Digital Commons Network^™

Incorporating Social Determinants Of Health In Clinical Assessments: An Immunological Perspective For Medical Students, Matthew S. Hudson

Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

Food insecurity is characterized by limited access to food and is common in food deserts; food deserts are geographic areas lacking affordable, fresh food due to a lack of grocery stores within reasonable proximity. Together, such economic and social problems can hinder a patient’s ability to make lifestyle modifications, leading to obesity and related health complications. Obesity is also highly correlated with chronic inflammation via pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-1, and IL-6). Chronic inflammation can lead to dysregulated immune responses and predispose one to other biomedical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease. The literature maintains that environmental stressors and foods low in …

Student Organization Spotlights

Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

No abstract provided.

Opening Regards, Wvu Pre-Health Professional Development Office

Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Night Shift Work On Heart, Gut, And Reproductive Health, A Systematic Review, Courtney Grayson, Preeti Oza

Pacific Journal of Health

Night shift work, a commonplace in today’s society, creates a variety of health-related challenges for individuals who participate in it. Often, the only adverse health effects discussed in relation to night shift work are sleep dysfunction and mental health issues. This systematic review examined the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and fertility health effects that plague individuals working night shift. The goal of this work is to illuminate these lesser known, but equally important, health effects in an effort to bring awareness to the issues. By educating night shift workers and health care providers of the acute risks associated with this type of …

Synergizing Occupational Science And Occupational Therapy: Designing An Integrated Foundations Course For Health Education, Natalie A. Perkins, Guy Mccormack, Anne Dunlea

Pacific Journal of Health

The Occupational Therapy Department at University of the Pacific embarked on a tailored initiative to reshape the occupational therapy foundations course for entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) students. Collaboratively designed and co-taught by the first and second authors, experienced occupational therapists in both clinical and academic realms, alongside the third author, a seasoned occupational scientist with a rich background in instructing graduate and undergraduate professionals, this innovative course aligns with the program's biopsychosocial philosophy.

The primary objective of this course was to provide students with an expansive perspective on the fundamental role of occupation in human life. Various assessment methods …

Is Early Sport Specialization Harming Our Children?, Kendra Dunsford Dpt, Scs, Stc, Preeti Oza Pt, Phd

Pacific Journal of Health

Sports and physical activity in children are healthy and have numerous positive mental and physical health benefits. Recently, there has been a shift away from deliberate play and focusing on specializing in a single sport from a young age. Participating in rigorous training and competition schedules 8 months out of the year for prepubescent athletes has garnered attention from the medical community. It is assumed that this type of early specialization has the potential to cause negative effects, especially in terms of overuse injuries, nutritional deficiencies, poor sleep hygiene, and mental health concerns. While there appears to be a consensus …

Costs Associated With Voluntary Speed Reduction Requests In Central California Marine Sanctuaries To Protect Endangered Whales, K. Eric Wolfe, Ian A. Mathis

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

International trade is vital to the U.S. economy. As waterborne traffic accounts for about 40 percent of all international cargo value and 70 percent of international tonnage, regulatory changes involving waterborne transportation may significantly impact the United States (US) economy on both local and national levels. A Voluntary Speed Reduction (VSR) program reduces vessel speeds off the central coast of California for vessels 300 gross tons and larger from May 1^st to November 15^th to protect whales and other marine mammals. This study investigates the magnitude of changes in vessel costs associated with VSR requests.

This analysis contributes …

A Review On Ship Recycling Industry In Bangladesh From Global Perspective, Ahammad Abdullah, Zobair Ibn Awal, M Ziauddin Alamgir, Md. Jobayer Mia, Farihatul Mim, Utpal K. Dhar

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

At present, the global center of the ship breaking and recycling industry is in South Asia, specifically Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. These three countries account for 70–80 percent of the international recycling market for ocean-going vessels, with China and Turkey covering most of the remaining market. Only about 5 percent of global volume is scrapped outside these five countries. Bangladesh has environmentally beneficial coastal region and affordable labor that make the shipbreaking and recycling business as a potential sector for the country. In addition, ship recycling and its related businesses are helping to solve our nation’s unemployment issues at all …

Network Science: Activity Guide Introduction

Worlds of Connections Resources

Welcome to the Worlds of Connections network science activity guides. We are

happy to share our fun, engaging, and hands-on activities and hope you enjoy them. College students, teachers, middle school youth in afterschool programs, learning researchers, artists/designers, psychologists, and sociologists helped create these guides over several years. We suggest that you use them to build community in clubs, classrooms, and camps; develop systems thinking and network science knowledge; plus promote curiosity and opportunities to discover.

