Associations Between Neighborhood Disadvantage, Cannabis Use, And Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Patients With Cancer, Brittney Greene, Shilpa Ghosh, Craig Colder, Salimah Meghani, Brooke Worster, Rebecca Ashare

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Cannabis use is proliferating among oncological populations. However, research is limited on whether cannabis routes and sources are associated with neighborhood disadvantage and whether it moderates the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). This analysis evaluates the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and cannabis source and route, and their association with PROs.

METHODS: Analyses included 106 patients with cancer from varying levels of neighborhood disadvantage. Logistic regressions tested the association of neighborhood disadvantage with cannabis source (i.e., regulated vs. unregulated) and route (i.e., inhaled vs. consumed/other formulations). Multilevel regressions tested the association of neighborhood disadvantage with PROs (e.g., …

Updated Trends In The Global Prevalence And Burden Of Mental Disorders, 1990–2023: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2023, Damian F. Santomauro, Paul Anthony Miller, Jamileh Shadid, Sarah Wulf Hanson, Anh Vo, Darius Jake Roy, Hailey Hagins, Ana M. Mantilla Herrera, James G. Scott, Holly E. Erskine, John J. Mcgrath, Hasan Aalruz, Hedayat Abbastabar, Nadin M.I. Abdel Razeq, Ahmed Abdelrahman Abdelgalil, Ali Abdolizadeh, Deldar Morad Abdulah, Abisola Esther Abdulmalik, Meklit Girma Abebe, Mesfin Abebe, Habtamu Abebe Getahun, Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga, Olifan Zewdie Abil, Richard Gyan Aboagye, Shady Abohashem, Abdullahi Tunde Aborode, Moaz Elsayed Abouelmagd, Mohammad T. Abuawwad

All Works

Background The 2023 iteration of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) estimated prevalence, incidence, and health burden for 375 diseases and injuries, including 12 mental disorders. We assess past, current, and emerging trends in the prevalence and burden of mental disorders across sexes and age groups, for 21 regions, 204 countries and territories, and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile, from 1990 to 2023. Methods Mental disorders included in GBD 2023 were anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, conduct disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, idiopathic developmental intellectual …

Psychological Strain And Infrastructure Deficit And The Decision To Migrate Among Healthcare Workers From Lagos, Nigeria, Fatima Adeboye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education To Emergency Department Professional Nurses, Florence Chukwuneke Chukwuneke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Parent Phone Use Regulation Efficacy Scale (P-Pure): Initial Validation And Associations With Problematic Smartphone Use, Self-Regulation, Impulsivity, Mindfulness, And Self-Efficacy, Brandon T. Mcdaniel, Sabrina Uva, Adam M. Galovan

Health Services and Informatics Research

Parents often rely on smartphones in daily life. While smartphones offer benefits, they also present challenges, such as potential distraction and delayed responsiveness. It is also possible that problematic smartphone habits may develop, such as repeated checking or difficulty controlling use. Furthermore, self-efficacy around regulating one’s phone use is tied to the ability to change, meaning self-efficacy could be a key mechanism impacting the effectiveness of interventions regarding problematic phone use. Thus, we developed and explored the validity of the Parent Phone Use Regulation Efficacy Scale (P-PURE) to assess parents’ self-efficacy in managing phone use around their children. We developed …

Implementing Cbt-I Coach App Education During Initial Psychiatric Evaluations At The Va Pec: A Provider-Facing Quality Improvement Initiative, Sarah J. Kang

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Objective: This evidence-based practice project aims to increase provider implementation of gold standard insomnia treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), by integrating CBT-I Coach app education into initial psychiatric evaluations within a VA psychiatric emergency clinic (PEC).

