Medical Humanities Commons^™

Editor's Introduction

be Still

No abstract provided.

Musings From The Dean, Elaine Wallace

be Still

No abstract provided.

Fairy Tale, Divya Pandya

be Still

The imagination of a child- one of the most fantastic things.

A Child's Curiosity, Quynh-Nhu Tran

be Still

A curious 5-year-old girl placed a stethoscope against her chest in St. James, Jamaica on the December 2018 medical outreach trip. Even though this was my second time returning to Jamaica, I remained amazed at the fearless children not cringing and even smiling during the physical exam. I recalled a brave 10-year-old girl seeing the medical and optometry teams by herself as her father volunteered on-site. Such positive attitudes were reflected among numerous community members through their great respect and continuous gratitude towards healthcare professionals. They touched my life as I touched theirs.

A Warm Ode To Children, Sean A. Friefeld

be Still

A poem encouraging children to embrace the world that they create every day and to live with a sense of wonder.

The Gift Of A Stranger, Angel Mauricio Marquez

be Still

As we are taught in our physics classes, energy is neither created nor destroyed it is simply transferred. Whether that energy manifests itself as power to fuel an engine or as knowledge to fuel a life of passion and intimacies, the energy influences one in the same. I simply seek one thing out of life, that those who come into contact with my energy find themselves transformed in the subtlest of ways so that they may, in turn, inspire another so that the cycle continues on and on.

Her Son, His Mom, Hytham Rashid

be Still

This short narrative hopes to provide a perspective on why children and parents struggle to discuss their health, often masking their shame with modesty.

A Child’S Innocence In Healthcare, Alicia L. Kilian

be Still

A child’s innocence can be deceiving. Their beauty, laughter, and carefree nature can easily blind anyone from seeing and understanding a childs true reality. On my first pediatrics rotation as a third year medical student, I met a little girl with Ebstein’s Anomaly, a rare and serious heart condition. A condition that can present with bluish discoloration to the lips and skin due to lack of oxygen. When this little girl first walked into the examination room, her smile lit up the room and her laughter instantly made me forget why she was even there. After getting lost in her …

War And Climate Refugees In Lesvos, Greece, Zachary Burns

be Still

No abstract provided.

My Future Patients, Peter S. Troccoli

be Still

No abstract provided.

Exercise In Circles And Lines, Lori L. Gregory, Laura Kirkpatrick

be Still

No abstract provided.

Across The Fence, Alex Waziry

be Still

ARTIST ALEX WAZIRY inspired by the movie, “The BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS”. Having Jewish roots, it deeply touched the Waziry family.

Youth-Sized Lab Coats: When Children Become Doctors Through Adolescent Healthcare Brokering, Lindsey Russell

Social Sciences

Child language brokering refers to the practice of children acting as linguistic and cultural mediators in general settings like school, stores, banks and other personal uses. The primary focus of this paper is “adolescent healthcare brokering,” a term coined in 2016 by researchers Jennifer R. Banas, James W. Ball, Lisa C. Wallis and Sarah Gershon, to refer to the use of children as interpreters for family and community members, specifically in the healthcare setting; these cross-lingual communications may occur during regular physician appointments, trips to the emergency department or at specialized visits in fields such as obstetrics or oncology.

This …

Mapping Pps: A Case Study Of Story Map Journals For Interactive Health Reporting, Susan Rauch

Publications

A case study on the visual-material components of story map journals as visual, new media interactive health reporting used in population health surveillance. The story map journal is demonstrated an effective tool that visually reports, maps and tracks global support networks and health resources for post- polio (PPS) survivors.

Empathy In Aging, Morgan Kranz, James Charles Arendt

Honors Theses

Empathy in Agingis a project exploring how to show compassion for the inevitable aging process. This form of care is physical and mental. The concept for this work comes from my time working as a nursing assistantin a nursing home. Through my experiences, this project explores what I took away through observation and interaction

An Ethical Analysis Of Reproductive Justice In The Context Of The Egenics Movement In The United States, Bernetta Welch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The history of forced sterilization and the American cultural agreement with this practice robbed women of color of control of their own bodies, destinies, and communities. Negative eugenics as genetic proof of low intelligence, low possibility, and low productivity fed the system of compulsory sterilization even though the science proved faulty and incorrect. As advances in medical technology and genetic science increases, eugenics is making a return into the American psyche. Vulnerable populations which include women of color make reproduction and the subsequent control of their bodies vulnerable once again.

