Digital Commons Network^™

Human Welfare & Emergencies: Education, Natality, And Violence, Erika Antolin Davies

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I identify changes in human action during emergencies such as heavy precipitation and shelter-in-place orders. In two chapters I explore the effects of precipitation on educational attainment and birth rates as residential broadband access increases. In my third chapter I identify the movement of pets in and out of the home as a trigger for domestic violence during the COVID-19 lockdown. I estimate difference-in-difference regressions with panel data, coming to three conclusions. First: educational attainment in Appalachia is stunted by precipitation, as students have difficulty getting to school in bad weather. As this historically under-educated region of the US gains …

Expanding The Applicability Of Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders Through The Extension Of The Maximum Span Length And The Evaluation Of Pier Continuity, Robert M. Tennant

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) is a group of bridge and buried soil steel structure industry leaders who provide educational information on the design and construction of short-span steel bridges in installations up to 140 feet in length. Within the SSSBA technical working group, a modular, shallow press-brake-formed tub girder (PBFTG) was developed to address the demand in the short-span steel bridge market for rapid infrastructure replacement solutions. PBFTGs consist of modular, shallow, trapezoidal boxes fabricated from cold-bent structural steel plate. A concrete deck, or other deck option, may be placed on the girder, and the modular unit …

Top-Down & Bottom-Up Approaches To Robot Design, Dylan Michael Covell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis presents a study of different engineering design methodologies and demonstrates their effectiveness and limitations in actual robot designs. Some of these methods were blended together with focus on providing an easily interpreted project design flow while implementing more bottom-up, or feedback, elements into the design methodology. Typically design methods are learned through experience, and design taught in academia aims to shape and formalize previous experience. Usually, inexperienced engineers are taught approaches resembling the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) 2221 process. This method presented by the Association of German Engineers in 2006 is regarded as the general system design process. …

On Generalizations Of Supereulerian Graphs, Sulin Song

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A graph is supereulerian if it has a spanning closed trail. Pulleyblank in 1979 showed that determining whether a graph is supereulerian, even when restricted to planar graphs, is NP-complete. Let $\kappa'(G)$ and $\delta(G)$ be the edge-connectivity and the minimum degree of a graph $G$, respectively. For integers $s \ge 0$ and $t \ge 0$, a graph $G$ is $(s,t)$-supereulerian if for any disjoint edge sets $X, Y \subseteq E(G)$ with $|X|\le s$ and $|Y|\le t$, $G$ has a spanning closed trail that contains $X$ and avoids $Y$. This dissertation is devoted to providing some results on $(s,t)$-supereulerian graphs and …

Navigating Abrupt Shifts In Contextual Discourses During A Pandemic And Lack Of Mentorship: A Preservice Teacher’S Journey Developing Critical Pedagogical Discourses, Casey L. King

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study is centered on one English language arts (ELA) preservice teacher’s development of her critical pedagogical discourses (CPD) with the contextual discourses of a school placement for preservice teaching and later shift to a full-time teacher before the placement was complete during a pandemic and in the midst of implementing online learning. Data is drawn from a 4-month interpretive qualitative case study that included classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. The objective for this study included how a preservice teacher uses their beliefs and identity about instruction amid changing contextual discourses in a pandemic and with a lack of mentorship. …

Multisided Quality Inspection In Smart Manufacturing Systems, Milica Babic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As technology advances so does its adoption in industry and our everyday lives. We use technology to better our daily tasks whether at home or in the workplace. In the workplace there are many benefits of implementing new technologies to improve processes and products while at the same time being cautious about associated costs. Costs associated with incorporating new digital technologies include but are not limited to hardware and software, system integration, testing, and employee training. Now that we have entered the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there are many opportunities for improvements in manufacturing that involve Smart Digital …

