Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Perceptions Of A State-Level Hpv Vaccine Mandate And Exemption Option In Rural Virginia: A Qualitative Study, E. Marshall Brooks, Kendall Fugate-Laus, Ben Webel, Shillpa Naavaal

Dental Public Health and Policy Publications

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States; yet, despite the availability of safe and effective HPV vaccines, only half of eligible adolescents have completed the vaccine series. School-entry requirements are one proven strategy to increase vaccination rates among children and youth and reduce the burden of HPV-related cancer. This study investigated community perceptions of an HPV vaccine school-entry mandate in Virginia and the consequences of a low threshold exemption option included in the legislation. We conducted 40 interviews with community members including 15 interviews with parents, 19 with healthcare providers, and 6 with …

Describing Trends In Virginia's Dentist And Dental Hygienist Workforce: Challenges And Opportunities, Shillpa Naavaal, Yetty Shobo, Barbara Hodgdon

Dental Public Health and Policy Publications

Purpose: Regular assessment of the dental workforce is essential to improve the population's oral health. This analysis aimed to understand the trends in the distribution of dentists and dental hygienists (DHs) in Virginia.

Methods: Annual survey data (2013-2022) of dentists and DHs from the Virginia Department of Health Professions Healthcare Workforce Data Center was used to examine the trends in provider distribution by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and geography across Virginia.

Results: In 2022, there were 5,720 dentists and 5,290 DH licensees in Virginia. In the dentist workforce, there was a high representation of those aged ≥60 years …

Health, Beliefs, And Faith: Hpv Vaccine Uptake Intent Among Catholic, Evangelical, And Mainline Protestant Parents, Jeanine P.D. Guidry, Shillpa Naavaal, Linnea I. Laestadius, Carrie A. Miller, Gina Zurlo, Candace W. Burton, Kellie E. Carlyle, Julie Russo, Paul B. Perrin

Dental Public Health and Policy Publications

The HPV vaccine has the potential to prevent nearly 92% of HPV-related cancer cases, yet its uptake remains suboptimal. While well-documented barriers to HPV vaccine uptake include inadequate knowledge and lack of provider recommendation, religious preferences have emerged as another crucial factor influencing vaccination decisions. This study examined the interrelatedness of religion, beliefs, and HPV vaccination uptake among children among Catholic, Evangelical, and Mainline Protestant parents. A nationally representative survey was conducted among 1,068 U.S. parents from one of three major Christian denominations: Catholic, Evangelical, or Mainline Protestant. We examined the extent to which demographic factors, constructs from the Health …

Human Neural Stem Cell Transplantation Improves Cognition In A Murine Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Loan Quynh Tran

VCU's Medical Journal Club: The Work of Future Health Professionals

This paper explores the potential of stem cell transplantation as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Alzheimer’s. While previous clinical trials, including those for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, have demonstrated the safety of cellular therapies, identifying effective stem cell lines is crucial for advancing similar trials in Alzheimer’s. Using the APP/PS1 mouse model the study presents a pre-clinical proof-of-concept where human neural stem cells were transplanted into the fimbria fornix. Results showed significant cognitive improvements in hippocampal-dependent memory tasks at both 4 & 6 weeks post-transplantation. Interestingly, while the levels of synapse-associated proteins and cholinergic neurons remained unchanged, there was a …

Development Of A Brief Assessment Battery To Inform Clinical Interventions During Multidisciplinary Visits For Patients With Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Conney W. Berger, Randall Smith, Clara Ko, Tamsin Smith, Kelly Tran, Jasmine Nguyen, Zhihong Wang, Jennifer M. Rohan

Epidemiology Publications and Presentations

Introduction. Risk reduction programs for patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) targeting early detection of neurocognitive impairments are in high demand. Neurocognitive deficits impact up to 80% of NF1 patients in ≥1 domains: attention, language skills, executive functioning, and intellectual functioning. The primary aim of this 6-month longitudinal study was to examine the relationship between a more comprehensive assessment tool (Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children: 5th Ed; WISC-V) with a brief cognitive assessment tool (NIH Toolbox Cognition). Methods. Pediatric patients with NF1 were 6-16 years (M age : 11 ± 3.4; 65.5% female; 58.6% non-Latinx white, 34.5% non-Latinx minoritized, …

