Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Survival, Timothy A Zaki, Peter S Liang, Folasade P May, Caitlin C Murphy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Young adults diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) comprise a growing, yet understudied, patient population. We estimated 5-year relative survival of early-onset CRC and examined disparities in survival by race-ethnicity in a population-based sample.

METHODS: We used the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of cancer registries to identify patients diagnosed with early-onset CRC (20-49 years of age) between January 1, 1992, and December 31, 2013. For each racial-ethnic group, we estimated 5-year relative survival, overall and by sex, tumor site, and stage at diagnosis. to illustrate temporal trends, we compared 5-year relative survival in 1992-2002 vs …

Economic Evaluation Of An Intervention To Prevent Adolescent Dating Violence (Me & You), Ellerie Weber, Melissa F Peskin, Christine M Markham, Ross Shegog, Elizabeth R Baumler, Robert C Addy, Jeff R Temple, Belinda Hernandez, Paula Cuccaro, Melanie A Thiel, Efrat K Gabay, Susan Tortolero Emery

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Me & You: Building Healthy Relationships (Me & You) is a multilevel, technology-enhanced adolescent dating violence (DV) prevention program that aimed to reduce DV among ethnic-minority, early adolescent, urban youth. A group-randomized control trial of Me & You, conducted with 10 middle schools from a large urban school district in Southeast Texas in 2014–2015, found it to be effective in reducing DV perpetration and decreasing some forms of DV victimization. Economic evaluations of DV interventions are extremely limited, despite calls for more economic analyses to be incorporated in research. We help fill this gap by evaluating the cost-effectiveness from the …

Relationships Between Urinary Metals And Diabetes Traits Among Mexican Americans In Starr County, Texas, Usa, Margaret C Weiss, Yu-Hsuan Shih, Molly Scannell Bryan, Brian P Jackson, David Aguilar, Craig L Hanis, Maria Argos, Robert M Sargis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hispanics/Latinos have higher rates of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and the origins of these disparities are poorly understood. Environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including some metals and metalloids, are implicated as diabetes risk factors. Data indicate that Hispanics/Latinos may be disproportionately exposed to EDCs, yet they remain understudied with respect to environmental exposures and diabetes. The objective of this study is to determine how metal exposures contribute to T2D progression by evaluating the associations between 8 urinary metals and measures of glycemic status in 414 normoglycemic or prediabetic adults living in Starr County, Texas, a Hispanic/Latino community with high rates of …

Reduced Spag17 Expression In Systemic Sclerosis Triggers Myofibroblast Transition And Drives Fibrosis, Paulene Sapao, Elisha D O Roberson, Bo Shi, Shervin Assassi, Brian Skaug, Fred Lee, Alexandra Naba, Bethany E Perez White, Carlos Córdova-Fletes, Pei-Suen Tsou, Amr H Sawalha, Johann E Gudjonsson, Feiyang Ma, Priyanka Verma, Dibyendu Bhattacharyya, Mary Carns, Jerome F Strauss, Delphine Sicard, Daniel J Tschumperlin, Melissa I Champer, Paul J Campagnola, Maria E Teves, John Varga

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a clinically heterogeneous fibrotic disease with no effective treatment. Myofibroblasts are responsible for unresolving synchronous skin and internal organ fibrosis in SSc, but the drivers of sustained myofibroblast activation remain poorly understood. Using unbiased transcriptome analysis of skin biopsies, we identified the downregulation of SPAG17 in multiple independent cohorts of patients with SSc, and by orthogonal approaches, we observed a significant negative correlation between SPAG17 and fibrotic gene expression. Fibroblasts and endothelial cells explanted from SSc skin biopsies showed reduced chromatin accessibility at the SPAG17 locus. Remarkably, mice lacking Spag17 showed spontaneous skin fibrosis with increased …

Positioning The Brainstem Within The Neural Network Of Threat Prediction, Xu O Zhang, Fabricio H Do Monte

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In a recent study, Strickland and McDannald dissected the role of brainstem networks in threat prediction. Using probabilistic threat discrimination in rats, the authors demonstrated that brainstem neurons estimate threat probability and generate positive aversive prediction errors after unexpected outcomes. Their findings suggest that, beyond organizing defensive behaviors, brainstem neurons are involved in threat prediction computations.

Genetic Effect On Body Mass Index And Cardiovascular Disease Across Generations, Chloé Sarnowski, Matthew P Conomos, Ramachandran S Vasan, James B Meigs, Josée Dupuis, Ching-Ti Liu, Aaron Leong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Whether genetics contribute to the rising prevalence of obesity or its cardiovascular consequences in today's obesogenic environment remains unclear. We sought to determine whether the effects of a higher aggregate genetic burden of obesity risk on body mass index (BMI) or cardiovascular disease (CVD) differed by birth year.

