Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Occupational Apartheid, Kimberly Dewey

OTD 721: Cultural Responsiveness & Occupation

Occupational apartheid is a term that is often misunderstood. I wanted to bring more awareness and understanding to a very real concept that happens every day. I hope to have provided education and examples that make it easy to follow along and see how apartheid shows up on a daily basis. Let's work together as future OT professionals to expand our knowledge and practice to decrease experiences of occupational apartheid.

Kimberly Dewey, Class of 2027

Autism And The Delay Of Diagnosis In African American Communities, Kiara Loud

Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability accompanied by a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders. ASD can affect anyone regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity (CDC, 2025). Individuals with ASD tend to have issues with various challenges and strengths regarding how they learn, think, and solve problems. Some children with ASD have repetitive patterns of behavior, restricted interest in activities, and difficulty in communication and social interaction.

According to the World Health Organization, the global prevalence of ASD 1 in 100 children diagnosed with Autism. Additional data supplied by the CDC states that the number of children with …

Mental Health Trends Among African American High School Students, Alexis Heard

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent mental health is a major public health issue in the U.S., with African American high school students facing a rapidly worsening crisis. While all youth show increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality, African American adolescents are at greater risk due to systemic racism, socioeconomic inequality, community violence, and limited access to culturally responsive care. Few national studies have examined mental health trends among this group. This study (1) examines 2011–2021 trends in persistent sadness/hopelessness, suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts among African American high school students; (2) explores gender differences; and (3) compares these patterns to national …

Perinatal Policy Disparities And Their Impact On Maternal, Paternal, And Child Health, D'Ashanae Y. Pippens

Theses and Dissertations

This systematic review synthesized evidence on perinatal policy framework to evaluate their public health significance and impact on family outcomes. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and corporate data from 2015-2025 were reviewed across national, state, and global levels. The analysis revealed seven thematic domains, (1) policy design and duration, (2) wage replacement, (3) insurance continuity, (4) workplace breastfeeding accommodations, (5) parental leave, (6) equity in access, and (7) policy enforcement. Evidence shows that integrated and inclusive policies particularly those in Sweden, Germany, and progressive U.S. states (NY and CA), yield substantial …

Closing The Gap: Standardizing Sepsis Management To Address Racial Disparities Across Oregon Providence Hospitals, Jennifer Wong, Do, Shelley Schoepflin Sanders

Abstracts, Posters, Presentations

No abstract provided.

Addressing The Prescribing Patterns And Environmental Impact Of Dry Powder Inhalers (Dpi) Versus Metered Dose Inhalers (Mdi), Abby Lindseth, Md, Claudia Leonard, Shelley Schoepflin Sanders

Abstracts, Posters, Presentations

No abstract provided.

Puzzling Papules: Uncovering The Etiology Of A Rash In A Returning Traveler, Lisa Stampke, Md, Shahana Baig-Lewis Md, Mph

Abstracts, Posters, Presentations

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Sarcoidosis At A Combined Rheumatology-Pulmonary Clinic, Megan Schermerhorn, Md, Julianna Desmarais, Md

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a disease of unknown etiology characterized by formation of small clusters of inflammatory cells that form granulomas. Heterogenous and typically involves multiple organ systems with varying degrees of morbidity and mortality. Poorly defined treatment landscape. The purpose of this study was to characterize a cohort of sarcoidosis patients in a combined rheumatology-pulmonary clinic according to organ involvement and treatment over 5 years. Discussion: •Single center academic study of a that is the first of its kind. •Data highlights complexity and heterogeneity of patients with sarcoidosis and utility of combined rheumatology – pulmonary clinic. •65.3% of patients exhibited …

Unveiling The Mystery: Paraneoplastic Syndrome Masquerading As Skin Thickening, Megan Schermerhorn, Md, Quian Leng, Atish Dey

