Digital Commons Network^™

Standardizing Syphilis Screening In Tennessee Correctional Facilities: A Policy Analysis, Erin Dernlan

DNP Projects

Background and Rationale

Congenital syphilis in Tennessee rose 227% from 2017-2021, despite being more than 90% preventable with timely diagnosis and treatment. Women of childbearing age entering correctional facilities represent a key intervention population due to disproportionally high rates of sexually transmitted infections, limited or absent prenatal care, and significant unmet health needs. Tennessee’s female incarceration rate is 57% higher than the national average, and nearly one-third of women tested at intake are positive for syphilis. Current intake practices rely heavily on self-report, assumed adequate health literacy, and lack standardized STI screening requirements, contributing to missed diagnoses and preventable infant …

Capillary Electrophoresis Vs Massively Parallel Sequencing: A Cost-Benefit Analysis, Samia Williams

Honors Projects

Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) is a new Forensic Science field allowing multiple samples to be sequenced simultaneously. In contrast to CE, multiple types of genetic markers including those from different nucleic acids can be used in the same assay. Additionally, MPS has opened the doors to certain fields of Forensic DNA Analysis like Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy and Forensic Phenotyping assays containing upwards of 100 SNPs. While quite expensive and requiring a high cost for initiating, MPS has the potential to save time and greatly increase the throughput of Forensic DNA Analysis in crime labs.

The Impact Of Parking Services On Mental Health At Bowling Green State University, Callie Oyster

Honors Projects

The current research investigates the effects of parking on daily stress and emotional stability and perceptions of equity at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). It draws from the perspective of students, faculty, and staff via a quantitative survey of over 500 respondents that assessed parking behaviors, mental health indicators, and institutional trust. The results indicate that unpredictability, rather than simply lack of space, is the largest source of stress related to parking. Commuter and resident students reported arriving at least 20-30 minutes earlier than expected. Faculty, staff, and students reported feelings of anticipatory anxiety about driving to BGSU, with emotional …

Artificial Intelligence In Insurance Fraud Detection: Applications And Implications For Internal Audit, Maria Davis

Honors Projects

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used in accounting and the insurance industry to assist with auditing and fraud detection. The Big Four public accounting firms have invested heavily in AI implementation efforts. Across these firms, AI has been used to reallocate auditors’ time from mundane tasks to more complex tasks that require human judgement. Within the insurance industry, machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing, among other AI tools, have proven helpful in fraud detection efforts. While the positive impacts of AI usage are clear, concerns surrounding the replacement of human jobs, a lack of transparency in auditing, heavy …

Primary And Secondary Hyperaldosteronism, Joanna Lam

Senior Honors Theses

Hyperaldosteronism is characterized by the excess production of aldosterone in the body. This disorder manifests in two subtypes: while primary hyperaldosteronism is due to the excess secretion of aldosterone from the adrenal glands, secondary hyperaldosteronism originates from imbalances elsewhere in the body. Here, recent literature will be reviewed to examine the etiology and effects of both subtypes of hyperaldosteronism across molecular, cellular, and organ levels. Current diagnostic and treatment options for both subtypes of this disorder will also be reviewed, as well as recent research examining the prevalence of hyperaldosteronism over varying demographics.

Investing In Nurse Well-Being, Julie Wild Rose, Emily Calabro

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: COVID-19 exacerbated the already high rates of moral distress, trauma, and burnout among healthcare professionals. To address these challenges, the Nursing and Allied Health Resilience and Well-Being Program partnered with an external organization to offer overnight nurse renewal retreats. These retreats aim to empower nurses to rediscover their passion, purpose, and connection to their profession by providing a safe, nurturing environment for processing difficult experiences.

Methods: This mixed-methods pilot study was conducted in two hospitals within a 12-hospital system in Washington state. Participants engaged in journaling, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, yoga, self-compassion, and healing circles to promote self-awareness, cognitive reframing, …

Sustainable Classrooms: Leadership In Supporting Well-Being And Education In A ‘Last Mile’ School, Jenneth B. Doria

Biennial Convention (CONV)

This is a nurse-led intervention project in a ‘Last Mile’ elementary school in a geographically isolated and impoverished area in the foothills of a 6th class municipality in the Philippines. Majority of learners are indigenous children whose need for comfortable and heat-resilient classrooms in resource-deficient community is critical to reduce chronic health and educational disparities.