METHODS: We split the FHS (Framingham Heart Study) into 4 equally sized birth cohorts (birth year before 1932, 1932 to 1946, 1947 to 1959, and after 1960). We modeled a genetic predisposition to obesity using an additive genetic risk score (GRS) of 941 BMI-associated variants and tested for GRS-birth year interaction …

Conducting Clinical Genomics Research During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned From The Cser Consortium Experience, Stephanie A Kraft, Heidi Russell, Jeannette T Bensen, Katherine E Bonini, Jill O Robinson, Nuriye Sahin-Hodoglugil, Kathleen Renna, Lucia A Hindorff, Dave Kaufman, Carol R Horowitz, Margaret Waltz, Jamilyn M Zepp, Sara J Knight

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Clinical research studies have navigated many changes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to describe the pandemic's impact on research operations in the context of a clinical genomics research consortium that aimed to enroll a majority of participants from underrepresented populations. We interviewed (July to November 2020) and surveyed (May to August 2021) representatives of six projects in the Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research (CSER) consortium, which studies the implementation of genome sequencing in the clinical care of patients from populations that are underrepresented in genomics research or are medically underserved. Questions focused on COVID's impact on participant recruitment, enrollment, and …

Emotional Distress, Self-Management, And Glycemic Control Among Participants Enrolled In The Glycemia Reduction Approaches In Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness (Grade) Study, Jeffrey S Gonzalez, Heidi Krause-Steinrauf, Ionut Bebu, Gladys Crespo-Ramos, Claire J Hoogendoorn, Aanand D Naik, Andrea Waltje, Elizabeth Walker, Dominic Ehrmann, Janet Brown-Friday, Andrea Cherrington

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: We examined emotional distress in relation to metformin adherence, overall diabetes self-management, and glycemic control among adults with early type 2 diabetes (T2DM) enrolled in the GRADE study.

METHODS: Linear regression models examined cross-sectional associations of baseline depression symptoms and diabetes distress with adherence to metformin, self-management, and HbA1c, adjusting for covariates. Cognitive-affective (e.g., sadness) and somatic (e.g., sleep/appetite disturbance) depression symptoms and diabetes distress subscales were also examined.

RESULTS: This substudy of 1,739 GRADE participants (56 % Non-Hispanic White, 18 % Non-Hispanic Black, 17 % Hispanic, 68 % male, mean[SD] age = 57.96[10.22] years, diabetes duration = 4.21[2.81] …

Cross-Sectional And Prospective Associations Of Rest-Activity Rhythms With Body Mass Index In Older Men: A Novel Analysis Using Harmonic Hidden Markov Models, Brian Heckler, Miryoung Lee, Katie Stone, Cici Bauer, Qian Xiao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Growing evidence supports a role for rest-activity rhythms (RARs) in metabolic health. Epidemiological studies in adolescents and young adults showed that RAR characteristics consistent with weakened rhythmicity were associated with obesity. However, studies in older adults are lacking. The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional and prospective associations between RAR and obesity in older men using the Harmonic Hidden Markov Model (HHMM), a novel analytical approach with several advantages over conventional methods for characterizing RAR. The analysis included nearly 3,000 participants in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men study with 5-day 24-h actigraphy data. The strength of RAR …

Antibody Therapies For The Treatment Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Exploring Current And Emerging Therapeutic Targets, Joshua W Morse, Margarita Rios, John Ye, Adan Rios, Cheng Cheng Zhang, Naval G Daver, Courtney D Dinardo, Ningyan Zhang, Zhiqiang An

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common and deadly type of leukemia affecting adults. It is typically managed with rounds of non-targeted chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplants, but this is only possible in patients who can tolerate these harsh treatments and many are elderly and frail. With the identification of novel tumor-specific cell surface receptors, there is great conviction that targeted antibody therapies will soon become available for these patients.

AREAS COVERED: In this review, we describe the current landscape of known target receptors for monospecific and bispecific antibody-based therapeutics for AML. Here, we characterize each …

Caesarean Section For Placenta Previa: A Retrospective Cohort Study Of Anaesthesia Techniques, Samina Ismail, Saima Rashid

Department of Anaesthesia

Objective: Placenta previa is associated with maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. This study aims to add to the limited literature from the developing world on the association of different anaesthetic techniques with blood loss, the need for blood transfusion, and maternal/ neonatal outcomes among women undergoing caesarean section with placenta previa.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Aga University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. The patient population included parturients undergoing caesarean section for placenta previa from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2019.
Results: Out of 276 consecutive cases of placenta previa progressing to caesarean section during the study period, …

Optimizing Teaching Effectiveness In Dental Education For A New Generation Of Learners, Christopher J Walinski, Joe C Ontiveros, Fei Liu, Geralyn Crain, Saynur Vardar-Sengul

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Today's dental students, Generation Z (Gen Z), are said to learn differently than those of previous generations. As generations of dental students vary, our teaching styles must keep up with unique and changing groups of individuals.