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis is a rare autoimmune disorder defined by skin thickening in the distal digits and is frequently accompanied by inflammatory arthritis. There are known mimics of systemic sclerosis, which present with similar sclerosis of the skin. Palmar fasciitis and polyarthritis syndrome (PFPAS) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome that presents with progressive flexion contractures of the hands, inflammatory fasciitis, fibrosis, and generalized inflammatory arthritis. PFPAS is most associated with ovarian adenocarcinoma, and rarely associated with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Early recognition of this rare syndrome was critical in identifying an asymptomatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Case Description: 58-year-old woman with osteoarthritis of multiple …

Implementing Holograms To Perform Cognitive Health History Screenings, Franchesca I. Gonzalez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Marginalized populations, defined as a group of individuals who experience systematic disadvantages due to various social identity factors (Oxford Review, n.d.), experience uneven barriers to cognitive and mental health assessments, including socioeconomic, linguistic, and educational inequities, that contribute to misdiagnosis (Petersen et al., 2018, Saeed & Masters, 2021). This study investigates the feasibility of hologram-based patient simulations as an educational intervention for undergraduate nursing and graduate Nurse Practitioner students. Culturally representative, three-dimensional holographic patients were created to replicate complex geriatric encounters and facilitate cognitive health screenings. Established assessment tools, including the Mini-Mental Status Examination, Patient Health Questionnaire 2 and Patient …

A Systematic Literature Review On The Benefits Of Biofeedback Therapy As A Treatment For Diabetes Mellitus Induced Chronic Peripheral Neuropathy, Amy Krueger

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The objective of this systematic literature review is to examine the research on biofeedback therapy and evaluate its effectiveness in treating chronic diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This comprehensive review was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 method of analysis. All studies included at least 10 patients with T1D or T2D and current or past foot ulcers and/or DPN. Each study was also available in their entirety. Studies with fewer than 10 participants, those which examined neuropathy unrelated to diabetes, or those with healthy test populations were excluded. Studies that were only partially available were also not used. The databases used were PubMed, …

Ultra-Plex Immunofluorescence Stainings To Classify Precancerous Lesions For The Stratification Of Their Risk For Progression Toward Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Arthi Jaishankar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common and fatal type of esophageal cancer since it is usually only diagnosed at a later stage. Similar to other cancers, ESCC arises through precursor lesions which are known as dysplasias and occurs when cells have uncontrolled growth and changes to both the tissue structure and gene expression. Clinical intervention at the precancerous stage would greatly improve survival rates, however predicting which lesions will actually become malignant continues to be a challenge. The current traditional method for ESCC diagnosis is hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) histopathology, but it is not sufficient for predicting …

Effect Of Sapropterin Dihydrochloride On Neuropsychiatric Functions For Individuals With Phenylketonuria: A Systematic Review, Ricky Lin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare metabolic disorder that occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 births worldwide. Individuals with PKU cannot properly metabolize phenylalanine (Phe) due to a deficiency in phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), leading to elevated Phe levels and associated cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairments. Although early dietary management has reduced the risk of severe intellectual disability, many individuals with PKU continue to experience deficits in attention, executive functions, and mood regulation. Sapropterin dihydrochloride, a synthetic form of the PAH cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), offers a pharmacological alternative that enhances residual enzyme activity in responsive individuals. While its efficacy in lowering blood Phe …

Lifetime History Of Concussions In Relation To Blind Perceptual Distance Estimation Ability, Mackenzie K. Miller

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examined the relationship between visuospatial estimation and a lifetime history of concussions. Current literature on concussions investigates visuospatial working memory and estimation ability separately, but not conjointly. In order to examine this relationship, a novel neuropsychological task was designed to measure visuospatial estimation ability in working memory, named the Perceptual Estimation Test (PET). This novel task was designed with three variations that would increase in complexity as they progressed, and each variation would include three trials. Participants were scored on their accuracy performance during the PET. Participants aged 18-25 were recruited from students attending the University of Central …

The Effect Of Temperature And Salinity On Margalefidinium Polykrikoides Group Iii Va, Usa Strain Growth, Eduardo Pérez-Vega, Margaret R. Mulholland, Katherine E. Crider, Kimberly E. Powell, P. Dreux Chappell, Alexander Bochdansky