Background: Insomnia is highly prevalent among veterans and commonly co-occurs with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. National guidelines from the VA, DoD, and American Academy of Sleep Medicine endorse CBT-I as first-line treatment. Despite this, pharmacotherapy is the dominating intervention in psychiatric emergency settings. The CBT-I Coach app offers evidence-based CBT-I as a free, VA-developed digital tool, but it remains underutilized in acute …

Closing The Detection Gap: Early Recognition Of Hospital Onset Sepsis With News2, Anthony Bernardo

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Sepsis is the leading cause of in-hospital death and the most expensive inpatient condition in the United States, yet federal quality policy still relies on outdated Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Management Bundle (SEP-1), creating fragmented, inequitable recognition of hospital-onset sepsis across U.S. acute-care hospitals. This health policy analysis evaluates the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) as an evidence-aligned replacement for SIRS-based SEP-1 trigger criteria within a hybrid governmental-organizational policy strategy for adult acute care inpatients. Guided by Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework and an …

Improving Nurse Competency In Vascular Occlusion Prevention And Management, Arielle Victoria Madayag

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Vascular occlusion is a rare, but serious complication of dermal filler injections that can lead to severe adverse outcomes, including tissue necrosis and vision loss. As the demand for minimally invasive cosmetic procedures increases, proper nurse education and preparedness in managing vascular complications remain essential to ensuring patient safety.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured educational session combined with simulation-based training on nurses’ knowledge, confidence, and clinical competency in recognizing and managing vascular occlusion associated with dermal filler injections.

Methods: A pretest-posttest educational intervention design was used. Four registered nurses (N=4) employed at a medical spa participated …

Enhancing Primary Care Provider’S Knowledge And Use Of Long-Acting And Oral Naltrexone In The Management Of Opioid And Alcohol Use Disorder, Ariana Juarez-Moncada

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

Objective: This evidence-based project aimed to enhance primary care provider knowledge and prescription rates of naltrexone and long-acting injectable (LAI) naltrexone in a community healthcare setting.

Background: Naltrexone and LAI naltrexone pharmacotherapy is shown to reduce use of alcohol and opioids and improve client retention in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) (Bahji et al., 2020; Morley et al., 2024; Murphy et al., 2022).

Methods: A 30-minute in-service was provided to 14 family practice providers at the clinic. The prescription rate of naltrexone and LAI naltrexone was evaluated for the baseline period of February …

Empowering Recovery: Implementing Ace Screenings To Enhance Care For Patients With Substance Use Disorders, Joshua Wolf

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Objective: This evidence-based practice project evaluated the impact of implementing adverse childhood experience (ACE) screenings for patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) in an outpatient community behavioral health clinic.

Background: ACEs are strongly associated with an increased risk of developing SUDs, chronic medical comorbidities, and negative treatment outcomes. Despite consistent evidence supporting the need for identification of ACEs and implementing trauma-informed care, standardized ACE screening is not routinely incorporated into outpatient SUD treatment, potentially limiting the identification of the need for education and referrals.

Methods: The ACE Questionnaire for Adults was implemented during routine psychiatric visits for patients diagnosed with …

Intimate Partner Violence Screening And Awareness Pilot Project, Eleasha P. Partner

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: In the United States, one in four women experiences intimate partner violence (IPV), highlighting the critical need for improved screening and intervention within the healthcare system. Routine visits in healthcare settings present a significant opportunity for healthcare providers to identify and address IPV.

Local Problem: A primary care family practice clinic in San Leandro, California , currently lacks a standardized evidence-based screening toolkit for IPV.  The absence of such a toolkit creates a gap in practice, leaving patients at risk of undiagnosed IPV and its related consequences.  To address this gap, there is a pressing need for the development …

Ebm And Critical Appraisal In Lis Curricula: Are Health Sciences Librarians Learning What They Need?, Marie T. Ascher, Deborah A. Crooke, Allison E. Piazza

NYMC Faculty Posters

No abstract provided.

Foveate, Dahlia Aggarwal

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates how textiles can unsettle visual assumptions, encouraging a perceptual shift. Through weaving, upholstery, and spatial installation, the work stages a tension between what a surface appears to be and how it is encountered by the body. Through woven pattern, tactile texture, and trompe l’oeil textile surfaces, perception is something negotiated rather than fixed: the eye anticipates one reality while the hand discovers another.

Drawing on a range of sensations gathered from observing landscape formations and textures, it translates enduring scale and material qualities into an interior landscape of woven surfaces and textile-based furniture. Rather than serving as …

The Effects Of Asymmetric Cervical Muscle Fatigue On Cervical Proprioception, Stepping, And Standing Postural Sway, Maryam Homafar

LSU Master's Theses

Background: The cervical spine contributes critically to proprioception and postural control through its dense mechanoreceptor population. The acute effects of asymmetrical cervical muscle fatigue on proprioception, gait, and balance remain understudied, especially considering its widespread occurrence in multiple populations.

