Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Resilience In Nursing Education, Kylie P. Newsom

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the feasibility of integrating resilience education into nursing curricula. It evaluates the effects of the Registered Nurse Personal Resilience Enhancement Plan (RN-P.R.E.P.) on resilience and professional quality of life. An integrative review synthesized literature on educational interventions to enhance resilience among health science students, focusing on techniques and targeted internal protective factors. The multi-method study included a pilot implementation of the RN-P.R.E.P. intervention, collecting quantitative data from pre-/post-participant surveys and qualitative interviews with nursing faculty and administrators.

The integrative review followed Whitemore and Knafl's five-step methodology, guided by the PRISMA reporting guidelines. Interventions were analyzed using the …

The Illusion Of Brain Health Across A Plastic Canvas, Thomas J. Kelly Jr, Lauren Gaspar, Jaime Ross Phd, Guiseppe Coppotelli Phd

Senior Honors Projects

In recent years, there has been increasing concern for the role that plastic waste, and more specifically micro- and nanoplastics, play in our environment and their potential health risks. Microplastics are particles less than 5 mm in size and nanoplastics are considered to be less than 1000 nm in size. Microplastics can either purposely be produced or can sludge off larger pieces of plastic. Microplastics have not only been detected within soil, air, and water, but have also recently been found to accumulate within the human body. The mosaic artwork that is presented in this project, entitled “Our Cerebral Plastic …

Beyond Politics: Rethinking The Conversation On Gender-Affirming Care For Youth, Olivia Sanders

Mercer Law Review

According to a study conducted in June of 2022 by the Williams Institute School of Law, nearly 300,000 youth members in the United States identify as transgender. According to these calculations, this statistic indicates that “[t]he number of young people who identify as transgender has nearly doubled in recent years.” Gender‑affirming healthcare is usually administered to treat gender dysphoria, which is defined as “a state of distress or discomfort that may be experienced because a person’s gender identity differs from that which is physically and/or socially attributed to their sex assigned at birth.” A 2021 study conducted by Reuters exposed …

Kaposi Sarcoma: A Case Of Mistaken Identity In The Immunocompetent, Daniela Cortes Reyes, Melanie Menning, Ellie Staab, Brittany Hauke, Morgan Zabel

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

Trying To Ace Her Headache Away, Brittany Weaver, Jason Meredith, Ross Mathiasen

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

An Unhandy Presentation, Jackson Bagby, Ross Mathiasen, Jason Meredith

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

Eye Spy Ai: Analysis Of The Implementation Of Outpatient Ai-Driven Diabetic Retinopathy Screening, Nathan Richling, Cody Masters, Jenenne Geske, Hannah Christianson

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

Improving Postpartum Depression Screening Rates In The Doc Family Medicine Clinic, Hannah Wesslund, Neil Kalsi, Jenenne Geske

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Travel Load On Milb Injuries Part 2: Injury Frequency By Position, Spencer Cooper, T. Jason Meredith, Samuel Wilkins, Adam Rosen

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

Comparing Adenoma Detection Rate And Polyp Detection Rates As A Tool For Colonoscopy Quality Metrics, Quintin Ireland, Jenenne Geske, Robert Messbarger

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Pitch Clock Rules On Pitching Injuries In Milb From 2012 To 2024, Scott Goodsell, Jason Meredith, Samuel J. Wilkins, Adam B. Rosen

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

Temporal Trends Of Obesity Among Nebraska Adults: Emr Data Shows A More Rapid Increase Than Projected, Elizabeth Gibson, Jenenne Geske, Birgit Khandalavala

Posters and Presentations: Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

Investigating Mercury Contamination In Urban Fish: Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy And Histological Analysis For Environmental And Human Health, Indy L. Cockrill, Ross Andrew

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Mercury contamination in aquatic ecosystems is a pressing environmental and public health concern, particularly in urban areas where industrial runoff and wastewater contribute to heavy metal accumulation. This study investigates mercury presence in fish from Richland Creek in Nashville, TN, by analyzing histological changes in liver and muscle tissues. Mercury bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains, potentially leading to physiological damage in fish and posing health risks to humans who consume contaminated seafood. While prior research has established mercury’s toxic effects, there is a need for localized studies assessing its presence in urban waterways. The hope is to find histological abnormalities …