Understanding Surface Water--Groundwater Connectivity And Discharge In Arctic Deltas, Lindsey N. Aman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increased warming is driving unprecedented hydrologic changes within arctic deltas with implications for water storage, solute processing, and terrestrial and marine ecology. Thermokarst lakes within Arctic deltas store flood waters and filter solutes and sediments, thus moderating the impact of flood water discharge to arctic seas. However, this moderating influence is diminishing as lakes shrink on annual and seasonal time scales, especially close to active channels where lakes are shrinking most rapidly. This study investigates surface water-groundwater connectivity in arctic delta plains with coupled flow and heat transport models to provide a mechanistic understanding of how lake-channel proximity will impact …

Essays In Urban And Health Economics, Allyssa Ann Wadsworth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chapter 1 analyzes the impact new hospital construction has on neighboring residential real estate prices. In 2017, the Oishei Children’s Hospital was built in downtown Buffalo, New York, representing a new era for women and children’s medical facilities. Individuals working at the old facility now faced the decision of whether to move closer to the new hospital or have a longer commute. Using property sales data, I analyze how Oishei impacts residential property prices with a difference-in-differences hedonic price model while utilizing three unique time treatments and two distance treatments. The opening of Oishei generated a statistically significant percentage increase …

Bottom‐Up Versus Top‐Down Strategies For Morphology Control In Polymer‐Based Biomedical Materials, Alexander B. Cook, Tristan D. Clemons

Faculty Publications

The size and shape of polymer materials is becoming an increasingly important property in accessing new functions and applications of nano-/microparticles in many scientific fields. New synthetic methods have allowed unprecedented capability for the facile fabrication of anisotropic and shape-defined nanomaterials. Bottom-up approaches including: emulsion polymerization techniques, amphiphile self-assembly, and polymerization-induced self-assembly, can lead to polymer particles with precise dimensions in the nanoscale. Top-down methods such as lithographic templating, and 3D printing, have increased the access to unique particle shapes. In this review, these recent developments are appraised and contrasted, with future research directions providing that focus on biomedical applications. …

Reddit As A Source Of Covid-19 Information: A Content Analysis Of R/Coronavirus During The Early Pandemic, Brent Hale, Mark Alberta, Seung Woo Chae

Faculty Publications

Emerging research has begun examining the utility of social media platforms for information dissemination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this developing thread, this work examines discourse within r/coronavirus, a Reddit forum (i.e., subreddit) developed to curate COVID-19 information that burgeoned during the early months of the pandemic. Through a content analysis of 226 posts and 2260 corresponding comments generated between February and May, 2020, this study investigated early-pandemic communication patterns in this platform, including what information was deemed important and how users framed causes and solutions. Overall, findings indicate that users of r/coronavirus prioritized information about COVID-19 spread, public health …

Germline Polymorphisms In Mgmt Associated With Temozolomide-Related Myelotoxicity Risk In Patients With Glioblastoma Treated On Nrg Oncology/Rtog 0825, Michael E Scheurer, Renke Zhou, Mark R Gilbert, Melissa L Bondy, Erik P Sulman, Ying Yuan, Yanhong Liu, Elizabeth Vera, Merideth M Wendland, Emad F Youssef, Volker W Stieber, Ritsuko R Komaki, John C Flickinger, Lawrence C Kenyon, H Ian Robins, Grant K Hunter, Ian R Crocker, Samuel T Chao, Stephanie L Pugh, Terri S Armstrong

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: We sought to identify clinical and genetic predictors of temozolomide-related myelotoxicity among patients receiving therapy for glioblastoma.

METHODS:Patients (n = 591) receiving therapy on NRG Oncology/RTOG 0825 were included in the analysis. Cases were patients with severe myelotoxicity (grade 3 and higher leukopenia, neutropenia, and/or thrombocytopenia); controls were patients without such toxicity. A risk-prediction model was built and cross-validated by logistic regression using only clinical variables and extended using polymorphisms associated with myelotoxicity.