Objective: To investigate the acute effects of asymmetrical cervical muscle fatigue on cervical proprioception, stepping ability, and standing postural sway in healthy young adults.

Methods: Eighteen of 25 healthy participants, who met the inclusion criterion of baseline cervical joint position error (CJPE) below 4.5° for left and right rotational directions, completed pre-fatigue and post-fatigue assessments with eyes closed, including CJPE test, …

Identifying Modulators Of Stable Klrg1+Il7ra+ Memory Cd8+ T-Cells, Christina Ocampo Valdez

Honors Projects

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease targeting the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The discovery of insulin revolutionized the treatment of T1D, but current research into T1D has progressed from disease management to possible prevention or delayed onset of diagnosis. One drug currently in use is teplizumab, an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody that has been shown to delay the onset of T1D in some, but not all, at-risk individuals. High levels of a subset of peripheral blood CD8+ T cells we call SKIMs (stable KLRG1+ IL7Ra+ memory cells), which include MAIT (mucosal-associated invariant T) cells, have been associated …

Slouching Towards Inefficiency? The Cardiometabolic And Cognitive Costs Of Poor Posture, Ava Mae Fitzenrider

Honors Projects

Posture affects all of our lives. It is both static and dynamic, adapting continuously to environmental demands. One postural alteration frequently observed in occupational settings is hyperkyphosis, which can be induced by sitting position. During computer use, individuals commonly adopt a slouched posture, which can exacerbate hyperkyphosis, and contribute to dis-ease within the body. Previous research has demonstrated that such postural deviations can negatively affect pulmonary function, as well as other bodily functions. Despite these findings, the effects of acute hyperkyphosis (“slouching”) on cardiometabolic function and cognition remain largely unexplored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the …

Accelerating Wound Healing Rates With Cucurbita Pepo Leaf Extract Loaded Electrospun Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)/Halloysite/Chitosan/ Caco₃ Composite Nanofibers Through In Vitro And In Vivo Assessments, Samar A. Salim

Nanotechnology Research Centre

Cucurbita pepo leaf extract (CPE) was incorporated into electrospun poly(methyl methacrylate)/ halloysite/chitosan/ CaCO₃ (PMMA/Hal/CS/CaCO₃) composite nanofibers to develop a novel biomaterial for accelerating wound healing rates. The different nanofibrous scaffolds were successfully fabricated and characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM analysis revealed uniform, smooth nanofibers, while FTIR and XRD confirmed the integration of CPE into nanofiber matrix, indicating an amorphous structure and effective dispersion of the extract. In vitro agar well-diffusion and antibiofilm assays revealed that the optimized formulation exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against wound-associated pathogens. The nanofibers composite based on …

Advancing School-Based Sexual Reproductive Health Education Through A Fifth-Grade Educator Toolkit, Emira Romero

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Although sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education is a critical component of early health literacy and health promotion, educators remain underprepared to deliver this education. Local Problem: A gap analysis conducted at School A, a public elementary school in the San Francisco Bay Area, revealed the absence of a SRH curriculum for their fifth graders. Methods: A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student-led quality improvement project to introduce a SRH educator toolkit to increase educator confidence and self-efficacy was conducted at School A among fifth grade teachers. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected on implementation day to evaluate the …

Standardizing Preoperative Screening: A Color-Coded Triage Tool Quality Improvement Project, Lyn Green

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Background: Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) require effective preoperative screening to ensure appropriate patient selection and minimize day-of-surgery (DOS) cancellations, which affect patient safety, operational efficiency, and financial performance.

Local Problem: In a Northern California ASC serving a racially diverse, predominantly older-adult population with a high burden of chronic diseases, the DOS cancellation rate was 3.84%, exceeding the 2.3% institutional benchmark. Inconsistent preoperative screening contributed to avoidable cancellations.

Methods: A pre- and post-intervention quality improvement design evaluated the effect of a standardized screening tool and staff education on DOS cancellations.