Integrating Workplace Violence Prevention Into Nursing Curriculum: Preparing Future Nurses For Safer Practice ​, Noah Briere, Sarah Kegerreis, Molly Lasyone, Savannah Orris

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Nurses are under attack. 80% of nurses have experienced some form of workplace violence (WPV), which is seen as “part of the job.” Unfortunately, the agency responsible for protecting nurses, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), only offers voluntary guidelines. We have determined that nursing students are the best group to educate about WPV prevention in healthcare. Including this teaching to fit within their pre-clinical requirements, only needing one faculty to teach with an average salary of $80k, to further help set what should be foundational skills. By adding WPV de-escalation techniques and adequately preparing students prior to graduation. …

How Does Racial Bias Impact The Perceptions Of Black Women Regarding Maternal Care?, Tanner K. Braddy

Honors College Theses

Between 1999–2002 and 2018–2021, the maternal mortality rate in the United States increased by 144% from 9.65 to 23.6 deaths per 100,000 live births. Although women of all races are affected by maternal mortality yearly, it is especially prevalent in black women. In the United States, black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than non-black women. Despite advanced medical technology and ongoing research, black women are continuing to die because of pregnancy at an alarming rate. Many studies suggest that discrimination and implicit bias - defined as subconscious feelings, attitudes, prejudices, and stereotypes an individual …

Using Musical Interventions As A Non-Pharmacological Strategy To Improve Chronic Pain Levels And Satisfaction Among Patients With Sickle Cell Disease, Fredeline Metellus

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Background

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a chronic, inherited blood disorder characterized by severe pain episodes that are often poorly managed with standard pharmacological treatments. In response to patient dissatisfaction with pain control and the desire for holistic alternatives, this quality improvement project explored music therapy as a non-pharmacological pain management strategy.

Purpose

The primary aim was to reduce chronic pain by at least 20% and improve patient satisfaction with pain management among adults with SCD using a structured musical intervention.

Methodology

This project was implemented at a comprehensive outpatient SCD clinic using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model. Five adult patients …

Understanding The Relationship Between Executive Function And Language During The Preschool Period, Haya Q. Kidwai

Senior Theses

Executive functions (EFs) are abilities that help us to control our actions, pay attention, and go against automatic responses. EF skills include working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, all of which develop rapidly during early childhood alongside other developmental abilities like language. In fact, previous research has found a relationship between EFs and language abilities. Therefore, the current study investigated the correlation between EFs and language in the preschool period, a pivotal moment in their development. Specifically, the current study examined the relationship between working memory and inhibition and expressive vocabulary and morphosyntax measures in 7 children 4-6 years old. …

Psychedelic Psychotherapy And The Mental Health Crisis: A Historical And Scientific Review, Dylan Kunkel, Neil Levens, Charles Schumpert

Senior Theses

The global mental health crisis continues to expose the limitations of traditional psychiatric treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As conventional antidepressants offer modest remission rates and delayed efficacy, interest has grown in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds. This thesis explores psychedelic psychotherapy through both a historical and scientific lens, tracing its roots from ancient ceremonial practices to modern clinical trials. It also provides context behind the neurobiological mechanisms by which psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, ketamine, MDMA, and DMT affect mood and cognition. These compounds appear to reduce default mode network (DMN) connectivity, increase …

Art Therapy: An Alternative Solution For Veterans Suffering From Trauma And Ptsd, Trisha Metcalf

SPARK Symposium Presentations

This project aims to explore artistic solutions to the psychological problems veterans face with re-entering society after serving time with the U.S. military. Art is one-way veterans can explore creative outlets for their trauma and through working with CreatiVets, they will be able to have a safe space to express themselves. CreatiVets is a non-profit specializing in art-based programs to help veterans deal with trauma. They already have programs that feature painting, sculpting and songwriting. A sewing program will be introduced into the organization so veterans will be able to express themselves through fiber arts. The sewing class will be …

Navigating Excellence: A Comprehensive Program Evaluation Of An Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Pilot Course, Rachel Marquart, Jennifer Sternberg, Kathryn Dambrino, David Phillippi, Jessica Savage, Tammy Legge

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Project title: Navigating Excellence: A Comprehensive Program Evaluation of an Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Pilot Course

Background and Rationale: Clinical instructors play a key role in nursing education, yet clinical instructors have varying degrees of formal preparation for the role. These inconsistencies affect student outcomes and instructors’ ability to effectively teach, mentor, and evaluate students. To address this, Belmont University developed the Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Program online course. This project conducted a comprehensive program evaluation to assess its effectiveness.