RESULTS: 23% of patients developed myelotoxicity (n = 134). This toxicity was first reported during the concurrent phase of therapy for 56 patients; 30 …

Why Test Results Are Still Getting "Lost" To Follow-Up: A Qualitative Study Of Implementation Gaps, Andrew J Zimolzak, Umber Shahid, Traber D Giardina, Sahar A Memon, Umair Mushtaq, Lisa Zubkoff, Daniel R Murphy, Andrea Bradford, Hardeep Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Lack of timely follow-up of abnormal test results is common and has been implicated in missed or delayed diagnosis, resulting in potential for patient harm.

OBJECTIVE: As part of a larger project to implement change strategies to improve follow-up of diagnostic test results, this study sought to identify specifically where implementation gaps exist, as well as possible solutions identified by front-line staff.

DESIGN: We used a semi-structured interview guide to collect qualitative data from Veterans Affairs (VA) facility staff who had experience with test results management and patient safety.

SETTING: Twelve VA facilities across the USA.

PARTICIPANTS: Facility staff …

Associations Of Duration, Intensity, And Quantity Of Smoking With Risk Of Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia, Aaron P Thrift, Andre G Jove, Yan Liu, Mimi C Tan, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

GOAL: Determine whether various dimensions of smoking increase risk for gastric intestinal metaplasia.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking has been implicated in the etiology of gastric cancer, but it is not clear if smoking is a risk factor for gastric intestinal metaplasia, a precursor lesion of gastric cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared data from 385 gastric intestinal metaplasia cases and 1577 controls without gastric intestinal metaplasia recruited into a cross-sectional study at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. All participants completed standardized questionnaires and underwent a study endoscopy with gastric mapping biopsies. Gastric intestinal metaplasia cases included …

Inpatient Coding System And Opportunities For Documentation Optimization: An Interactive Session For Internal Medicine Residents, Lindsey Jordan Gay, Doris Lin, Ziba Colah, Glynda Raynaldo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: The Inpatient Prospective Payment System, the framework for categorization of admissions, is based upon physician documentation leading to International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code generation and Medical Severity Diagnosis-Related Group (MS-DRG) assignment. In this curriculum, we introduced internal medicine residents to this inpatient coding framework and its effects on hospital quality metrics and reimbursement. We focused on educating learners about the importance of physicians being proficient in providing thorough and specific clinical documentation to produce appropriate DRG assignment.

METHODS: Internal medicine residents participated in a 90-minute session that introduced the basic framework of inpatient coding, discussed effects of …

New Copyright Stories: Clearing The Way For Fair Wages And Equitable Working Conditions In American Theater And Other Creative Industries, Jessica Silbey

Faculty Scholarship

We need some new intellectual property stories. By stories, I don’t mean entertaining fictions. I mean instead accounts or explanations that make sense of the world as it is lived by everyday people. Most of our relevant intellectual property laws were forged in the mid-twentieth century and have failed to keep pace with the transformations in creative and innovative practices of the twentyfirst. Being out-of-sync or failing to recognize broader existing stakeholders means laws are poorly aligned with on-the-ground realities and are out-of-touch with values and interests of the people laws serve. The Article at the center of this Symposium …

An Unusual Case Of Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, Sarah Premji, Andreia Barbieri, Christine Roth, Eric M Rohren, Gustavo Rivero, Sravanti P Teegavarapu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a rare disease entity associated with textured breast implants. Though the clinical course is typically indolent, BIA-ALCL can occasionally invade through the capsule into the breast parenchyma with spread to the regional lymph nodes and beyond including chest wall invasive disease.