Methods: This article discusses learner-focused teaching methods including techniques that address the characteristics of Gen Z learners. Blended learning methods that combine online media with traditional face-to-face sessions, team-based learning, and a flipped classroom format have previously been suggested as ways to increase learning effectiveness and student satisfaction.

Results: In this paper, the characteristics and preferences of Gen Z students are described along …

Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Intervention With Safety Net Clinics To Improve Mammography Apointment Adherence Among Underserved Women, Jennifer Holcomb, Suja S Rajan, Gayla M Ferguson, Jiali Sun, Gretchen H Walton, Linda Highfield

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Peace of Mind Program is an evidence-based intervention to improve mammography appointment adherence in underserved women. The aim of this study was to assess effectiveness of the intervention and implementation of the intervention in safety net clinics. The intervention was implemented through a non-randomized stepped wedge cluster hybrid study design with 19 Federally Qualified Health Centers and charity care clinics within the Greater Houston area. A multivariable generalized estimating equation logistic regression was conducted to examine mammography appointment adherence. A survey assessing Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research constructs was also conducted with clinic staff prior to adoption and eight …

Sexual Behaviors And Human Papillomavirus Vaccination In A Heterosexually Active Adult Population At Increased Risk For Hiv Infection, Trisha L Amboree, Paige P Wermuth, Jane R Montealegre, Kayo Fujimoto, Osaro Mgbere, Charles Darkoh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually acquired infection in the US. Vaccination is effective against infection with high-risk HPV strains, yet HPV vaccine coverage is lower in the US than the national target. This study aimed to determine the relationship between sexual behaviors and HPV vaccination in a heterosexually active population at increased risk for HIV infection. Data from 380 participants aged 18-45 years obtained from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system increased risk heterosexuals cycle 5 (2019) in Houston, Texas, was analyzed. RDS-Analyst was used to generate population-based descriptive statistics. Modified Poisson regression models clustered on recruitment …

February 2023, Swosu Bulldog Wellness Committee

SWOSU BULLDOG WELLNESS

February Is American Heart Month

February is the month for love and celebrating Valentine’s, but it is also American Heart month. While heart disease can be deadly, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Economic Evaluation Of An Intervention To Prevent Adolescent Dating Violence (Me & You), Ellerie Weber, Melissa F Peskin, Christine M Markham, Ross Shegog, Elizabeth R Baumler, Robert C Addy, Jeff R Temple, Belinda Hernandez, Paula Cuccaro, Melanie A Thiel, Efrat K Gabay, Susan Tortolero Emery

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Me & You: Building Healthy Relationships (Me & You) is a multilevel, technology-enhanced adolescent dating violence (DV) prevention program that aimed to reduce DV among ethnic-minority, early adolescent, urban youth. A group-randomized control trial of Me & You, conducted with 10 middle schools from a large urban school district in Southeast Texas in 2014–2015, found it to be effective in reducing DV perpetration and decreasing some forms of DV victimization. Economic evaluations of DV interventions are extremely limited, despite calls for more economic analyses to be incorporated in research. We help fill this gap by evaluating the cost-effectiveness from the …

Acculturation, Dietary Behaviors, And Macronutrient Intake Among Mexican Americans With Prediabetes: The Starr County Diabetes Prevention Initiative, Sharon A Brown, Heather A Becker, Alexandra A García, Mary M Velasquez, Hirofumi Tanaka, Mary A Winter, William B Perkison, Eric L Brown, David Aguilar, Craig L Hanis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine the influences of sex and acculturation on dietary behaviors, macronutrient intake, and dietary quality in participants enrolled in a diabetes prevention initiative in Starr County, Texas.