Implementation Of A Cancer Education Program In Rural Counties With The Lowest Hpv Vaccination Rates And Health Rankings, Sarah Arezo, Shillpa Naavaal, Charlotte Garrett, Marcie S. Wright, Vanessa B. Sheppard, Michael A. Preston

Dental Public Health and Policy Publications

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). To address STIs, one rural county public school district developed a series of Family Life Programs to educate pre-teens about pertinent health information. The Schooling Cancer Program (SCP) was developed in partnership with the local Cancer Research and Resource Center to raise awareness about cancer risk factors including HPV-related cancers and HPV prevention methods. Methods: We collected a post-evaluation survey from students who attended a SCP session at one of the targeted middle schools. The SCP educated students about topics focusing on healthy lifestyles. The survey asked students’ …

Fishing For A “Good Catch”: System-Wide Initiative To Increase Near-Miss Event Reporting, Nicole Ingram, Lisa Bebko

VCU Health Nursing

Purpose: High reliability principles and patient safety tenets emphasize the importance of preventative measures and mitigation in near-miss safety events to prevent patient harm. Near-Miss Event (NME) reporting at VCU Health was recognized as waning in the face of higher-level harm events. Misnomers in the environment led front line team members to believe that their Good Catches, acts of preventing harm from reaching the patient, did not warrant safety event reporting as they were “just doing their job.”

Action: Fishing for a "Good Catch” was developed to encourage team members to recognize, speak up, and aid in the prevention …

Medical Students’ Attitudes And Motivations Toward Research, Nina Li, Danxun Li, Curt Bay, Uzoma Ikonne

Health Sciences Education Symposium

PURPOSE : The recent pass/fail scoring change for the USMLE Step 1 exam has significant implications for residency applicants. It is anticipated that research productivity will gain greater importance in the evaluation process. The NRMP provides quantitative data on residency applicants’ publications. However, there is a scarcity of studies focusing on their research experience. To support medical students, we aim to understand their attitudes, motivations, and experiences in conducting research.

METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study among second-year medical students at Eastern Virginia Medical School between October and November 2023. A questionnaire was used to assess students’ motivations and perceived …

Implementation Of A Self-Directed Breast Education Course Module In The Ob/Gyn Clerkship For Medical Students, Divya Shan, Sindhuja Koppu, Fidelma Rigby, Valerie Coleman, Gauri Gulati, Kimberly Salkey

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Background/Objectives: Breastfeeding is widely acknowledged for its medical and neurodevelopmental advantages, yet there is inadequate education on this topic for physicians in training. At the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine, there are limited resources about breast lesions and breastfeeding in the MD curriculum. Thus, a comprehensive online course module was proposed to address gaps in the education of breast dermatoses and breastfeeding for medical students. It is a tailored resource for medical learners that provides an overview of the diagnosis, workup, and management of dermatoses of the breast that occur during breastfeeding. Giventhe lack of skin of color …

The Making Of Medical Education Faculty Developers: An Exploration Of Professional Identity Formation And Career Progression, Mariah Rudd, Jean Bailey, Irene Alexandraki, Andrea Berry, Amy Dilorenzo, Brianne Holmes

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Background: Current literature indicates a lack of information about how faculty developers in medical education form their professional identity ( preparation of faculty developers in Medical Education for their role). Little is known about who faculty developers are, how they prepare for their roles, and the types of experiences that shape their careers. This study investigates the career progression and professional identity formation of medical education faculty developers, addressing gaps in the existing literature that predominantly focuses on faculty development programs rather than the individuals in these roles. This research aims to explore who medical education faculty developers are, …