OES Faculty Publications

Margalefidinium polykrikoides is a cosmopolitan dinoflagellate that blooms in coastal waters. Despite genomic evidence that it belongs to Group III and so closely related to isolates from Puerto Rico, Malaysia, North America, and Central America, M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay at warmer temperatures and lower salinities than in coastal ecosystems occupied by its closest relatives. In this study, the effect of temperature and salinity on the growth rate and total cell yield of an M. polykrikoides VA culture isolate were examined and compared with environmental observations made during M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay. M. polykrikoides group …

Revealing Spatiotemporal Neural Activation Patterns In Electrocorticography Recordings Of Human Speech Production By Mutual Information, Julio Kovacs, Dean Krusienski, Minu Maninder, Willy Wriggers

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Spatiotemporal mapping of neural activity during continuous speech production has been traditionally approached using correlation coefficient (CC) analysis between cortical signals and speech recordings. A prior study employed this approach using electrocorticography (ECoG) data from participants who underwent invasive intracranial monitoring for epilepsy. However, CC cannot detect nonlinear relationships and is dominated by the correspondence between periods of silence and of non-silence.

New Method

We introduce the mutual information (MI) measure, which can capture both linear and nonlinear dependencies. We validated CC and MI on the sub-second spatiotemporal brain activity recorded during continuous speech tasks. To refine the results, …

Traction Force Microscopy Using An Epifluorescence Microscope: Experimental Considerations And Caveats, Zaria Booth, Mazen Mezher, Rudra Patel, Venkat Maruthamuthu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Forces exerted by cells due to their internal contractility play fundamental roles in a host of processes, including adhesion, migration, survival and differentiation. Traction force microscopy (TFM) enables the determination of forces exerted by cells or cell collectives on their environment, which is typically taken to be an extra-cellular matrix (ECM)-coated substrate. Sample preparation for TFM involves the plating of cells onto an environment embedded with fiducial markers. The imaging of these fiducial markers in the presence and absence of the cells then enables calculation of the displacement of localized regions of the environment, and, consequently, the spatial distribution of …

An Analytical Model Of Motion Artifacts In A Measured Arterial Pulse Signal—Part Ii: Tactile Sensors, Md Mahfuzur Rahman, Subodh Toraskar, Mamun Hasan, Zhili Hao

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper, the second of two parts, presents an analytical model of motion artifacts (MA) in measured pulse signals by a tactile sensor, which contains a deformable microstructure sitting on a substrate. While the tissue-contact-sensor (TCS) stack and the sensor are both treated as a 1DOF (degree-of-freedom) system, tissue–sensor contact joins their mass together to form a 1DOF system with springs and dampers on both sides. MA on the sensor substrate causes baseline drift and time-varying system parameters (TVSP) of the TCS stack simultaneously. An analytical model is developed to mathematically relate baseline drift and TVSP to a measured pulse …

Scaffolds With Spatiotemporally Controlled Growth Factor Delivery And Cyclodextrin-Enabled Antagonism Of Growth Factor Receptor Sequestration Promote Cutaneous Wound Healing, Jelena Marjanovic, Veronica Jurczuk, Lilian Valadares Tose, Yarixa Cintron Diaz, Francisco Fernandez Lima, Beatriz Abdo Abujamra, Sara Danker, Sinan Jabori, Devinder Singh, Jamie L. Burgess, Joshua Tam, Mohamadmahdi Samandari, Rivka C. Stone, Stephen C. Davis, Robert S. Kirsner, Marjana Tomic-Canic, Fotis M. Andreopoulos, Ivan Jozic

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Chronic wounds present a major burden to patients, health care professionals, and health care systems worldwide, yet treatment options remain limited and often ineffective. Although initially promising, growth factor-based therapies displayed limited and underwhelming effectiveness largely due to poor bioavailabilbioity and impaired receptor function within the chronic wound microenvironment. Here we demonstrate that chronic wounds exhibit elevated cholesterol synthesis, which disrupts growth factor signaling by sequestering receptors within lipid rafts. To address this, we developed a novel therapy combining growth factors with cyclodextrin in an ECM-mimetic scaffold, enabling localized cholesterol modulation and improved receptor accessibility. We demonstrate that this approach …

Finding Love On The Spectrum: An Analysis Of Social And Romantic Relationships Of Autistic College Students, Kaylee Spinner

