Digital Commons Network^™

Fall 2021

Scientia

A Decade of Progress and Success; Speech Language Pathology Program; COVID-19 Long-Hauler Study; Peer Mentors Initiative; Faculty Update; Expert Engagement: Three CSH initiatives further education and scholarship while supporting communities in need; Strategic Command: Business consultant and med tech expert Stephen Sichak helps others face pandemic challenges; Taking Care: A School of Nursing research team plumbs the pandemic experiences of nurses nationwide

Changing Expectations In Higher Education Post-Pandemic, Gregory R. Mackinnon, Tyler Maclean, Mohamad El Maouch, William Yuan, Zhao Kaibin, Bi Dandan, Marwa Saab

Journal of Global Education and Research

A sample of higher education students in Canada and China was surveyed and interviewed to ascertain any changes in their educational expectations given their experiences with emergency remote teaching during the pandemic. In addition, the instructors of these students were interviewed to corroborate student feedback. The research suggested that students in Canada and China expressed expectations of increased flexibility and improved pedagogy. Whereas Canadian students were overtly demanding of the instructor and the educational system, Chinese students were comparatively subtle in their expectation that the post-pandemic level of support be maintained. The primary concern of the Chinese cohort was a …

Hidden Thermal Signatures Reveal The Microclimatic Influence Of Scheduled Cave Tourism, Matt Rowberry, John Gunn, Andrew Smith

International Journal of Speleology

Tourist activity is widely recognised as a source of cave microclimate disturbance, yet visitor-induced variability is difficult to distinguish from natural environmental fluctuations. The coronavirus pandemic created a natural experiment at Poole’s Cavern, United Kingdom, in which periods of complete closure could be compared with contrasting visitor access regimes. Two years of high resolution temperature records from six monitoring points were analysed. Harmonic regression and a state space model removed deterministic diurnal cycles and lower frequency temperature variability. The remaining residual variability differed systematically among visitor access regimes and between daytime and nighttime conditions. Spectral analysis of the residuals identified …

Words And Places That Shape Behavior, Nicole J. Olynk Widmar,, Michael L. Smith, Erin Robinson

Purdue University Press Books

Words and Places That Shape Behavior, the sixth installment in the Consumer Corner series, brings the concept of place to the forefront, connecting what people say to where they actually go. By combining insights from online and social media conversations with real-world foot traffic data, the book reveals how consumers’ stated preferences align with—or diverge from—their actions..

From the rhythms of back-to-school shopping and childcare to the draw of state fairs, lakes, and local landmarks, this book explores how everyday choices shape the places where people gather and spend their time. It examines seasonal shopping and dining trends, what …

A Quantitative Content Analysis Of Major United States-Based Religious Organizations' Framing Of Mask-Wearing On X (Formerly Twitter) During Covid-19, Michael J. Farzinpour

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative content analysis was to examine how major U.S.-based religious organizations framed mask-wearing on X (formerly Twitter) during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether identifiable framing cues were associated with observable audience engagement. Grounded in framing theory and prospect theory, the study analyzed publicly available tweets posted by 14 nationally prominent U.S. megachurches and affiliated public-facing organizational representatives between March 2020 and December 2022. The final sample consisted of 1,288 tweets. Tweets were coded for gain- and loss-framed valence-framing cues, compliance- and resistance-oriented frame-orientation cues, and engagement outcomes measured through publicly visible likes, comments, and retweets. Because …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Individuals With Post-Acute Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection (Pasc) In Rwanda: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Iliza Grace Ndatinya, Simal Thind, Fernand Rwamwejo

Global Health Articles

OBJECTIVES: To qualitatively explore the lived experiences of individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) in Rwanda, with the aim of informing context-appropriate interventions to improve patients' quality of life.

DESIGN: Qualitative, phenomenological study using in-depth interviews and thematic analysis.

SETTING: All provinces of Rwanda, including the City of Kigali.

PARTICIPANTS: Adults who tested positive for PASC during a nationwide prevalence study were purposively sampled across all study sites. A total of 30 people were interviewed before saturation was reached.