The Philippines’ nationwide classroom shortage is compounded by poorly built facilities that inadequately shelter learners from extreme heat and its associated health risks, and frequent storms. The high heat indexes ranging from 100-110 degrees F made teachers and learners vulnerable to severe discomfort, dehydration, and …

Empowering Nurses As Change Agents For Climate Action: A Global Advocacy Action Plan, Ongelique Conflenti

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: The World Health Organization has identified climate change as the single biggest threat to human health¹. Healthcare systems will inevitably struggle to meet the increasing demand of a sicker population as climate hazards increase in frequency and intensity (e.g. extreme heat, air pollution, extreme weather events)². The healthcare sector itself, however, is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating the burden of disease on the patients and communities it serves³. Radical transformation of the healthcare sector and its workforce is urgently needed to create climate-resilient health systems that align with the …

Perceived Long-Term Benefits Of An Intervention To Improve Health Equity Of Minority Grandparents, Patricia R. Lawrence, Jessica Marcus, Tonya Stoudmire, Regena Spratling

Biennial Convention (CONV)

In the United States, grandparents raise 2.6 million children in parent-absent homes (Generations United, 2022). Grandparents serving as surrogate parents for their grandchildren can take a toll on grandparents’ lives, physically and emotionally (Whitley & Fuller-Thompson, 2017). These research findings have underscored the need for effective interventions to enhance the health of custodial grandparents. One particular intervention program was designed to improve the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of minority grandparents raising their grandchildren, and subsequent studies demonstrated this program’s effectiveness in improving grandparent health. However, what is not known are the effects over time of this intervention on the …

Artificial Intelligence: A Double-Edged Sword In Support And Subversion Of The Biological Weapons Convention; Part One: Framing The Issues, Elise Annett, Diane Dieuliis, James Giordano

Strategic Insights

This commentary explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly affecting the biological enterprise, serving both as a powerful tool for scientific advancement and as a potential vector for misuse. The authors explain that AI can accelerate research, improve diagnostics, and enhance biodefense, but it also lowers barriers to creating or modifying biological agents and can be exploited for harmful ends. The dual effects make AI a "double-edged sword" that challenges existing governance, detection systems, and deterrence frameworks in biosecurity. Responsible integration of AI into biology requires policies that balance innovating with safeguards, strengthened international cooperation, and adaptive oversights to ensure …

Mitochondrial Insoluble Aggregates In Aging And Alzheimer’S Disease Models: Cross-Species Proteomic Integration, Identification Of Conserved Candidates, And Pharmacological Disruption Of Eef-2 Interactions, Sonu Pahal

Theses and Dissertations

Protein aggregation within mitochondria emerges early in both aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and contributes to progressive loss of proteostasis. Insoluble mitochondrial aggregate fractions from Caenorhabditis elegans revealed extensive enrichment of metabolic and translational proteins that also appear in human Alzheimer hippocampal aggregates. Comparative analysis across age and genotype identified a conserved subset of aggregation-prone proteins, several of which cluster around elongation factor 2 (eEF-2), a regulator of ribosomal translocation and energy coupling. Cross-species integration defined a network in which eEF-2 links chaperones, metabolic enzymes, and RNA-binding proteins that co-aggregate in both human Alzheimer material and nematode models. Functional tests …

Reflecting On Tobacco And Alcohol Use Impact On Mental Health In Lung Cancer Patient-Caregiver Dyads, Bassema Abufarsakh, Chizimuzo T. C. Okoli

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Lung cancer (LC), a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, imposes significant burdens not only on patients but also on their caregivers,^1,2,3,4 creating a unique dynamic within patient-caregiver (LC-PG) dyads. Tobacco and alcohol use, which are associated with both the development and exacerbation of anxiety and depressive symptoms, present critical individual-level factors that require further investigation, particularly given the potential for reverse causality.^5,6,7

The purpose of this study was to determine the concordance and predictive association between alcohol and tobacco use and anxiety and depressive symptoms among LC-SC dyads using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM).

