Digital Commons Network^™

In-House Counsel(Or): The Case For Providing Integrated Mental Health Support Services To Law Students, Eric W. Shannon

Faculty Publications

While some American law schools currently provide onsite mental health support services to their student populations, many still do not. This essay is the first to argue that all law schools should provide onsite mental health support services to their students—ideally, by way of a mental health professional integrated within the law school’s staff (an “integrated mental health professional,” or “IMHP”) who is familiar not only with the unique pressures of law school generally, but also with the school-specific environment. It explores current data on law student well-being as well as external considerations including ABA recommendations and standards for law …

A Health Needs Assessment Of An Unhoused Population To Influence Policies And Procedures Within An Rn-Run Clinic, Freedom Kelley, Sarah Madison

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Unstable housing is a well-documented and significant risk factor for poor health outcomes. Unhoused persons have higher rates of morbidity and mortality when compared to the general population (Onapa et. al, 2021). This DNP project aims to improve understanding of, and quality of care delivered to this vulnerable population through a health needs assessment of unhoused men and using the results to influence policies and procedures of a new RN-run health clinic within a homeless shelter. The needs assessment followed a cross-sectional survey design, residents were interviewed about their unique health needs. The responses were individually reviewed and coded to …

Impacts To Anxiety, Depression, And Psycho-Spiritual Metrics After Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy In Palliative Care Patients At The Aims Institute, Thomas Luedeke

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

There is considerable evidence that palliative care patients disproportionately experience anxiety, depression, and existential distress related to their chronic illnesses. Additionally, conventional therapies tend to be less effective in the treatment of this patient population. As such, research is being conducted into novel therapies. One of the promising therapies currently under active investigation is ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) which involves a combination of the administration of the dissociative anesthetic ketamine combined with psychotherapy.

Two clinical trials are being conducted at the Advanced Integrative Medical Sciences (AIMS) Institute in Seattle, WA, the purposes of which are to evaluate integrative care for patients …

Nursing Staff Training On Compounded Intranasal Ketamine For Treatment-Resistant Depression, Rimisha Lal, Gabrielle Son

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

A large proportion of individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not receive adequate therapy benefits from conventional monoaminergic antidepressant drugs, leading to treatment-resistant depression (TRD) (Di Vincenzo et al., 2021). Treating MDD with two failed antidepressant trials can lead to TRD, a condition wherein patients are twice as likely to be hospitalized in comparison to depressed patients who are not treatment-resistant (Gaynes et al., 2020). MDD and dysthymia are jointly responsible for 46.9 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) globally, with each DALY equivalent to a healthy year of life lost to the disability caused by depressive disorders (Vos et …

Indoor Hospital Navigation Utilizing Personal Cell Phone Wayfinding Technology, Winnie Cheung

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: To reach one’s destination in a hospital in a timely manner is the difference between life and death. Navigational tools such as signage, maps and information desks provide guidance; however, visitors, patients and employees often still get lost (Zenka et al., 2021). Mobile navigation technology has been found to be a promising solution for providing a universal wayfinding tool. Objective: The objective of this project is to examine and test what current wayfinding methodologies may be used at the University of Washington and if using a mobile interactive navigational tool would be preferred. Methods: All new employees to …

Evaluation Of Pain Neuroscience Education Among Veterans With Chronic Pain, Amanda Black, Tandeep Kaur

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Chronic pain is a significant public health issue, especially among veterans. The traditional approach to chronic pain management has relied heavily on opioids, but nonopioid therapies are now recommended. Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) aims to improve pain management by educating patients about the complex nature of chronic pain.

Objective: This project evaluates the impact of PNE on veterans’ pain perception and management.

Methods: A tailored PNE program was implemented for veterans at a housing facility. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessing pain knowledge, severity, and psychosocial factors.

Results: The intervention appears to have improved participants’ understanding of …

Implementation And Evaluation Of An In-Service Training On Gestational Diabetes For Non-Cdces Staff Nurses, Sogol Sedghi

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a prevalent pregnancy complication with significant maternal and fetal risks. Despite the critical role of nurses in managing GDM, many lack specialized training in this area. This quality improvement project aimed to enhance the knowledge, confidence, and skills of non-CDCES staff nurses in managing GDM through an in-service training program.

Method: Pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys measured the effectiveness of an educational intervention comprising of an overview of GDM, subcutaneous insulin administration, glucometer use, and postpartum management in improving nurses' self-reported confidence and knowledge. Nine non-CDCES staff nurses participated in the mandatory training, and data …

A Depression Clinical Decision Pathway For Oncology Nurses, Anna Rasmussen

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Despite a higher risk for depression and suicide than the general population, oncology patients are not screened as frequently as national guidelines suggest. The purpose of this project was to improve nursing assessment of depression in oncology patients on an inpatient medical oncology unit using a newly developed pathway.