RESULTS: Participants' lived experiences with PASC were characterised by numerous themes. Despite describing significant life changes since their COVID-19 …

Predictors Of Psychological Strain In College Students In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Randy M. Ludwig

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exacerbated the traditional challenges of being a college student. This study examined the factors associated with the mental health difficulties many college students faced during the pandemic. Factor analysis was used to uncover a latent variable called psychological strain, which was composed of mental instability, mental health strain, sadness, anxiety, and unhappiness. An exploratory path model was created to determine which factors most closely related to psychological strain. Of the 14 factors considered, 11 were significant predictors. Overall, the most important risk factor was found to be social isolation (total effects = .437), while …

Abstracts From The 2026 Health Care Systems Research Network (Hcsrn) Annual Conference, Dallas, Texas, Health Care Systems Research Network

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN) comprises 18 learning health systems with integrated care delivery and embedded research units. The network’s annual conference serves as a forum for research teams from member institutions to disseminate project findings, explore scientific collaborations, and share insights about population-based research practices that can measurably improve health and health care for all. The theme of this year’s conference was “Scaling Learning Health Systems: Data-Driven Pathways to Better Outcomes.” Abstracts presented at HCSRN 2026 are published in this issue supplement of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews, the journal of record for HCSRN’s annual …

“I Was Not Wonder Woman And Required Help”: Black, Latina, And White Women’S Recovery From The Covid-19 Pandemic, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Colton Pierce, Harry Foster, Alison Brennan, Nicole Wanago

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected women, particularly women of color, yet less is known about their recovery experiences following the end of the public health emergency. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic among Black, Latina, and White women in the United States. Participants (N = 133) completed a survey that included a self-reported recovery measure and open-ended questions regarding their recovery experiences. A chi-square analysis indicated a significant association between race/ethnicity and recovery status, with Latina women more likely to report ongoing recovery than Black and White women. Codebook thematic analysis identified four themes: (1) …

Connected But Disconnected: A Covid-19 Youth Participatory Action Research Study, Vianney Atugonza, Jodi Dworkin, Stacey S. Horn, Joanna A. Tzenis, Samantha Lebouef

Journal of Youth Development

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced most schools across the U.S. to close and transition to remote learning. Families were forced to transform their homes into classrooms while facing challenges to their health, finances, and social connections. To better understand how young people experienced these changes, a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project was employed to engage young people in naming, exploring, and sharing their experiences during this time. Nine high school youth leaders were trained as researchers to conduct interviews with their peers. These youth scholars were also trained on how to code, sort, and disseminate data and results. …

Disrupted Trajectories: Covid-19, Transnational Youth Mobility And Unequal Transitions To Adulthood, Simon Chambers, Anita Harris, Loretta Baldassar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

While the impact of COVID-19 on youth development has been widely studied, less is known about its effects on transnationally mobile young adults. This longitudinal study of Australian outbound and inbound mobility examines how the pandemic disrupted this population's experiences abroad as they navigated transitions to adulthood. It draws on two waves of survey data collected using a convenience sample between July 2020 and September 2022. Our findings reveal that COVID-19 presented significant challenges to young adults living away from home, with disruptions to their future plans, social connections, and well-being. However, these impacts were not uniform. The pandemic magnified …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Eye-Related Emergency Department Encounters At An Academic Safety-Net Health System, Eleanor Burton, Taylor Gemperline, Cynthia Wan, Clayton Grundvig, Hannah Harrelson, Caroline Kim, Michael Cusick

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) provide care to millions of patients with eye-related concerns annually. Many patients delayed seeking medical care for routine and emergent conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the demographics and diagnoses of eye-related emergency department visits at an academic safety-net health system.

Methods: The medical records of patients seen in the University of Virginia (UVA) ED from 1 July 2017 to 29 December 2022 with a primary ophthalmic diagnosis were reviewed retrospectively. Clinical and demographic information was extracted from electronic health records, and an acuity …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Mental Health And Well-Being Of Black And Latinx Nurses In California, Jerry John Ouner, Patience Afulani, David A. Asakitogum, Nneka Umeh, Monica Getahun, Jaffer Okiring, Michael Denyu, Orlando Harris, Osamuedeme Odiase

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

On January 31, 2020, Santa Clara County reported California’s (CA) first COVID-19 case. As the pandemic unfolded, health systems were severely strained, and health care workers faced dual exposure risks from their communities and households alongside heightened occupational risk from direct patient care.1,2 For Black and Latinx nurses, COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on their communities intensified stress, fear, and uncertainty, and when combined with the demands of frontline work, greatly increased their risk of psychological distress and burnout. We examined COVID-19’s impact on the mental health and well-being of Black and Latinx nurses in CA.