Method: LC …

Indigenization In Nursing Education Programs In Saskatchewan: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Delasi Essien

Biennial Convention (CONV)

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), established in 2008, released its final report containing 94 Calls to Action to redress the historical legacy of cultural assimilation against Indigenous peoples (TRC, 2015). Since the release of the TRC’s Calls to Action there has been a push within the nursing academy to Indigenize nursing education (Essien, 2022). Situated within the context of the colonialism and Whiteness, the goals of this study were to deconstruct and analyze the discourse of Indigenization in the undergraduate nursing education programs in Saskatchewan and examine the discursive practices that sustain, reproduce, and/or transform structures of …

Rewriting The Narrative: Empowering Healthcare Workers Through Storytelling And Posttraumatic Growth, Jeannine Acantilado, Emily Calabro, Hollybeth Hill, Julie Wild Rose

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: Recognizing the impact of trauma on healthcare professionals, the Echoes of Nursing storytelling initiative fosters a culture of healing and resilience within the workplace. By providing a safe space for self-expression and narrative medicine techniques, this program empowers individuals to process challenging experiences and rediscover purpose in their work.

Methods: This mixed-methods pilot study, implemented across a 12-hospital system, utilized journaling workshops, story drafting, and coaching to facilitate self-expression and exploration. Coaches employed narrative medicine techniques like externalizing the problem, mapping, and re-authoring to empower individuals. Outcomes were measured using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Over two years, three …

From Communication To Action: The Impact Of Tiered Safety Huddles, Rachel Ann Moody, Tami Omdahl, Pauline Byom

Biennial Convention (CONV)

The purpose of this presentation is to share our journey of tiered safety huddles in a large academic medical center. This structure enhances staff perception of commitment to safety, promotes open communication, facilitates learning from errors and reinforces leadership support of a safety-focused environment. The nursing implications include improved teamwork, transparency, bidirectional communication, and supporting a culture of safety that engages our frontline staff and leadership.

This initiative, informed by feedback staff surveys and listening sessions, aimed to improve effective communication between staff and leadership. Tiered safety huddles are daily, brief meetings designed to quickly respond to and escalate issues, …

Improving Skin Cancer Knowledge And Screening Among Older Chinese Americans Males, Yan Wang, Anne Derouin, Barbara Turner, Hanzhang Xu

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. with more than 5 million cases diagnosed annually. It is estimated that about 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70, a prevalence that has been increasing annually (Adams et al., 2021; Aggarwal et al., 2021; Dildar et al., 2021; Trager et al., 2022). As reported by the ACS, men are more likely to develop melanoma compared to women. At the age of 80, men are three times more likely to develop melanoma than women, nearly double the number of male deaths due to the …

A Mobile Medical Unit Program To Improve Access To Care For Veterans Experiencing Homelessness, Jillian Weber, Rebecca Kinney

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: Veterans experiencing homelessness often have unmet medical needs and experience barriers to accessing and/or engaging in traditional clinic-based care.^1,2 The Veterans Affairs (VA) Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team (HPACT) model provides primary care, mental health, housing services, case management, and key wrap-around services in a multi-disciplinary, population-tailored approach that is designed to address these unique needs and distinct challenges homeless veterans face. Combing these elements with a mobile medical unit (MMU) provides the HPACT team with the necessary infrastructure to provide care in community-based settings in a safe and confidential space with medical supplies and equipment readily available. …

Bridging The Gap: A Scoping Review Of Simulation Use In Np Programs With Inacsl Standards And Cbe, Alanna Elizabeth Kavanaugh, Stephanie Bork, Carla Nye

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Simulation-based education (SBE) has become an integral component of nursing education, particularly in Nurse Practitioner (NP) programs, where it is increasingly used to bridge the gap between classroom learning and clinical practice. This scoping review examines the implementation of simulation in NP programs, with a focus on its alignment with International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) standards and the principles of competency-based education (CBE). The review aims to explore the current evidence, identify best practices, and highlight gaps in research regarding the integration of simulation to enhance NP competencies.

