Digital Commons Network^™

The Fight For Comprehensive Sex Education Legislation: A Comparative Law Analysis Of Policies In The United States And The Philippines, Angeliki Harris

California Western International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Immigration Judges: The Unfortunate Bellwether For Declining Federal Public-Sector Labor Rights, Hon. Mimi Tsankov

California Western International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

From Classroom To Closing Table: Strategies For Teaching Transactional Drafting And Preparing Law Students For Practice And The Nextgen Bar Exam, Keisa M. Johnson Monroe

Saint Louis University Law Journal

Undoubtedly, at the end of each semester on the final evening of my Transactional Drafting course, a student approaches me to share feedback and reflections on the class. Their feedback often ranges from expressions of surprise—”This class was actually more enjoyable than I expected”—to reconsiderations of their initial intentions—”I’m going to be a trial lawyer, so I wasn’t even going to take this class, but I’m so glad I did!”—to newly discovered interests—”I think I’m actually interested in pursuing a career as a transactional lawyer now.” These student reflections are helpful as they offer valuable insights as I am constantly …

Birthing Inequality: How U.S. Midwifery Laws Perpetuate Racial And Socioeconomic Disparities, Miranda Martin

Saint Louis University Law Journal

“In our nation . . . more women are facing death because of childbirth than in any other developed nation.” “Black women are three times more likely to die in connection with childbirth . . . Native women twice as likely . . . [and] rural women are one and a half times more likely to die,” warned Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizing the country’s maternal health crisis. Despite efforts to improve maternal health, access to safe and effective care remains uneven. In the United States, there is confusion among legal and healthcare professionals regarding the different types of midwives …

Cruel Deference: State Narratives, Credibility, And Power In Convention Against Torture Adjudications, Amelia S. Mcgowan

Saint Louis University Law Journal

U.S. courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) have long treated the U.S. Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices as uniquely authoritative sources for determining country conditions in claims for immigration protection. In its 2025 precedential opinion Matter of A-A-R-, the BIA extended this deference to claims for protection under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). This decision and others like it raise the question: whose voice matters most when evaluating the likelihood that an applicant faces torture, and why?

This Article critically examines the evolution of the Country Reports’ authoritative role in U.S. protection …

The End Of Asylum: Biden, Trump, And Latin America In Crisis, Ernesto Sagas, Ediberto Roman, Richard T. Middleton

Saint Louis University Law Journal

When Rosa crossed the Rio Grande in the summer of 2022, she sat to rest on the U.S. side of the muddy river that serves as the international border with Mexico. After weeks of a trip that took her from her hometown in Cuba to Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and across the length of Mexico, she was physically exhausted and emotionally drained. Instead of a sense of great fear of being discovered by U.S. authorities, she felt a sense of relief upon seeing them, even calling her relatives before the authorities made it to her to let her family know that …

Eliminating Prior Pay: Reframing The Equal Pay Act's "Factor Other Than Sex" In Federal Employment, Jack Weilmuenster

Saint Louis University Law Journal

The federal government is the largest employer in the United States, with over 1.5 million General Schedule (“GS”) employees working across various agencies. Under the federal pay system, salaries are determined by the GS, a structured scale that assigns employees to grades and steps based on qualifications and experience. However, agencies may rely on prior salary when setting pay, a practice that risks perpetuating gender-based wage disparities. Given the federal government’s influence on broader employment practices, whether prior pay qualifies as a “factor other than sex” under the Equal Pay Act (“EPA”) is a question with far-reaching implications.

