Medical Humanities Commons^™

I Want You To Want Me, Marianne Koleng

be Still

This piece calls to the theme of "attention" through a mixed media piece incorporating collage, ink, and colored pencil. It embraces the nuances of both anatomy and popular music, rock-and-roll, to be specific. The title is taken from the popular song by Cheap Trick, of the same name in an effort to elude to the desire for human attention in a human form.

Updated Prevalence Estimates Of Obesity Among Adults In The United States, 2005–2018, Ashley W. Kranjac, Dinko Kranjac

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

Body mass index is an imperfect measure of excess adiposity but is ingrained in both research and clinical practice to define and diagnose adult obesity. The addition of waist circumference measure is recommended to fully capture obesity-related health risks at a population level. The latest reframing of obesity by the Lancet Commission relies on body mass index and waist circumference, as well as organ dysfunction and functional limitations, to differentiate between preclinical and clinical obesity.

Methods

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005–2018), we adhere to the proposed redefinition to examine obesity trends in the …

Design Considerations For Conversational Agents To Assess The Social-Emotional Well-Being Of Young Children In Low-Income South African Communities, Lucretia A. Williams, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jesus A. Beltran, Kimberley D. Lakes, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

A variety of digital technologies have been used to support early childhood development (ECD) programs in low-income South African communities. Even though technology has provided opportunities to increase access to health interventions, the lack of trust and socio-economic constraints under which these tools would need to work pose complex challenges. We examine home visitors’ work processes, experiences, and preferences of a conversational agent to support their work of administering social-emotional well-being assessments to young children ages 0-5. Analysis of the results of focus groups with 51 home visitors indicates the need for designing conversational agents that support ECD in the …

The History Of Nazi Neuroscience: Tracing Evidence Through Voids, Angela Gushue

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

During the Holocaust (1933-1945), voids were created by the destruction of ethics, morality, and human life. We can detect this absence because of material traces of the events. My paper applies the theory of relational ontology of absence to a collection of empty jars on display at the Josephinum, a medical history museum in Vienna. The jars once contained human remains of children murdered in the “euthanasia” program at Am Spiegelgrund, a psychiatric clinic in Vienna where 789 were killed during the Nazi era. These victims were not commemorated until the early 2000s, when the specimen jars were emptied and …

A Phenomenological Study Of Caregivers For Sexual Minority Hospice Patients, Catherine H. Bianchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals face disproportionate barriers in healthcare across the lifespan that persist and often intensify at the end of life. Despite hospice’s mission to provide comfort, dignity, and patient-centered support, it remains unclear whether these services equitably meet the needs of sexual minority patients. Seeking hospice care presents a unique conundrum for many LGB individuals: it necessitates inviting representatives of a historically exclusionary healthcare system into the privacy of their homes - spaces that often serve as sanctuaries of identity, safety, and autonomy. The already vulnerable experience of seeking care in one’s final days can be …

Enhancing Cataract Surgery Outcomes: Optimal Use Of Pre- And Post-Operative Eye Drops, Keith Skolnick M.D., Anu Valiaveedu

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Many preoperative and postoperative cataract patients struggle with comprehending the use of prescription medication as directed. Language barriers and low health literacy levels are major factors contributing to improper use of prescriptions. To increase patients comprehension, the Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute employed an educational intervention consisting of a live presentation and an instructional video. Results found that 44% of patients were hesitant to ask questions to clinical staff, 32% felt overwhelmed, and nearly 70% lacked confidence in using their prescribed eye drops. Following the intervention, 91% of patients reported increased confidence in their medications, and most indicated that the video …

Will There Be A Pill For That? ‘Money Dysmorphia’ And The Medicalization Of Struggles For Subsistence, Bojan Savic

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

This article questions the rationality, operation, and effects of money dysmorphia as an emerging mental health diagnosis. It critiques the medicalization of financial angst amid the capitalist “polycrisis”, showing how the individuation and somatic pathologization of class subordination, socioeconomic precarity, and struggles for subsistence obscure capitalist inequalities, depoliticize them, and shield them from critique. I identify five concurrent strategies through which struggles for subsistence are medicalized: trivialization, reversal of social import, repetition, direct depoliticization, and the substitution of inequality with poverty. Furthermore, I show how the medicalizing discourse reifies money dysmorphia by constructing its social costs. The article concludes by …

A Cancer Education Needs Assessment: Informing Middle-Aged Female Patients About The Relationships Between Obesity And Women’S Health Concerns In The Reproductive System, Breast, And Endometrial Health, Batul Mirza