CASE: We present the case of a 51-year-old female with a history of bilateral silicone breast implants placed approximately twenty years ago who presented with two months of progressively enlarging right breast mass. Ultrasound-guided biopsy of right breast mass and right axillary lymph node showed CD 30-positive

CONCLUSION: Treatment guidelines …

Lessons Learned From An Enterprise-Wide Clinical Datathon, Andrew J Zimolzak, Jessica A Davila, Vamshi Punugoti, Ashok Balasubramanyam, Paul E Klotman, Laura A Petersen, Ryan H Rochat, Gloria Liao, Rory R Laubscher, Lee Leiber, Christopher I Amos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In 2020, Baylor College of Medicine held a datathon to inform potential users of a new data warehouse, allow users to address clinical questions, identify warehouse capabilities and limitations, foster collaborations, and engage trainees. Senior faculty selected proposals based on feasibility and impact. Selectees worked with Information Technology for 2 months and presented findings. A survey of participants showed diverse levels of experience, high perceived value of the datathon, high rates of collaboration, and significant increases in knowledge. A datathon can promote familiarity with a new data warehouse, guide data warehouse improvement, and promote collaboration.

Mental Health And Access To Medical Care In Patients With Chronic Cardiovascular Conditions: An Analysis Of The Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, Riyad Y Kherallah, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Jing Liu, Sina Kianoush, Arunima Misra, Salim S Virani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Poor mental health is associated with worse outcomes for chronic diseases. It is unclear whether mental illness predisposes to difficulties with healthcare access.

METHODS: Using a combined dataset of the 2016-2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, this study focused on individuals who reported a chronic cardiovascular condition. Weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to explore the association between domains of mental health and measures of healthcare access including delaying medical care, more than one year since last routine checkup, lack of a primary care physician, and cost-related medication nonadherence.

RESULTS: Among 1,747,397 participants, 27% had a chronic cardiovascular …

“I Have Nothing More To Give”: Disparities In Burnout And The Protective Role Of Immigrant Status During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Gene Chibuchim Otuonye, Nancy Shenoi, Tianshi David Wu, Kalpalatha Guntupalli, Nidal Moukaddam

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Burnout is an epidemic, with deleterious effects on individuals, patient care, and healthcare systems. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be exacerbating this problem. We aimed to explore socio-cultural and gender norms that modulate burnout development in physicians during the pandemic and analyze any disparities associated with gender, marital and immigration status and work-life balance. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey of physicians (August-November, 2021): The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used to measure burnout, combined with a validated survey assessing work-life balance. Demographic data was obtained for each participant. MBI-HSS subscales were measured, along with work …

Pcsk9 Inhibitors In The Management Of Cardiovascular Risk: A Practical Guidance, Xiaoming Jia, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Anum Saeed, Christie M Ballantyne, Salim S Virani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are potent medications in the toolkit for treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. These agents have been well studied in clinical trials supporting their efficacy in dramatically reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and impact on cardiovascular outcomes. Since the approval of commercial use for PCSK9 inhibitors in 2015, we have also gained significant experience in the use of these therapeutics in the real-world setting. In this article, we review current guideline recommendations, clinical trial evidence on efficacy and safety as well as data on cost-effectiveness, prescription and adherence. We focus primarily on the monoclonal …

A Steroid Receptor Coactivator Small Molecule "Stimulator" Attenuates Post-Stroke Ischemic Brain Injury, Lisa K Mcclendon, Roberto L Garcia, Tyler Lazaro, Ariadna Robledo, Viren Vasandani, Zean Aaron Evan Luna, Abhijit S Rao, Aditya Srivatsan, David M Lonard, Clifford C Dacso, Peter Kan, Bert W O'Malley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Pathologic remodeling of the brain following ischemic stroke results in neuronal loss, increased inflammation, oxidative stress, astrogliosis, and a progressive decrease in brain function. We recently demonstrated that stimulation of steroid receptor coactivator 3 with the small-molecule stimulator MCB-613 improves cardiac function in a mouse model of myocardial ischemia. Since steroid receptor coactivators are ubiquitously expressed in the brain, we reasoned that an MCB-613 derivative (MCB-10-1), could protect the brain following ischemic injury. To test this, we administered MCB-10-1 to rats following middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion.

