Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

10-21-25 Bor Hsc Committee Notice Of Meeting Revised, Patricia Serna

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

10-21-25 BOR HSC Committee Notice of Meeting Revised

Une Com Research And Scholarship Fall Forum October 2025, Une Com Research & Scholarship

Osteopathic Student Research Symposia

Program including abstracts from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine’s 2025 Research and Scholarship Fall Forum.

Supplemental content: List of award winners.

Health-Related Quality Of Life In Covid-19 Patients: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Eq-5d Studies, Kidu Gidey, Yirga Legesse Niriayo, Solomon Weldegebreal Asgedom, Erica I. Lubetkin

Publications and Research

Background

COVID-19 has affected millions globally, with a significant proportion experiencing long-COVID and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the existing literature on HRQoL in COVID-19 patients.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library for studies published between December 2019 and March 2025. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed and assessed HRQoL in COVID-19 patients using the EQ-5D instrument. Study quality and risk of bias were evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Pooled health utility values were estimated using a random-effects model, and heterogeneity was …

Culturally Tailored Guide For South Asian Dementia Caregivers, Lydia Skaria

Occupational Therapy Student Scholarship

Capstone poster presentation from the The Minute Thesis Competition on Binghamton University Campus.

Increasing Clinical Internal Mobility Through A Student Nurse Technician Program, Radiance G. Bean

EBP Fellowship

Practice Problem: Currently 67% of internal applicants are hired into our nurse residency program. Feedback from nursing leadership suggests internal candidates often fall short in areas like interviewing skills and professionalism, making external candidates stronger. Given the higher education resources provided to team members and our organization’s commitment to internal mobility, identifying ways to support employees and retaining top nursing talent is a priority. Our EBP question is: Will participation in a Student Nurse Technician (SNT) program increase the percentage of Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) in good standing that are accepted into the nurse residency compared to the current …

Elevating Nursing Leadership: How Nurse Managers Empower Unit Practice Councils, Katie Fields

EBP Fellowship

Problem: Unit Practice Councils (UPCs) are foundational to Nursing Professional Governance (NPG), a structure that is designed to foster autonomy, accountability and authority for nurses. These councils are vital for empowering nurses to engage in decision-making and implementing practice changes. At one large pediatric hospital, UPC effectiveness varied across units, largely due to differences in nurse manager engagement and support. This variation highlighted a critical gap in how nurse managers were supporting UPCs within their unit. To close this gap, it was important to identify leadership best practices and behaviors that lead to successful UPCs. The following PICOT question …

Combating Obesity: Creating A Comprehensive Wellness Plan For Uninsured & Low-Income Populations, Kayla C. Berrios

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Aim: The aim of this project was to research the specific barriers encountered by obese patients that are low-income and uninsured. The goal of this data collection was to inform the stakeholders involved in creating a comprehensive wellness plan for obese patients.

Background: The staff at Good Neighbor Clinic have struggled to support their support their obese patients with weight reduction. Many of the ailments that patients seek care for correlate to their obesity. Health promotion in this community clinic needs a more comprehensive program to support patients during their weight loss experience, providing support and resources to allow for …

Exploring Barriers To Patient Care In A South Carolina Free Clinic, Jonathan G. Green

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Access to healthcare remains a persistent challenge for medically underserved populations who rely on free medical clinics for primary care services, particularly in non-Medicaid expansion states such as South Carolina. Free clinics serve as critical safety-net providers, yet patients frequently encounter barriers that limit access, continuity, and quality of care. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to explore and identify the structural, social, and interprofessional barriers to patient care within a South Carolina free medical clinic to inform targeted, evidence-based interventions. A mixed-methods needs assessment design was used, combining a retrospective chart review of forty …

Empowering Mothers: A Digital Intervention For Perinatal Mental Wellness, Morgan Edmunds

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Aim: The aim of this project was to develop a smartphone application prototype for peripartum mental health. The goal of this application was to enhance access to education and quality mental health care.