Masters Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in socialization, communication, and developing relationships with others. While many autistic individuals desire to start relationships with others, many do not have a very strong understanding of the use of nonverbal communication or how to develop these connections organically. As autistic individuals have become more open about wanting these resources to form social and romantic relationships, there has been more of a push in the literature to include social skills training for forming social relationships. However, the research on the desire for or development of romantic relationships for autistic individuals is still …

Mindfulness & Mental Health: Balanced Time Perspective As A Mediator, Eddie Trueblood

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is a practice of intentionally paying attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. Being more mindful can decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, among other mental and physical health improvements. (Donald et al., 2016; Hofmann et al., 2010; Kabat-Zinn et al.,1992). This study examined if balanced time perspective (BTP) is one of the mechanisms of action of mindfulness in its relationship with depression, anxiety, and stress. BTP refers to a person’s ability to flexibly adapt their time perspective (attention to the past, present, or future, and positive or negative attitudes toward each) to suit the current …

Small Town Voices And Stories: Rural Older Populations And Health Narratives, Wyatt K. Zumbahlen

Masters Theses

Stories play a vital role in our humanity; they help us understand the world around us. As we age, our experiences, along with those of the people around us, shape our perceptions of health and influence our healthcare choices. For older adults, narratives become an essential resource in making healthcare decisions. In rural communities like Coles County, Illinois, these stories are especially important for older adults who are navigating the limited care and services available in the area. This reliance on narratives impacts their willingness to seek care, highlighting the need to recognize the power of stories in empowering older …

Examining Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives On The Acceptability Of Pain-Mitigation As A Tool To Manage Needle Fear, Sarah C M Morton

Theses and Dissertations

Needle fear affects up to 63% of the global adult population and is associated with significant fear-based medical care avoidance (e.g., blood donation refusal, vaccine hesitancy, insulin injection adherence). Current behavioral treatments have low acceptance in this population, and often fail to address the experience of pain associated with needle procedures. Despite the existence of evidence-based pain-mitigation for needle procedures, these interventions are not commonly used in clinical settings. The current study used qualitative methods to examine patient and provider perceptions of: 1) current methods of needle fear management, and 2) the acceptability of pain-mitigation as an effective tool to …

Improving Telehealth Education And Training: A Needs Assessment Of Healthcare Providers And Trainees, Conor Duffy

Theses and Dissertations

Telehealth utilization has increased dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many positive impacts of this shift to telehealth, including increasing access to care and reducing patient burden. However, healthcare providers report several consistent challenges that limit their ability to deliver telehealth, such as effective communication, technological difficulties, and difficulty performing physical examinations. To address these concerns, it is necessary to integrate telehealth education and training into healthcare professional training programs and healthcare systems. While many institutions have implemented telehealth education and training since the start of the pandemic, there is little consistency in the content, duration, …

Body Composition In Patients With Obesity-Related Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Comparison Study, Hannah Salmons, Syed Imran Ahmed, Hayley E. Billingsley, Alex Reavey-Cantwell, Roshanak Markley, Michele Golino, Marco Giuseppe Del Buono, Juan Ignacio Damonte, Sebastian Pinel, R. Lee Franco, Antonio Abbate, Carrie P. Earthman, Salvatore Carbone

EVMS School of Health Professions Faculty Publications

Background

Appendicular lean mass index is a major determinant of cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Moreover, appendicular lean mass index can be used to diagnose sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in this population. We aimed to validate the ability of segmental single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (SF-BIA) to assess body composition compared with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in patients with HFpEF and obesity, with a focus on appendicular lean mass index for its critical role in diagnosing sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity.