A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, …

The Impact Of Teamstepps Debriefing On Teamwork Perceptions: Reflections From A Family Birth Center, Jamie M. Emery

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project assessed baseline teamwork perceptions among labor and delivery nurses, implemented a unit-specific debriefing tool to guide nurse-led debriefing sessions after every birth, and re-evaluated teamwork perceptions following the intervention.

Background/Problem: Patient harm events are a persistent global healthcare issue with significant implications for patients, families, and healthcare providers. These events often stem from preventable factors, including communication breakdowns, leadership issues, and inadequate situation monitoring within healthcare teams. To address this, a team implemented a QI project at a Pacific Northwest community hospital's family birth center with nurse-led debriefing sessions after every birth. Debriefing, a …

Health Management Self-Efficacy, Stephanie Yvette Store

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Minority populations, such as Black adults of non-Latinx descent, are more likely to develop chronic diseases and complications related to disease severity when compared to non-Latinx Whites (NLW). Furthermore, Black adults of non-Latinx descent people are less likely to engage in and maintain health-promoting behaviors (HPB) to prevent disease development. HPB are effective in preventing or delaying chronic disease. This research explores the relative impact of aspects of health, built environment, and key demographic domains on the health management self-efficacy (HMSE) of a national sample of Black adults.

Methods: Hierarchical regression modeling was performed utilizing data from the 2018 National …

Developing Nurse Scholars: An Innovative Strategy To Introduce Ebp Competencies In A Dnp Program, Karen J. Whitt, Karen Kesten

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) nurse scholars represent professionals prepared with evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies that are essential to respond to challenges and address opportunities to transform healthcare. However, evidence suggests there is a need to improve EBP skills among practicing nurses (Melnyk, et al., 2021). Innovative ways are needed to integrate EBP content in curriculum to optimize DNP students’ attainment of these competencies.

Purpose: This longitudinal study evaluates how implementing an innovative competency-based education (CBE) approach to incrementally introduce learning opportunities in courses offered throughout a DNP program demonstrates students’ progress towards achieving EBP competencies.

Methods: Four courses …

The Effects Of Collaborative Testing On Stress/Anxiety, And Cognitive Load, Peggy B. Lee, David H. Hall, Victor Kwaku Akakpo, Jessie M. Casida

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Stress, in the form of test anxiety, hinders testing performance. Testing performance is essential to success in the nursing curriculum and the achievement of student learning outcomes (Coy et al, 2011). Test anxiety characteristics include an anticipated examination, subjective feelings of fear or worry, behavioral effects related to study and test-taking habit, physical signs such as jitters or headaches, and cognitive effects such as forgetfulness (Gibson, 2014).

Cognitive load refers to the complexity of processing required for the student to build information in long-term memory. There are three subsets of cognitive load-intrinsic, extraneous and germane. Germane cognitive is the amount …

Improving Confidence In Newly Hired Medicine Icu Registered Nurses, Bryan A. Klein, Laken Keathley, Sandra Rogers

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Intensive care topics were taught by clinical nurse experts in structured lectures covering several critical care topics including pulmonary catheters, external pacing, massive transfusion, prone therapy, cardiopulmonary arrest, Minnesota/Blakemore tubes, continuous renal replacement therapy and rapid sequence intubation at a large academic university medical center in the southeastern United States.

Among a small sample of newly hired intensive care nurses (P) who attended ICU lectures (I) how much did they improve (C) their scores for confidence in caring for patients with specific conditions (O)?

Through the analysis of the empirical data collected in a simple matched-response pretest and posttest survey …

Side Effects Of Antipsychotics Impacting The Revolving Door Of Admissions At The Bellevue Hospital, Sandra Lorraine Chisholm-Ford

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: Antipsychotic medications are very effective in mitigating the symptoms associated with schizophrenia. However, patients receiving these medications often develop side effects with therapy. Side effects to antipsychotic medications is a global problem resulting in non-compliance, relapse, and re-hospitalizations.