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Obesity significantly impacts women’s health, particularly among middle-aged women, by increasing the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast, endometrial, and reproductive system cancers. This study examines the educational needs of this demographic group regarding obesity-related cancer risks and explores effective intervention strategies. Obesity-induced mechanisms – hormonal imbalances, chronic inflammation, and insulin resistance – drive cancer susceptibility, emphasizing the need for targeted health education. The study employs a qualitative design, which includes interviews with subject matter experts (SMEs) and surveys of middle-aged women. The goal is to assess awareness, perceived barriers, and preferred learning methods. Findings suggest that with many …

Artificial Intelligence Policies In Bioethics And Health Humanities: A Comparative Analysis Of Publishers And Journals, Christopher Bobier, Daniel Rodger, Daniel Hurst

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

INTRODUCTION: Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) pose novel ethical and practical challenges for scholarly publishing. Although AI-related policies are emerging in many disciplines, little is known about the extent and clarity of AI guidance in bioethics and health humanities journals.

METHODS: A search of publicly available journal lists from the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, Health Humanities Consortium, and Association for Medical Humanities was supplemented with Google Scholar's top 20 bioethics journals ranked by h5-index. This yielded 54 unique journals, of which 50 remained after excluding those without a functional website or recent publications. AI policies were reviewed …

Book Review: Maricel Guiao Santos, Rachel Showstack, Glenn A. Martínez, Drew Colcher, Dalia Magaña. (2024). Health Disparities And The Applied Linguist. Routledge, Pp. 148, David Sanchez-Jimenez

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Survival Guide For Queer Families In Heteronormative Healthcare: Liberatory Consciousness And The Paradox Of Dependent Healthcare, A Critical Policy Discourse Analysis, Dwenna A. Holden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study I explored and analyzed how the queer experiences of an anonymous higher education institution in the western United States’ self-identified queer faculty and staff intersected with the discursive framing of the college’s dependent healthcare structure and documents. Within a critical paradigm I designed research around a high-density theoretical approach to weaving various branches of queer theory together with critical theory around policy and law in relation to queer bodies and hostile heteronormative policy environments. I arrived at solutions based in complaint, survival, and transformation. I used critical policy discourse analyses to interrogate the college’s dependent healthcare documents …

Health Care In Women’S Carceral Spaces, Kate Gouveia Pereira

Culture, Society, and Praxis

Canada has had a long history of mistreating incarcerated women in their jails. The carceral system was built to fit around the needs of men, neglecting to consider the various health issues that only women face. For many years. federally imprisoned women were held in one deteriorated prison, the Prison for Women (P4W), and were held in abhorrent conditions and experienced many acts of violence. Despite the opening of five more prisons and funding for various programs for women, incarcerated women continue to experience violence and health crises, leaving imprisoned women extremely vulnerable to mental and physical distress. In particular, …

Food Insecurity In Adolescent Athletes, Andrew Donaldson, Shannon Margherio, Jay Roberson, Kevin Latz

Research Days

Background: The prevalence of food insecurity among children in the United States is estimated at 21%. Food insecurity during childhood leads to worse school performance, more emotional and behavioral health concerns, and increased suicide attempts. Further, food insecurity has been noted to have multiple deleterious effects on the collegiate student athlete, including lower GPA, disordered eating, and substance use.

Hypothesis: Food insecurity is prevalent in the adolescent athlete population and exists across demographics.

Methods: Voluntary surveys were distributed to parents at all sports medicine clinics at our institution. Demographic data was collected including athlete age, race, school and school district, …

Tackling Social Stigma: An Ethical Obligation In Healthcare Intervention To Involuntary Childlessness, Persis Naumann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The stigma associated with involuntary childlessness has negatively affected health and well-being for several decades. This situation is particularly exacerbated for women within the Tamil socio-cultural context, resulting in feelings of shame, neglect, denial, isolation, and constituting a significant barrier to long-term access to healthcare services. Although advancements have been made in the provision of biomedical care, the psychosocial support remains inadequately addressed. Moreover, there are currently no healthcare interventions that specifically target the stigma associated with this issue, which hinders open communication with healthcare providers, delays necessary treatments, and adversely impacts overall health outcomes. The central thesis of this …

Frontier Healthscapes: Competing Narratives Of Disease, Environment, And Wellbeing In Early Minnesota, Aidan Reynolds

Geography Honors Projects

Across settler societies, health narratives were shaped by evolving tensions between lay and expert knowledge, frameworks of disease causation, and perceptions of the environment as both a source of health and a threat. In the decades following Euro-American settlement (1860-1900), Minnesota became a focal point for these debates, with its landscape fostering complex and competing narratives on health, wellbeing, and disease. This paper explores how public health discourse developed in Minnesota through the perspectives of institutions, the public, and economic interests. Combining environmental history with critical discourse analysis of archival materials, this study examines shifts within the Minnesota State Board …