Background: Currently, in the United States, peripartum mental health conditions are the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality (The Joint Commission, 2023). There is a gap in education, screening, and treatment for peripartum mental health due to distrust and a lack of resources, including a lack of mental health providers (Dossette et al., 2024; Feldman & Perret, 2023). Therefore, there is a significant number of women …

Prenatal Exposure To Domestic Violence And Its Impact On Infant Stress-Response Development, Erica Cooper

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Fall Expo Online Poster Presentation

• Health Sciences & Health Professions
• Social & Behavioral Sciences

Persistent Chemicals In Particulate Matter (Pm) Near A Hazardous Waste Thermal Treatment Facility, Chuqi Guo, Martine E. Mathieu-Campbell, Thomas Blanchard, Lavrent Khachatryan, Md Abdullah Al-Mamun, Qingzhao Yu, Myron Lard, Oluwafeyikemi Ogunmusi, Brenda Vallee, Wilma Subra, Iriel Edwards, David Malone, Slawo Lomnicki, Stephania A. Cormier, Jennifer Richmond-Bryant

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Colfax, an overburdened community in central Louisiana, hosts the last commercially-operated open-burn/open-detonation (OB/OD) hazardous waste thermal treatment facility in the United States. Until December 2023 when their permit disallowed OB/OD, the facility processed military waste, fireworks, propellants, soils excavated from Superfund sites, and other hazardous materials. This community-engaged study measured ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and metals using two high-volume PM2.5 samplers deployed 1.2 mi and 9.0 mi from the facility from April, 2022 through February, 2023. Elevated PM2.5 concentrations were recorded at both sites during spring and summer 2022. …

Venezuelan Migrants In Prostitution: A Personal Decision?, Yazmin Maria Lucila Cadena Camargo, Izara Maite Mondragon Moreno, Isabela Osorio Jaramillo, Paula Angélica Suárez Álvarez, Andrés Duarte Osorio, Carlos Gómez-Restrepo

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This paper explores the multifaceted experiences of Venezuelan migrant women engaged in prostitution, framed through three critical moments: the “decision to enter in prostitution,” the unique abuses faced, and the resultant consequences on mental, physical, and social health. The study highlights how socioeconomic vulnerabilities—exacerbated by migration and poverty—significantly influence the likelihood of entering prostitution. It also shows how traumatic experiences, particularly in childhood and adolescence, coupled with a lack of support networks, contribute to a heightened risk of exploitation. Eleven life stories were collected through a phenomenological approach, revealing a common narrative of abuse, poverty, and the search for survival …

Adipose Tissue Estrogen Receptor-Alpha Overexpression Ameliorates High-Fat Diet–Induced Adipose Tissue Inflammation, Marion C. Hope, Christian A. Unger, M Chase Kettering, Cassidy E. Socia, Ahmed K. Aladhami, Barton C. Rice, Darya S. Niamira, Ben P. Wiznitzer, Diego Altomare Ph.D., William E. Cotham, Reilly T. Enos

Faculty Publications

Context

We created an innovative mouse model that enables inducible overexpression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα), specifically in adipose tissue (Adipo-ERα↑). Objective

We aimed to investigate how elevated Adipo-ERα↑ influences the development of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity in both male and female mice. Methods

Male and female Adipo-ERα↑ mice and littermate controls were fed a low-fat diet (LFD) or HFD for 13 weeks. Adipo-ERα↑ was induced at the initiation of dietary treatment. Body morphology and composition, hepatic lipid accumulation, glucose tolerance, fasting insulin concentrations, and adipose tissue mRNA profiling were assessed. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to determine circulating and adipose …

Genetic Architecture Of Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities In Diverse Hispanic/Latino Adults, Myriam Fornage, Rui Xia, Adriana Ordonez, Tamar Sofer, Carmen R Isasi, Richard B Lipton, Ariana M Stickel, Wassim Tarraf, Hector M Gonzalez, Charles S Decarli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and objectives: Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on MRI are part of the spectrum of age-related brain vascular injury and are associated with increased risk of stroke and dementia. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) conducted mostly in populations of European ancestry have identified several genetic loci. Although Hispanic/Latino adults have a greater burden of WMHs than their non-Hispanic White counterparts, they are vastly underrepresented in genetic studies. We sought to characterize the genetic architecture of WMHs in a Hispanic/Latino cohort by investigating the transferability of known WMH genetic loci and by leveraging Hispanic/Latino genetic diversity to map novel loci.

Methods: …

Effects Of Group Socialization Programming On Pain, Social Isolation And Loneliness In Rheumatoid Arthritis, Tina Zheng

Occupational Therapy Student Scholarship

Capstone poster presentation from the The Minute Thesis Competition on Binghamton University Campus.

Sensory Processing Education For Substance Use Prevention, Brenna Destefano

Occupational Therapy Student Scholarship

Capstone poster presentation from the The Minute Thesis Competition on Binghamton University Campus.

