Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Physician Assistants/Associates With Doctoral Degrees: Where Are They Now?, Alicia Klein

Day of Scholarship

Original Research: The impact of holding a doctoral credential by clinically practicing physician assistants (PAs) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate practice patterns and describe demographic characteristics of PAs who have terminal doctoral degrees. This was a secondary analysis, using descriptive bivariate statistics and chi-square tests, with data obtained from the 2021 Salary Survey of the American Academy of PAs. There were statistically significant differences in practice patterns and demographic factors between PAs with and without doctoral degrees. Taken together, holding a doctoral credential may improve upward mobility at workplaces. This study was among the first …

Patient Centered Care Coordination: The Impact Of A Non-Acute Care Clinical Curricular Module On Nursing Student Learning Outcomes, Ann Holland

Day of Scholarship

This poster reports on the results of a study that investigated the impact of a clinical curricular module for teaching patient-centered care coordination on BSN student learning outcomes. Prior to the development of the clinical curricular module, the junior-level curriculum in the Bethel nursing program contained disparate student learning experiences in non-acute care settings. The module brought these existing and new learning experiences together into a cohesive curriculum using the Chronic Care Model as a conceptual framework. The quasi-experimental study was one of the first nursing education research studies conducted about the important and emerging professional nursing role of care …

Evaluation Of A Unique Care Coordination And Transition Management Clinical Module, Debbie Solomon, Beth Anderson, Ann Holland

Day of Scholarship

A two-year curriculum evaluation was undertaken to guide development of a unique clinical curricular module focused on care coordination and transition management. The module, in place in the junior curriculum since 2015, had been modified through the years in response to changes in faculty, clinical partners, and department resources. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly limited student field experiences, requiring development of existing and new on-campus simulated learning experiences. Three analytic processes were used to evaluate how teaching methods and resource utilization contributed to student achievement of learning outcomes. The results led faculty to reinitiate field experiences in home care and hospice …

No Corporate Veil Covering Clinical Practice Guidelines!, Karin Bennedsen

All Things Open

Whether working in a clinical setting, as a researcher, or as a student in a health science field, there may come a time when you will need to find clinical practice guidelines. At that point you may wonder, where do they come from, how do I find them, and how do I decide their reliability when I do find them? To begin answering these questions, it’s good to know that most clinical practice guidelines are readily accessible through open access platforms and not hidden behind corporate veils. This facilitates the application of evidence-based medicine across communities, assuring the best medical …

Preventing Pressure Injuries In Critical Care Settings, Chassidy Eddlemon, Cassady Coomes

Scholars Week

2.5 million people develop a hospital-acquired pressure injury each year, and 60,000 of these result in death as an outcome. Nationwide, hospitals have policies in place to prevent HAPIs, but that does not always stop them from occurring. For this project, we looked at one hospitals policy regarding prevention of pressure injuries. In this powerpoint, we outlined the products we found throughout our research to aide in prevention, as well as our recommendations for practice.

The Addition Of Nature To The Patient's Healing Regimen, Katelyn Lewis, Audrey Henry

Scholars Week

Through our scholarly research, we have found many benefits to the use of nature to help facilitate healing within patients. Our project aims to spread awareness of the positive aspects of nature during the healing process. Specifically, our research focuses on healing gardens and outside therapy for patients. Our presentation is based upon Nightingales' theory of the environment. Our hope is that facilities will implement the addition of nature to the patient's plan of care.

Effects Of Clinical Competency In Nursing Students Following The Implementation Of Student-Led Learning, Cori E. Hack, Jacob N. Hicks

Scholars Week

Research and supporting evidence represent a gap identified in didactic learning between students and faculty. This gap shows emotional factors of the nursing curriculum that may suggest negative impacts on nursing students, but also improvements that can be made to increase students’ clinical competency levels. By adhering to strict definitions of student-led learning theory and clinical competency, we were able to create concrete evidence with measurable data that can contribute to the elimination of this gap in learning. Upon inspection of past text, we identified a need for further research on this topic to bring awareness and encourage this method …

Risks Vs. Benefits Of Animal-Assisted Interventions For Icu Induced Psychosis, Cecily Christie, Hadley Mayes

Scholars Week

For our senior Nursing Evidence-based practice project, we conducted our own research to evaluate the risks and benefits of animal-assisted intervention (AAI's) being used in intensive care units, in the hopes to encourage nurses and healthcare staff to implement these in patient care facilities.