The Reproductive Justice Movement is a collaboration of organized women …

Precision Medicine And It's Ethical And Social Implications: Public Health And Gobal Persepctives, Evangel Sarwar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ever since President Obama's launch of the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) in 2015, precision medicine (PM) has been anticipated as the new paradigm for healthcare with the capacity to “empower patients, researchers, and providers to work together toward the development of individualized care,” through research, technologies, and policies (President Obama, 2015). Precision Medicine (PM), in the form of genomics, offers unprecedented promise of providing new tools for improving health and reducing the burden of diseases, not just for the U.S. - but also globally. According to World Health Organization, genomics research and precision medicine will play a major part in …

Understanding Awareness And Completion Of Advanced Care Directives: An Exploratory Study, Katherine Anna Chiu, Katherine Grace Topf

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Background: Advance Care Directives (ACDs) are forms that are beneficial for expressing end-of-life wishes during Advance Care Planning (ACP); however, few studies have focused on awareness and completion among college-aged populations. Completion of ACDs are more common among populations forced to think about potential of death, such as the elderly and chronically ill.

Methodology: This research is comprised of two parts in order to explore the availability of resources on four-year public institutions’ official websites (institutional level), and college-aged students’ beliefs and values. The institutional level took inventory of information available on the official websites of four-year public institutions (n=1,642). …

Assessment Of The Perceived Access To Health Care By Migrant And Seasonal Farm Workers In Southern New Jersey, Karen Custodio, Xitlalichomiha O'Dell, Lori Talbot

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Migrant and seasonal farm workers (MSFW) are one of the most economically disadvantaged populations in the United States. MSFW confront numerous health challenges as a result of occupational hazards, poor living conditions, and inadequate nutrition, in addition to common health concerns like diabetes and hypertension. The objective of this study was to identify major barriers to health care for individuals working in the agriculture industry in southern New Jersey. Though there are numerous factors which impact health for migrant farmers, we hypothesized that language, financial burden, and fear from immigration status will be the most significant. Research was conducted using …

A Bilingual Approach To Pediatric Occupational Therapy: The Importance Of Communication Between Providers & Spanish-Speaking Families In Northwest Arkansas, Emily Ann Davidson

World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to the demographic demands of Northwest Arkansas and the prevalence of disparities in health care, this study aims to assess the current practices, perceived need, and willingness to provide bilingual Spanish-English outpatient pediatric occupational therapy options in Northwest Arkansas. The hope of this study is to better inform pediatric occupational therapy providers of the growing need for bilingual services so that they may respond appropriately in order to better serve Latino and Spanish-speaking patients and their families or caregivers.

Implementing An Honors Nonprofit Internship: Hub Of Hope, Janet Wagner

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human trafficking is the term used to describe modern-day slavery, which is a global problem, but it is also present here in the United States. During this last year, I have worked with the Northwest Arkansas nonprofit Hub of HOPE. This organization, founded in 2016 by Jennifer Sorey, supports victims of human trafficking and raises awareness by educating Arkansans on the pervasiveness of human trafficking and its implications for our community. As part of my work, I completed the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training to understand how to work with human trafficking victims who are also victims of sexual assault …

Clinical Decision Making: A Case Study Of The Effects Of Evidence Based Medicine And Past Empirical Experience In The Emergency Department, Olivia Zeman-Renner

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

With a growing number of medical malpractice suits and the passage of policy that focuses on patient advocacy, an emphasis has been placed on research regarding the decision-making processes of physicians in everyday practices. Over the past decades, scholars have looked to specific clinical decision-making philosophies, how they can be implemented into practice, and the effects of such implementation, but little research has been done into the culmination of decision-making philosophies on a day-to-day basis. By focusing on single-case study of a Midwestern Emergency Department and asking Attending physicians to self-report their decision-making philosophies, this study serves as a transition …

Socioeconomic Inequality In Life Expectancy In India, Miqdad Asaria, Sumit Mazumdar, Samik Chowdhury, Papiya Mazumdar, Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay, Indrani Gupta

