Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Disseminated Nocardiosis Secondary To Chronic Prednisone Abuse: A Case Report, Rahul Nimmagadda Do, Luke Ciminera Do, Jacqueline Aronin Md, Muhammad Usman Zafar

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Extinguishing The Fire, Igniting The Lungs: An Unusual Cause Of Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage, Rahul Nimmagadda Do, Joshua Kepfinger Do, Luke Ciminera Do, Brian Civic Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Maximal Motor Unit Firing Rates Decline With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Progression, Gabriel L. Fernandes, Lucas B.R. Orssatto, Matheus D. Pinto, Joao S. Henkin, Ehsan Shandiz, Pamela A. Mccombe, Robert D. Henderson, Gabriel S. Trajano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterised by progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons and their motor units (MUs). MU loss is compensated by collateral sprouting and reinnervation of muscle fibres. There is limited information about the properties of these surviving MUs as these processes take place. High-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) decomposition enables non-invasive analysis of individual MU firing behaviour during maximal voluntary contractions and assess their changes with ALS progression. Methods: Thirty-nine individuals with ALS (24 men; mean age 63 ± 16 years) completed up to five visits (interval 20.0 ± 7.9 weeks). Tibialis anterior HD-sEMG recordings …

A Clinical Study Examining The Effects Of Dietary Nitrate On Urinary N-Nitrosamines, Catherine P. Bondonno, Michaela L. Sundqvist, Sujata Shinde, Kevin Croft, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Mattias Carlström, Eddie Weitzberg, Jon O. Lundberg

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

BackgroundInorganic nitrate from dietary sources has raised health concerns due to its possible conversion into carcinogenic N-nitrosamines, leading to strict regulations on nitrate concentrations in food and drinking water.ObjectivesIn this study, which was a part of a larger randomized controlled trial, we evaluated urinary excretion of N-nitrosamines in response to daily dietary nitrate intake over a 5-wk period using 2 different forms of nitrate administration.MethodsA total of 231 participants with mild hypertension were randomly assigned into 3 groups. Group 1 (n = 78) consumed vegetables low in nitrate along with a placebo capsule (300 mg potassium chloride). Group 2 (n …

Defining The Qualities Of A Surgical Resident Who "Gets It": A Qualitative Analysis Of Faculty And Resident Perceptions, Shaleen V Sathe, Ravi R Agrawal, Jennifer Yu, Paul E Wise, Michael Awad, Kevin Y Pei

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The phrase "getting it" is frequently used in surgical trainee assessment, yet its meaning remains undefined. This study explores how residents and faculty define the concept and whether perceptions align.

METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 residents and 13 faculty at a single institution and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Residents described "getting it" as clinical competence, social awareness, feedback responsiveness, and team integration, while noting challenges with interpreting implicit expectations and the influence of faculty bias. Faculty described "getting it" as a gestalt recognition of initiative, insight, and sound clinical judgment. Both agreed that the concept …

Safety And Efficacy Of Individualised Exercise And Nad+ Precursor Supplementation In Patients With Friedreich’S Ataxia In The Usa: A Single-Centre, 2 × 2 Factorial, Randomised Controlled Trial, Kimberly Lin, Anna Bucha, Kara Mcsweeney, Kristin Wade, Antoneta Karaj, Jaclyn Tamaroff, Shannon O'Malley, Nicole Chung, Nicolette Cilenti, Julianne Wanner, Gabriel Adzika, Clementina Mesaros, Ian Blair, Teerapat Rojsajjakul, Suraj Serai, Jennifer Farmer, Kyle Bryant, Yingying Lu, Michael Harhay, David Weber, Stephen Paridon, Erin Seifert, Mary Putt, Payman Zamani, Joseph Baur, David Lynch, Shana Mccormack

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND:Friedreich's ataxia is a rare, chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative condition affecting multiple organ systems, including neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiac, and endocrine systems, and is marked by low cardiopulmonary fitness. We tested the effect of exercise and NAD⁺ precursor supplementation with nicotinamide riboside, which have each shown benefits in animal and early clinical studies, on cardiopulmonary fitness in individuals with Friedreich's ataxia.