Virginia Refugee’S Access To Covid 19 Health Information, Krunal Patel, Sarah R. Blackstone, Fern R. Hauck

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Background: This study examined how refugees in central Virginia, United States were able to access public health information about COVID-19 and any barriers to following COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with refugees (n = 40) attending a family medicine clinic serving refugees and immigrants. Participants answered questions about their primary methods of obtaining COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine information, how they prefer to receive this information, information given by employers, precautions taken at their place of work, and current vaccination status.

Results: We found that television and social media played a large role for refugees in obtaining COVID-19 …

Predictors Of Lung Cancer Screening Recommendation In Virginia Using The Community Health Assessment Survey, Aashish Batheja, Carrie Miller, Sunny Jung Kim, Bernard Fuemmeler F., Rajsh Balkrishnan

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Purpose: The purpose of this analysis was to determine the factors that may influence the probability of being recommended a lung cancer screening by a health professional in Virginia.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Community Health Assessment Survey conducted by the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System and Cancer System in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Cancer Center. SAS software was used to conduct a logistic regression with the following variables: age, sex, race, current smoking status, cancer history, education level, income level, insurance, and rurality.

Results: Statistically significant positive predictors included being a current smoker (OR: 3.504, …

Promoting Community Health Research Partnerships Through A Small Grants Program: Processes And Lessons Learned, Sophie G. Wenzel, Amanda J. Nguyen, Kristin Miller, Leigh Guarinello, Allison Mckell, Kathryn Hosig

Virginia Journal of Public Health

While there are multiple ways to engage communities in health research, one approach is through partnership-based research in which community representatives are involved as intentional partners in the research process, from conceptualization and co-creation to implementation, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination. However, there remain numerous challenges to supporting and sustaining such partnerships.

Since its launch in 2019, the integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV) has sought to foster community engaged health research among its four research/clinical institutions through a community partnership-based grant program. Over five funding cycles, iTHRIV has awarded 14 one-year research grants addressing topics such as opioid …

Empowering Community Health Workers In Guatemala, Oswald M. Attin, Gineska Castillo, Grace Sibert, Andrea Harper

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Introduction:

Community health workers (CHW) have been integral in helping middle- and low-income countries. This research paper discusses the benefits of the involvement of CHWs in health screenings.

Methods:

Health screenings were performed for three rural communities in Guatemala, in 2021, alongside a church in Zacapa, to identify community wide health risks. The screenings included a detailed questionnaire that collected demographic data, height and weight, a blood glucose check, a hemoglobin check, and a blood pressure reading. Additional nutritional data was collected to understand diet patterns and habits. In-depth educational sessions were done with the CHWs, emphasizing preventative care, and …

Detection Of Suicide Clusters Using Small-Area Geographic Data From The Virginia Violent Death Reporting System, 2010 – 2015, Kurtis M. Anthony, Allison Ertl, Rachel A. Leavitt, Alexander E. Crosby, Ryan M. Diduk-Smith, Kevin A. Matthews

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Introduction: From 1999 to 2020, the suicide rate in Virginia increased from 13.1 to 15.9 per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and older. Few studies have examined spatial patterns of suicide geographies smaller than the county level.

Methods: We analyzed data from suicide decedents aged ≥10 years from 2010 through 2015 in the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System. We identified spatial clusters of high suicide rates using spatially adaptive filtering with standardized mortality ratio (SMR) significantly higher than the state SMR (p < 0.001). We compared demographic characteristics, method of injury, and suicide circumstances of decedents within each cluster to decedents outside any cluster.