Journal Articles

Introduction Concern for health inequalities is an important driver of health policy in India; however, much of the empirical evidence regarding health inequalities in the country is piecemeal focusing only on specific diseases or on access to particular treatments. This study estimates inequalities in health across the whole life course for the entire Indian population. These estimates are used to calculate the socioeconomic disparities in life expectancy at birth in the population. Methods Population mortality data from the Indian Sample Registration System were combined with data on mortality rates by wealth quintile from the National Family Health Survey to calculate …

Oncogenesis- Kaleidoscopic And Multi-Level Reality, Firmilian Calota, Cristian Mesina, Stelian Stefanita Mogoanta, Dragos Calota

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Oncogenesis is an extremely complex phenomenon. The mechanisms by which cancer is induced is only partially known. Consequently, therapeutic targets may be uncertain and results are often unsatisfactory. The purpose of this paper is to develop a trans-level and multiple transdisciplinary perspective describing the kaleidoscopic reality of oncogenesis. This manner of understanding oncogenesis as a complex process characterized by a non-linear dynamic, far from equilibrium and with unpredictable evolution, transcends the classical perspective and requires a paradigm shift. This approach is also facilitated by recent studies that focus on group phenomena, with emerging behaviors in a continuous phase transition. Biological …

The Patient-Physician Relationship: Overcoming Language And Cultural Barriers, Corrilynn Lynch

Senior Honors Theses

The patient-physician relationship governs the field of medicine, forming the basis for all relationships, interactions, and procedures in medicine. The degree to which a patient trusts his physician and thus is willing to be receptive to medical advice and adhere to assigned treatment is dependent on the quality of his relationship with his physician. The method of relationship chosen will dictate how the patient feels he is perceived and thus to what extend he will participate in his healthcare. A patient-centered approach to medicine will increase this confidence and lead to improved clinical results. Additionally, the rise of physician burnout …

Overcoming The Overwhelming, Abigail Mae Riitano

Akesis

This piece was inspired by a CPC prompt that required reflection on where we feel we are currently as medical students and how it compares to our expectations before starting medical school. I believe this relates to the theme "always forward" as I reflected on my expectations and realized that I need to give my positive perspectives room to grow.

Not Now, Psoas., Kelly Mcguirl

Akesis

My psoas is always tight.

Sometimes I’m too intense.

My psoas reminds me with a collegial cramp.

Usually on my dominant side.

I notice, but push through, telling my psoas to shut the hell up, I’m busy.

When it’s quiet,

I notice and allow the guidance.

I soften and submit to a gentleness of mind and muscle.

The ease that comes is an honest breeze that carries me through.

A Home Death On Peaks Island, Chuck Radis

Akesis

I believe that those who die, particularly those like my patient Martha, can teach the living a great deal about “Always Forward.” All too often I find that the immediate family of the deceased becomes stuck in grief, unable to move beyond their loss. My patient Martha, by allowing her children to participate directly in bathing her after she passed was very wise in anticipating how powerful grief can be. She wanted the healing to take place even on the day she passed. And I have to think that her insistence that I come by the house the night she …

Differences In Tsimane Children’S Growth Outcomes And Associated Determinants As Estimated By Who Standards Vs. Within-Population References, Melanie Martin, Aaron Blackwell, Hillard Kaplan, Michael Gurven

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Anthropometric measures are commonly converted to age stratified z-scores to examine variation in growth outcomes in mixed-age and sex samples. For many study populations, z-scores will differ if calculated from World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards or within-population references. The specific growth reference used may influence statistical estimates of growth outcomes and their determinants, with implications for biological inference. We examined factors associated with growth outcomes in a sample of 152 Tsimane children aged 0–36 months. The Tsimane are a subsistence-scale population in the Bolivian Amazon with high rates of infectious disease and growth faltering. To examine the influence of …

Expanding International Health Curriculum For The Internal Medicine Residency At Mmc, Brian King, Hassan Mahmoud, Anthony Pastore

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

While internal medicine residents at Maine Medical Center provide care for many refugees and immigrants, there is not a formal international health curriculum to equip residents to care for this vulnerable population. Since 2002, 3,793 refugees have arrived in Maine for resettlement. Our aim was to survey residents about their interest in added international health instruction and design an educational curriculum for these physicians.