Methods: Neurologic impairment and tissue damage responses were evaluated on day …

Escaping The Allure Of Joint Employment: Using Fault-Based Principles To Impose Liability For The Denial Of Employee Statutory Rights, Michael C. Harper

Faculty Scholarship

Using joint employment alone to impose liability requires an extension of the strict imputed liability theory embodied in respondeat superior. Employers, including incorporated businesses, under the common law are strictly liable for harms to their employees, as they are for harm to third parties, because of actions of their agents or other employees taken within the scope of their employment. The liability is strict because it does not depend on a finding that the employer, the principal, was negligent or otherwise at fault. Expanding liability through joint employment, even if based on a demonstration of joint control of statutorily protected …

A Pandemic Instrument Can Start Turning Collective Problems Into Collective Solutions By Governing The Common-Pool Resource Of Antimicrobial Effectiveness, Isaac Weldon, Kathy Liddell, Susan Rogers Van Katwyk, Steven J. Hoffman, Timo Minssen, Kevin Outterson, Stephanie Palmer, A. M. Viens, Jorge Viñuales

Faculty Scholarship

To address the complex challenge of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a pandemic treaty should include mechanisms that 1) equitably address the access gap for antimicrobials, diagnostic technologies, and alternative therapies; 2) equitably conserve antimicrobials to sustain effectiveness and access across time and space; 3) equitably finance the investment, discovery, development, and distribution of new technologies; and 4) equitably finance and establish greater upstream and midstream infection prevention measures globally. Biodiversity, climate, and nuclear governance offer lessons for addressing these challenges.

The Nhlbi Study On Long-Term Outcomes After The Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (Music): Design And Objectives, Dongngan T Truong, Felicia L Trachtenberg, Gail D Pearson, Audrey Dionne, Matthew D Elias, Kevin Friedman, Kerri H Hayes, Lynn Mahony, Brian W Mccrindle, Matthew E Oster, Victoria Pemberton, Andrew J Powell, Mark W Russell, Lara S Shekerdemian, Mary Beth Son, Michael Taylor, Jane W Newburger

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The Long-terM OUtcomes after the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (MUSIC) study aims to characterize the frequency and time course of acute and long-term cardiac and non-cardiac sequelae in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C), which are currently poorly understood.

METHODS: This multicenter observational cohort study will enroll at least 600 patientsyears, and optional genetic testing. Cardiac imaging at specific time points includes standardized echocardiographic assessment (all participants) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in those with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)

CONCLUSION: The MUSIC study, with the largest cohort of MIS-C patients and the longest …

Paraventricular Vitamin D Receptors Are Required For Glucose Tolerance In Males But Not Females, Jessie Beck, Silvania Da Silva Teixeira, Keisha Harrison, Gabrielle Phillips, Yanlin He, Stephanie Sisley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

When delivered directly into the brain, vitamin D, can improve glucose levels in male mice. Additionally, the loss of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in male mice's paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) results in impaired glucose tolerance. Data in humans shows that low vitamin D levels are detrimental to glucose homeostasis, an effect that may be more prominent in men. However, it is unknown if vitamin D action in the brain is required for normal glucose regulation in female mice. This study shows that in both viral and genetic models, male mice with obesity and PVH VDR loss have impaired glucose tolerance …

Clinical Outcome And Gut Development After Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Supplementation To Preterm Pigs, Kristine Holgersen, Martin Bo Rasmussen, Galen Carey, Douglas G Burrin, Thomas Thymann, Per Torp Sangild

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Elevation of circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) within normal physiological levels may alleviate several morbidities in preterm infants but safety and efficacy remain unclear. We hypothesized that IGF-1 supplementation during the first 1-2 weeks after preterm birth improves clinical outcomes and gut development, using preterm pigs as a model for infants.