Ice Non-Accountability In The Second Trump Administration, Sabrina Balgamwalla

Saint Louis University Law Journal

By the beginning of the second Trump administration, the tone of Know Your Rights presentations for community members had noticeably shifted. Advocates regularly tell people that they don’t have to open the door to their home to an officer without a judicial warrant and that if they are stopped by law enforcement, they have the right to ask who is conducting the stop and why. But audience members have questions informed by news headlines about various Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) practices: How can you tell definitively if a law enforcement officer is an ICE agent when they aren’t wearing …

Defending Bad Men: Public Perceptions Of Female Advocates In A Post-#Metoo Society, Grace Wallis

Saint Louis University Law Journal

As the dust settled on the heavily publicized, 2022 defamation trial of actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, an unlikely star stepped into the limelight: Johnny Depp’s attorney, Camille Vasquez. Over the span of the seven-week trial, Vasquez gained social media notoriety due to her frequent objections and stern trial demeanor. Vasquez’s cross-examination of Heard on May 16 and 17 of 2022 called into question Heard’s credibility and increased Vasquez’s online celebrity by a significant margin. In fact, according to Google search trends, public interest in the search terms “Camille Vasquez” reached peak popularity on May 18, 2022. Vasquez’s instant …

Filling The Network Gap In Research Ethics: Analyzing Ethical Issues At Scale In Big Team Science, Susan Wolf, Gillian H. Roehrig, Timothy L. Pruett, Korkut Uygun, Claire Colby Mcvan, Evelyn Brister, Shawneequa L. Callier, Alexander M. Capron, James F. Childress, Rosario Isasi, Andrew D. Maynard, Kenneth A. Oye, Paul B. Thompson, Terrance R. Tiersch

Articles

Scientific research increasingly involves large, multidisciplinary teams networked across multiple institutions to develop new technologies. Despite the rise of complex research networks and big team science, there has been too little analysis to date of the ethical challenges facing these networks. The extensive literature on the ethical issues confronting individual researchers and small teams (the microlevel) and on the larger societal challenges flowing from research and new technology (the macrolevel) leaves a troubling gap in between, at the mesolevel of the research network involved in big team science. Yet the ability of complex networks to conduct research ethically—which is essential …

Advancing Neurotech Justice In Youth Digital Mental Health: Insights From An Interdisciplinary And Cross-Generational Workshop, Francis X. Shen, Craig W. Mcfarland, Donnella S. Comeau, Leo Anthony Celi, Benjamin C. Silverman, Sepideh Abdi, Mahsa Alborzi Avanaki

Articles

Researchers and clinicians are increasingly looking to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools to improve psychiatric care. Of particular promise is addressing the youth mental health crisis. Yet, the introduction of AI-enabled digital technologies for psychiatric treatment of young adults raises a host of ethical, legal, and societal issues (ELSI). To provide guidance in addressing these issues, we convened a two-day meeting at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University: Advancing Neurotech Justice in Mental Health: Insights from an Interdisciplinary and Cross-Generational Workshop. The meeting brought together a diverse cohort of 17 experts and 5 students …

A Systematic Review: Comparative Analysis Of Healthcare Waste Management Practices In Kenya And In The United States, Esther Nyokabi Gathungu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This comparative study used a systematic literature review to explore waste management practices in Kenya and the USA, examining predefined concepts to identify new patterns relevant to sustainable healthcare waste management (HCWM) practices. The study aimed to understand sustainable practices in healthcare waste management and how developing nations such as Kenya can benchmark from practices in developed nations such as the USA. While the study identified challenges in waste management across Kenya and the USA, it also identified sustainable practices that could be adopted across contexts. The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines …

Overdiagnosis Of Metatarsus Adductus In Bilateral Foot Radiographs, Richard Gomez, Zachary Katzman, Alex Ngo, Stephanie Schuster, Kelly John

Podiatric Medicine and Surgery

Purpose: To assess the difference in metatarsus angles (modified Sgarlato’s angle and modified Engel’s angle) when radiographs of same foot are evaluated as a single foot radiograph with central beam directed over the midfoot as compared to both feet on same radiograph with central beam directed between the two feet.

Methods: Forty-nine pairs of feet were assessed radiographically with one unilateral anterior-posterior (AP) image and one bilateral AP image. The images were uploaded into a custom-made MATLAB® script to mimic radiology software to measure the metatarsus adductus angles on each image.