Safer Staffing Ratios For High-Quality Patient Care, Elizabeth Boyles, Jacob Mills

Scholars Week

Every hospital has their own staffing policy which varies based on the department. Research suggests that higher nurse-to-patient staffing ratios are directly related to staff burnout and negative patient outcomes. On medical surgical floors, there is an abundance of different diagnoses that require a vast number of nursing skills. Therefore, when nurses have more than four patients, this can be a safety risk for the nurses and patients. By adding these into a stricter policy, rather than keeping it as a simple recommendation, better patient outcomes would increase and nurse burnout would decrease as proven by research.

The Benefits Of Therapeutic Hypothermia Post-Cardiac Arrest, Jarrod Mathis, Anthony Burrows

Scholars Week

During cardiac arrest, the body is susceptible to ischemic injuries to the brain and/or other vital organs. Initiating therapeutic hypothermia post-resuscitation has been shown to provide neuroprotection and improve patient outcomes in different facilities. Education regarding this intervention is important as there is a lot of conflicting research. Therapeutic hypothermia is still being tested in many facilities worldwide.

Reducing Burnout Among Pediatric Oncology Nurses, Karlie Devore, Madison Jarvis

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Effects And Treatments Of Depression Affecting Patient Outcomes, Parker Gerard

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Benefits Of Bedside Report, Konner Spalding, Hannah Mattingly

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

The Benefits Of Telehealth For Rural Communities, Cade Alberson, Taylor Alberson

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Photocurable Ionized Vinylimidazole Liquid Salt For Antibacterial Application, Gina Park, Lisa Ahlberg, Robert Zdor

Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship

There has been an increasing demand for antibacterial dental composite as it can prevent the biofilm formation and the adhesion of bacteria after the treatment causing the consequential cavities. Previous study explored the antibacterial activity of the heterogenous mixture of heterocyclic polymer and resin. It showed limitations as the mixture did not show antibacterial activity since the mixture could only contain a small amount of heterocyclic polymer within the resin due to its inconvenience of shaping and low miscibility. To overcome this limitation, this research focused on synthesizing heterocyclic antibacterial monomer liquid salt and curing it with UV light to …

Determining The Ideal Concentrations Of Ethanol And Propylene Glycol In Ethosomes For Transdermal Delivery Of Vitamin D3, Rebecca Conner

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

Vitamin D₃ is an important chemical in the human body, however, many Americans have low levels of this vitamin. There are plenty of oral supplementations for Vitamin D₃ deficiency, but those of older age and busy schedules may struggle to meet the minimum requirement. A recently developed ethosomal transmembrane delivery system (Touitou, 2000), similar to liposomes but also containing ethanol, allows users to apply a gel dermally and have the desired drug or active ingredient reach the bloodstream faster. However, there is considerable variation in the concentration of ethanol and permeation enhancers used. Using an affordable method to …

Development Of A Novel Serum Formulation For The Treatment Of C. Acnes, Ariana G. Ngue

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

Acne impacts 85% of people between 12-24 years of age. Even after puberty, acne continues to impact a large portion of the population. The treatments are diverse and include prescription drugs. Through this research, a novel formulation was created for the skin to treat acne. This formulation incorporates salicylic acid, a non-prescription acne treatment, as well as a polymeric carbohydrate (hyaluronic acid) known to be a component of skin and involved in the healing of skin. Through an internship with Island Lux Essentials, a company devoted to making all natural body care products, a novel serum formulation was created to …

Molecular Diagnostics - Biomarker Based Diagnosis Of Human Papillomavirus (Hpv), Lilly Hivner

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

Research on how HPV-16 E6 identifies cervical cancer more often than others.