Objectives: The aims of this project were to: 1) create and provide nursing with a clinical decision pathway for depression that will be sustainable; 2) increase nurses’ confidence in depression assessment and screening for depression; 3) increase depression screening and advocacy frequency on the medical oncology unit; and 4) incorporate …

A Critical Race Theory Analysis Of Critical Race Theory Bans, Caroline Mala Corbin

Articles

A majority of state legislatures have introduced bills prohibiting public schools from teaching certain "divisive concepts" attributed to critical race theory (CRT), with at least fifteen states successfully enacting them. This Article applies a critical race theory analysis to these critical race theory bans, finding that the bans embody white privilege and especially its companion, white fragility.

After providing a primer on critical race theory, Part I explains how the state bans profoundly misunderstand critical race theory, which focuses on how systems and institutions reproduce racial inequality. These bans, however, assume that racism is individual, intentional, and rare, and that …

Past What You Can See: Innocence, Experience, And Realization In Stephen Sondheim’S Into The Woods, Brock Adam Terry

Theses and Dissertations--Music

A deeper appreciation of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods may be achieved by examining the work under a new magnifying glass. After a synopsis of background information of the musical itself, the assertion is made that Into the Woods shows three basic stages of life that occur in a cycle: innocence, experience, and realization. This is supported by the proposition that the idea of innocence is represented by a recurring five-note motive (commonly referred to as the “bean theme”), and that the ideas of experience and realization are revealed through particular musical numbers. The overarching entity that binds the work …

Ben Moore's "Ode To A Nightingale" For Baritone Voice And Piano: A Performer's Guide, Jeremy Kelly

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This project is a performance guide of Ben Moore’s (b. 1960) Ode to a Nightingale (2014), a song cycle for baritone set to the poetry of John Keats. Song cycles are an important fixture in classical voice performance, as well as academia, and there is a need to promote new works by American composers. Moore’s Ode to a Nightingale is a unique contribution to the song cycle catalog as it sets John Keats’s eight stanzas of the singular poem to eight separate songs, something that is exceedingly rare in practice. Combining analysis of Moore’s songs in Ode to a Nightingale …

Outside The Margins: Journal Alternatives For Professional Skill And Identity Development, Eric W. Shannon

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

Every summer I hear from students who did not receive an offer to join their preferred journal—or sometimes any journal at all. Overall student interest in journal staff member positions generally outnumbers available spots in publications. Still other students opt out of participating in the writing competition entirely because of significant out-of-school responsibilities or other constraints on their time.

The appeal of journal membership is in many ways self-evident. It affords the space, time, and resources to sharpen legal research and writing skills. It can facilitate exploration of subject-matter areas of interest and help staff members decide on an …

Gender Regrets: Banning Abortion And Gender-Affirming Care, Noa Ben-Asher, Margot J. Pollans

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

In the spring of 2023, the New York Times published a piece entitled “How a Few Stories of Regret Fuel the Push to Restrict Gender Transition Care.” It features Chloe Cole, who lived as a transgender boy for several years but now identifies as a cisgender woman. Cole has become a poster child for the idea that gender-affirming care (“GAC”) for minors may lead to later regret and should therefore be restricted by the state. Cole, who has been travelling the country as part of a conservative lawmaking effort to ban GAC, received a standing ovation after Florida Governor …

The Stories We (Don’T) Tell: Using Case Briefing To Explore Bias And Oppression In The Law, Ashley B. Armstrong

Faculty Publications

Traditional case briefing focuses on the text of the opinion—how courts frame and resolve legal issues. This Essay explores how to teach case briefing to investigate bias and oppression in the law. By discussing socio-historical context during class or assigning reimagined judicial opinions alongside the original opinion, teaching case briefing this way asks students to consider the stories that judges don’t tell (and why). This Essay proffers two examples that illustrate these approaches: United States v. Robinson, 414 U.S. 218 (1973) and Williams v. Walker-Thomas Furniture Co., 350 F.2d 445 (1965).

