Digital Commons Network^™

Wilderness Therapy As An Intervention For Teens Who Are At The End Of Their Rope, Blake C. Neal, Heather Summers

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

Abstract

Wilderness therapy, treatment offered in a natural setting, is offered as an alternative to traditional treatment methods (Lodato, N., Blivas, R., & Blivas, N. L. and R., 2024). This model is often used as a last resort for teens who are unsuccessful in other environments. However, when used as a blanket treatment model for all mental health concerns, there is a risk for greater harm inflicted on participants. A case study approach provides evidence of a teen in one of these settings struggling with an eating disorder and self-harm. Although potentially helpful with some concerns, we learn from this …

Grover's Disease: A Review Of The Current Treatment Options, Dustin Ross, Dmsc, Mph, Pa-C

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

Grover’s disease, also known as transient acantholytic dermatosis, is an uncommon dermatologic condition characterized by pruritic papulovesicular eruptions that predominantly affect the trunk of older adults. Although the disease is often self-limited, it may significantly impair quality of life. This review summarizes treatment options and emerging therapies for Grover’s disease reported in the literature since 2019. A comprehensive search of PubMed and MEDLINE identified 1,068 records, of which thirteen publications met inclusion criteria, including one systematic review, one narrative review, one nonrandomized controlled study, nine case reports, and one fact sheet, representing a total of 337 patients. The literature demonstrates …

Weight-Loss Efficacy Of Glp-1 Receptor Agonists Relative To Lifestyle-Based Interventions, Amy Betterton

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

ABSTRACT

This clinical review compares the effectiveness of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) with traditional lifestyle modifications in managing obesity. This article also examines barriers to accessing the medications in both civilian and veteran populations. This clinical review was conducted through a wide-ranging review of the published literature, including clinical trials, observational studies, and review articles on lifestyle modifications, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and barriers to obesity treatment. While lifestyle modifications are generally considered a first-line approach and are cost-effective, they tend to yield only modest weight loss. In contrast, GLP-1 RAs offer significantly greater reductions in body weight as …

Subcutaneous Insulin Use In Diabetic Ketoacidosis, Patrick Mcgrath

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

The reviewed literature focuses on the clinical application of subcutaneous (SQ) insulin, particularly rapid-acting insulin analogs (RAIAs), in treating selected patients with mild to moderate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The use of SQ insulin offers a viable alternative to traditional intravenous (IV) insulin infusions, enabling DKA management outside intensive care unit (ICU) settings and reducing healthcare resource utilization. Current DKA management protocols emphasize comprehensive fluid resuscitation and correction of electrolyte imbalances, with IV regular insulin administered at 0.1 units/kg/hour. This review synthesizes findings from multicenter cohort studies, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) available via PubMed, focusing on adult patients diagnosed …

Genetic Adaptations And Malaria Prophylaxis In Sickle Cell Disease: Reducing Morbidity And Mortality, Fuseina Gimballa

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

This study examines the relationship between sickle cell disease (SCD) and malaria, focusing on the benefits and risks of the sickle cell trait, complications associated with SCD, and the impact of malaria infection in endemic regions. The paper emphasizes the importance of antimalarial prophylaxis for patients with SCD living in these areas. Evidence suggests a genetic adaptation in populations exposed to malaria, where a β-globin mutation provides partial protection against infection in individuals with the sickle cell trait. Studies consistently show that heterozygous carriers are largely protected from severe malaria, whereas individuals with homozygous SCD remain highly susceptible, resulting in …

Brief Overview Of Assessment And Prognostication Tools For Palliative Care Oncology Patients, Nicole Schwensow

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

Patients with life-threatening illnesses can be at risk for the progression of their disease over time. Consequences of such an illness can include recurrent hospitalizations, poor symptom control, and a lack of understanding by the patient and family of the disease, its usual course, and prognosis. Palliative care is a philosophy of care intended to address these issues. While receiving palliative care, patients can continue to undergo treatments directed at a cure, whereas hospice patients no longer receive treatment for underlying diseases. Both approaches focus on symptom control. To best care for palliative patients over time, several outcome domains should …

Management Of Difficult Patient Situations, Sangeetha Larsen Mpas, Pa-C

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

The purpose of this paper is to provide strategies for clinicians to manage difficult patient interactions. A comprehensive search of PubMed was conducted, identifying articles that identified the root cause of difficult patient interactions and assessed methods for successfully navigating these situations. The term “difficult patient” reflects the interaction of patient behavior, clinician perception, and systemic constraints rather than an inherent patient flaw. Effective management involves reframing difficult behavior as an expression of unmet needs and responding with empathy, active listening, clear boundaries, and collaborative decision-making. System-level strategies reduce patient distress and clinician burnout. Ultimately, the difficult patient represents strained …