METHODS: This 12-week, outpatient, phase 2, single-site (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA), randomised, 2 × 2 factorial clinical trial recruited individuals aged 10–40 years with an ejection fraction of 45% or greater who were able to exercise. A …

Population Pharmacokinetics And Dosing Simulations Of Pentobarbital In The Pediatric Population, Victoria Etges Helfer, Lorena Medina-Aymerich, William J. Muller, Marisa Meyer, Amira Al-Uzri, Russell Mcculloh, Chi D. Hornik, Stephen J. Balevic, Rachel G. Greenberg, Daniel K. Benjamin, Sarah G. Anderson, Daniel Gonzalez

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Pentobarbital is a barbiturate with sedative and anticonvulsant properties, occasionally used in pediatric patients for preoperative sedation, deep sedation during mechanical ventilation, and seizure control. Despite its long-standing clinical use, age-appropriate dosing remains challenging due to variability across studies and limited pediatric pharmacokinetic (PK) data. This study (NCT01431326) aimed to characterize the population pharmacokinetics of pentobarbital in pediatric patients (birth to 21 years) and evaluate dosing strategies using model-based simulations. A two-compartment population PK model, allometrically scaled to total body weight, adequately described pentobarbital plasma concentrations, with no additional covariates identified as significant. Simulations were conducted across four age groups: …

The Camus Initiative: A Multiphase, Multicentre International Collaboration To Redefine Risk Stratification, Reporting, And Grading Of Surgical Complications In Urology., Christopher Soliman, Niranjan J. Sathianathen, Niall M. Corcoran, Nathan Lawrentschuk, Patrick Y. Wuethrich, Marc A. Furrer, Paul Chung, Camus Study Group Collaborators

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Surgical complications remain a major source of preventable morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditure, but existing frameworks such as the Clavien-Dindo classification and Comprehensive Complication Index are clinician-centred and intervention-focused and fail to capture cumulative patient-centred outcomes. This protocol outlines the Complications After Major and Minor Urological Surgery (CAMUS) initiative, a global, multiphase effort to redefine complication reporting, risk stratification, and outcome measurement in urological surgery. CAMUS aims to address these limitations via an integrated, seven-arm programme combining retrospective and prospective data analysis, consensus development, and digital infrastructure design. Arm 1 has assembled a retrospective data set of 130 034 …

Eptinezumab In Treatment-Resistant Chronic Migraine: Four-Year Real-World Effectiveness And Treatment Persistence, Wan-Jen Hsieh, Kelly Nicol, Chai Ching Ng, Tsung-Wei Hou, Phillip Phan, Scott W. Keith, Brittany Heckel, Michael J. Marmura, Hsiangkuo Yuan

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

AimTo evaluate 48-month real-world outcomes of eptinezumab users in chronic migraine (CM), including longitudinal effectiveness, treatment persistence, reasons for discontinuation, and post-discontinuation anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) treatment patterns.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of 112 CM subjects initiating eptinezumab at a tertiary headache center between 2019 and 2021. Monthly headache days (MHD), migraine disability assessment (MIDAS), and average pain intensity (API) were extracted at baseline and every 6 months for up to 48 months using a predefined outcome form at each visit. Longitudinal changes were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEE) with an unstructured correlation matrix, adjusting for age, sex, …

Crispr-Cas9 Cd33-Deleted Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation With Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin Maintenance In Aml: A Phase 1/2 Trial, John F Dipersio, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are likely to relapse despite allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Post-HCT preventative maintenance can be limited by toxicity toward the normal donor cells. Tremtelectogene empogeditemcel (trem-cel) is a CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited allogeneic HCT product lacking CD33, designed to shield the donor graft from cytotoxicity of subsequent CD33-targeted therapies such as gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO). In this multicenter, phase 1/2a, open-label study, adult patients with AML/MDS with high relapse risk received trem-cel after myeloablative conditioning followed by GO maintenance (0.5-2.0 mg m

Androgen Loss Accelerates Brain Tumour Growth Via Hpa Axis Activation, Juyeun Lee, Joshua B Rubin, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Many cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM), show a male-biased incidence and associated worse outcomes

Adaptive Evolution Of Gene Regulatory Networks In Mammalian Neocortex, Zhuo Li, Linda J Richards, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mammals have evolved a more complex brain, exemplified by the transformation of the single-layer dorsal cortex of excitatory projection neurons (ExNs) in ancestors into a multilayered cerebral neocortex

Differences In Injury Rates By Competition Level Among Scholastic And Collegiate Female Lacrosse Athletes: A Systematic Review, Carrie J Froemming, Daniel C Touhey, Robert H Brophy, Derrick M Knapik

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Women's lacrosse is an increasingly popular sport. Current rules allow incidental body and stick-to-stick contact, with limited required protective equipment. Injuries to the head, face, and lower extremities are common, especially at higher levels of competition. Differences in injury rates and types based on competition level remain largely unknown.