METHODS: Baseline data from the Starr County diabetes prevention study (N = 300) were analyzed-acculturation (country of origin, years in Starr County, language and food preferences), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), healthy eating self-efficacy (Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire-Short Form), diet quality (USDA Healthy Eating Index), fat avoidance (Fat Avoidance Scale, Spanish version), and macronutrients. Descriptive statistics and univariate analysis of covariance were used to examine …

Disparities In Fertility-Sparing Treatment And Use Of Assisted Reproductive Technology After A Diagnosis Of Cervical, Ovarian, Or Endometrial Cancer, Kirsten Jorgensen, Clare Meernik, Chi-Fang Wu, Caitlin C Murphy, Valerie L Baker, Peiton Jarmon, Paula C Brady, Roni Nitecki, Hazel B Nichols, Jose Alejandro Rauh-Hain

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: to assess the presence of sociodemographic and clinical disparities in fertility-sparing treatment and assisted reproductive technology (ART) use among patients with a history of cervical, endometrial, or ovarian cancer.

METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study of patients aged 18-45 years who were diagnosed with cervical cancer (stage IA, IB), endometrial cancer (grade 1, stage IA, IB), or ovarian cancer (stage IA, IC) between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2015, using linked data from the CCR (California Cancer Registry), the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. The primary outcome …

Randomized Controlled Trial Of The Behavioral Intervention For Increasing Physical Activity In Multiple Sclerosis Project: Secondary, Patient-Reported Outcomes, Robert W. Motl, Brian M. Sandroff, Lara A. Pilutti, Gary R. Cutter, Roberto Aldunate, Ariel Kidwell, Rachel E. Bollaert

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Background

We undertook a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that investigated the effectiveness of a theory-based, Internet-delivered, behavioral intervention focusing on physical activity promotion for immediate and sustained improvements in secondary, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of function, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Method

Persons with MS (N = 318) were recruited from throughout the United States and randomized into behavioral intervention (n = 159) or attention/social contact control (n = 159) conditions. The conditions were administered over a 6-month period by persons who were uninvolved in screening, recruitment, random assignment, and outcome assessment. There …

Depression, Anxiety, And Physical Activity In Older Adults With Multiple Sclerosis, Rachel E. Bollaert, C. Danielle Jones, Petra Silic, Robert W. Motl

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

This study examined levels of depression and anxiety symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores), and self-reported (Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire), and accelerometer-measured physical activity in older adults with multiple sclerosis (n = 40) compared with age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 40). We observed differences in depression, anxiety, and physical activity between groups and further observed that minutes/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity partially accounted for group differences in depression scores. We provide preliminary support for research examining approaches for increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity and possibly reducing depression symptoms in older adults with …

Using Exterior Housing Conditions To Predict Elevated Pediatric Blood Lead Levels., Neal J Wilson, Elizabeth Friedman, Kevin Kennedy, Panayiotis T. Manolakos, Lori Reierson, Amy Roberts, Steve Simon

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Housing-based lead paint dust is the most common source of lead exposure for US-born children. Although year of housing construction is a critical indicator of the lead hazard to US children, not all housing of the same age poses the same risk to children. Additional information about housing condition is required to differentiate the housing-based lead risk at the parcel level. This study aimed to identify and assess a method for gathering and using observations of exterior housing conditions to identify active housing-based lead hazards at the parcel level. We used a dataset of pediatric blood lead observations (sample years …

Ampk Regulates Homeostasis Of Invasion And Viability In Trophoblasts By Redirecting Glucose Metabolism: Implications For Pre-Eclampsia, Ping Xu, Yangxi Zheng, Jiujiang Liao, Mingyu Hu, Yike Yang, Baozhen Zhang, Mark D Kilby, Huijia Fu, Yamin Liu, Fumei Zhang, Liling Xiong, Xiyao Liu, Huili Jin, Yue Wu, Jiayu Huang, Tingli Han, Li Wen, Rufei Gao, Yong Fu, Xiujun Fan, Hongbo Qi, Philip N Baker, Chao Tong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is deemed an ischemia-induced metabolic disorder of the placenta due to defective invasion of trophoblasts during placentation; thus, the driving role of metabolism in PE pathogenesis is largely ignored. Since trophoblasts undergo substantial glycolysis, this study aimed to investigate its function and regulatory mechanism by AMPK in PE development. Metabolomics analysis of PE placentas was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Trophoblast-specific AMPKα1-deficient mouse placentas were generated to assess morphology. A mouse PE model was established by Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure, and placental AMPK was modulated by nanoparticle-delivered A769662. Trophoblast glucose uptake was measured by 2-NBDG and 2-deoxy-d-[

Inspire : Vol 6, Issue 2, Department Of Medicine

INSPIRE – Department of Medicine Archives

• Message from the Chair
• Medicine at National and International Forums
• Pan Arab Union of Neurological Societies
• APPNA Merit HIV Awareness, Prevention and Education Project in Pakistan
• International Women Leaders Summit
• Early Career Researcher Training Grant – The Association of Commonwealth Universities
• Life Saving Training in Sindh under PLSP by AKU
• In-depth- featuring Dr Osman Faheem
• Featured Person: Dr. Saadia Farooqui | Senior Manager “You’ll never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have”
• Poem Section - If by Rudyard Kipling
• What are Academics Around the World Reading This Month?
• Publications