Results: We identified 13 high-risk suicide clusters (SMR between 1.7 and 2.0). Suicide decedents in the clusters were …

Let Public Health Profesionals Do Their Jobs, Ben Barber

Virginia Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Social Determinants Of Health, Telehealth, And Hiv/Aids: Implications For Public Health Research And Practice In The State Of Virginia, Sonal S. Sathe, Adati Tarfa

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Purpose: The purpose of this commentary is to assert the importance of addressing the social determinants of health to support HIV/AIDS control efforts, to describe the importance of telehealth in HIV/AIDS control, and to recommend courses of action to support HIV/AIDS control efforts within the state of Virginia.

Discussion: We provide an overview of the social determinants of health and their role in HIV/AIDS control, telehealth and its uptake within the HIV/AIDS community, and issues in Virginia facing HIV/AIDS control.

Conclusion and Recommendations: We conclude that addressing social determinants of health, especially stigma, is an important measure of HIV/AIDS control …

Virginia Journal Of Public Health Fall 2023

Virginia Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Jesuit Educational Principles And Student Managed Investment Funds, Mehmet F. Dicle

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Financial education is part of Jesuit higher education. One of the important parts of the finance curriculum is the student managed investment fund (SMIF). In this study we provide an example SMIF which is structured around Jesuit ideals. Ethics and social responsibility are at the core of the investment and payout processes. Our students consistently strive to outperform financial markets, pay scholarships from their profits, and address the needs of their community. They show solidarity with the greater student community by offering their knowledge, talents and efforts to earn profits to help those who are in need. They also show …

Restorative Recreation: A Medical Humanities Course Relating Nature Prescription, Avocation, And Creation Care To Human And Ecosystem Health, Patrick C. Swanson, Keirien L. Taylor, Thomas J. Schechter

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Although there is increasing awareness of the relationships between ecosystem health, access to and interaction with nature, and human wellness, examples of instructional activities to convey these issues in medical education are limited. To address this need, P.C.S. developed a five week elective course for up to twelve students within a medical humanities curriculum. Students discuss themes covered in multi-media assignments, hike at a regional nature center, and write a final reflection essay. Discussion topics include nature-deficit disorder, nature immersion, nature prescription, creation care, social determinants of nature access and environmental health, and restorative recreation as an avocation. Follow-up surveys …

Career Development & Learning At Jesuit Colleges & Universities During The Covid-19 Pandemic & Beyond, Christine P. Li-Grining, Maria Radulescu, Daniela Ugalde, Joyce Knight

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Today’s youth are often interested in how they can work toward social justice, not just in their spare time, but also as part of their educations and careers. This includes students who are drawn to the social justice missions of Jesuit colleges and universities. In 2020, the COVID-19 public health crisis disrupted education and career plans, placing major obstacles along young adults’ pathways. Guided by the Engagement of Hope theoretical model, the current study examines student supports and how they may facilitate hope and learning. Mixed methods data were collected from five undergraduate students from a Jesuit university in a …

Possibility Thinking In The Community-Engaged Classroom: Uniting Hope And Imagination Towards Anti-Racist Action, Betsy Bowen, Lilly Campbell, Jenna Green, Emily A. Phillips

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Drawing on the work of Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., this article examines the contribution that “possibility thinking” makes to community-engaged learning at three Jesuit universities. The article considers ways in which possibility thinking intersects both Jesuit and secular perspectives on hope and imagination, and their relationship to anti-racist praxis. We then describe three institutional contexts at different stages of enacting community-engaged learning in introductory and upper-level English classes. The article concludes by offering three praxis-oriented directions for community-engaged learning educators to take up in their own institutional contexts: developing faculty capacity and awareness; fostering solidarity not charity; and encouraging reflection not …

Implications Of A Community-Based Learning Faculty Fellows Program To Facilitate Teaching And Learning In The Jesuit Tradition, Debra Fetherman, Julie Schumacher Cohen, Ovidiu Cocieru, Gerard Dumancas, Brian Snee, Patricia Wisniewski