PURPOSE: To systematically review the literature to better understand injury differences between scholastic and collegiate female lacrosse athletes.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

METHODS: Under PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses), 543 studies were identified in September 2025 in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, …

Single-Cell Spatiotemporal Dissection Of The Human Maternal-Fetal Interface, Cheng Wang, Sarah K England, David K Stevenson, Gary M Shaw, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The human maternal-fetal interface is characterized by mosaic intermingling of maternal and fetal cells

Synovial Fluid Biomarkers Associated With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury And Reconstruction: A Systematic Review, Daniel C Touhey, Derrick M Knapik, Sina Tartibi, Varun Gopinatth, Tanya Boghosian, Matthew J Matava, Matthew V Smith, Robert H Brophy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Synovial fluid biomarkers reflect the inflammatory response after joint injury and surgery. Previous studies have identified synovial fluid biomarker concentrations in the knee after both anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and ACL reconstruction (ACLR).

PURPOSE: To systematically review the literature to summarize reported changes in synovial fluid biomarkers and their concentrations after acute ACL injury/ACLR.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

METHODS: Studies published in the PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases reporting in English on humans sustaining ACL tears and undergoing ACLR from inception to August 2025 were identified and included if postinjury/preoperative and/or postoperative …

Multicenter Comparison Of Modern Plating Options In Fibula, Scapula, And Osteocutaneous Radial Forearm Free Flaps, Craig A Bollig, Amit Walia, Patrik J Pipkorn, Ryan S Jackson, Sidharth V Puram, Jason T Rich, Randal C Paniello, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the association of plating strategies with hardware removal and operative time, after adjusting for relevant clinical variables.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Review.

SETTING: Multiple Academic Medical Centers.

METHODS: Patients undergoing osseous free flap reconstruction stratified based on the plating strategy [conventional plating with a hand-bent plate, precontoured plate, and virtual surgical planning (VSP) with patient-specific hardware and cutting guides]. Variables associated with hardware removal were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. To evaluate the effect of plating strategy on operative time, a multivariable linear regression model was created. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.

RESULTS: …

Adapt-On-Demand: Enabling Flexible And Scalable Adaptive Radiotherapy Through Workflow Automation, Sean Domal, Min Geon Choi, Justin Visak, Ruiqi Li, Taoran Li, Boon-Keng Kevin Teo, Xiaodong Zhao, Matthew Schmidt, Eric Laugeman, David Parsons, Yang Kyun Park, Shahed Badiyan, David Sher, Mu-Han Lin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: CT-guided adaptive radiotherapy (CTgART) offers significant clinical benefits, but its utilization is often limited by resource demands and rigid workflows. This study presents a flexible and scalable "Adapt-on-Demand" (AOD) framework that integrates the adaptive capabilities of the Varian Ethos platform with the high-throughput IGRT delivery of the Varian Halcyon, supported by automated scripting.

METHODS: We developed an end-to-end dual-platform workflow that dynamically transitions between ART and IGRT delivery based on patient needs. Key components include Eclipse Scripting API (ESAPI) automation to streamline adapted plan ingestion from the Ethos Treatment Planning and Management System (TPMS) export directory, compatibility conversion for …

Preterm Birth Increases Susceptibility To Hyperglycemia-Induced Kidney Injury With Sex-Specific Differences In Structural And Molecular Responses, Rachel K Dailey, Aleksandra Cwiek, Logan C Hamil, Sage Timberline, Ayyappa Kumar Sista Kameshwar, Masako Suzuki, Jaya Isaac, Kimberly Deronde, Mark Conaway, Kevin M Bennett, Edwin J Baldelomar, Matthew R Hoch, Kimberly J Reidy, Jennifer R Charlton

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth increases the long-term risk of diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet its impact on diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is unclear. We previously showed that male preterm mice with diabetes develop early features of DKD, including reduced podocyte density, decreased renin expression, activation of angiogenesis pathways, and impaired endothelial-podocyte signaling. Here, we examine whether preterm birth similarly accelerates DKD progression in female mice and compare structural and transcriptomic outcomes in the females to the prior male cohort to assess sex-specific differences.