METHODS: Preterm pigs were given vehicle or recombinant human IGF-1/binding protein-3 (rhIGF-1, 2.25 mg/kg/d) by subcutaneous injections for 8 days (Experiment 1, n = 34), or by systemic infusion for 4 days (Experiment 2, n = 19), before collection of blood and organs for analyses.

RESULTS: In both …

Analysis Of Short-Term Efficacy Of Gasless Single-Port Laparoscopic Inguinal Lymphadenectomy Through Vulva Incision For Vulvar Cancer, Jin Ding, Piaopiao Teng, Xiaoming Guan, Yonghong Luo, Huafeng Ding, Suhua Shi, Xiufen Zhou, Guantai Ni

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and short-term efficacy of gasless single-port laparoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy through vulva incision (VEIL-V).

METHODS: The data of 9 patients diagnosed as vulvar squamous cell carcinoma who underwent single-port laparoscopic inguinal lymph node dissection through vulvectomy incision were retrospectively analyzed. And 13 patients who underwent laparoscopic inguinal lymph node dissection through lower abdominal subcutaneous approach as the control group (VEIL-H). The operation time, blood loss, numbers of unilateral lymph nodes, hospitalization time, and complications between the two groups were compared.

RESULTS: The operation time of VEIL-V was 56.11 ± 5.94 min, which were shorter than that …

Problems In Csf And Ophthalmic Disease Research, Ryan Machiele, Benjamin Jay Frankfort, Hanspeter Esriel Killer, David Fleischman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

There has been significant interest and progress in the understanding of cerebrospinal fluid pressure and its relationship to glaucoma and other ophthalmic diseases. However, just as every physiologic fluid pressure fluctuates, cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) is similarly dynamic. Coupling this with the difficulty in measuring the pressure, there are many obstacles in furthering this field of study. This review highlights some of the difficulties in CSFP research, including fluid compartmentalization, estimation equations, and pressure fluctuation. Keeping these limitations in mind will hopefully improve the quality and context of this burgeoning field.

Systematic Profiling Of Dnmt3a Variants Reveals Protein Instability Mediated By The Dcaf8 E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Adaptor, Yung-Hsin Huang, Chun-Wei Chen, Venkatasubramaniam Sundaramurthy, Mikołaj Słabicki, Dapeng Hao, Caroline J Watson, Ayala Tovy, Jaime M Reyes, Olga Dakhova, Brielle R Crovetti, Christina Galonska, Minjung Lee, Lorenzo Brunetti, Yubin Zhou, Katrina Tatton-Brown, Yun Huang, Xiaodong Cheng, Alexander Meissner, Peter J M Valk, Lionel Van Maldergem, Mathijs A Sanders, Jamie R Blundell, Wei Li, Benjamin L Ebert, Margaret A Goodell

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Clonal hematopoiesis is a prevalent age-related condition associated with a greatly increased risk of hematologic disease; mutations in DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) are the most common driver of this state. DNMT3A variants occur across the gene with some particularly associated with malignancy, but the functional relevance and mechanisms of pathogenesis of the majority of mutations are unknown. Here, we systematically investigated the methyltransferase activity and protein stability of 253 disease-associated DNMT3A mutations, and found that 74% were loss-of-function mutations. Half of these variants exhibited reduced protein stability and, as a class, correlated with greater clonal expansion and acute …

E-Racing Tobacco & Nicotine-Related Health Disparities, Michael Ulrich

Faculty Scholarship

In the past, tobacco companies used targeted advertising to integrate menthol cigarettes and addict the Black community, generating tobacco-related health disparities. As Juul has come under attack, they have utilized the tobacco playbook to protect itself and deflect criticism by donating to a historically Black medical school and recruiting leaders in the Black community. This helped to create a "Black shield" for menthol cigarettes, which are only now at risk of being regulated, and has the potential to do the same in the vape industry. If proactive steps are not undertaken, health tobacco-related health disparities will continue.