Patient-Level And System-Level Determinants Of Stroke Fatality Across 16 Large Hospitals In Ghana And Nigeria: A Prospective Cohort Study, Fred S. Sarfo, Onoja M. Akpa, Bruce Ovbiagele, Albert Akpalu, Kolawole Wahab, Reginald Obiako, Morenikeji Komolafe, Lukman Owolabi, Godwin Ogbole, Philip Adebayo

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Every minute, six indigenous Africans develop new strokes. Patient-level and system-level contributors to early stroke fatality in this region are yet to be delineated. We aimed to identify and quantify the contributions of patient-level and system-level determinants of inpatient stroke fatality across 16 hospitals in Ghana and Nigeria.

Methods: The Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network (SIREN) is a multicentre study involving 16 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Cases include adults (aged ≥18 years) with clinical and radiological evidence of an acute stroke. Data on stroke services and resources available at each study site were collected and analysed as …

Does Mainstream Brca Testing Affect Surgical Decision-Making In Newly-Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients?, Quratul Ain, Caroline Richardson, Miriam Mutebi, Angela George, Zoe Kemp, Jennifer E. Rusby

General Surgery, East Africa

Background: Germline pathogenic variants mutations) in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes cause an increased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Mainstream cancer genetic testing (MCG) was introduced for breast cancer patients in our unit in 2013. Non-geneticist clinicians have been trained to offer genetic testing during initial treatment planning. We assessed the impact of timely test results on surgical decision-making.

Methods: Women who had undergone mainstream genetic testing for breast cancer between September 2013 and September 2018 were identified from a prospective database. Surgical data were collected retrospectively.

Results: 580 eligible women had mainstream genetic testing. …

Engineered Plga Nanofibers For Drug Delivery, Andrew Mancuso

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) polymers are rapidly gaining momentum as a platform for next-generation drug delivery systems due to their ease and low cost of synthesis, favorable biocompatibility and biodegradability, and lack of toxicity. In particular, the application of drug-loaded PLGA nanofibers directly to a target tissue may represent a promising alternative to traditional routes of drug administration (e.g., oral, injectable) as they offer the potential to greatly improve bioavailability, increase efficacy, and reduce off-target toxicity. Furthermore, the use of such a system may potentially allow for greater flexibility in clinical drug development, by enabling the use of compounds which have …

Factors Associated With Technology Adoption By Community-Dwelling Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elizabeth A. Sutton

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront the disparity between older and younger Americans in the utilization of information and communication technologies (ICT) when measures such as the COVID vaccine rollout were dependent on technology use. Technology adoption has implications for overall health and the continuation of disparities in technology adoption is associated with poor aging outcomes. The aim of this study was to understand factors associated with technology adoption by community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. A nationally representative sample of 2,954 community-dwelling older adults who completed the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) COVID-19 Questionnaire was …

Perception And Emotional Experiences Of Medical Students Towards Human Cadaveric Dissection Across Culture, Jickssa Gemuchu, Abdo Jurjus, Jason Wasserman, Abay Zenebe, Eiman Abdel Meguid, Inaya Hajj Hussein

Conference Presentation Abstracts

No abstract provided.

The Interfaith Dental Program Of Michigan, William J. Danaher, Jr M.Div, Phd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

In the wake of the fall of Kabul in August 2021, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees found temporary shelter at American airbases, prompting non-profit organizations and faith communities to assist in their resettlement. The Rev. Dr. William J. Danaher Jr. details the efforts of Christ Church Cranbrook and the Muslim Unity Center in Michigan to address the healthcare needs of Afghan refugees, particularly in dental care. Facing language and cultural barriers, they established an Interfaith Refugee Dental Program that successfully provided critical dental services to these refugees. The program's collaborative and humanitarian approach has improved the refugees' well-being and …

Advocacy Spotlight: The Mda Grassroots Program: Advocacy That Works!, Neema Katibai Jd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The Michigan Dental Association's (MDA) Grassroots Legislative Advocacy Program, launched in 2011, continues to thrive, with active member participation in 2022. Over 145 MDA members and legislator contacts at 23 events showcased the program's effectiveness. Connecting members with their legislators fosters personal connections, reinforces the MDA as a dental resource, and offers a unique local perspective on key issues. With many new legislators taking office in 2023, the grassroots program will remain vital in the MDA's advocacy efforts. The facing page provides a description of the MDA 2023 legislative priorities.