Liposome Synthesis And Evaluation In The Hek-293 Cell Line, Christine Skibinski

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

Liposomes were synthesized using the thin film method. A lyophilized power of egg-derived phosphatidylcholine, stearylamine, and cholesterol were added to ethanol and dried under argon to form a lipid cake. The lipid cake was rehydrated with dPBS and sonicated at 60°C forming a heterogenous batch of liposomes. Our results revealed the average size of the liposomes, determined by Dynamic Light Scattering, was approximately 223.1nm, while demonstrating a weakly positive zeta-potential of 1.9± 8.07mv. Next, we tested the antitumor action of the liposomes in the HEK-293 cell line via an MTT assay. We observed that the liposomes were able to inhibit …

Healing Cancer: Potential Of Medical Biotechnology Within Cancer Research, Esther Popoola

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

No abstract provided.

A Novel, Minimally Invasive, Paper-Based Biomarker Assay For Molecular Diagnosis Of Preeclampsia, Tomi Taiwo

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

Preeclampsia is a severe pregnancy condition marked by high blood pressure and proteinuria that can strike at any point throughout pregnancy or immediately after birth. Although the exact cause of this disease is unknown, there are several symptoms associated. The goal of this study is focused on the evaluation of biomarker-based assays for molecular diagnosis of the condition in a sensitive and timely manner. This project involved the use of an immunoassay, fabricated serum samples, and a paper-based assay to assess the strength of the presence of the placental growth factor (PlGF). This was done to facilitate a proof-of-concept mechanism …

Molecular And Biochemical Analysis Of Cytochrome P450 2c19 And 2d6, Reema Saleous

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is a relatively new field of study. It links genetics to pharmacology since it deals with the influence of the genetic makeup of the individual on their ability to respond to specific medications. Some of the most important genes in this field, dubbed very important pharmacogenes (VIPs), belong to the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily of drug metabolizing enzymes. The two members of this family that are the main focus of this thesis are CYP2C19 and CYP2D6. They play major roles in the metabolism of numerous medications, and it is therefore imperative that variations within those genes in various …

Got Milk...Alkali Syndrome?, Naba Asif

Research Colloquium

Milk alkali syndrome is a form of hypercalcemia caused by excessive calcium intake. Symptoms include hypercalcemia, metabolic alkalosis, and acute kidney injury. Milk alkali syndrome was considered a rare cause of hypercalcemia due to the emergence of histamine blockers in the 1970s and reduced need for antacids to treat peptic ulcer disease We describe a 69 year old male who presents to the hospital with elevated calcium levels concerning for malignancy. After extensive lab work and examination, it was found that the patient was simply consuming too many calcium containing products. After adequate hydration and treatment, the patient was discharged …

Stec-Hus; Unusual Presentation In An Elderly Female, Nazish Khan, Ashika A. Chacko, Himabindu Kolli, Nevin A. Varghese

Research Colloquium

Background: Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a multisystem disease presenting as renal impairment, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) and thrombocytopenia with a peak incidence of 2.1 cases per 100,000 persons/year in general population.

Case Description: 81-year-old female with history of Diabetes, presented to us with non-bloody emesis and loose stools. Labs on admission were significant for WBC 17000, Hb 12.5, PLT 241, BUN 74, Cr 8.9 and Lactate 12. She was admitted for severe metabolic acidosis and acute renal failure attributed to metformin use and undifferentiated shock.

