Public Health Commons^™

The Program To Reduce Implicit Bias In Carroll Hospital Center Using The Implicit Association Test, Katherine E. Traynor

Capstone Showcase

Natural brain processes make all individuals susceptible to unconscious bias; however, stressful, fearful, or anger-evoking situations as well as the negative influence of media and social surroundings increase the risk of holding obstructive bias, and there is a greater risk of being negatively impacted by this phenomenon when belonging to a minority population (Rose & Flores, 2020). As a result, high rates of infant mortality (10.2 deaths per 1,000 live births for the Non-Hispanic Black population compared to 4.1 in the White population) and cardiovascular related diseases (190.0 cases per 1,000 in the Non-Hispanic Black population compared to 161.3 in …

Non-Pharmacological Management Of Idiopathic/Persistent Dyspareunia, Iveshia Ford

Capstone Showcase

Painful sexual intercourse, or dyspareunia, is a condition numerous women experience. An unknown, but still important, number of those affected find no relief with medication or surgery. Yet, it can be difficult for patients to discuss concerns with their provider. In addition, many providers do not have an adequate comfort level to discuss such topics. This paper aims to equip providers with non-pharmacological treatment options which include pelvic floor physical therapy, sex therapy and lifestyle changes. With the cultural shifts and changing ideas of sexuality in today’s age, it is important that clinicians remain versed in sexual health and patient …

Understanding The Environmental Implications Of The Microbiome Of Canals In Bangkok, Thailand, Emma Tao

Scripps Senior Theses

The canals of Bangkok, Thailand hold significant economic and social value, yet the increasing urbanization of the city has resulted in increased water pollution. Agricultural runoff and urban waste contribute to the degradation of the water quality, which has impaired its safe usage by the people of the city. This study focused on analyzing the microbiome of the water in the canals in correlation with the surrounding environment, both in and out of the water. Ten sites along the Bangkok canals were analyzed. DNA was isolated for the sequencing of the 16s rRNA gene to determine the microbial diversity of …

The Cost-Effectiveness And Feminization Of The Human Papillomavirus Vaccine, Audrey Jammes

Scripps Senior Theses

Approved in 2006, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine provided a medical breakthrough in combating cancer by inoculating first female and then male adolescents in 2010. In 2016, a new HPV vaccine was approved for all adolescents. However, it is the most expensive vaccine created in the United States and its female centered prescription led to debates regarding the vaccine’s necessity and risks. For the STS portion of this paper, analysis of the language in the vaccine’s prescriptions from 2006, 2010, and 2016 demonstrates two implicit assumptions regarding female health built into the vaccine’s rollout. Comparison of the two assumptions to …

Mapping The Milk: Integrating Donor Human Milk Into Infant Nutrition Systems, Delaney Hartmann

Scripps Senior Theses

A human milk diet is an important part of the health and survival of all infants. A human milk diet is especially crucial for the most vulnerable preterm infants as it promotes a healthy gut and protects from Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). However, many preterm infants are unable to consume their mother’s own milk due to breastfeeding challenges resulting from early delivery. Therefore, nutritional supplementation is often necessary for preterm infants and donor human milk (DHM) is highly superior to baby formula. DHM in the United States is processed at the 29 not-for-profit Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) …

Covid-19 Patients With Documented Alcohol Use Disorder Or Alcohol-Related Complications Are More Likely To Be Hospitalized And Have Higher All-Cause Mortality, Kristina L. Bailey, Harlan Sayles, James Campbell, Neha Khalid, Madyson Anglim, Jana Ponce, Todd A. Wyatt, James C. Mcclay, Ellen L. Burnham, Alfred Anzalone, Corrine K. Hanson

Journal Articles: Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected every country globally, with hundreds of millions of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and over 6 million deaths to date. It is unknown how alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects the severity and mortality of COVID-19. AUD is known to increase the severity and mortality of bacterial pneumonia and the risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome. Our objective is to determine whether individuals with AUD have increased severity and mortality from COVID-19.