Method: We conducted an explanatory sequential …

A Qualitative Case Study On The Negative Impact The Global Pandemic Had On The Oil And Gas Industry, Sarah Denise Hagans

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this flexible-design single-case study was to expand the understanding of the reasons behind the negative impact the global pandemic had on international trade in the oil and gas industry. The research was critical to understanding the turbulent period for the oil and gas industry during the global pandemic. The study was essential because the possible negative effects of the global pandemic on the oil and gas industry were not fully determined or understood because of the volatility in upstream, midstream, and downstream production. The research aimed to determine the driving factors and explanations for how the negative …

Face Mask Littering: Environmental Impacts, Regulatory Challenges, And Ai-Driven Waste Management Strategies For The Post-Pandemic Era, Pri̇yanka Rathee, Sari̇ta Khatkar, Renu Sehrawat, Pooja Rathee, Anurag Khatkar, Esra Küpeli̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The widespread use of polypropylene-based face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic created a significant and persistent source of plastic pollution. This review aims to provide an integrative assessment of the environmental, toxicological, and public health implications of face mask litter and evaluate current waste management challenges and emerging technological solutions in the postpandemic context. A narrative review approach was employed, synthesizing literature published between 2020 and 2025 and indexed in major scientific databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. Studies were selected based on their relevance to the issues of environmental contamination, microplastic generation, toxicological effects, regulatory frameworks, and …

Challenges To Longevity Among Native Americans In The Four Corner States, Ashley Lenarz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Previous research has shown that Native Americans within the Four Corners States of the United States experience poor health outcomes and premature mortality. The Four Corners States include Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Research examining COVID-19 pandemic outcomes has also suggested that Native peoples within the Four Corners States have been especially hard hit with high rates of infection and mortality. Our research seeks to (1) understand how life expectancy trends and differences changed among non-Hispanic Native Americans and Whites in the Four Corners States during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) examine how much of these trends and differences …

Fuimos Olvidados Y Descuidados [Forgotten And Neglected]: Lessons Learned And Findings From On-Farm Covid-19 Education And Vaccine Clinics For Agricultural Workers And Their Multigenerational Families In Texas, Anabel Rodriguez, David I Douphrate, Ana L Pineda Reyes, Susana Zavala, Lus Chavez, Sofia Nicole Lopez, Andrea V Cabrera Cruz, Annie J Keeney, Nora Hernandez, Brenda Berumen-Flucker, Eva M Shipp, Matthew W Nonnenmann, Shannon P Guillot-Wright, Bethany Boggess Alcauter, G Lopez Ixta, Paula M Cuccaro, Higinio Fernandez-Sanchez, David Gimeno Ruiz De Porras

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Despite being deemed essential non-healthcare workers, agricultural workers were excluded from COVID-19 vaccine prioritization in Texas. This professional practice report describes the multifaceted worker health and safety approaches to protecting agricultural workers and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Between March 2020 and January 2025, several outreach, education, and training grants from various funding agencies were leveraged to deliver training, personal protective equipment, vaccines, and economic relief to agricultural workers in partnership with community-based organizations, industry, local public health departments, and academic institutions.

Findings: Timely funding efforts led to the distribution of 1,000 PPE kits, with more than …

Transnational Social Protections And The Market: Seeking Support From The Global Cruise Industry, Yasmin Y. Ortiga

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Migration studies have mostly portrayed employers as paternalistic or exploitative, creating the very conditions that make migrants’ lives insecure and unstable. This paper challenges this view by showing how the market can also be an unlikely source of protections, where extractive work conditions co-exist with a certain degree of social support. Drawing on interviews with 45 Filipino cruise workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, I discuss how migrants used a logic of employee rights to claim benefits such as food, housing and insurance. Cruise lines willingly provided such protections, but only while workers maintained active contracts onboard their ships. Rather than …

A Longitudinal Analysis Of Hospital Consumer Evaluation In Virginia, Tulay Akmandor Inac

Health Services Research Dissertations

Suboptimal patient experience signals a need to improve clinical efficacy, patient safety, and healthcare quality. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified hospital resource and staffing demands, reducing hospitals’ capacity to invest in patient experience improvement. Prior studies remain limited because many lack longitudinal structure and organized theoretical models, making temporal inference difficult and weakening analyses of patient experience disparities. To address these limitations, this dissertation incorporates three studies examining patient experience and pandemic-related effects.