Results: The modified Sgarlato’s angle was significantly different in …

Dnp Final Report: Poverty Stigma: The Effects Of A Poverty Simulation On Undergraduate Nursing Students And Their Attitudes Toward Caring For Impoverished Patients, Jessica P. Bowen

DNP Final Reports

Background: Current evidence demonstrates that stigma toward individuals living in poverty persists among undergraduate nursing students and negatively influences patient outcomes. Evidence-based educational strategies addressing social determinants of health have been shown to improve nursing students’ perceptions of vulnerable populations.

Purpose: This quality improvement project intended to evaluate the feasibility of integrating an interactive Community Action Poverty Simulation© (CAPS) activity into an undergraduate nursing (BSN) program at an academic health system university in East Texas.

Methods: Guided by the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) quality improvement framework and The Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice (JHEBP) Model, Missouri's Community Action Poverty Simulation …

Dnp Final Report: Reducing 30-Day Readmissions Through Follow-Up Appointments In An Acute Care Setting, Sukhnandan Kaur

DNP Final Reports

Thirty-day hospital readmissions remain a persistent quality and financial concern for acute care organizations. Poorly coordinated discharge processes, inconsistent follow-up appointment scheduling, and gaps in care transitions may increase the risk of avoidable readmissions among adult medical-surgical patients. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a standardized follow-up appointment scheduling workflow prior to hospital discharge and evaluate its effect on follow-up scheduling compliance and 30-day readmission trends in a 93-bed acute care hospital. The intervention was implemented over 12 weeks on an adult medical-surgical unit from September through December 2025. The standardized workflow included electronic health record …

The Influence Of Family Ownership, Family Involvement, And Founder Generation On Dividend Policy: Evidence From Non-Cyclical Consumer Family Firms In Indonesia (2019–2023), Matteo Firdaus, Dini Rosdini, Runita Arum Kanti

Journal of Accounting Auditing and Business

Family firms play a pivotal role in shaping Indonesia’s economic landscape, with their unique governance structures influencing key financial decisions such as dividend distribution. This study provides an in-depth examination of how family ownership, family involvement, and the generational status of the founder shape dividend policy among 24 non-cyclical consumer family firms listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) over the period 2019–2023. Firm size and profitability are incorporated as control variables to ensure the robustness of the analysis. Employing panel data regression techniques, the study uncovers several notable findings. First, family ownership exerts a positive and statistically significant influence …

Enhancing Postoperative Esophagectomy Outcomes With Preoperative Education: A Quality Improvement Project, Gaelyn Kattman

DNP Projects

Title

Enhancing Postoperative Outcomes with Preoperative Education for Esophagectomy Patients

Background/Significance

Esophageal cancer is an aggressive disease and the fourth most common gastrointestinal cancer. A surgical treatment for a patient with esophageal cancer who is a surgical candidate is an esophagectomy. Immediate postoperative complications may include pneumonia, arrhythmias or anastomotic leaks, all of which can potentially increase the patient’s length of stay. Delayed discharges can lead to a backup throughout the hospital, limiting the amount of available inpatient beds for patient care.

Purpose 

The DNP project purpose was to implement an additional preoperative telehealth visit in order to provide  patient …

Improving Awareness And Use Of The First-Responder Alerting Application, Pulsepoint Respond, In The Nursing Profession, Maclaine Matties

DNP Projects

Background/Significance

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a sudden, life-threatening emergency that can occur anywhere and to anyone. In 2023, the American Heart Association identified OHCA as a public health crisis, with survival rates around 10%. Outcomes depend heavily on rapid intervention, as each minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) significantly reduces survival. Mobile phone–based alert systems help bridge the gap between collapse and emergency medical services (EMS) arrival by notifying nearby trained responders. In a county in the Northeast, PulsePoint Respond serves this role. However, despite 1,302 registered responders as of November 2025, only 7 registered nurses were enrolled, highlighting an …