Methods

We analyzed 62 euvolemic patients from a heart failure outpatient clinic with …

Perspective On Alcohol-Induced Organ Damage Via Autophagy-Dependent Cellular Changes, Ahmed Bakheet, Murugadas Anbazhagan, Shirish Barve, Srinivasan Dasarathy, John Dickinson, Wen-Xing Ding, Terrence Donohue, Thiyagarajan Gopal, Anna Gukovskaya, Kusum K. Kharbanda, John J. Lemasters, Natalia A. Osna, Pal Pacher, Lucy Sloan, Luis F. Vilches, Viswanathan Saraswathi, Xiao-Ming Yin, Zhi Zhong, Paul G. Thomes

Journal Articles: Internal Medicine

Alcohol-induced organ damage is a major global health concern and a leading cause of disability and mortality. In addition to the liver, chronic alcohol consumption adversely affects multiple organ systems, including the cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems, the gastrointestinal tract, adipose tissue, kidneys, pancreas, and the brain. Organ damage begins with necrosis (cell death) followed by tissue injury, which triggers immune responses aimed at tissue repair. However, with continued heavy drinking, these reparative responses transition into inflammatory responses which exacerbate tissue injury and accelerate disease progression. Macroautophagy, commonly referred to as autophagy, is a vital and evolutionarily-conserved digestive process in eukaryotic …

Antibiotic Alternatives And Next-Generation Therapeutics For Salmonella Control: A One Health Approach To Combating Antimicrobial Resistance, Mohamed Saleh, Ashutosh Verma, Khaled A. Shaaban, Yosra A. Helmy

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The growing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance has significantly compromised the efficacy of conventional antibiotic-based interventions in controlling Salmonella infections across human and veterinary settings. This growing challenge necessitates a strategic rethinking of pathogen control, prompting the integration of next-generation therapeutics capable of disrupting Salmonella pathogenesis through novel, antibiotic-sparing mechanisms. In this context, a diverse array of emerging alternatives, including bacteriophages, antimicrobial peptides, probiotics, prebiotics, short-chain fatty acids, nanoparticles, and host-directed immunomodulators, have gained prominence as a promising frontier in non-antibiotic therapeutics. These modalities offer targeted approaches to inhibit Salmonella colonization, virulence expression, and persistence, while minimizing collateral damage to the …

Spontaneous Pneumothorax In Adolescents: Is Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy Mandatory?, Soufiane Essamoud, Mohamed Lahlou, Anne Olland, Francois Lefebvre, Anne Lehn, Isabelle Chevalier, Raphael Moog, Pierre-Emmanuelle Falcoz, Isabelle Talon, Hicham Zerhouni

Health Sciences

Background: Treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax involves conservative treatment or surgery. Our goal was to evaluate the need for surgical approach using Video- Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) for patients presenting spontaneous pneumothorax. Methods: Patients aged between 14 and 20 years old treated for spontaneous pneumothorax were included into an observational retrospective study. Patients were divided into two groups: Those with a success of conservative treatment at the initial presentation (Group A), and those where VATS was performed at initial presentation after failure of conservative treatment (Group B). Results: 134 patients were included with a median of 6.5 years follow-up. 102 (76,1%) …

Burnout At University: Cross-Sectional Study Among Dental Students, Manal Elhijazi, Hajar Nafia, Ihsane Benyahya

Health Sciences

Context: The university constitutes a demanding and competitive learning environment which can impact the well-being of students. The objective of this survey is to assess the burnout of students at the faculty of dentistry.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via an anonymous questionnaire with 3 sections: socio-demographic data, lifestyle and habit, and burnout through the Maslach burnout inventory-student survey (MBI-SS) . Continuous variables were presented as means and standard deviations,categorical variables as numbers and percentages. The variables were tested in univariate analysis to assess predictive factors related to burnout using the Khi-2 test. The significance level was …

Undergraduate Nursing Students' Perceptions Of A Screen-Based Virtual Simulation And Self-Debriefing: A Qualitative Study., Fatima Zahra Mahou, Guillaume Decormeille, Asmae Khattabi

Health Sciences

The integration of virtual simulation and self-debriefing in nursing education offers promising approaches for enhancing students' competency in medication administration and dosage calculation. This study aims to explore undergraduate nursing students' perceptions and experiences with virtual simulation and self-debriefing, building on findings from a previously published RCT that demonstrated improved learning outcomes through these approaches. In the first phase (self-debriefing), 153 students answered five open-ended questions, followed by a focus group with six students in the second phase.The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis by two independent coders to ensure consistency and credibility. The study highlights the benefits of …