African American Adolescent Suicidality And Prevention From An Urban School Counselor Perspective, Shannon Franklin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

African American adolescent suicidality has become more prevalent, and urban school counselors are positioned uniquely to intervene. This research studied the overarching societal factors in the sociocultural, economic, and political spheres that influence increased suicidality behaviors in African American adolescents from the perspective of urban school counselors. The focus of this research was to hear the lived experiences of urban school counselors regarding the impact of racial discrimination on African American adolescent suicidality. The two theoretical frameworks that were used to support this study are the world-systems analysis theory and critical race theory. This study took a qualitative phenomenological approach …

Survivor Guilt And Posttraumatic Stress Among Young Adult Survivors Of Childhood Cancer, Alexandra Neenan

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Childhood cancer survivors are at risk for a variety of adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in a small, but notable, minority of childhood cancer survivors. Little is known about modifiable factors that may increase the risk of developing PTSD as a young adult survivor. One of the difficulties that has been minimally explored in this group is exposure to the deaths of other children with cancer, despite a 25% 15- year mortality rate among children who are diagnosed with cancer. The current study was among the first to explore potential impacts of this high …

Development Of An Executive Functioning Intervention To Improve Asthma Self-Management In Black Adolescents And Young Adults: Preliminary Feedback And Future Considerations, Kelsey L. Jong

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

n the United States, asthma is the most common chronic medical condition in youth, and it disproportionately affects Black adolescents. Numerous studies document poor asthma self-management for adolescents and young adults (AYAs), which compromises treatment effectiveness and drives up healthcare costs. However, it remains unclear how to increase health-promoting behaviors and reduce health disparities between Black AYAs and other races who experience better asthma-related outcomes. Interventions have been developed to improve adolescent self-management, yet few comprehensively address the psychological, cognitive, and contextual components that may interfere with an AYA's engagement in health behaviors, and few have developed interventions utilizing AYA …

Family Context And Executive Functioning In Preschool-Age Children, Kristin Aho

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Executive functioning is predictive of school readiness, successful life endeavors, and other positive outcomes. The literature frequently explores how child executive functions are associated with characteristics of mother-child interactions as well as adverse environmental conditions such as poverty and chronic stress. Fewer studies, however, have taken a more nuanced approach to understanding how features of the immediate environment, such as family context, help or hinder the development of executive functions in young children. To address this gap, the current study explored how aspects of family context are associated with executive performance in a sample of preschool-age children. Specifically, the study …

Neural Correlates Of Executive Functioning In Preschool Children, Michelle Lobermeier

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Healthy development of executive functioning (EF) provides an important foundation for emotional and behavioral regulation as well as academic success. Preschool is a time of rapid EF development, making this a target age group for identifying and intervening on EF weaknesses. Since EF has been historically difficult to behaviorally measure in preschoolers, the current study explores neural correlates of EF as another method by which to understand its development. The goal of the present study is to explore associations between resting state electroencephalography (EEG) power (i.e., theta, alpha, beta) and EF ability in preschool and examine how early regulatory ability …

Earlier Use Of Long-Acting Injectable Paliperidone Palmitate Once-Monthly Versus Oral Antipsychotics In Patients With Schizophrenia: An Integrated Patient-Level Meta Analysis Of The Prosipal And Pride Studies, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose: A previous integrated patient-level analysis demonstrated a significant benefit of implementing once-monthly injectable paliperidone palmitate (PP1M) earlier in the treatment course for schizophrenia. Earlier therapeutic interventions during the first 3–5 years after disease onset can positively impact long-term outcomes in schizophrenia. This present analysis evaluated the risk of relapse both overall and by different durations of illness (0–3 years, >3–5 years, and >5 years from diagnosis) in adult patients with schizophrenia who received PP1M or oral antipsychotics (OAPs). Patients and Methods: This analysis included integrated patient-level data from the Paliperidone Palmitate Research in Demonstrating Effectiveness (PRIDE) and Prevention of …

Increasing Pediatric Vaccination Rates Through Parental Education At A Federally Qualified Community Health Center: An Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Project, Dayna Dicola

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Childhood immunization rates for children aged 2 years and under at a community health center were assessed and determined to be below optimal levels. Immunizations protect against preventable diseases (Hill, 2023). The project assessed the microsystem to understand low immunization rates and to guide strategies for improvement.

Methods: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model was used. In the planning phase, key stakeholders were consulted to assess current rates and barriers contributing to immunization rates. The chosen intervention was placed simplified immunization schedules in pediatric exam rooms to educate parents and promote adherence.

Intervention: A visual guide detailing the recommended vaccination schedule …

Enhancing Postpartum Depression Screening Tools To Improve Maternal Mental Health Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Jillian Squires

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent and serious condition affecting new mothers, often underdiagnosed due to challenges in traditional screening methods. Early detection and intervention are crucial for improving maternal and infant health outcomes.

LOCAL PROBLEM:

On the maternity unit, existing PPD screening processes were insufficient, with significant barriers including patient reluctance to disclose mental health concerns, leading to missed or inadequately addressed PPD cases.