Implementation Of An Updated Opioid Overdose Response Policy To Address Xylazine-Involved Overdoses In A Federally Qualified Health Center, Dana Umbro

DNP Projects

The increasing prevalence of non-opioid adulterants like xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, has introduced significant challenges in overdose recognition and management. Non-opioid adulterants cause central nervous system depression, respiratory compromise, and severe soft tissue injury that is not reversed by naloxone. Many healthcare organizations lack standardized clinical guidance for managing overdoses involving non-opioid adulterants, resulting in variability in care and increased risk for adverse outcomes. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to update and implement an opioid overdose response policy incorporating evidence-based guidance for the recognition and management of overdoses potentially involving non-opioid adulterants. This was conducted …

Transitional Care Model Telehealth Calls To Improve Hospital Follow-Ups In A Community Health Center: A Quality Improvement Project, Veronica Dejesus

DNP Projects

Title: Transitional Care Telehealth Calls to Improve Hospital Follow-Up in a Community Health Center: A Quality Improvement Project

Background/Introduction: Transitions from hospital to primary care are a vulnerable period associated with missed follow-up appointments, poor patient outcomes, and increased readmissions, particularly in underserved populations. Internal data identified gaps in timely post-discharge follow-up, while external evidence supports structured transitional care interventions, such as telephone outreach within 48–72 hours, to improve patient engagement and continuity of care.

Objective/Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate whether structured, nurse-led transitional care telehealth calls improve completion of primary care follow-up visits …

Improving Nasal Decolonization Rates In The Inpatient Medical-Surgical Setting, Francesca Annunziato Royer

DNP Projects

Background/Significance

Hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and increased healthcare costs. Alcohol-based nasal decolonization is an evidence-based strategy to reduce MRSA transmission; however, staff compliance with decolonization protocols is often suboptimal, limiting effectiveness in inpatient medical-surgical settings.

Purpose

The purpose of this evidence-based quality improvement (EBQI) project was to evaluate whether implementing a structured, evidence-based nasal decolonization protocol improved staff compliance and reduced missed administrations and patient refusals among eligible medical-surgical inpatients.

Methods

This EBQI project was implemented on five inpatient medical-surgical units at a large academic medical center. Interventions included standardized staff education, …

Leveraging Technology To Improve Throughput: A Qi Project Utilizing Electronic Sbar, Suzy Candito

DNP Projects

The DNP practice site, a high-acuity Level I trauma center and regional referral hub, experiences persistent emergency department (ED) crowding and prolonged admission throughput times. Regional data show average ED wait-times near 252 minutes, underscoring the urgency of reducing delays between bed assignment and bed occupancy (assigned-to-occupied time). Inefficient or varied written handoffs contribute to calls for clarification, omissions, and transition delays, where structured, electronic SBAR tools are associated with improved completeness, standardization, and workflow efficiency. At the systems level, prolonged ED boarding is linked to higher daily hospital costs and safety risks, making communication optimization an operational and patient-safety …

Enhancing Postoperative Outcomes: The Impact Of Instruction Format On Patient Satisfaction In Ambulatory Surgery An Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Project, Gillian Shelby

DNP Projects

Background

Effective postoperative discharge communication is essential in ambulatory surgery centers, where short recovery periods and rapid patient turnover increase the risk of misunderstanding postoperative care instructions. Inconsistent delivery of discharge education may contribute to decreased patient satisfaction and reduced adherence to postoperative plans. Project Goals

The goals of this DNP quality improvement project were to: (1) implement standardized dual-format postoperative instructions using written and verbal education reinforced with the teach-back method, and (2) improve patient satisfaction and confidence in understanding postoperative care instructions. Methods

Following IRB exempt approval on September 10, 2025, implementation occurred from November 20,2025 to February …