Does Gross Anatomy Laboratory Design And Delivery Impact Team Charter Effectiveness?, Nicki Patel, M. Alex Meredith, Kelly M. Harrell

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose/Background/Objective: Over the past two decades, there has been a push in medical education to design curricula that promotes teamwork. Medical gross anatomy, especially the laboratory component, provides a well-established framework to support pre-clinical teamwork training, as students are placed into dissection teams with a common set of goals. Past experience has shown that, while most teams are successful, some exhibit various levels of dysfunction. To address this gap, a Team Charter (TC) intervention was developed. TC established a framework to help teams create a shared mental model that included team roles, expectations, goals, and approaches to conflict resolution …

Evaluation Of An Interprofessional Education Elective On Complex Care Coordination, Genevieve Beaird, Kelly Lockeman, Abigale Matulewicz

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose and Background: Engaging health professional students in meaningful community-based care is an important step toward developing the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for addressing health inequity in our future workforce (Andermann, 2016). Serving clients that have high healthcare utilization and multiple barriers to care is one mechanism to teach students how to address critical social determinants of health needs. Oftentimes, students are not provided the opportunity to engage with clients across transitions in care or over a longitudinal period, but rather are tasked with addressing needs in an acute-based or clinic-based, single-encounter setting. Clinical experiences limited to discrete …

Consultant's Corner: A Multidisciplinary Lecture Series, Grace Hickam, Peter Moffett, Joel Moll, Stephen Miller, Nathan Lewis, Hannah Kissel-Smith

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians interact frequently with consulting specialists. Integration of multidisciplinary learning experiences may provide both interpersonal and educational benefits.

Strategic Road Map To Optimizing Advanced Practice Provider (App) Student Clinical Rotations: Going From Good To Great, Kimberlee Ketchersid, Catherine Neal

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Nationally, there is a projected shortage of 139,940 physicians by 2036, with 30 out of 35 specialties affected (HRSA, 2023). As a result, NP employment is projected to grow by 38% and PA employment is projected to grow 27% by 2031 (USBL, 2023). Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Student Rotations are a vehicle for training and recruiting APPs. To optimize the NP and PA student experience, VCUHS implemented a centralized student placement process for RN, APRN, and PA students. The goal of the centralized process is to optimize preceptor identification, streamline student onboarding, and to create a process preceptor recruitment and …

Impact Of Near-Peer-Led, Pre-Matriculation Intervention On Osce Preparedness And Confidence In First-Year Medical Students: A Pilot Study, Darius Lacy, Harikrishnaa Ba Ramaraju, Charanya Uppalapati, Kelly M. Harrell

Health Sciences Education Symposium

PURPOSE: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a clinical assessment used in medical education to demonstrate common clinical skills used in medical scenarios. While every LCME-accredited medical school is required to use OSCEs to assess student’s clinical skills, each medical school has slight variations to the course set up. In such standardized workshops, students have an opportunity to practice and demonstrate their competency in and integration of various clinical skills including medical interviewing, physical examination, clinical reasoning, note documentation, and professionalism.

Unfamiliarity with the OSCE format that is used to test clinical competence has been associated with significant …

The Role Of Peer-Teaching In Medical Education: Clinical Skills Curriculum, Lindsay Irwin, Kiana Rahimi, Kelly M. Harrell

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose/Background/Objectives: Peer-teaching is a rapidly expanding field of education where students step into the role of instructors to aid their peers in learning. Currently, peer-teaching is widely used in K-12 education and universities, and is making headway in medical schools. In addition to the impact on learners, peer-teaching has been shown to benefit the growth of medical students as teachers, providing more self-efficacy, motivation, maturity, and professional development. Within the field of medical education, research focusing on the impact of peer-teaching demonstrates the largest foundation in procedural skills, showcasing benefits for both peer-teachers and learners. However, there are uncertainties in …

