospitals to include telenursing. Telenursing introduces a unique dynamic where virtual and bedside nurses work together as a remote team to provide patient care. Published literature reports that teamwork among nurses and healthcare professionals impacts patient and workforce outcomes. However, there is a gap in exploring teamwork between virtual and bedside nurses. Addressing this knowledge gap is critical to ensure positive patient and nursing workforce outcomes in hospital-based telenursing settings.

Objective: To generate a grounded theory that explains teamwork between virtual and bedside nurses in the hospital setting. A …

Breastfeeding Education Preferences Of Pregnant People With Low Incomes, Megan Kindred

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: The proportion of infants breastfed at 1 year in the United States remains below the Healthy People 2030 goal. Longer breastfeeding durations are important due to dose-response benefits, but disparities are greater among those with low incomes. Prenatal breastfeeding education (PBE) interventions can increase breastfeeding duration. Additionally, incentivization and gamification can be used to increase use of educational technology but are underexplored in this domain. Prior studies examining PBE format preferences do not reflect currently available technology. PBE format preferences of childbearing people should be reexamined.

Purpose: This purpose of this study is to: (1) identify PBE format preference …

The Effect Of Fall Prevention Programs With Hourly Rounding On Fall Rates Among Adults Patients In Neurological Unit, Oyinlola A. Ogundeji

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this QI project was to evaluate the effect of a structured hourly rounding program on patient fall rates in an adult neurological inpatient unit.

Background

Patient falls remain a major safety concern in acute care, particularly among hospitalized neurological patients with impairments in mobility, cognition, and balance. In an adult neurological unit within a Magnet-designated hospital, fall rates exceeded national benchmarks, underscoring the need for a targeted quality-improvement

Methodology

A pre–post QI design, guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, was implemented over 12 weeks in a 28-bed neurological unit. This intervention featured structured hourly rounding using the …