METHODS: We utilized a retrospective cohort study of inpatients and outpatients from 44 centers participating in the National COVID Cohort …

The 2019 Philippine Uhc Act, Pandemic Management And Implementation Implications In A Post-Covid-19 World: A Content Analysis, Maria Cristina G. Bautista, Paulyn Jean Acacio-Claro, Nori Benjamin Mendoza, Christian Pulmano, Ma. Regina Justina Estuar, Manuel Dayrit, Vincent Festin, Madeleine Valera, Quirino Sugon Jr, Dennis Andrew Villamor

Graduate School of Business Publications

The 2019 Philippine Universal Health Care Act (Republic Act 11223) was set for implementation in January 2020 when disruptions brought on by the pandemic occurred. Will the provisions of the new UHC Act for an improved health system enable agile responses to forthcoming shocks, such as this COVID-19 pandemic? A content analysis of the 2019 Philippine UHC Act can identify neglected and leverage areas for systems’ improvement in a post-pandemic world. While content or document analysis is commonly undertaken as part of scoping or systematic reviews of a qualitative nature, quantitative analyses using a two-way mixed effects, consistency, multiple raters …

Beyond The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Importance Of Social Determinants Of Health In Educating Healthcare Leaders, Tashuna Albritton, Miguel Muñoz-Laboy, Umadevi Yokeeswaran, Marlene Camacho-Rivera

Publications and Research

As scholars of color and educators in the health professions, we are compelled to advocate for the inclusion of the study of health disparities and social determinants of health (SDOH) throughout higher education to understand, analyze, and effectively respond to healthcare access disparities, including COVID-19 disparities, in Black and Latinx communities across the United States. In addition to our identities and lived experiences, healthcare access disparities and their root causes are woven throughout the courses that we teach in the departments of social medicine, social work, and social and behavioral sciences.

An Analysis Of Kindergarten Childhood Disease Vaccination Rates And Practices In Bay Area Counties, Janice Zelaya

Master's Projects

Immunizations are the most effective method for preventing communicable diseases, especially among children. Ensuring that children are vaccinated is of the utmost importance but remains a challenge due to misinformation and the growing anti-vaccination movement. With a population of 39.5 million people as of 2020 (Census Bureau, n.d.), California is the most populous state in the United States. In 2020, the San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma, is home to 7.7 million of those people (Census Bureau, 2021). This research will explore how …

Magi1 Inhibits Interferon Signaling To Promote Influenza A Infection, Yin Wang, Jun-Ichi Abe, Khanh M Chau, Yongxing Wang, Hang Thi Vu, Loka Reddy Velatooru, Fahad Gulraiz, Masaki Imanishi, Venkata S K Samanthapudi, Minh T H Nguyen, Kyung Ae Ko, Ling-Ling Lee, Tamlyn N Thomas, Elizabeth A Olmsted-Davis, Sivareddy Kotla, Keigi Fujiwara, John P Cooke, Di Zhao, Scott E Evans, Nhat-Tu Le

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We have shown that membrane-associated guanylate kinase with inverted domain structure-1 (MAGI1), a scaffold protein with six PSD95/DiscLarge/ZO-1 (PDZ) domains, is involved in the regulation of endothelial cell (EC) activation and atherogenesis in mice. In addition to causing acute respiratory disease, influenza A virus (IAV) infection plays an important role in atherogenesis and triggers acute coronary syndromes and fatal myocardial infarction. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the function and regulation of MAGI1 in IAV-induced EC activation. Whereas, EC infection by IAV increases MAGI1 expression, MAGI1 depletion suppresses IAV infection, suggesting that the induction of MAGI1 may …

Will Covid-19 Be Eradicated?, Matthew Kieke

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this paper I want to define the meaning of “eradication”, explain the history of various diseases that have been eradicated, and compare and contrast them to covid-19, to answer the question of “Will covid-19 be eradicated”?

