Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Efficacy Of Glp-1 And Gip/Glp-1 Receptor Agonists On The Body Weight Management Of Obesity, Paige D. Timbrook

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Obesity is a major epidemic across the United States, and weight loss through diet and physical activity alone is not sustainable. Treatment with tirzepatide and semaglutide have proven to be effective for obesity management in the short-term, but more research is needed to understand how certain types of medications impact weight loss over time. In this study, we recruited 42 adult participants with or without Type II diabetes who were 21 years and older, taking only one GLP-1 or GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist at a time, had a beginning body mass index of 30 or greater or a beginning body mass …

Acute Nitrate Ingestion On Blood Pressure And Lower Body Power In Healthy Females, Sydney N. Brennan, Ryan Tran, Logan J. Dore, Henry C. Nafzger, Justin M. Foster, Kyle S. Geppert, Trevor J. Molnar, Renee M. Skiera, Rylee M. Perlmutter, Mikayla A. Yue, Michael Egiazarian, Christopher B. Sottile, Graciela K. Simpson, Layla A. Busquets, Abigial F. Ballhagen, Adam Pennell, Rachel Tan

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Dietary nitrate supplementation can improve blood pressure and contractile function of type II (fast twitch) muscle fiber contraction and force production. However, limited data are available for  women and dosing guidelines for women. The purpose of this study is to investigate if nitrate ingestion, provided as nitrate-rich beetroot juice, improves blood pressure and countermovement jumps and cycling sprint performance compared to nitrate-depleted beetroot juice placebo in women. Eight recreationally active women have been assigned in a randomized, double-blind, crossover design to three experimental conditions to receive: (1) 2 x 70 ml of concentrated nitrate--depleted beetroot juice placebo (PL; 0.10 mmol …

The Role Of The "Indulgent Mindset" As A Modulator For Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers And Self-Reported Mental Wellbeing, Riva Ranier, Anika Anika, Sarah Simon, Ethan Chau, Emma Monte, Madison Retzloff, Johann Luna, Susan Helm

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The Role of the "Indulgent Mindset" as a Modulator for Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers and Self-Reported Mental Wellbeing

Objective: Limited understanding persists regarding how an "indulgent mindset" about food shapes neuropsychiatric outcomes. Building on the "milkshake study" demonstrating that mindset modulates ghrelin response independent of nutritional content, this pilot study examines whether an indulgent mindset intervention affects neuropsychiatric biomarkers and mental wellbeing.

Methods: Women ages 19-65 (n=35; intervention n=17, control n=18) completed a 6-month randomized trial with baseline and post-intervention assessments including 3-day food diaries, mental wellbeing questionnaires, and comprehensive metabolomics (Iollo panel across mental health, metabolic health, gut microbiome, brain health, …

Statistical Inference Is Not Moral Reasoning: The Case Against Ai On Hospital Ethics Boards, Elan J. Haronian

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

As generative AI becomes more integrated in healthcare, it seems inevitable that AI will eventually be used on hospital ethics committees. However, before implementation, their roles need careful consideration. Although AI promises to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and reduce human workloads, there are important ways in which it is limited, especially when human emotion and connection are crucial, as in clinical ethics boards.

In this paper, I highlight several problems preventing AI from being useful on hospital ethics boards. These include issues of opaque reasoning (the “black box” problem), liability, transparency, privacy, and consent. While there are proposed frameworks for …

Computer, Diagnose This Paper: Ai Tools For Student Health Information Research, Brandon Kennedy

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Discover how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to navigate the rapidly expanding landscape of medical literature in this bite sized 30-minute session. You will learn how to utilize relevant AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Consensus to enhance your ability to develop effective search strategies and interpret information while strictly adhering to academic and ethical standards. Perfect for students who want to incorporate AI within their research workflow.