METHODS: Preterm mice were delivered by Caesarean section at 19 days post conception (dpc) and term …

Primary Cilia Regulate Glp-1 Signaling In Pancreatic Β Cells, Isabella Melena, Jeong Hun Jo, Shannon E Townsend, Samantha Adamson Digruccio, Xinhang Dong, Lifei Zhu, Jonathan Campbell, Jing W Hughes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are mainstay therapies for diabetes and obesity, acting in part by enhancing glucose-dependent insulin secretion. While the primary cilium is a known signaling compartment for certain G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), its role in the β-cell response to incretins remains undefined. Here, we show that primary cilia are essential for full GLP-1R signaling. Loss of β-cell cilia in mouse and human islets severely impaired GLP-1-potentiated insulin secretion, an effect preceded by blunted whole-cell cAMP and Ca

A Prospective, Multi-Center, Observational Study Of The Safety, Tolerability And Effectiveness Of Nusinersen In Adult Patients With Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Craig M Zaidman, Crystal Proud, Bing Liao, Nassim Rad, Doreen Ho, Mary-Lynn Chu, Shafeeq Ladha, Thomas O Crawford, Shakti Nayar, Angela Genge, Margaret Frey, Chad Heatwole, Daphne Lew

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Nusinersen, an antisense oligonucleotide, modulates pre-mRNA splicing to produce full length survival motor neuron protein in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It was approved in the US for SMA in all ages based on evidence in children. In adults, studies of nusinersen rely on real-world observational data and show stability or small improvements over time. We performed a prospective, 30 month longitudinal, observational multi-center study of adults initiating nusinersen with SMA types II/III to examine its safety, tolerability, and effectiveness. 43 participants (20 female; 14 ambulatory; 3, 17, and 23 with 2, 3, and ≥4 SMN2 copies, respectively), mean (SD) age …

From Low Field To High Value: Robust Cortical Mapping From Low-Field Mri, Karthik Gopinath, Timothy Coalson, Matthew F Glasser, David Van Essen, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Three-dimensional reconstruction of cortical surfaces from MRI for subsequent morphometric analysis is fundamental for understanding brain structure. While high-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (HF-MRI) is the standard in research and clinical settings, its relatively limited availability hinders widespread use. Low-field MRI (LF-MRI), particularly portable systems, offers a cost-effective and accessible alternative. However, existing cortical surface analysis tools, such as FreeSurfer, are optimized for high-resolution HF-MRI and struggle with the lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and resolution of LF-MRI. In this work, we present a machine learning method for 3D reconstruction and analysis of portable LF-MRI scans over a range of contrasts and …

Computational Fluid Dynamics-Based Risk Stratification Of Modified Blalock-Taussig-Thomas Shunt Thrombogenicity, Yi Qiao, Ethan Penn, Jacob Miller, Scott Bugenhagen, Ram Rohatgi, Kelsey Mercer, Blaire Kulp, Jinli Wang, Pirooz Eghtesady, Guy M Genin, Edon J Rabinowitz, David Bark

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The modified Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt (mBTTS) is a critical palliative procedure for infants with single-ventricle physiology, but thrombosis-related occlusion affects 8% to 12% of infants and carries nearly 50% mortality. Meanwhile, existing antithrombotic strategies fail to address the hemodynamic factors driving thrombosis, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of flow dynamics in shunt failure.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify how mBTTS geometry influences hemodynamics and thrombosis risk, providing quantitative guidance for surgical planning and shunt design optimization.

METHODS: We used patient-specific imaging data to test 54 idealized mBTTS configurations, systematically varying key geometric factors: pulmonary artery diameter, shunt …

Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Access And Patient Diversity, Rachel Cusatis, Ramzi Abboud, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) is curative for hematologic cancers, yet access remains inequitable for racially and ethnically underrepresented and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, making the goal of having a suitable donor for every patient who needs a transplant challenging. The ACCESS trial broadened access by enrolling patients without matched donors, who instead received an HCT from a mismatched unrelated donor.

OBJECTIVE: To compare baseline characteristics of ACCESS trial participants with participants enrolled in a similar clinical trial and a patient-reported outcome (PRO) protocol cohort.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study included adult participants (aged ≥18 years) from 3 …

Sustainment Of Hydroxyurea Adherence In Patients With Sickle Cell Disease, Andrew M Heitzer, Zachary Wooten, Guangjin Luo, Marsha Treadwell, Allison A King, Victor R Gordeuk, Nirmish Shah, Christina M Abrams, Sarah Mccuskee, Siera Gollan, Jennifer Longoria, Jane S Hankins, Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Despite established treatment guidelines and strong therapeutic benefit, hydroxyurea remains underused among patients with sickle cell disease.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the change in self-reported hydroxyurea use (ie, taking the medication at all) and adherence (ie, the number of days taken per week) over time and to examine factors associated with the trajectory of hydroxyurea use and adherence.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected through the Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium, a longitudinal, multicenter, observational cohort study that recruited patients from 8 centers across the US. Data collection occurred from 2017 to 2022, and analyses were performed from January …