Objectives: The study aimed to identify the prevalence of adverse reactions and side effects experienced by patients with schizophrenia taking antipsychotic medication, as well as the prevalence of readmissions to the Bellevue Hospital due to medication noncompliance.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was done among forty-four patients diagnosed with schizophrenia admitted to acute and sub-acute care wards at the Bellevue Hospital. …

Turning Setbacks Into Strength: Developing The Emerging Concept Of Reclaiming Power, Nadine Cesaire

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Reclaiming power represents a transformative journey where individuals restore autonomy, resilience, and intentional participation in life. This concept emphasizes a shift from disconnection and diminished engagement to active involvement in personal growth and change. It redefines setbacks as opportunities for self-discovery, fostering openness to life’s unpredictability and challenges.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) affects 14.5% of individuals aged 12 and older in the United States, equating to 48.7 million people (SAMHSA, 2023). This chronic condition, characterized by compulsive substance use, often leads to cycles of recovery and relapse. Overdose deaths rose by 50.9% between 2019 and 2022 (CDC, 2023), with relapse …

Innovative Teaching Strategies To Engage Students In Health Promotion Teaching And Research, Zepure Samawi, Mary Murphy-Smith

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Purpose: To present an exemplar of a teaching project for promoting population health through student teaching and applying the research process. Faculty will disseminate the teaching and learning strategies outcomes from the faculty and student perspectives.

Participants: 34 undergraduate pre-licensure nursing students enrolled into the health promotion practicum across the life span course completed this innovative population based clinical teaching practicum and scholarship innovation.

Methods:
The teaching projects process and implementation were to:
1. Collaborate and engage with community clinical partners to identify health promotion needs for a target population
2. Formulate learning outcomes for the health promotion teaching …

A Global Interprofessional Approach To Nursing Education, Andrea Grace Renwanz Boyle, Olivia Catolico

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Education for tomorrow’s nurses requires approaches that are forward- thinking, innovative, culturally relevant, and designed to address current and future health issues and challenges. Nursing education also must focus on global interprofessional collaboration between educators, students, and clinicians. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the development of a global undergraduate nursing course for implementation with student groups from both USA and rural Uganda nursing programs.

The proposed course builds on existing relationships between nursing faculty working in a small US university and faculty working in a small nursing program in rural Uganda. The course is designed to address …

The Nurse Practitioner’S Role In Managing Care Of Clients With Sepsis/Septic Shock, Nakiesha L. Shepherd

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Sepsis is a secondary infection that causes a dysregulated physiological systemic response, which may lead to shock with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Approximately 350,000 adults who develop sepsis die during their hospitalization or after discharge. Most adult clients who develop septic shock have complex comorbidities that complicate the management of care which impairs quality of life after treatment; and increases mortality. The burden of care falls on the client as well as their family. Not only do nurse practitioners (NPs) serve a significant role in managing care for clients; they educate the community on sepsis awareness and primary prevention. …

Collaborative Research: Fair + R: Building The Future Of More Reproducible Water Research Through Community Best Practices, Software Tools, Cohort Building, And Policy Change., James H. Stagge, David E. Rosenberg, Sierra Young

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This project aims to create a pathway towards a future, ten years from now, when a majority of published research across geosciences is not only FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), but reproducible by a third party. Building on the Center for Open Science framework for cultural change, this project is organized around four scaffolded goals: improving infrastructure and tools, building community support, aligning incentives, and minimizing barriers to policy change. We will systematically analyze 300-500 publications from leading hydrology and water resources journal to quantify changes in reproducibility rates since 2017 and identify the tools and practices that best …

Space Agriculture: A Comprehensive Systems-Level Review Of Challenges And Opportunities, Hassan Fazayeli, Aaron Lee M. Daigh, Cassandra Palmer, Santosh Pitla, David Jones, Yufeng Ge

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

As humanity prepares for prolonged space missions and future extraterrestrial settlements, developing reliable and resilient food-production systems is becoming a critical priority. Space agriculture, the cultivation of plants beyond Earth (particularly on the Moon and Mars), faces a constellation of interdependent environmental, biological, and engineering challenges. These include limited solar radiation, elevated ionizing radiation, large thermal variability, non-Earth atmospheric pressures, reduced gravity, regolith substrates with low nutrient-holding capacity, high-CO₂/low-O₂ atmospheres, pervasive dust, constrained water and nutrient availability, altered plant physiology, and the overarching need for closed-loop, resource-efficient systems. These stressors create an exceptionally challenging environment for plant …