Investigating Best Practices In Diagnostic Reasoning And Differential Diagnosis: Implications For Occupational Therapy, Frank Czuba Drot, Otr/L, Laila Atra-Yassin Ots, Cassidy Green Ots, Shaylynn Krause Ots, Stephanie Petersen Ots, Alisa Robinson

Research Days

Diagnostic Reasoning and Differential Diagnosis (DD) are increasingly vital in occupational therapy (OT) practice as direct access legislation expands evaluative responsibilities for occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs). Despite this need, little research has explored how OTPs understand and apply diagnostic reasoning in clinical contexts. This study examined processes, strategies, and perceived barriers and facilitators influencing OTPs’ engagement in diagnostic reasoning and DD across diverse settings. A national online survey of licensed OTPs collected quantitative and qualitative data on knowledge, confidence, training, interprofessional collaboration, and clinical behaviors. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, weighted analyses, z-scores, and thematic analysis. Results …

Expert Insights: Identifying Knowledge Gaps In Driver Rehabilitation And Community Mobility Beyond Acote Standards, Luther King, Madysen Gaus, Arthur Katzmann, Lia Shomaly, Keniya Smith, Tina Tindall

Research Days

Driver rehabilitation is an underrepresented specialization within occupational therapy despite its critical role in supporting individuals with physical, cognitive, or visual impairments to drive safely and maintain community mobility. The literature reveals limited inclusion of driver rehabilitation in OT curricula, minimal fieldwork exposure, and scarce driver rehabilitation programs, resulting in fewer certified specialists. Barriers to program development include insufficient funding, lack of institutional support, and limited equipment access. Consequently, new graduates lack knowledge, confidence, and competence in this specialty area, reducing service availability for clients who rely on driving for independence and participation. Addressing these gaps through enhanced education, fieldwork …

Bio-Cybersecurity: Securing The Healthcare Industry, Amanda D. Coleman

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Bio-cybersecurity refers to the aspect of cybersecurity that applies to the biological sciences and the protection of digital biomedical information. Today’s healthcare industry has evolved with the enhancement of internet and biomedical technology. While hospitals and private medical providers remain compliant with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) through traditional means of securing documented patient information, the emergence of beneficial internet-based healthcare services like virtual appointments and digital patient records requires new policies and healthcare cybersecurity frameworks to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. This paper examines the role of cybersecurity in healthcare, the vulnerabilities that exist and …

From Vision To Impact: Building A Sustainable Open-Access Peer Reviewed Medical Journal, Darshana T. Shah Phd

All Things Open

The Marshall Journal of Medicine (MJM) was created to strengthen scholarly exchange, clinical innovation, and health professions education in rural Appalachia while making that work openly accessible to readers worldwide. As West Virginia’s first fully open‑access, online, peer‑reviewed medical journal, MJM illustrates how a mission‑driven publishing effort can evolve from an initial idea into lasting scholarly infrastructure—and how publication activity can translate into measurable impact.

MJM’s development centered on three strategic pillars:

• a clearly articulated scope focused on clinically relevant and educationally innovative scholarship
• rigorous peer‑review and editorial practices that ensure credibility and quality
• operational partnerships—especially with academic …

Dermal: A Multi-Input Deep Learning Model For Improving Access To Dermatological Screening, Aubreye Freeman

ATU Scholars Symposium

According to the World Health Organization's press release on December 12, 2024, global healthcare spending is dropping significantly, leaving a large percentage of the world without proper healthcare. In an attempt to alleviate this problem, with respect to the field of dermatology, we created a deep learning model, Dermatology Enhanced by Recognition and Machine Aided Learning (DERMAL), to assist in diagnosing skin conditions. DERMAL was trained on a portion of the Google and Stanford Medicine's SCIN dataset, which has more than 10,000 images of various skin conditions. The 9 most common skin conditions of the dataset were selected as the …

Car-T Cell Therapy – A Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment Through Precision Immunotherapy, Mackenzie R. Epperson

ATU Scholars Symposium

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has emerged as a great advancement in the field of oncology, offering a targeted and adaptable cancer treatment. Traditional therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation often have limitations, such as relapse and resistance, highlighting the need for more precise therapeutic options. CAR-T therapy addresses many of these challenges through engineering a patient’s own T-cells to recognize and destroy cancerous cells with specificity and long-lasting immune activity. Since being approved by the FDA in 2017, CAR-T therapy has shown success in treating hematologic malignancies, demonstrating high remission rates in patients with previously limited options. Despite …

Investigating The Effect Of Kcl Stress In Raphanus Sativus, Mason P. Oelke

ATU Scholars Symposium

Presented by Stephanie Nelms at the Arkansas INBRE Conference on November 7-8, 2025.

Presented by Mason Oelke at Arkansas Tech Scholar's Symposium on April 9th, 2026.

Potassium is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development, yet excessive potassium fertilization can induce salt stress with detrimental consequences for crop productivity and nutritional quality. Despite its agricultural relevance, potassium chloride induced stress remains significantly understudied compared to classical sodium-based salinity. This thesis investigates the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of Raphanus sativus to KCl stress using an integrated approach that combines germination assays, mineral profiling, and gene expression analysis.