Use And Public Reporting Of Predetermined Change Control Plans For Ai-Enabled Medical Devices, Patryk A Dabek, Florence T Bourgeois, Ariel D Stern, Yi Zhu, Alexander O Everhart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Optical Coherence Tomography As An Emerging Technique For Identifying Pediatric Middle Ear Effusion, Roger Neuberger, Jeffrey Carter, Adriana Dives, Ana Sofia C Ibarrola, Maritsa Ixba, Elton Lambert, Yi-Chun Liu, Anna H Messner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) rely on accurate characterization of middle ear effusion (MEE). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a potential modality for noninvasive analysis of MEE, thereby assisting with otitis media diagnosis. This study aims to compare the diagnostic performance of OCT with otoscopy and tympanometry in pediatric patients.

Methods: A prospective convenience sample of 164 pediatric patients aged 6 months to 12 years was recruited from two tertiary care pediatric otolaryngology clinics. During their visit, each child underwent otoscopy, tympanometry, and OCT evaluation. Scans were reviewed by both a fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist …

Case Series: Joubert Syndrome And Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Jonathon Schening, Stephanie Leon-Paredes, Eric Chiou, Vibha Szafron, Anthony Olive, Sara Anvari

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Joubert syndrome (JS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by developmental abnormalities, particularly in the brainstem and cerebellar vermis, alongside multisystem manifestations such as kidney and liver anomalies, polydactyly, cleft lip or palate, and tongue defects. The underlying ciliopathy causing JS may also contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms and immune dysregulation via Wnt signaling and impaired epithelial maintenance. Dysmotility including Hirschsprung disease has been documented at increased rates in JS and in other ciliopathies. Our case series highlights how JS patients frequently exhibit feeding intolerance, vomiting, and poor growth, which may raise suspicion for an underlying gastrointestinal condition, such as eosinophilic …

Smart Medical Support System And Swin Transformer Framework For Breast Cancer Detection And Segmentation In Mammograms, Ahed Abugabah, Prashant Kumar Shukla, Piyush Kumar Shukla, Abhishek Dwivedi

All Works

Accurate and reliable breast cancer detection from mammographic images remains a critical challenge due to subtle lesion appearance, high intra-class variability, and class imbalance inherent in clinical datasets. To address these issues, this study proposes Swin-BreastNet, an explainable and optimization-driven deep learning framework for binary classification of benign and malignant breast lesions from full-field digital mammograms. The proposed approach leverages the hierarchical Swin Transformer model to effectively capture fine-grained local texture patterns and long-range contextual dependencies through Shifted Window Multi-head Self-Attention (SW-MSA). A key novelty of this work lies in the integration of Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO) for automated hyperparameter …

Neuropsychological Functioning And Coping Strategy Intervention Approaches In Youth With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Kalliopi Megari, Dimitra V. Katsarou, Georgios A. Kougioumtzis, Evangelos Mantsos, Maria Sofologi, Agathi Argyriadi, Alexandros Argyriadis, Efthymia Efthymiou

All Works

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in ages 3–18 is associated with disturbances in attention, working memory, processing speed, and executive control, as well as persistent difficulties in affect regulation. These neuropsychological vulnerabilities might interfere with learning, peer relationships, and the consolidation of age-appropriate developmental skills. Methods: We conducted a narrative review informed by a structured literature search in PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Embase, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. English-language publications from 1990 to 2025 were considered if they examined (1) neuropsychological outcomes of trauma exposure or PTSD in youth and/or (2) interventions with potential to modify neurocognitive or affective …

Current Landscape Of Mental Health Conversational Agents From A Trauma-Informed Care Lens: Scoping Review., Faye Kollig, Kira Voelker, Emily Ryan, Rachel Pfafman, Fayika Farhat Nova

Health Services and Informatics Research

BACKGROUND: Conversational agents (CAs) are increasingly used in mental health care to enhance access and engagement. However, their safe, ethical, and user-sensitive design remains a challenge. Despite growing attention to trauma-informed approaches in human-computer interaction, there is limited work on how the trauma-informed care (TIC) framework could be applied in the design of mental health CAs and no comprehensive synthesis to date.

OBJECTIVE: Guided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's TIC framework, this scoping review explored how TIC principles (safety; trustworthiness and transparency; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice, and choice; peer support; and cultural, historical, and gender …