Interventions: The Preoperative Stoplight Tool, a color-coded triage system classifying …

Cd11c+ Cd8 T Cells Cause Ifn-Γ-Dependent Autoimmune Neuroinflammation That Is Restrained By Pd-1 Signaling, Daniel Hwang, Gholamreza Azizi, Larissa Lumi Watanabe Ishikawa, Maryam S. Seyedsadr, Arin Cox, Soohwa Jang, Ezgi Kasimoglu, Abdolmohamad Rostami, Guang-Xian Zhang, Bogoljub Ciric

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

In multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, CD8 T cells outnumber CD4 T cells, suggesting that they contribute to MS pathology. However, little is known about the role of CD8 T cells in MS, partly due to the prevalent use of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) models mediated by CD4 T cells, which have limited involvement of CD8 T cells. Importantly, MS and EAE differ in both their distribution of CNS lesions and neurologic deficits, indicating differences in CNS inflammation. MS lesions are more commonly found in the brain, whereas EAE lesions are more frequent in the spinal cord. Additionally, neurologic deficits in …

Minimally Invasive Versus Burr Hole Craniostomy For Chronic Subdural Haematoma Evacuation: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Shaan Patel, Shiva A. Nischal, Angelette Mendonca, Kush M. Kale, Santosh Guru, Pious D. Patel, Kevin Hines, Jack Jallo, Srinivas K. Prasad

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has emerged as an appealing alternative to burr hole craniostomy (BHC) for chronic subdural haematoma (cSDH), offering reduced operative trauma and anaesthetic exposure. However, whether these procedural advantages translate into comparable outcomes remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare the safety, effectiveness, and procedural performance of MIS versus BHC for cSDH evacuation, with attention to device-specific outcomes.

METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL (10th November 2025) identified randomised and observational studies directly comparing MIS techniques, including twist-drill craniostomy (TDC), subdural evacuating port systems (SEPS), and YL-1 devices, with BHC. …

Structured Sbar Shift Report Education For Improved Handoff Communication, Tatayana Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education On Timely Lab Result Notification And Documentation, Ekaete Eyara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Deep Cuts: Bearing Witness To The Erosion Of Evidence, Maya Lakshmi Srinivasan Md

Masters Theses

In my Master of Fine Arts thesis in Printmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design, I examine the intersection of my dual practices as a general surgery resident and artist. Both disciplines require precision, incision, and tactility to navigate the human condition. My art practice is a method of processing the emotional toll of surgical training and the simultaneous societal erosion of scientific authority. My thesis work focuses on challenging the rise of medical pseudoscience and anti-intellectualism. The focal piece in this installation, In Tallow We Trust, consists of three woodblock relief prints at the scale of an …

International Multi-Center Study To Quantify The Effect Of Deep Venous Drainage After Surgical Resection Of Spetzler-Martin Grade Ii-Iii Brain Arteriovenous Malformations, Avi A. Gajjar, Rashad Jabarkheel, Mohamed M. Salem, Basel Musmar, Sandeep Kandregula, Hammam Abdalrazeq, Nimer Adeeb, Assala Aslan, Nathan Ramachandran, Stavropoula Tjoumakaris, Hamza Adel Salim, Adam A. Dmytriw, Christopher S. Ogilvy, Mustafa K. Baskaya, Douglas Kondziolka, Jason Sheehan, Howard Riina, Abdallah Abushehab, Kareem El Naamani, Najib Muhammad, Ahmed Abdelsalam, Natasha Ironside, Deepak Kumbhare, Sanjeev Gummadi, Cagdas Ataoglu, Muhammed Amir Essibayi, Abdullah Keles, Sandeep Muram, Daniel Sconzo, Arwin Rezai, Omar Alwakaa, Pierce Davis, Salem M. Tos, Ufuk Erginoglu, Johannes Pöppe, Rajeev D. Sen, Alan S. Boulos, John C. Dalfino, Christoph J. Griessenauer, Robert M. Starke, Laligam N. Sekhar, Michael R. Levitt, David J. Altschul, Neil Haranhalli, Malia Mcavoy, Hussein A. Zeineddine, Adib A. Abla, Saman Sizdahkhani, Sravanthi Koduri, Michael R. Gooch, Robert H. Rosenwasswer Md, Christopher Stapleton, Matthew Koch, Peng R. Chen, Spiros Blackburn, Ketan Bulsara, Louis J. Kim, Omar Choudhri, Bryan Pukenas, Joshua S. Catapano, Darren Orbach, Edward Smith, Pascal J. Mosimann, Alexandra R. Paul, Pascal Jabbour, Ali Alaraj, Mohammad A. Aziz-Sultan, Aman B. Patel, Amey Savardekar, Christina Notarianni, Hugo H. Cuellar, Bharat Guthikonda, Jacques Morcos, Michael Lawton, Jan-Karl Burkhardt, Visish M. Srinivasan