Radish seeds …

When The Caregiver Becomes The Wounded, Gracelin L. Young

ATU Scholars Symposium

Burnout among critical care nurses (CCNs) is a substantial threat to nurse well-being, patient safety, and workforce stability. The aim of this paper is to identify risk factors contributing to burnout in CCNs using evidence-based articles. An organized literature search was conducted using CINAHL with key terms including critical care nurses, burnout, risk factors, compassion fatigue, and work environment. Five recent peer-reviewed studies meeting inclusion criteria were chosen. The results validate that risk for burnout is vastly influenced by emotional exhaustion, chronic workplace stress, high patient acuity, sleep disturbances, compassion fatigue, insufficient support, and organizational strain. Findings suggest that burnout …

Re-Purposing Pre-Existing Tilapia Aquaculture Open-Design System For Zebrafish Biomedical Research Purposes, Luke Cantu, David Sierra, Skyleigh Curtis, Maya Avila

ATU Scholars Symposium

Title: Re-purposing pre-existing tilapia open-design aquaculture systems for zebrafish biomedical research purposes.

Background: Zebrafish (Danio rerio) models are gaining popularity in biomedical research; however, the high infrastructure cost, at approximately $20,000 per unit, is a significant hurdle for primary undergraduate institutions (PUIs) establishing zebrafish facilities. This study assesses if repurposing existing tilapia open-design aquaculture systems could be a cost-effective method for zebrafish facility establishment.

Methods: Between November-2025 to February-2026, the study used a pre-existing tilapia aquaculture open-design system with personnel modified outlet filters. The water quality of this system was monitored and recorded. The study compared the stabilization phase or …

Maladaptive Influences Of Direct-To-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising: The Moderating Influence Of Age And Consumer Loneliness, Sanjay Puligadda

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Caring For Caregivers: A Health Care Marketing Opportunity, Yvette Lynne Bonaparte Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Genotype-Dependent Response Of Huntington’S Disease Cells To Non-Contact Picosecond Pulsed Electric Fields (Pspef), Augustine U. Anthony, Mackenzie A. Tardif-Kunk, Martina Zamponi, Peter A. Mollica

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Non-Contact Picosecond Pulsed Electric Fields (psPEF) improved metabolic function in mutant Huntington diseased isogenic cell lines.

Harnessing The Gut-Diet Axis To Enhance Chemotherapy And Immunotherapy, Jill Carline

Bryant REDay (Research and Engagement Day)

The human microbiome, a complex ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, represents a critical "gut-diet axis" that significantly influences cancer progression and therapeutic efficacy. While a state of homeostasis supports systemic immunity, dysbiosis is linked to chronic inflammation and can actively promote resistance to standard cytotoxic chemotherapies and modern immune checkpoint inhibitors. Specifically, research indicates that Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) promotes resistance to 5-Fluorouracil and Oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer by activating Notch1 receptors to inhibit apoptosis and push cancer cells into a resilient, stem-cell-like state. Conversely, the introduction of fiber-rich and fermented foods can cultivate beneficial bacteria …

Reday Program 2026, Bryant University

Bryant REDay (Research and Engagement Day)

Program for the 2026 Bryant REDay (Research and Engagement Day). Program includes schedule at a glance, descriptions for panels, workshops, and presentations, along with sign-up links for specific sessions in the electronic version of the program. Printed program was in color with double-sided printing on 8 1/2" x 11" paper stapled together in the upper left corner.

Improving Communication To Increase Uptake Of The Geaux Get Healthy Clinical Program, Nhung Ngo

School of Public Health Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Sessions

No abstract provided.

Fragility Fracture Risk In U.S. Post-Menapausal Women: A Comprehensive Nhanes Study., Herriethsia Noah Md

School of Public Health Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Sessions

No abstract provided.

A Machine Learning Approach To Identify Key Tumor Mirna Expression Biomarkers Associated With Aggressive Prostate Cancer, Masuma Mannan Ms

School of Public Health Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Sessions

No abstract provided.

Structural Drivers Of  Cancer: Mirna Expression As A Link Between Transportation Burden And Tnbc Progression, Nubaira Rizvi Ms

School of Public Health Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Sessions

No abstract provided.

Protecting Behavioral Health Crisis Utilization Across Louisiana, Peace Nnaji Msc

School of Public Health Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Sessions

No abstract provided.