Aim: This project evaluated the effectiveness, success, and sustainability of an online Clinical Nurse Educator and Preceptor course designed to …

Clinical, Radiological Characteristics And Outcomes Of Primary Headache In Children At A Tertiary Hospital In Kenya: A Retrospective Observational Study, Dorcas Tunje, Katherine Oyieke, Pauline Samia

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

We sought to describe the clinical, radiological characteristics and determine the outcomes of children with primary headache. A retrospective observational study was conducted. Children with primary headache were recruited. Demographic, clinical and radiological data were compiled. Visual Analog Scale was used to determine pain severity. Seventy-three patients were included in the study. Their median age was 10.0 (IQR: 8.0-12.0) years, and 38 (52.1%) were female. Fiftyfour (74.0%) had migraine headache. Majority, 50 (68.5%) reported severe headaches at presentation. Three (4.1%) patients had abnormal findings on MRI while 5 (6.8%) patients had abnormal findings on EEG. Most participants were pain free …

More Of Less: Optimizing Opioid Prescriptions For Acute Fractures In The Emergency Department At A Children’S Hospital, Mitch Kinkor, Spencer Young, Colton Schwarz, Nicholas Clark, Michelle Dephillips, Elizabeth Edmundson, Ryan Mcdonough, Warren Teachout

Presentations

Introduction: Deaths related to drug overdose are at record highs, with over 110,000 recorded from May 2022-2023.1 75% of drug overdose deaths can be attributed to opioids.1 Pediatric opioid exposure is significant, with 406,000 American teens reporting illicit opioid use in 2022.2 Increased prescription opioids in circulation leads to increased opportunity for ingestion by children and adolescents. Current literature suggests most pediatric patients may only use one-two days’ worth of opioid doses prescribed for acute pain control, with the rest of prescribed doses going unused.3 From 2022-2023 in the Children’s Mercy Emergency Department (ED), 48% of children prescribed opioids for …

Opportunities For Solid Organ Donation In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sarah Pippin, Ashley Sherman, Julie Weiner, Jotishna Sharma

Posters

Background: Pediatric patients are at an increased risk of mortality when waiting for an organ transplant. Approximately 50% of pediatric patients wait for> a year for a solid organ transplant and infants < 1 year of age have the highest death rate while awaiting transplantation. There are two pathways for organ donation (OD), donation after death by neurologic criteria (DDNC) or donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD). Neonates rarely meet brain death criteria, and since most deaths in the NICU occur aftera planned extubation, DCDD with organ procurement after a planned extubation from mechanical ventilation can be a consideration especially with kidney and liver donations. Organ procurement may be limited by warm ischernic time (WI1); usually :'.S 90 minutes. The question remains which neonates would meet criteria for DCDD.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to characterize theoretical eligibility of DCDD in infants undergoing withdrawal of care in the NICU based on WIT :'.S 90 minutes

Method: Retrospective study of a cohort of infants 2:36 weeks at the time of death who died at a level IV NICU from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2022. Demographic information was obtained. Mode of death was categorized as …

Evaluation Of Marginal Gap And Fracture Resistance Of Different Cad/Cam Blocks For Indirect Restorations Of Mutilated Molar Teeth, Hend Sayed Ahmed, Hossam El Mandouh Tawfeek, Ahmed Refaat Mohamed

Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Web And Language Accessibility Of Medical Tourism Providers’ Websites: Implications For Online Marketing And Patient Recruitment Practices, Alicia Mason, Elizabeth Spencer, Kristen Livingston, Treyton Meyers

Faculty Submissions

Background: Web accessibility as an attribute of the digital presence of organizations has been studied across domains and contexts. Our study aims to add to existing lines of research inquiry by examining the web and language accessibility of medical tourism provider (MTP) websites commonly used to market and promote international medical tourism treatments and services globally.