In state-level markets comparable to Virginia, limited research has examined longitudinal patient experience trends across regional hospital systems using HCAHPS scores. The first study uses descriptive trend analysis …

Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Mathematics Achievement And Problem-Solving Ability: Insights From Secondary Schools In India, Laishram Nirtish Singh, Anand Jyoti Sanasam, Jocyline Thokchom, Ningombam Cha Cogent, Laisom Sharmeswar Singh

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted students’ engagement with mathematics. This study aims to contribute to our understanding of the extent of this disrupting by examining differences in mathematics achievement and problem-solving ability between adjacent cohorts who learned Class 8 under different schooling conditions in India: Group A (pandemic-exposed Class 8 cohort) and Group B (post-reopening Class 8 cohort). Using a descriptive design in a natural setting, we selected a stratified sample of 1,200 students from Class 9 and Class 10 across 21 secondary schools in Manipur, India. The sample was stratified by gender, family type, school type, and locality to ensure …

Full Issue: The International Undergraduate Journal Of Health Sciences, Volume 6, Issue 1, July 2026

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Full Issue: The International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences, Volume 6, Issue 1, July 2026.

Clinicopathologic Spectrum Of Renal Disease In Sars-Cov-2 Infection And Post-Covid-19 Vaccination, Naya Williams, Mohammed S. Razzaque

School of Medicine Publications

Both SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination have been associated with renal complications. In the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection, kidney injury is primarily attributed to a complex interplay of systemic immune dysregulation and vascular damage. Severe infection triggers a cytokine-mediated inflammatory response characterized by elevated levels of pro-inflammatory mediators, resulting in systemic hemodynamic instability, increased capillary permeability, and renal hypoperfusion, ultimately leading to acute tubular injury. In addition, virus-induced endothelial activation promotes a prothrombotic state, microvascular injury, and further impairment of renal perfusion. Collectively, these processes converge to produce acute kidney injury (AKI) and, in severe or prolonged cases, may contribute …

Healthcare Or Gold? Comparative Safe-Haven Dynamics During The Covid-19 Market Crisis, Stephen Omoya

Critical Letters in Economics & Finance

This paper examines whether the US healthcare sector serves as a reliable defensive equity investment during periods of severe macroeconomic stress. Grounded in the Flight-to-Safety market phenomenon. The study investigates how extreme market uncertainty prompts capital reallocation into safer assets. Using daily data from LSEG Workspace for the Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT), Gold, and the S&P 500, the research analyses a 25-month window from March 31, 2020, to May 31, 2022, yielding 567 observations. The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) was implemented to measure short-term market risk (β), while the Engle-Granger methodology tested for a long-run relationship between VHT …

A Glimpse Into Classrooms: Teachers’ Experiences Pre- And Post-Covid, Sam Hilbert, Katherine Wheeler, Robin H. Lock, Janna Brendle, Kassi Gregory

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many schools to pause in-person learning. Prior research indicates that these closures affected overall mental health and student academic performance. Mental health concerns, particularly anxiety and depression, were exacerbated for many school-aged children during these closures. Research has linked disorders, such as anxiety and depression, with changes in behaviors. Academic gaps have also been linked with negatively displayed behaviors in school settings. COVID school closures resulted in a 25% increased global prevalence of anxiety and depression diagnoses and an estimated 1-year academic loss in student learning. Although both variables have been shown to contribute to changes …

Financial Wisdom Across Political Identities: Exploring Insights From A Convenience Sample Of Participants During The Global Pandemic, Miguel Quiñones, Virginia Zuiker, Yiting Li, Hanna Yu

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global economic crisis that magnified financial hardships and revealed how political affiliation shapes financial behavior. This study examined how U.S. residents with differing political orientations navigated financial uncertainty, drawing on open-ended survey responses collected in fall 2020. Results show both commonalities and nuanced differences across political lines. Across groups, participants emphasized saving for emergencies, living within their means, seeking financial support, and building skills to increase income—underscoring the universality of core financial principles during crises. However, distinctions also emerged: Republican participants more frequently emphasized self-sufficiency, often seeking additional jobs or withdrawing from retirement funds; Independents …