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

The University of Scranton is one of the 28 Jesuit institutions of higher education located in the United States. Committed to community engagement and the development of Ignatian educators, a Community-Based Learning (CBL) Faculty Fellows Program was implemented academic year 2022-2023. The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and the Engagement of Hope framework were used as models to develop, implement, and assess a CBL faculty development program. Program activities were designed to build faculty skills, capacities, and their identity as community-engaged practitioners. Lessons learned through program assessment on the impact on faculty’s transformation to Ignatian educators and their ability to imagine new …

Stories With Strangers: A Community Building Library At Regis University, Amy Hezel, Dawn Combe

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

The authors share foundational texts and topics of engagement that led to an event called: “Stories with Strangers: A Community Building Library at Regis University.” The event was named, “Stories with Strangers” to highlight the “stories” of lived experience as well as the importance of sharing those stories with “strangers” to grow understanding, build relationships, and establish shared values with each other, with the hope of creating a common good. The texts and topics of engagement that led to the event are shared, including: the concept of the “common good” and in particular, David Hollenbach’s The Common Good and Christian …

Faculty Formation In The Jesuit And Mercy Traditions, Mary-Catherine Harrison ,Phd, Arthur Ko ,Phd, Jill A. Turner ,Bsn, Mlis, Mals

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Mentorship plays a major role in engaging faculty and supporting their development and growth within an academic institution. In order to support new faculty members’ success and belonging, the host institution piloted the Faculty Formation Program during the 2022-2023 academic year. The foundation of this mentorship program is based on Jesuit and Mercy values that align with the mission of the university. The program has engaged new and seasoned faculty in shared conversations about their roles as faculty members and their place in Jesuit and Mercy higher education. This paper articulates the foundation and characteristics of high-impact mentorship and describes …

Hope Through Action And Reflection: Participatory Action Research In Jesuit Higher Education, Rachel Brand

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This study looks at the outcomes from an innovative participatory action research (PAR) project implemented at the University of San Francisco (USF), to address a community problem; food insecurity amongst undergraduate students. The context of this study shows the unique possibilities for Jesuit education to address campus issues such as food insecurity, given its emphasis on engagement and reflection, and tenants of care for the whole person. In this project, the overlap between PAR and Ignatian pedagogy reinforced and uplifted ideals of community and social change, and served as an example of the possibilities when using community-based research methods within …

Combining High-Impact Practices To Facilitate Hope For Young Adults Transitioning Into College, Isabelle A. Jenkins, Alison Bryant Ludden, Michelle C. Sterk Barrett

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Today’s societal challenges are causing young people to feel less hopeful about the future, negatively impacting their mental health. Educators are called to address this crisis and provide opportunities for young people to experience hope. Jesuit colleges and universities are uniquely poised to do so given their focus on caring for the whole person and the recent release of the Universal Apostolic Preferences, which prioritize “journeying with youth in the creation of a hope-filled future.” High-impact practices at Jesuit institutions could particularly be effective given the ways in which they intellectually engage students and help students cultivate a sense of …

Imagination Grasping Reality: An Ignatian Foundation For Critical Hope In Jesuit Education, Susan Haarman

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

As public faith in higher education faces an all time low, the need for hope to both infuse and be a product of our institutions of higher learning is paramount. Rather than a simple hopeful optimism, Henry Giroux conceptualized critical hope - an educated hope that will form students capable and willing to view themselves and the world through a critical lens and then imagine new ways of proceeding that serve the public good and honor human dignity. Jesuit education, at its best, is rooted in expressions of critical hope with a world-affirming commitment to depth of thought and imagination …

Navigating A Crisis With Imagination And Hope Through The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm, Rodney R.J. Uzat

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This article examines a Jesuit all boys college preparatory high school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) provided the school administrative team with guiding principles that inspired imaginative solutions allowing for in-person instruction throughout the majority of the crisis, which in turn offered much needed hope to the entire school community at a difficult time. The article begins with the context of the crisis for the community and then details the experience of the school going into the Fall of 2020 with attention to the process for putting pandemic go forward operating strategies in …