Humidity Reduces Rapid And Distant Airborne Dispersal Of Viable Viral Particles In Classroom Settings, Antun Skanata, Fabrizio Spagnolo, Molly Metz, Davida S. Smyth, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

The transmission of airborne pathogens is considered to be the main route through which a number of known and emerging respiratory diseases infect their hosts. While physical distancing and mask wearing may help mitigate short-range transmission, the extent of long-range transmission in closed spaces where a pathogen remains suspended in the air remains unknown. We have developed a method to detect viable virus particles by using an aerosolized bacteriophage Phi6 in combination with its host Pseudomonas phaseolicola, which when seeded on agar plates acts as a virus detector that can be placed at a range of distances away from an …

Tracking Cryptic Sars-Cov-2 Lineages Detected In Nyc Wastewater, Davida S. Smyth, Monica Trujillo, Devon A. Gregory, Kristen Cheung, Anna Gao, Maddie Graham, Yue Guan, Caitlyn Guldenpfennig, Irene Hoxie, Sherin Kannoly, Nanami Kubota, Terri D. Lyddon, Michelle Markman, Clayton Rushford, Kaung Myat San, Geena Sompanya, Fabrizio Spagnolo, Reinier Suarez, Emma Teixeiro, Mark Daniels, Marc C. Johnson, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

Tracking SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity is strongly indicated because diversifying selection may lead to the emergence of novel variants resistant to naturally acquired or vaccine-induced immunity. To monitor New York City (NYC) for the presence of novel variants, we deep sequence most of the receptor binding domain coding sequence of the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from the New York City wastewater. Here we report detecting increasing frequencies of novel cryptic SARS-CoV-2 lineages not recognized in GISAID’s EpiCoV database. These lineages contain mutations that had been rarely observed in clinical samples, including Q493K, Q498Y, E484A, and T572N and share many mutations …

Parents’ Perspectives On Early Intervention For Children With Autism, Tiffany Schmidt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to analyze parent perspectives on early intervention services for children with autism. Research has shown a significant positive impact of early intervention on children with autism. A total of eight parents participated in this basic qualitative study guided by social cognitive theory. Participating parents were those whose child had an autism diagnosis and were receiving or had received early intervention services in Southeast Michigan. Data analysis included establishing themes and codes to organize the data into categories. Thematic analysis was applied by analyzing interview transcripts. The research questions used to collect data addressed parents’ …

Lived Experience Of Albanian Migrants Who Became Obese After Moving To The United States, Briseida Xhelaj

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of obesity is significant in the United States, and more information is needed about the factors that increase the risk for obesity among migrant populations like Albanian Americans. The purpose of this study was to discover the lived experience of Albanian migrants who became obese after moving to the United States. This study was guided by the social ecological model. The research questions were used to examine how individual, relationship, community, and societal level factors impacted lifestyle changes and obesity for Albanian American migrants after moving to the United States. This qualitative study involved the use of a …

Health Department Prevention/Education Plans And Perceived Risks Of Zika Infection, Lacey Jacques

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractZika virus is an infectious disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito that has been linked to increased rates of microcephaly and other devastating birth defects. The existing body of knowledge has focused on the individual-level factors that influence a person’s decisions about prevention activities and risk perceptions related to Zika virus. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between state-level plans for prevention and education and individual-level risk perceptions. Rosenstock’s health belief model lays a foundation for why individuals make the health decisions they do and helps explain how these can be influenced for …

Perceptions Of Implicit Bias In New York City Healthcare System During Covid-19, Kiesha Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implicit bias has been identified as a significant problem that hinders effective healthcare delivery. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory phenomenological study was to examine whether implicit bias influenced healthcare services for African Americans with comorbidities aged 30 and over living in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current studies show healthcare disparities, revealing barriers with healthcare delivery; however, they do not disclose a patient’s lived experience qualitatively, which constituted a gap in the literature. The frameworks of the behavioral model of health services use, and social construction and policy design guided this study. Research questions addressed (a) whether …