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Deep venous drainage (DVD) is considered a negative prognostic factor in AVM surgery, yet its effect on postoperative functional decline remains incompletely defined. This study evaluates whether DVD predicts worsened functional status after surgical resection of Spetzler-Martin Grade II-III AVMs. This retrospective multicenter study analyzed 129 patients with Spetzler-Martin Grade II-III AVMs across nine centers in North America and Europe who underwent primary surgical resection. We excluded cases with prior endovascular or stereotactic interventions. The primary outcome measured was poor functional status, defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 3-6 at last follow up. Among 129 patients with Spetzler-Martin Grade …

Exploring Clinical Ladder Program Participation Among Operating Room Nurses, Camille Sistoso-Lorenzana

Doctoral Projects

Continuous professional development among nurses is vital, yet not all nurses embark on this career journey. The Clinical Ladder Program (CLP) is a retention strategy among various health institutions to retain talent and improve nurses' satisfaction, but this plan is unappealing or indifferent to some nurses. While the CLP is a motivation tool for nurses to focus on clinical expertise in bedside care (Riley et al., 2009), and resources are available to increase a nurse's chances of successfully advancing the ladder, participation in and perspectives on the CLP remain unknown, especially among operating room nurses. This project is guided by …

Floaters, Kyle Gyumin Dong

Masters Theses

The eye is often regarded as the primary sensory organ of the human body, and the ocular system as our most reliable means of perceiving the world.

With vision, we travel across vast distances through telescopes to expand our knowledge of the observable universe and peer into the hidden world of atoms through microscopes. At the same time, we seek divinity from apparitions in the clouds, broaden the range of colors visible under closed eyelids, and catch a brief glimpse of the future in clairvoyant dreams.

My photographic practice oscillates across this spectrum. Between reason and intuition, between the measurable …

Waterway: A Steam-Based Therapeutic Device System, Mingyuan Dong

Masters Theses

Across history and global cultures, water has played a central and often spiritual role in practices of care, from cleansing rituals to saunas and steam therapies. Yet, within contemporary product design, water is typically treated as a utility rather than as an experiential material capable of shaping perception, attention, and well-being. This thesis, Waterway, investigates how water, specifically in its steam state, can be designed as both a therapeutic medium and a ritualized experience that engages the body and mind.

Waterway proposes a steam-based wellness system that addresses physical pain and somatic discomfort while cultivating slower, more attentive interaction. Rather …

Somatic Prosthetics For Planetary Resonance, Disha Dharesh Kumar R

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates how industrial design can transcend extractive technological paradigms in favor of relational interfaces that foster planetary attunement. Framing the climate crisis as a 'crisis of imagination', the research challenges the Western bifurcation of nature and culture by drawing on Indic cosmologies- which recognize stones, plants, and ecosystems as conscious at different levels and participants in a shared cosmic field. By synthesizing research in Biosemiotics, Quantum Information Pansycishm, and Neuroscience, the project redefines intelligence as a distributed, more-than-human phenomenon.

The research materializes as a speculative design artifact: a device that functions as a somatic prosthetic for planetary resonance. …

Soft Power, Arab Media And Sports Mega Events: Coverage Of Fifa 2022 And Lessons For Future Arab Hosting, Lynne Kennedy, Maaira Shahbaz, Ala Al Rajabi

All Works

Sport mega-events (SMEs) increasingly transcend athletic competition, functioning as strategic instruments for national identity formation, statecraft, and soft power projection. This dynamic is particularly pronounced in the Gulf, where Qatar’s successful hosting reignited regional rivalries and attracted unprecedented global scrutiny. While existing scholars have extensively examined Western media portrayals of SMEs, a notable gap remains for academic engagement with Gulf media. Dismissed as state-controlled and analytically lacking, we contend that such media offer a rich site for exploring how small states use media as soft power, to construct and contest legitimacy, identity, and global influence. This analysis suggests how state-aligned …