Physician Assistants And The Medical Science Liaison Role: Expanding Career Pathways Beyond Clinical Practice, Michael Filsinger

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to examine how physician assistants can transition into Medical Science Liaison roles within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Growing interest in nonclinical career pathways has prompted more physician assistants to explore opportunities in medical affairs, yet many remain uncertain about the qualifications, expectations, and academic preparation associated with these positions. A focused literature review was conducted to evaluate the competencies required for Medical Science Liaison roles, the barriers clinician applicants often encounter, and the strategies that may support successful transition into industry-based careers. Findings show that physician assistants possess relevant strengths such as …

Understanding Monoclonal Gammopathy Of Undetermined Significance, Scott Winkel Msph, Mhs, Pa-C

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a premalignant plasma cell disorder characterized by serum monoclonal protein (M-protein) levels less than 3.0 g/dL, less than 10% plasma cells in the bone marrow, and absence of end-organ damage. It mainly affects older adults and is often an incidental finding. While most cases remain indolent, a subset progresses to malignancies such as multiple myeloma, smoldering myeloma, AL amyloidosis, lymphoproliferative disorders, macroglobulinemia, and monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance. This review summarizes current insights into MGUS pathophysiology, risk factors, molecular mechanisms, clinical features, diagnostic approaches, including laboratory assessments and imaging, and emphasizes early detection …

Forever Un-Wild: How The Forever Wild Clause “Locks Up” New York’S Closed Correctional Facilities, William Carswell

Pace Environmental Law Review

Article XIV of the New York State Constitution, better known as the “Forever Wild Clause,” enshrines a conservationist ideal into law. The crux of article XIV prohibits the leasing, selling, or exchanging of state-owned land within New York’s Forest Preserve to private entities. Since its inception, this mandate has dictated the State’s approach to management of its Forest Preserve. Whenever New York decides to excise a piece of its Forest Preserve, the cumbersome yet necessary constitutional amendment process is triggered. Renewed attention to this legal requirement is peaking. Since 2009, five former Department of Corrections and Community Supervision sites located …

Surf And Turf: How Litigation Against Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Can Inform Regulation Of The Aquaculture Industry, Amanda Kapitula

Pace Environmental Law Review

Industrial agriculture dominates the U.S. agricultural industry. On land, animals are stuffed into factory-like facilities, called concentrated animal feeding operations (“CAFOs”), where they are raised to maximize the output of food products. In the process, they produce vast amounts of waste, contaminating surrounding air and water resources. Increasingly, factory farms are making their way into the water as the fishing industry shifts from wild-catch systems to aquaculture operations, or the raising of fish for consumption. While aquaculture has the potential to be a more sustainable option than both wild-catch and animal agriculture, concentrated aquatic animal production facilities (“CAAPFs”) also have …

Climate Preemption And Fossil Fuel Entrenchment, Vincent Nolette

Pace Environmental Law Review

Mitigating the worst impacts of climate change demands a rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a transition to renewable, low-carbon sources of energy. This requires building thousands of gigawatts of clean energy at an unprecedented rate and expeditiously retiring existing fossil fuel infrastructure. Yet both parts of this task have been obstructed by state legislative efforts over the last decade—particularly in Republican-led states—to block local governments from reducing greenhouse gas emissions while legally mandating continued fossil fuel reliance. These efforts are accomplished through state climate preemption laws. Framed in neutral or positive terms like “energy choice,” the actual effect …

Returning To Roots: A Self-Study Of Married Faculty Transitioning To Faculty Roles At Alma Maters, David Wolff, Melissa Wolff, Mark Diacopoulos

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This self-study explores the transition of two faculty members returning to teach at their alma maters. Using visual methods, reflective journals, and peer dialogue, the researchers documented their experiences over six months. Triangulated data revealed eight themes, including: Identity Formation, Shifting Perspectives from Student to Faculty, Interpersonal Attunement, Navigating Changes, Memories Shape Perception, Occupational Stressors Impacting Transitions, Student Advocacy, and Personal Growth. The study highlights how personal and professional identities evolve during career transitions, and how reflective practices can deepen understanding of adaptation in higher education. These findings contribute to the literature on faculty development and offer insight into the …

Models Of Care In Higher Education: Comparing Integrated And Standalone Approaches To Student Mental Health, Tevia Q. Strand

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This qualitative study examines how the organization of campus mental health services—integrated, co-located care versus standalone counseling centers—shapes college students’ awareness, access, stigma/privacy, and engagement. Semi-structured interviews with five Midwestern undergraduate women (n = 5) explored perceptions of visibility, ease of use, barriers, and improvement ideas. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Themes included confusion about entry pathways, visibility-related stigma, and the salience of faculty/peer bridges to services. Students generally preferred integrated models, citing privacy through co-location, normalization, and easier warm handoffs; some noted that standalone centers can feel more specialized yet risk heightened visibility depending on location. Findings …