Patient Perspectives On The Role Of Healthcare Providers In Addressing Food Insecurity In A Nj Primary Care Setting, Anna Flts, Lisa Huang, Aarsa Moosavi, Jha Stuti, Philip B Collins

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background:

Food insecurity is a critical social determinant of health, yet is rarely discussed with patients in primary care settings. The objective of this project is to explore patient perspectives on the physician role in addressing food insecurity as well as to identify factors associated with food insecurity among patients in family medicine clinics.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was distributed to patients (n=250) across two academic family medicine clinics in South New Jersey between May 2023 and December 2024. Demographics, self-reported health status, and comfort with discussing food insecurity were collected. Additionally, food insecurity status was determined based on the …

Exploring Anticoagulant Prescription Disparities: A Focus On Hispanic Patient Care, Michael Acevedo, Vanessa Veltre

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Anticoagulants play a critical role in preventing thromboembolic events, yet disparities persist in their prescription among minority populations. This presentation explores inequities in anticoagulant prescribing patterns, with a specific focus on Hispanic patient care. Using retrospective electronic health record data, we analyzed the prescription rates of warfarin versus direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) among adults with clinical indications for anticoagulation. Our findings reveal that Hispanic patients are significantly less likely to receive DOACs compared to non-Hispanic White patients, even after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and insurance status. Contributing factors include language barriers, lack of insurance, and potential implicit bias in provider …

Beyond The Label: Understanding And Addressing Occupational Stigma In Psychiatry, Mahesh Vasudevan, Madeeha Sheriff

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Introduction:Stigma is a social classification that devalues individuals or groups, and occupational stigma targets entire professions. Psychiatry is particularly affected, often viewed by the public and medical community as lacking scientific rigor and prestige. This negative perception has far-reaching consequences.

Methods:A narrative literature review was conducted to explore the scope, sources, and impact of occupational stigma toward psychiatrists. Peer-reviewed articles and professional resources published between 2002 and 2023 were selected based on relevance to psychiatric stigma, education, and public perception. Databases searched included PubMed, Google Scholar, and professional association websites using keywords such as “psychiatry stigma” and “psychiatrist …

Pathways Beyond Performance: How Curriculum Style Impacts Emotional Intelligence And Interpersonal Communication In Medical Students, Dan Yacubovich, Jonathan Tadros, Jennifer Fischer, Dana Zambito

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: Medical schools employ various curricula to foster medical knowledge and professional competencies. Emotional intelligence (EQ)—the capacity to manage emotions and interpersonal relationships—is essential in clinical care. While research links EQ to academic and communication skills in nursing and international medical students, limited data exist for U.S. medical students, particularly regarding curriculum type.

Objective: This study evaluates whether different curricula—Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Synergistic-Guided Learning (SGL)—are associated with differences in EQ and interpersonal communication skills (ICS) at Rowan-Virtua SOM.

Methods: EQ was measured using the MySkills Profile (EIQ16). ICS scores were derived from standardized patient encounters in the pre-clinical years. …

Digital Activism In Kenya: Moving From The Digital Center To The Digital Periphery Of Long Covid Experience, Emily Mendenhall, Lucy Kamau, Nora Kenworthy, Edna Bosire

Brain and Mind Institute

Digital activism around Long covid has reverberated around the globe, as patients, researchers, and clinicians worked together to understand the chronic condition. However, Long Covid networks, much like other social networks, have hierarchies and barriers that can impede equitable access. In this article, we examine how the global digital center and periphery shape how people with Long covid connect to networks to learn about their illness symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and experiences. We introduce case narratives of two Kenyan women—one elite Nairobian who was connected to the digital center and another middle class woman who connected with her through a peripheral …

Beyond Opioids: The Role Of Polysubstance Exposure In Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Treatment And Hospitalization, Caelyn Harrison

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the impact of prenatal polysubstance exposure, specifically focusing on the need for pharmacological treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and the duration of their hospital stay. A retrospective analysis of 462 infants, including 121 exposed to polysubstances during pregnancy, showed significant associations between polysubstance exposure and adverse neonatal outcomes. Infants with prenatal polysubstance exposure were more likely to require pharmacological treatment for NAS (52.8%) compared to non-exposed infants (38.7%), as determined by chi-square analysis (χ²(1, N = 462) = 7.36, p = .007). Additionally, infants exposed to polysubstances experienced longer hospital stays on average (M = 14.88 …

Addiction In The Prison System: Recidivism And Alternatives, Daniel R. Bowers

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States criminal justice system has the highest number of incarcerated individuals in the world, with nearly 2 million people currently being behind bars, and around 7.5 million arrests per year according to the most recent available statistics. A key factor in this is addiction, specifically substance use disorders. Between 58% to 68% of adults arrested are addicted to one or more substances, with 68% of drug involved individuals being rearrested within three years of being released. This recidivism rate is incredibly high, and when combined with current prison and jail overcrowding, has created massive problems for the United …