A Scoping Review Of Oral Feeding Skill Development In Typically Developing Children Part Ii: Exploring Variability In Oral Feeding Skill Descriptions, Amy Delaney, Anna Flatt, Hannah Koepp, Alissa Fial, Katherine C. Hustad

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose:

This scoping review is the second in a two-part series that aims to synthesize the literature on oral feeding skills development and to create a classification system of observable skills. Building on the findings from Part 1, this article compiles and analyzes the types of feeding skills reported across studies and proposes a framework for standardizing terminology.

Method:

The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Of the 14 studies identified in Part 1 that focused on feeding skill development, 11 included unique skill descriptions. These skills were coded and …

Herding Cats: Reflections On Designing And Implementing An Interprofessional Education Simulation, Valerie M. Wright, Antony Joseph

Faculty Publications - Mennonite College of Nursing

No abstract provided.

Therapeutic Silencing Of Integrin Α11 Attenuates Myofibroblast Activation In Vocal Fold Fibrosis, Linh P. Schiffer, Ryan M. Friedman, Yashna Gupta, Riccardo Gottardi

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Vocal fold scarring (VFS), a fibrotic condition of the lamina propria, commonly results from prolonged intubation or laryngeal trauma and leads to impaired vocal function and often irreversible dysphonia. Following injury, fibroblasts are activated by proinflammatory cytokines—particularly transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1)—which induces their differentiation into contractile, ECM-producing myofibroblasts. A key marker of this activation is alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA). Among the drivers of this fibrotic response is integrin α11β1, a collagen-binding transmembrane protein encoded by the ITGA11 gene. ITGA11 has been implicated in multiple fibrotic diseases due to its role in enhancing TGFβ1 signaling and promoting myofibroblast activation. …

Shsp Dean's Newsletter, Fall 2025, Robert W. Amler

SHSP Dean’s Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Concussion Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors: A Comparison Study Of Youth Athletes And Their Parents, Summer D Ott, Sukhnandan K Cheema, Holden Axel, Seema S Aggarwal, Natalie R Parks, Nikhil Gattu, Philip Schatz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Given the rising participation in high school athletics and the concerning trend of underreporting concussions, this study aims to identify and compare factors influencing sports-related concussion (SRC) awareness and reporting among youth athletes to their parents.'

Methods: Surveys were completed by 239 student-athletes (ages 13-19) and their parents, using a modified Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey-Student Version (RoCKAS-ST) and demographic questionnaires. Statistical analyses, including paired sample t-tests, ANOVAs, and Spearman's correlations, compared knowledge and attitudes between groups and examined demographic influences.

Results: Parents showed significantly higher concussion knowledge (CKI: t(230) = 5.18, p < .001) and safer attitudes (CAI: t(230) = 10.62, p < .001) than their children. Knowledge scores varied significantly by race and socioeconomic status, with White parents scoring higher than Hispanic and African American parents (F(3,224) = 8.97, p < .001). Child knowledge scores also differed by race (F(4,223) = 3.73, p = .006) …

Neonatal Early-Onset Sepsis: It’S Not Always What You Think, Gabriela M. Henriquez, Kedar Tilak, Douglas Swanson, Susana Chavez-Bueno

Posters

No abstract provided.

Decorin Evokes A Pro-Lysosomal Pathway In Lymphatic Endothelial Cells, Gabriel J. Pascal, Dipon K. Mondal, Sadie Kim, Christopher Xie, Devanarayanan Siva Sankar, Jörn Dengjel, Renato V. Iozzo

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

The lymphatic system is critical to the body's immune and circulatory system, and lymphangiogenesis, the development of new lymphatic vessels from pre-existing ones is a significant process capitalized upon by cancer during tumorigenesis. Decorin is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan which we have previously shown to be anti-tumorigenic and a suppressor of lymphangiogenesis. We have also shown that decorin exercises its anticancer properties through its ability to evoke autophagy. Through a comprehensive and unbiased proteomic analysis, we explored the implications of decorin exposure on protein expression within mouse lymphatic endothelial cells. We discovered that decorin enriches several protein pathways, notably proteasomal …

A Case-Based Video Review Of Arteriovenous Fistulae, Jonathan J. Russin, Stavropoula Tjoumakaris, Mika Niemela, Erez Nossek, Jeffrey Steinberg, Sepideh Amin-Hanjani