What Is The Association Between Drinking To Cope With Binge Drinking And Alcohol-Related Blackouts In A College Population?, Adam Hvitfeldt-Matthews, Christina Sheerin Phd, Spit For Science Working Group

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Identifying Factors That Reduce Substance Use Liability, Victoria Allen, Nick Blanch, Sunday Wright, Kelci Straka-Mai, Aarushi Patel, Caleb Bridgwater, Lubidia Menjivar, Cate Vaughn, Courtney Blondino Phd, The Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry, Michael M. Vanyukov Phd, Hermine H.M. Maes Phd, Elizabeth Prom-Wormley Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Fentanyl And Methamphetamine Mixture Interactions On Drug Choice In Male And Female Sprague Dawley Rats, Voisava Bokciu, Nick Heslep, Allison Ortiz, Matthew L. Banks Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Mef2c Gene On Alcohol Tolerance, Oscar Bermejo-Mcgee, Alanna Morgan, Jennifer Wolstenholme Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Research In Enabling Systemic Racism In Tobacco Use In Black/African American Communities, Sophia Rodriquez, Heal-Va Lab Working Group, Mignonne Guy Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Analyzing The Efficacy Of The Nih Emotion Toolbox When Predicting Depression And Anxiety In Individuals With Down Syndrome (Ds), Lauren Hinton, Ruth Brown-Ennis Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Do Adverse Childhood Experiences And Depressive Symptoms Predict Cannabis Use Among College Students Of Color, Llorielle Gregory-Jerome, Arlenis Santana Phd, Chelsea D. Williams Phd, The Spit For Science Working Group, Danielle M. Dick Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Associations Between Personality And Neurocognitive Risk Factors For Substance Misuse With Alcohol And Cannabis Use In College Students, Kaelen Diaz, Jasmin Vassileva Phd, The Spit For Science Working Group

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Substance Use For Adolescents In Second Or Last Chance Alternative Schools: A Narrative Review, Jaylynn Floyd, Jamie Cage Phd, Karen Chartier Phd, Msw, Amy Adkins Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

How Do Gender And Childhood Trauma Influence Opioid Misuse And Pain Outcomes Among Patients With Chronic Pain, Grace Ann Newton, Taylor B. Crouch Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Eye Tracking In The Realm Of Neuroscience, Darius Williams, Lisa K. Straub, Chelsea Sawyers, James M. Bjork Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Study On The Comorbidity Of Ptsd Symptoms And Alcohol Consumption Among Vcu Students, Galilea Gallardo-Mena, James Hart, Kaitlin Bountress, The Spit For Science Working Group, Ananda B. Amstadter Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Proposing An Rna Interference (Rnai)-Based Treatment For Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) Infection By Analyzing The Post-Transcriptional Gene Targeting Of Sars-Cov-2, Hepatitis C Virus, And A549 Lung Cancer Cells, Arjun Jagdeesh

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects CD4⁺ T cell lymphocytes in humans, leading to the development of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) if left untreated. While current treatment methods, including antiretroviral combination treatments, effectively limit HIV replication, HIV can evade these treatments due to its high mutation rate. Long-term antiretroviral treatment can also be toxic to patients, meaning patients would benefit from a new mechanism of HIV treatment. RNA interference (RNAi) is an antiviral pathway found in mammals, plants, and insects that involves a small-interfering RNA that is incorporated into a protein complex called the RNA-induced Silencing …

Primary Care Physician Trust: The Importance Of Early Medical Intervention For African American Children With Asthma, Harrish Ganesh

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Asthma is a prevalent condition characterized by an individual’s airway becoming inflamed, constricted, and leads to the formation of mucus and difficulty breathing. Nearly 27 million individuals are currently diagnosed with Asthma in the United States, and African Americans are 40% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than Caucasians. This literature review analyzed multifaceted barriers that restrict African American asthmatic children from gaining consistent asthma treatment. Some of these barriers range from historical racial discrimination that leads to parental mistrust to financial and educational barriers that result in inconsistent pediatric care for asthmatic children. The combination of the above …