Improving Anesthetic Management Of Pheochromocytoma: ​ ​An Educational Initiative Led By Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists​, Kerryn Nicholls

Scholars Week

Anesthetic management of pheochromocytoma presents challenges to experienced nurse anesthetists and recent graduates alike due to the rarity and complex pathophysiology. The purpose of this DNP project was to provide information and education informed by an extensive literature review regarding the anesthetic management of pheochromocytoma for the benefit of future nurse anesthesia practice. The project was accomplished through an educational presentation and novel clinical care flow chart focused on perioperative anesthetic care of pheochromocytoma excision to an audience of practicing certified registered anesthetists (CRNA’s) in two rural Kentucky hospitals. The findings of this project demonstrated that student nurse anesthesia students …

Improving Anesthesia Provider Confidence In The Identification, Management, And Treatment Of Postoperative Delirium, Brittany M. Whistle, Charles Dustin Phelps

Scholars Week

Purpose: Postoperative Delirium (POD) is a potentially devastating complication of anesthesia that is poorly understood by clinical staff leading to poor outcomes for surgical patients. This study is meant to determine if a focused knowledge presentation accompanied by visual aids could increase anesthesia providers confidence in identifying, diagnosing, and treating Postoperative Delirium.

Methodology: Utilizing a statistical model to analyze respondents results on a standardized test administered before and after an informational presentation with visual aids on the topic of Postoperative Delirium.

Results: Results indicated a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest scores, with a p-value of .002, t(11) = …

Exploring The Impact Of A Multifaceted Standardized Wellness Program On Physical, Mental, Emotional, And Spiritual Health In Nurse Anesthesia Students, Lauren Kulaszewski, Amber Hurt

Scholars Week

Abstract

Purpose

Nurse anesthesia students experience substantial academic and clinical stress, placing them at increased risk for anxiety, depression, burnout, and suicidal ideation. Despite this risk, there is limited guidance on the effectiveness of standardized, programmatic wellness initiatives in nurse anesthesia education. The purpose of this project was to evaluate whether implementation of a standardized wellness program, compared with reliance on independent student-initiated practices, could improve mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being among second- and third-year nurse anesthesia students.

Methodology

A pre–post intervention design was used over a six-month period at a large academic institution. Second- and third-year nurse anesthesia …

Assessing The Impact Of Interprofessional Simulation Training On Perioperative Staff's Confidence In Managing Maternal Hemorrhage, Mallory Duncan, Lidia Vazquez

Scholars Week

Globally, maternal mortality rates remain a critical public health challenge, often related to inadequate healthcare infrastructure in low-income countries. Yet according to the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), maternal mortality rates in the United States are also on the rise, with nearly 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. These deaths are largely contributed to maternal hemorrhage (PPH), defined by ACOG as cumulative blood loss of at least 1,000 mL accompanied by symptoms of hypovolemia within 24 hours of the birth process. These findings underscore an urgent need to strengthen the training for perioperative staff in the management of …

Occupational Sevoflurane Exposure And Awareness Of Health Effects Among Anesthesia Providers, Hayden Fell

Scholars Week

Key words:

Sevoflurane exposure Occupational safety CRNAs Anesthetic gas exposure Workplace hazard

The anesthetic gas sevoflurane is of unique interest amongst anesthesia providers as a potential workplace hazard. This project aimed to evaluate CRNA knowledge, clinical practices, symptoms, and perceptions related to occupational sevoflurane exposure amongst Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) at a regional hospital in Kentucky.

This quality improvement project used a pre- and post-intervention survey design. Ten CRNAs participated in the project. A pre-survey was given, followed by an educational session informing participants of guidelines regarding Sevoflurane exposure and literature findings of Sevoflurane as a potential workplace …

Redesigning A Fitness App Interface For Physiological Constrained Users*, Joseph E. Manzanillo

Campus Research Month

As fitness tracking converges with medical monitoring, inclusive design becomes a matter of health equity. This research utilizes a Polar Beat redesign to address exclusionary "sporty" aesthetics that can exclude 300 million colorblind users. Based in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the study implements WCAG AA standards and color-blind-verified filters to mitigate data loss during Situational Induced Impairment (SIID), when high-intensity exercise compromises cognitive and visual processing. By optimizing user journeys for Paralympic and geriatric archetypes, this work demonstrates that accessibility is the essential bridge transitioning mobile fitness apps into viable, inclusive instruments for clinical medical use.