Objective: This study aims to (1) systematically analyze the web and language accessibility of MTP online health messages and (2) discuss challenges and implications for medical tourists’ user experiences when seeking health information online.

Method: We conducted an exploratory quantitative content analysis of web …

An Examination Of Ambulatory Care Code Specificity Utilization In Icd-10-Cm Compared To Icd-9-Cm: Implications For Icd-11 Implementation, Susan H Fenton, Cassandra Ciminello, Vickie M Mays, Mary H Stanfill, Valerie Watzlaf

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: The ICD-10-CM classification system contains more specificity than its predecessor ICD-9-CM. A stated reason for transitioning to ICD-10-CM was to increase the availability of detailed data. This study aims to determine whether the increased specificity contained in ICD-10-CM is utilized in the ambulatory care setting and inform an evidence-based approach to evaluate ICD-11 content for implementation planning in the United States.

Materials and methods: Diagnosis codes and text descriptions were extracted from a 25% random sample of the IQVIA Ambulatory EMR-US database for 2014 (ICD-9-CM, n = 14 327 155) and 2019 (ICD-10-CM, n = 13 062 900). Code …

Llu Dentistry - Volume 34, Number 1, Loma Linda University School Of Dentistry

Articulator (Dentistry)

In this issue:

4 | Dean's Message
6 | Caring for the Future: A Mission in Honduras
8 | Homecoming 2025
11 | Mission Emphasis Breakfast
18 | Welcome New Faculty
20 | Mahmoud Torabinejad, DMD, MSD, PhD, Professor Emeritus
21 | Where are they now? Lane Thomsen, DDS
22 | Rolando Zeledon New Senior Development Officer
23 | Chan Family Legacy
25 | Remembering Paul Richardson, DDS'72, MEd
28 | CDA Dennis Shinbori Student Table Clinic Awards
34 | 2025 Commencement Weekend
41 | Commencement Speaker Samuel Young, DMD
42 | Prince Award
43 | President's Award
44 | …

Aging-Related Hearing Decline And Resting State Networks, Cassidy S. T. Ellsworth

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study investigated the effects of age-related hearing decline on functional networks using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The main objective of the present study was to examine resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and graph theory-based network efficiency metrics in forty-nine adults categorized by age and hearing thresholds to identify the neural mechanisms of age-related hearing decline. RsFC within key brain networks and auditory-related brain regions, including the default mode network, salience network, dorsal attention network, and primary auditory cortices, was assessed using region-of-interest (ROI)-based and graph theory approaches. Functional metrics, such as rsFC strength and global and local efficiency, …

Clinical Case Study: The Effects Of Saltatory Pneumotactile Stimulation Of Glabrous Hand And Perioral Face On Cerebral Oxygenation, Cognitive Performance, And Sensorimotor Function In An Adult Following Left Hemorrhagic Stroke, Tara L. Hull

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Stroke remains a leading cause of adult disability and a significant global health concern. Effective rehabilitation strategies for cognitive and communicative impairments following stroke are limited (Kuhn & Sharman, 2023). One emerging approach involves repetitive somatosensory stimulation to drive cerebral hemodynamic changes, potentially offering a novel rehabilitative method. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive, accessible tool for monitoring these changes during stroke recovery. Prior studies suggest tactile stimulation rapidly affects brain hemodynamics (Custead et al., 2015; Oh et al., 2017). This clinical single-case study explored the use of GALILEO saltatory pneumotactile stimulation applied to the face and hand in …

Music And Word Learning In Children Diagnosed With Developmental Language Disorder, Rebekah G. Sweeney

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Purpose: This study investigates whether incorporating music into vocabulary interventions improves rate of learning and retention of words in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Emerging literature continues to show the plentiful benefits of music as a tool for intervention in many settings, including the world of speech pathology (Levitin, 2024). However, it is also evident that there is a connection between struggling with language, and struggling with musical elements, such as rhythm and pitch perception, particularly in children with DLD (Boorom et al., 2022; Kreidler et al., 2023). This study seeks to tease out if music is an effective …