Beyond The Uniform: Supporting Veterans Through Mental Health And Recovery Education, Ja'liah Williams, Lillie Ray, Joaquin Babinecz, Amiya Shepherd, Merritt Christian, Diego Nieto

DC Health and Academic Prep Program (DC HAPP)

Northern Virginia veterans face critical gaps in mental health and substance abuse support. This program outlines a targeted outreach and education campaign designed to increase resource utilization and reduce stigma. Utilizing community surveys to identify deficits in access and deploy pamphlets and digital surveys for our veterans to complete. In doing this, we aspire to partner with various organizations to help promote stability within their community.

Ttt Sahur- Team Traveling Therapist Supporting Allies In Health Urban Residents, Victoria Chan, Allison Gonzalez, Neri Nchami, Addisen Suber, Jerry Wang, Christopher Celarie

DC Health and Academic Prep Program (DC HAPP)

High levels of employee burnout and turnover are prevalent within mental health clinics across DC 1. High employee burnout and turnover affect both employees and patients. It delays care for patients because of the smaller number of employees and impedes the quality of care patients receive. It also adds to the stress that the employees are experiencing with the new workload, causing more burnout and continuing the cycle of high employee turnover 2 . This project is aims to address the employee burnout and turnover of mental health clinics by bolstering the current workforce. In this project, second year master …

Preventing Complications Of Childhood Asthma In Ward 8 With Mobile Resources And Education, Nahome Worku, Cara Segur, Arav Shah, Elhadji Ndiaye, Deivaanai Palaniappan, Marcus Odin

DC Health and Academic Prep Program (DC HAPP)

Childhood asthma remains a major public health concern in Ward 8 of Washington, D.C., where asthma rates exceed district and national averages. The program proposes a mobile medical clinic that would provide free screenings, inhalers and referrals, including education and community advocacy to improve access to care and overall quality of life for children in Ward 8.

By bringing services directly to underserved communities, the program will aim to reduce asthma attacks, school absences, and childhood asthma-related deaths. The program’s success will be evaluated through participant surveys which will measure health outcomes and overall satisfaction.

Beyond The Bars: Reimagining The Dc Correctional System As The Frontline For Hepatitis C Elimination, Rahimatu Jalloh, Amber Munoz, Riyan Lee, Kristen Martinez, Malia Allen, Gerard Lin

DC Health and Academic Prep Program (DC HAPP)

Hepatitis C is a major public health concern among incarcerated populations, who are infected at rates approximately 10 times higher than the general U.S. population. In Washington, D.C., an estimated 12,700 people are living with hepatitis C, and the District has one of the highest HCV prevalence and mortality rates in the nation. Although hepatitis C is highly curable, many incarcerated individuals do not receive treatment despite having enough time to complete therapy while incarcerated.

This project proposes a comprehensive hepatitis C program for the D.C. prison system that addresses HCV through prevention, intake screening, treatment during incarceration, and post-release …

Managing Green And Sustainable Construction Projects: A Computational Analysis Of Associated Risks And Challenges For Improved Performance, Bahaa Chammout, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Green and sustainable building practices have emerged as effective strategies to address the environmental challenges posed by the construction industry. This includes unsustainable resource utilization, excessive waste production, greenhouse gas emissions, and high energy consumption. However, the integration of green and sustainable initiatives in construction introduces distinct risks and challenges that affect project management and may lead to claims and disputes. To this end, and while previous research examined dispute causation across various aspects of the construction industry, there is limited investigation of the unique and complex nature of risks and challenges - and consequently conflicts, claims, and disputes - …

Town Of Gilmanton Annual Reports Of The Officers, Trustees, Agents, Committees, And Organizations Of The Town Of Gilmanton, New Hampshire For The Year 2025, Gilmanton Town Representatives

Gilmanton, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Town Of Groton New Hampshire 2025 Annual Report, Groton Town Representatives

Groton, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.