Redefining Rural School Leadership In The Post-Pandemic Era: Lessons From Covid-19, Brennan Kent

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally reshaped educational leadership, especially in rural school settings where leaders confronted unique resource constraints, geographic isolation, and heightened community interdependence. This conceptual study reexamines rural educational leadership in the post-pandemic era through a synthesis of findings from Author’s (2023) dissertation, The Rural Education Leadership Experience Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, and current leadership theory. Drawing on the McREL Balanced Leadership Framework alongside adaptive and servant leadership models, the analysis identifies four interrelated dimensions that define post-pandemic rural leadership: communication as community cohesion, relationships as infrastructure, adaptive leadership as necessity, and well-being as a leadership priority. These …

Voices From The Other Side: Leadership Practices Teachers Value For Equity Systems Change, Heather L. Dunham, Heather Dunham

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

A growing body of scholarship has explored leadership for equity through frameworks such as social justice leadership (Theoharis, 2010), culturally responsive leadership (Khalifa et al., 2016), and equity audits (Skrla & Scheurich, 2004). Yet, these efforts often target isolated symptoms of inequity—achievement, discipline, or inclusion—rather than engaging in systemic reform that addresses both the ostensive and performative routines sustaining racialized practices. This study centers the Integrated Comprehensive Systems (ICS) for Equity framework (Capper & Frattura, 2017) to examine teachers’ perspectives on leadership practices that support organizational equity systems change.

Using a qualitative multi-case study design (Stake, 1995), two Midwestern schools …

Reclaiming My Story: A Freirean Framework For Surviving Trauma And Transforming Recovery Into Liberation, Carl Bryan

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This white paper explores trauma recovery through the lens of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970/2018), framing healing as an act of critical consciousness and liberation rather than passive survival. Using the author’s lived experience of stalking, manipulation, and emotional abuse as a case study, it reimagines recovery not as a return to normalcy but as a dialectical process of reclaiming narrative agency, reconstructing identity, and transforming pain into purpose. Drawing upon Freirean concepts of conscientização (critical consciousness), dialogue, and praxis, the paper outlines a model for survivors to move from internalized oppression toward empowerment and social transformation.

Voices From The Hyflex Classroom: Understanding The Graduate Counseling Student Experience, Taryn Akgul, Jessica Brown, Aaron Suomala Folkerds

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Counselor education and counseling master’s Programs face a changing landscape in higher education. This includes balancing the demand for a high-quality HyFlex program that prepares students for the counseling field. This qualitative exploratory study utilized a phenomenological approach to understand the counseling master's student experience in a hybrid program. The research questions focused on the students' experience attending the program either strictly on zoom, in person, or a combination of both and how that impacted them and their learning. The study consisted of eight participants who were alumni from one CACREP accredited counseling masters program. The findings included themes of …

Phytoplankton Biomass Dynamics In Wet (2019) And Dry (2023) Years In Lake Pontchartrain Estuary, Louisiana From Sentinel 2-Msi And Pace-Oci Observations, Shiwani Shrestha, Bingqing Liu, Jiang Li, Wei Huang, Melissa M. Baustian, Eurico J. D'Sa, Sibel Bargu, Francesca Messina, Ioannis Y. Georgiou, Abhishek Kumar, Angelina Freeman, Scott Mize

Faculty Publications

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of phytoplankton biomass dynamics in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, by combining monthly water quality data with multispectral and hyperspectral satellite observations using a machine learning algorithm. A machine learning model based on Variational Autoencoder (VAE), globally applicable, was used to estimate phytoplankton biomass via chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) from Sentinel 2-MSI and NASA's new hyperspectral mission, PACE-OCI, enabling the first direct comparison between the two sensors. The model performed well in this complex estuarine system, with higher accuracy from PACE-OCI (MAE: 1.48, RMSE: 10.40, slope: 0.87) than Sentinel 2-MSI (MAE: 1.57, RMSE: 11.08, slope: 0.83). This approach …

26 Conference - Innovative Materials & Methods For Additive Manufacturing Iii (Im2am), Brett Compton, Eric Eastwood, Nikhil Gupta, Daniel Schmidt, Joamin Gonzalez-Gutierrez, Pedro Cortes

Innovative Materials & Methods for Additive Manufacturing III (IM²AM)

No abstract provided.

Major Gift From Alumnus Promotes Excellence In Stem Teaching, Bill Dabney

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi medical school graduate Dr. Bill Ashford and his wife, Leslie, of Madison, have made a $2 million donation to establish a named professorship in physics at Ole Miss.