Psychological Treatment Behind The Walls:Insights From The Inside, Rogelio Serrano

Psychology Division Scholarship

Repeated eras of mass incarceration, criminalization of marginalized communities, and substance use policies have created a revolving door of justice involved populations. The ever-increasing prison population has repeatedly become the largest contingency of mental health clientele for an overburdened mental health system. Those who work with formerly incarcerated individuals in the community often don’t know the unique set of challenges faced by practitioners within the system. Increased understanding and coordination of care can offer opportunities for sustained recovery and reduced levels of recidivism. In this presentation participants will learn about the unique insights on mental health treatment that can be …

Dispatches From Bed: On The Intersection Of Disability Justice And Palestinian Liberation, I. B. Bedrotting

Toyon: Multilingual Literary Magazine

None.

A Narrative Review Of Military Reverse Triage., Daniel J Hurst

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

INTRODUCTION: Military reverse triage has been described at several points in the literature. However, an extensive review of the concept and any gaps that may exist has not been conducted. This narrative review seeks to understand how reverse triage is used in the military literature and how it might be implemented in practice, as well as the documented historical applications of reverse triage.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four databases were searched manually for English-language articles: PubMed, SCOPUS, JSTOR, and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. In addition, a manual search of references, U.S. DoD, and NATO doctrine, as well as other published works …

Cultivating Compassionate And Inclusive Care For People With Disabilities, Evelyn Echevarria Cruz, Aila Cordero, Maria Fioletova, Amanda Escudero

be Still

The disparity between physicians' preparedness to treat people with disabilities (PWD) and the prevalence of disabilities is a critical healthcare issue. The 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System reported that over 25% of U.S. adults have a disability, yet many healthcare providers feel unprepared. A poll found that only 40.7% of 714 physicians were confident in providing quality care to PWD, while 61% of 600 surveyed PWD indicated that their providers needed more training. Additionally, only 36% of medical schools included disability education in their curricula, often focusing on brief simulations rather than immersive experiences. To effectively address the diverse …

The Masculine Way, Jessica Asuquo

be Still

This painting was conceptualized after a particularly impactful patient visit. During the visit, the patient described a traumatic event in greater detail, stating that the doctor and I were the first people he had ever spoken to about the event.

I felt both honored and disheartened by this statement. I was honored that this man trusted us with this knowledge. Still, I was immensely sad that he dealt with the trauma of this event alone for decades. I believe he released some of the grief, pain, anger, fear, and hurt when he shared his burden with us, and I will …

Developing Humanistic Clinicians: A Review Of Literature, Andrew Taylor, Willie Capers

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

Humanistic clinicians possess scientific and technical competence and demonstrate essential virtues like empathy, compassion, patience, love, and courage. Humanistic clinicians are trained with an emphasis on the sciences and the humanities. The humanistic clinician is therefore better equipped to care for patients, the patient’s family members, other clinicians, and themselves. Defining empathy can be problematic due to a lack of consistent definition. Relevant literature regarding empathy was reviewed before settling on a working definition. Several pedagogical approaches encourage the moral development of clinicians. The methods and purpose of those approaches are explained. Illness narratives or pathography is a particular type …

A Review Of Racial Differences And Disparities In Ecg, Jianwei Zheng, Chizobam Ani, Islam Abudayyeh, Yunfan Zheng, Cyril Rakovski, Ehsan Yaghmaei, Omolola Ogunyemi

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a widely used, non-invasive tool for diagnosing a range of cardiovascular conditions, including arrhythmia and heart disease-related structural changes. Despite its critical role in clinical care, racial and ethnic differences in ECG readings are often underexplored or inadequately addressed in research. Variations in key ECG parameters, such as PR interval, QRS duration, QT interval, and T-wave morphology, have been noted across different racial groups. However, the limited research in this area has hindered the development of diagnostic criteria that account for these differences, potentially contributing to healthcare disparities, as ECG interpretation algorithms largely developed from major …

Podcasting Towards Togetherness: Utilizing Podcasts To Improve Departmental Camaraderie And Well-Being, Michael Petrauskis, Colleen Gutman, Rosemarie Fernandez

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Physician burnout is on the rise, and this is of particular concern in emergency medicine. Burnout is associated with medical errors, adverse events, poor professionalism, and litigation. A sense of community can build engagement and mitigate workplace stressors on well-being. Emergency physicians may have trouble connecting due to the nature of shift-work and various practice settings. Communication technology, and particularly podcasting, has the potential to help overcome these barriers and positively impact relatedness and well-being.

Approach: We developed an inward-facing podcast, “The ER Break Room” within the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida. Through the …