METHODS:

This quality improvement (QI) project utilized the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. Pre-intervention surveys were conducted to identify current challenges and perceptions. An at-home PPD screening tool using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) …

Animal Personality And Sentience As Distinct Concepts, Mark Briffa

Animal Sentience

Owens et al (2024) discuss how knowledge of both animal personality and sentience in target populations can be leveraged to enhance wildlife conservation programmes. In this commentary I expand on the distinction between these two concepts. Behavioural differences should be considered broadly across conservation programmes, not just those involving species deemed sentient.

Befriending Your Anxiety Through The Polyvagal Lens By Utilizing Embodied Imagery, Cassandra Lacroix

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

Many individuals experience anxiety disorders, which can significantly impact their well-being if not properly addressed. Recognizing the need for effective tools to support people with anxiety, this research aligns the key pillars of self-control and present focus awareness of physiological responses through art to harness emotional regulation. This research uses the lens of the polyvagal theory, and looking at embodied imagery, breathwork, and transitional objects to conceptualize ways to help decrease anxiety and enhance body perception and autonomic awareness will be witnessed in participants. The aim of this study was also to establish a strategy that individuals could turn to …

Factors Influencing Physical Therapist Career Choice For U.S. Pre-Profession Undergraduate Students: Implications For Recruitment And Admissions, Ryan M. Babl

Health Professions Education

Purpose: To explore the relationships between factors influencing healthcare career choices, demographics, select financial factors, and individuals' self-predicted likelihood of applying to an entry-level DPT program. Additionally, it seeks to identify perceived facilitators and barriers for students who have yet to apply. Methods: An embedded mixed methods research design was employed, utilizing a modified version of an existing survey instrument. A total of 182 responses were collected from college students ages 18-45 at two- and four-year private and public higher education institutions in the east south-central U.S. Following casewise diagnostics, 169 responses were included in the final multiple-regression analysis. Relationships …

Wildfires, Climate, And Equity: Towards Sustainable Forest Management And Conservation, Mark Regier Kreider

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Forest and conservation sciences are both fields that inherently combine land and people, concerning topics such as the wildfire crisis, impacts of human-caused climate change on ecosystem functioning, and inequity of access to outdoor spaces. The research and science communication in this PhD dissertation explore these issues, integrating the biophysical and social sciences to promote understanding, stewardship, and conservation of human-forest systems. Chapter 1 assesses how humans shape patterns of fire through fire suppression, inadvertently ensuring that fires occur under the most severe conditions and effectively selecting for high-severity fire occurrences. Chapter 2 uses a wilderness area with a fire …

To Revise Or Not To Revise: How Feedback Type, Interpersonal Liking, And Messenger Credibility Influence Revision, Rachel Jane Jensen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Revisions inevitably occur during project creation and curation; many of which are influenced by received feedback. Previous research has highlighted the role goals, perceptions of self, and task complexity play in revision, but little research has examined how feedback type and an individual’s feelings toward their feedback giver influence revision. A quasi-experimental design examined how feedback type (additive, subtractive, or none), interpersonal liking for a feedback-giver, and perceived credibility of a feedback-giver affected students’ (n = 155) willingness to revise, self-reports of revision, and calculated actual revision score. Results indicated that participants in a feedback-receiving condition reported higher levels of …

A Comparison Of Concurrent Training And Moderate Intensity Continuous Training In Patients With Coronary Artery Disease, Amanda Alfaro-Chaverri, John Quindry, Charles Dumke, Brian Loyd

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) is the most studied method in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Traditionally, resistance training has been utilized as a secondary role in CR. Recent interest in the topic suggests that MICT and resistance training should be applied collectively, an approach termed concurrent training (CT). The collective understanding of the potential of CT in CR patients is currently lacking.

Purpose: The aim of this professional paper is to analyze scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of CT versus MICT. The analysis will focus on five primary measurements: exercise capacity, cardiovascular …

Historical Overview Of Education For The Deaf And Finding Deafhood Within Changing Sociocultural, Political, And Educational Contexts: A Narrative Rita J. Brandborg, Rita J. Brandborg

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

A New Frontier Of Responsibility: Children's Attributions Of Moral Responsibility To Autonomous And Controlled Robots, Thomas M. Macko

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A prevailing theory in moral psychology, known as the Theory of Dyadic Morality, proposes that we evaluate moral transgressions primarily through weighing the mental states and intentions of both the perpetrator and the victim of a given transgression. Previous research has found adults and children similarly refer to mental states and intentions when making moral evaluations as third-party observers of a moral transgression. How might this framework apply to social robots, who arguably lack the mental states and intentions we can effortlessly identify in humans? The present study sought to examine how children view a social robot as culpable for …