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

October 2025, Swosu Rural Health Center

RURAL ROCKS

• SWOSU Doctor in Community Health (DCH)

• Hospitals with highest price markups for elective surgeries have worse outcomes, researchers find

• HHS Final Rule Expands Real-Time Prescription Access, Eases Prior Authorization Burdens

• Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Update of the PTSD Repository Evidence Base

• Retail pharmacy is adapting to meet local needs

• IZ Express Sept 24, 2025

Screen Time, Physical Activity, And Vo₂Max In Indonesian Vocational School Adolescents (Aged 15–17): A Cross-Sectional Study, Cahyo Wibowo, Yahya Eko Nopiyanto, Angkit Kinasih, Asarya Reno Kombong, Dian Pujianto, Bayu Insanistyo

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Physical activity and screen time influence many adolescent' fitness problems. This research aims to determine the relationship between screen time and physical activity on adolescent students' cardio-respiratory endurance (VO2max). This research used observational analysis with a cross-sectional study involving 70 teenage students at an Information and Network Technology Vocational School consisting of male and female teenage students. The Screen Time of Adolescents (QUEST) questionnaire was used to assess screen time, the physical activity instrument used the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ v2.0) to assess physical activity levels, and the VO2max instrument used the 20-meter Multistage Fitness Test (MFT). The data …

Association Between Suboptimal Health Status And Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study Of 1,028 Medical Students In Punjab, Pakistan, Maleha Asim, Misbah Malik, Aneela Jamil, Raheela Yasmin, Ghazala Jawwad, Wajahat Ullah Khan

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Background: Suboptimal health status (SHS) refers to the transitional period between health and illness, characterized by unexplained symptoms and premature changes in functional status without a known medical diagnosis. Objective: The aim is to examine how often SHS occurs and how lifestyle factors influence both SHS and the academic success of medical students. Methods: A Cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 2024 to September 2024 with first- to fifth-year medical students from four randomly chosen medical colleges in Punjab, Pakistan. The Suboptimal Health Measurement Scale (SHMS V1.0), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Scale (HPLS) were used to …

Identification Of Characteristics And Incidence Of Injuries In Pencak Silat Athletes In The Adult Competition Category In East Java, Dinda Farida Putri Bahari, Kurniati Rahayuni

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Background: Pencak silat, as a competitive sport, has a high risk of injury. However, data on its characteristics and causative factors during pre-match and matches in East Java are still limited. Objective: This study aims to identify the characteristics and incidence of injuries in adult sparring category pencak silat athletes in East Java during training and matches. Methods: Using a quantitative descriptive method with a cross-sectional survey approach. Data were collected through a survey distributed to 100 athletes (61 men and 31 women) aged 17-22 years from 11 cities/districts in East Java, including information on injury characteristics and causal factors. …

Neuromuscular Hamstring Profile Based On Strength Imbalance As A Basis For Injury Prevention In Youth Football Players, Yulingga Nanda Hanief, Sri Sumartiningsih, Setya Rahayu, Heny Setyawati, Hadi Hadi, Karol Karol Jaskulski

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Background: Hamstring strength imbalance between the left and right sides has been identified as a factor contributing to increased injury risk in athletes. However, few studies have evaluated not only bilateral strength differences but also the magnitude of clinically significant imbalances in various hamstring strength parameters. Objective: This study aims to analyze bilateral hamstring muscle asymmetry in terms of maximum, average, and maximum impulse strength, and to evaluate whether the distribution of high imbalances reaches clinically relevant thresholds associated with potential injury risk. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional observational study. Twenty athletes (n = 20) underwent hamstring strength measurements …

The Current State Of Diagnostics For Neuroimmunological Disorders In Africa, Malya Sahu, Mashina Chomba, Fiifi Duodu, Monica Diaz, Dilraj Sokhi, Deanna Saylor

Internal Medicine, East Africa

The epidemiology of neuroimmunological disorders in Africa remains poorly understood. Regional variation in diagnostics and provider knowledge has led to challenges in real-world application of diagnostic criteria. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of clinicians practicing in Africa to characterize the current state of clinical diagnostic resources and developed a clinician-driven prioritized action plan. 130 respondents from 24 out of 54 countries in Africa participated (44% national response rate). Most respondents specialized in neurology (n = 86, 66%) and practiced in an urban setting (n = 84, 65%). While all participating countries had access to a neurologist and ophthalmologist, only half …