Attitudes Of State Public Health Laboratory Directors Towards Iso/Iec 17025 Accreditation, Christine Kilonzo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The impact of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in state public health laboratories (SPHLs) is understudied. There is a scarcity of research on SPHLs involving behavioral intent regarding ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was utilized to evaluate SPHL directors’ attitudes towards and intent to seek or maintain ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. To test the questions of whether the three constructs of the TPB, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are significant predictors of intent to seek or maintain ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, and whether there are significant differences in these constructs towards the accreditation between SPHL directors based on …

Concerns About Safety Of Minorities In The Collection Of Sogi Data, Kieran Chase, Alexis Dinno

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

This is a position paper concerning the ethics of routine collection of SOGI demographic data, with particular attention paid to erasure and the closet. We hope that the Health Authority will use the perspective presented here to respond to concerns around the safety of individuals who disclose minority sex, minority sexual orientation, or minority gender status. We are epidemiologists with history working on issues of queer demography and social policy. We have both collaborated with OHA’s Office for Equity and Inclusion on the development of the SOGI demographic instrument. We both occupy queer social locations and approach this work through …

Covid-19 Collaborative Modelling For Policy Response In The Philippines, Malaysia And Vietnam, Angus Hughes, Romain Ragonnet, Pavithra Jayasundara, Hoang-Anh Ngo, Elvira P. De Lara-Tuprio, Ma. Regina Justina Estuar, Timothy Robin Y. Teng, Law Kian Boon, Kalaiarasu M. Peariasamy, Zhuo-Lin Chong, Izzuna Mudla M. Ghazali, Greg J. Fox, Thu-Anh Nguyen, Linh-Vi Le, Milinda Abayawardana B. Eng, David Shipman, Emma S. Mcbryde, Michael T. Meehan, Jamie M. Caldwell, James M. Trauer

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Mathematical models that capture COVID-19 dynamics have supported public health responses and policy development since the beginning of the pandemic, yet there is limited discourse to describe features of an optimal modelling platform to support policy decisions or how modellers and policy makers have engaged with each other. Here, we outline how we used a modelling software platform to support public health decision making for the COVID-19 response in the Western Pacific Region (WPR) countries of the Philippines, Malaysia and Viet Nam. This perspective describes an approach to support evidence-based public health decisions and policy, which may help inform other …

Worker Experience A Year Into Covid: Job Demands And Resources In The Philippines, Emerald Jay D. Ilac, Jaimee Felice Caringal-Go, Ma Tonirose De Guzman Mactal, Mendiola Teng-Calleja

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

This study aimed to examine the positive and negative job characteristics that impact employees’ working experience in a country located in the Global South during the COVID-19 pandemic using the job demands and resources (JDR) theory as a framework. Data collection happened approximately one year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Data came from a qualitative online survey of 122 workers which was then subjected to thematic analysis. For both demands and resources, four superordinate themes emerged: intrapersonal, interpersonal, work or task-related, and organization- related. Intrapersonal job demands included health and safety, and the complexity of …

Integrating Fema And Scouts For Local Community Hazard Preparedness, Megan Vocatura

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

My goal is to support the development of a comprehensive, evidence-based, plan to connect four counties in eastern Massachusetts with local Scouting resources to enhance preparedness efforts. The counties of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk comprise the geographic footprint of the Sprit of Adventure Scout Council (SoA). SoA’s newly established partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needs recommendations on where to stage preparedness and response efforts. My role will be to build a repository of evidence of current and anticipated hazards, vulnerabilities, and risks for the region and specific communities. This part of the project will consist of …