Covid-19 Case Study, Armando Olmeda

Distinguished Student Scholarship Collection

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, continues to affect healthcare systems and public health worldwide. This case study examines COVID-19 from an epidemiological perspective by looking at how the disease spreads, the populations most affected, the major risk factors, and the impact on healthcare systems. It also analyzes key epidemiological measures, including incidence, prevalence, hospitalization, and mortality trends, to better understand how the pandemic has changed over time. The findings show that older adults, individuals with chronic medical conditions, and socially disadvantaged populations continue to experience the greatest burden of disease, with social determinants of health playing an important …

Clinical And Laboratory Profile Of Pediatric Covid-19 Cases: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study At The Children Welfare Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Oras Abd Al-Rahman Mankhi, Hassanien Habeeb Ghali

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to pose a global health challenge. Although children are generally less severely affected than adults, severe outcomes and mortality continue to be reported, particularly in low-resource settings. paediatric cases may present with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Understanding the clinical and laboratory characteristics of pediatric COVID-19 in Iraq is essential for improving diagnosis, management, and outcomes.Objective: To describe the demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics of pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to the Children Welfare Teaching Hospital (CWTH), Baghdad, and to identify factors associated with disease severity.Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on …

Flavonoid Profiling, Molecular Docking, And Modulatory Effects Of Artemisia Herba- Alba Leaf Extract On Ace2 And Tmprss2 Gene Expression, Zainab Tuama Al-Dallee, Kawther Tuma Khalaf, Ula M. Noor Al-Mousawi, Hiba Najeh Alsaad, Emad Yousif Awad Al-Sultan

Baghdad Science Journal

Several studies have reported the potential antiviral activity of Artemisia species, which is related mainly to their flavonoid constituents. Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) are critical SARS-CoV-2 entry factors. In this study, the phytochemical composition and modulatory effects of Artemisia herba-alba leaf extract on the gene expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were investigated. To identify the flavonoid profile, HPLC was used. Cytotoxicity was estimated in A549 carcinoma and HDFn fibroblasts using an MTT assay (IC₅₀ = 114.8 μg/mL). The real-time PCR results revealed significant upregulation of TMPRSS2 gene expression (2.4-fold, p ≤ 0.01; …

Identifying Social Determinants Of Health Subgroups And Their Associations With Health Outcomes In A Prospective Us Adult Covid-19 Cohort: An Analysis Of The Inspire Registry, Yohali Burrola-Mendez, Eugene Lin, Canada Parrish, Chialing Hsu, Mandy J. Hill, Michael Gottlieb, Kristin L. Rising, Lauren E. Wisk, Nicole L. Gentile, Rachel E. Geyer, Robert A. Weinstein, Michelle Santangelo, Kristyn Gatling, Jonathan W. Dyal, Joann G. Elmore, Robert M. Rodriguez, Phillip Watts, Ji Chen, Zihan Diao, Erica S. Spatz, Kwun Cg Chan, K A. Stephens, Kelli N. O'Laughlin, Inspire Group

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To identify subgroups with similar social determinants of health (SDOH) characteristics using latent class analysis (LCA) and examine their associations with physical and mental health, cognitive function and missed workdays at 3 and 6 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. We hypothesised that intersecting SDOH factors would differentially influence COVID-19-related health outcomes across subgroups.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study from the Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry (INSPIRE), with longitudinal data collection and cross-sectional analyses at baseline, 3-month and 6-month follow-ups.

SETTING: Multicentre registry across eight US academic medical centres (Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New Haven, Philadelphia, San Francisco and …

Screen-Based Simulation Assessment For Emergency Medicine Learners: A Rapid Review, Patrick Zeniecki, Rebecca Kamens, Jared Kilpatrick, Dimitrios Papanagnou, Xiao C. Zhang

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Simulation has played a vital role in training medical professionals. The COVID-19 Pandemic has highlighted the need for physically distant educational assessment methods. Screen-based simulation (SBS) demonstrates one alternative to traditional in-person simulation methods to assess learners clinical reasoning and communication skills. This study aims to compare in-person simulation to SBS as assessment methods in Emergency Medicine (EM).

METHODS: A rapid review literature search methodology of an electronic database (PubMed) was performed in February 2022 with search terms such as "Computer Simulation," "Patient Simulation," "Simulation Training," "Education, Distance," "Virtual OSCE," "Academic Performance," or "Emergency Medicine." Reference lists of relevant …