Patient developed acute worsening of respiratory status due to increasing acidosis requiring intubation. Bicarbonate …

Anticancer Drug Screening Using Invitro Cell Proliferation Assay, Kristopher L. Ezell, Kyle Doxtater, Samantha Lopez, Sophia M. Leslie, Justin Wendel, Kamaldeep Paul, Vijay Lauxmi, Manish Tripathi

Research Colloquium

Introduction: In this presentation cell proliferation methods and how they are related to screening for effective chemotherapy drugs will be reviewed. Cancer in its most basic form is the unchecked mass dividing of cells while normal apoptosis is not undertaken for various reasons, some of which that have yet to be discovered. By these means’ tumors form that inhibit the functions of the organs it is residing in and the effected cells may metastasize and spread throughout the body. For this reason, chemotherapy drugs must be assessed through introduction into working strains of cultured cancer cells that are then screened …

Hepatoblastoma In A Patient With Goldenhar Syndrome, Naba Asif, Arturo Suplee, Samina Akhtar, Asif Zamir

Research Colloquium

Goldenhar Syndrome (GS), also known as oculo-auricular vertebral syndrome, is a congenital defect that occurs in 1 of 5,000 births characterized by the underdevelopment of the ears, soft palate, lip, and mandible due to an anomaly of the first and second branchial arches. Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver tumor in the pediatric population. However, it is still considered a rare malignancy because liver cancers only account for 1% of childhood cancers. Most children with hepatoblastoma are asymptomatic, however we describe a 2-year-old girl with Goldenhar Syndrome diagnosed with hepatoblastoma after experiencing abdominal pain and constipation. Findings from the …

Acute Aseptic Meningoencephalitis Due To Covid-19 In An Otherwise Healthy Patient: A Case Report, Shyama Appareddy, Norma Moncayo, Ronkino T. Mccoy, Jared Sperling, George Huddleston, Raza L. Kahn

Research Colloquium

Several studies have shown the extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus. Although extrapulmonary manifestation to the heart, kidney, blood, and skin are common, neurological and cerebrovascular manifestations are rare with most of these cases being described in patients who also have the pulmonary manifestation of the disease. Here we present the case of an 18 year-old male with no prior history of respiratory symptoms who presented to the emergency department with altered mental status. Neurology was consulted and the patient was started empirical on ceftriaxone, vancomycin, dexamethasone, and acyclovir for meningoencephalitis. Urine drug screen, head CT, …

A Case Of Chorea-Hemiballism In The Presence Of Labile Glucose Levels, Bhargavi Akkineni, Karina Torres

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Uncontrolled blood glucose is notorious for inflicting multi-organ pathologies. One such pathology, chorea-hemiballism, has been reported in individuals who exhibited either hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, and although rare, it is debilitating and calls for active management.

Case Description: A 50-year-old female, with a past medical history of anemia, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, presented to the emergency room with acute onset chorea-hemiballism. Patient reported experiencing abnormal movements for two weeks prior to her ER visit, but otherwise denied prior episodes of movement disorders. On physical examination, patient displayed generalized jerky choreiform movements of upper and …

Disseminated Cryptococcosis In Solid Organ Transplant Recipient, Sonal V. Jha, Tomas V. Gonzalez, Chelsea H. Chang

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) have an overall incidence of 3.1% in solid organ transplant (SOT) patients.1 Although rare, they result in high mortality, likely due to a delay in treatment caused by inherent delay of fungal culture-based diagnosis.2-5 Cryptococcus are the third most common cause of fungal infection in SOT patients. 6-7

Objective: Here we present a unique case of disseminated cryptococcosis in a patient who underwent kidney transplantation with rapid symptomatic onset and presence of perinephric and perihepatic abscesses. The findings presented may inform clinicians of the potentially unusual manifestations of common fungal infections in solid organ transplant …

A Rare Case Of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy In An Elderly Lady During Hospital Stay, Himabindu Kolli, Ashika A. Chacko, Pooja Maknoor, Nazish Khan, Timothy Heath

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an acute, reversible form of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, most often triggered by a sudden physical, or less commonly emotional event. Here, we describe a patient who developed Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy during her hospital stay.

Case Description: 74-year-old Hispanic lady, a nursing home resident presented to the ED with altered mental status. She was admitted for septic shock due to UTI. Echocardiogram demonstrated normal systolic function, with 60-65% LV ejection fraction. After initiation of antibiotic therapy, she showed clinical improvement with resolution of shock.

On day 8 of hospitalization, patient became emotionally upset and her clinical …