Editor's Preface, Leo-Martin Angelo R. Ocampo

Loyola Papers

No abstract provided.

Growing Wise: Proverbs 2:1–11 As A Formative Paradigm For Jesuit Formation, Carlos Cesar Barbosa Silva

Loyola Papers

This article offers a theological reading of Proverbs 2:1-11 as a sapiential text on the formation of the human person in the religious life and explores its implications for Jesuit formation. Through attention to the literary and theological movement of the passage, the article identifies four formative movements: the active search for Wisdom, its reception as a divine gift, its ethical expression, and its interior integration. These movements provide a biblical lens for examining three risks in Jesuit formation: overprotection, careerism, and sterile intellectualism. The article argues that in Proverbs 2:1-11, Wisdom is a gift that transforms the heart and …

The Internally Displaced Persons In Fada N’Gourma Diocese, Burkina Faso: A Study On Human Dignity In The Light Of Catholic Social Teaching, Wendpouiré Améline Kabore

Loyola Papers

This study explores the experiences of the Internally Displaced Persons in the Diocese of Fada N’Gourma in Burkina Faso amid terrorism. It uses the See-Judge- Act method of Catholic Social Teaching to investigate the challenges to IDPs’ dignity. The observations reveal an IDP population victimized by discrimination and neglect within the host communities, emphasizing the moral imperative to uphold dignity. The research contributes to theological reflection on displacement and dignity while highlighting the Church’s unique faith-based humanitarian assistance, free from proselytism and political agendas despite the structural and practical limitations and difficulties.

From Dirty Work To Good Work: A Catholic Business Leader’S Perspective On Transforming The Social Construct Of Dirty Work To Humanizing Work, Andrea Claudia F. Zulueta-Lorenzana

Loyola Papers

In December 2024, the Philippine employment rate exceeded 95%, yet 57% of Filipinos still considered themselves poor. High employment conceals the prevalence of “bad jobs” marked by low wages, informality, and social stigma—what sociologist Everett Hughes termed dirty work—work society deems disgusting or degrading. This article examines dirty work through the lens of the Catholic business leader seeking an integrated life of faith and stewardship guided by Catholic Social Teaching (CST). It asks: How does dirty work evolve into dehumanization? Which CST principles respond to it? And how can these guide Filipino business leaders toward humanizing work? CST offers a …

Martyrdom And The Call To Daily Witness In The Teaching Of Pope John Paul Ii, Nguyen Van Tam

Loyola Papers

This article explores Pope John Paul II’s understanding of martyrdom and its meaning for Christian life and witness today. Drawing especially on the encyclical Veritatis Splendor and the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata, it presents martyrdom as the fullest expression of fidelity to Christ, rooted in his Paschal Mystery and sustained by grace, truth, love, and hope. The article examines the Christological, anthropological, ecclesiological, and eschatological dimensions of martyrdom. It also highlights John Paul II’s understanding of “daily martyrdom,” through which Christians are called to give themselves faithfully to Christ in ordinary life. In this sense, martyrdom remains a living …

Hope Amidst Desolation: A Socio-Historical And Theological Reflection On Myanmar Catholicism, Set Paing Tun

Loyola Papers

This research paper examines the profound spiritual resilience of Catholics in Myanmar amid ongoing socio-political turmoil, including the coup d’état, civil war, and rising inflation. Utilizing socio-historical and literary analyses, this paper investigates how Psalm 23 functions as a vital source of hope and consolation, fostering resilience among Myanmar Catholics experiencing uncertainty and desolation. The analysis highlights Psalm 23:4, which states, “even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil for you are with me,” and explores the metaphor of God as a shepherd who provides and protects, resonating with the lived experiences of believers facing suffering …

Medieval Canon Law On Catechesis And Christian Formation, Enrico C. Eusebio Jr.

Loyola Papers

By reconstructing medieval catechetical legislation, this paper presents a distinct field of research within the Church’s canonical system, one long overlooked in canonical historical study, which has long focused on matrimonial, liturgical, or disciplinary norms. Drawing primarily from conciliar and synodal canons and episcopal directives, this study demonstrates that long before the Council of Trent, the Church was already systematically legislating on the teaching of Christian doctrine and Christian formation. As Church practice shifted from adult to infant baptism, catechetical formation moved from the holistic pre-baptismal catechumenate to doctrinal and moral instruction through the catechetical sermons of bishops, parish priests, …

Desire For The Good: A Philosophical Roadmap Through Spacetime, Bertrand Leong

Loyola Papers

No abstract provided.

Contributors, Contributors Contributors

Loyola Papers

No abstract provided.