Anthropological Responses To Covid-19 In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This article reflects on the roles anthropologists have played in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, and identifies the challenges – from the methodological to the political – they faced in fulfilling these roles. Drawing on the author's personal and professional experiences in the country, as well as on interviews with other anthropologists, this article identifies three major roles for anthropologists: conducting ethnographic research; bearing witness to the pandemic through first-person accounts; and engaging various publics. All these activities have contributed to a greater recognition of the role of the social sciences in health crises, even as anthropologists …

Health Workers On The Political Frontlines, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Three Transitional Events In The Substance Misuse Trajectories Of Women With Criminal Legal System Involvement, Martha Tillson

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Research has consistently demonstrated that criminal legal system (CLS)-involved women are distinct from men in initiation and course of drug use, with important differences on biological, environmental, and sociocultural levels. Thus, the unique pathways and transitions into and out of drug use for women with CLS involvement are critical to consider from a research perspective, but also from a need to develop and support evidence-based, women-centered services in correctional contexts. This dissertation project uses a three-paper format to investigate three aims: (1) to understand CLS-involved women’s initiations to injection drug use and their experiences providing injection initiation assistance (IIA) to …

The Impact Of Food Justice Advocates In Creating And Influencing Public Policy, Michael Joseph Chadukiewicz

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This case study explored the impact that food justice advocates had on creating and implementing public policy to provide access to adequate, healthy, and culturally appropriate food for the residents of New Haven, Connecticut. The problem the case study explored is in 2020 food insecurity affected 22% of the residents of New Haven, more than twice the national average. This qualitative case study used grounded theory to analyze the experiences of 31 food justice advocates that were members of a coalition of researchers, food service providers, non-profit agencies, grassroot organizations, and residents tasked with improving the city’s emergency food system. …

Covid-19 Vaccination In Palestine/Israel: Citizenship, Capitalism, And The Logic Of Elimination, Nicolas Howard, Emily Schneider

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Despite Israel’s responsibility under international law to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics in its occupied territories, Israeli officials have refused to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Through a critical discourse analysis of Israeli officials’ statements regarding Israel’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, this paper explores how Israel evades this responsibility while presenting itself as committed to public health and human rights. We find that Israeli officials strategically present Palestinians as an autonomous nation when discussing COVID-19 vaccinations, despite Israel’s ongoing attempts to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. Relatedly, Israel justifies …

Unpacking The Influence Of Islamic Religious Culture And Individual Religious Affiliation On Testing Hiv-Positive, Brittany Hayes, Amy Adamczyk

Publications and Research

The distribution of HIV cases varies cross-nationally. We separate the influences of Islam at the macro-and micro-levels to understand the role of religion in shaping the spread of HIV. Drawing on biomarker data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, we construct a multilevel database (Individual N= 568,476; Country N= 30). We examine a series of national-and individual-level predictors that may mediate the relationship between Islam and testing HIV-positive. Individual religious affiliation and proportion Muslim retained their risk-reducing effects even when accounting for a range of mediators and suppressors. Islam has a sui generis effect on testing HIV-positive.

Factors Associated With Mask Use In New York City Neighborhood Parks During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Field Audit Study, Lisa Hitch, Marie A. Sillice, Hanish Kodali, Katarzyna E. Wyka, Javier Otero Peña, Terry Tk Huang

Publications and Research

Background: Mask use is a cost-effective measure to decrease COVID-19 transmission. Mask mandates intend to increase mask compliance but are often ambiguous when it comes to public outdoor spaces.

Methods: We used a field audit study to examine mask use in New York City neighborhood parks during COVID-19. 1453 park visitors were observed in 13 parks during July–August 2020 using a modified and validated park use audit tool (System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities) that included items on general and proper mask use (i.e., mask covering both nose and mouth). Generalized estimating equation regression was used to determine …

Work-Based Concerns Of Australian Frontline Healthcare Workers During The First Wave Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michella Hill, Erin Smith, Brennen W. Mills

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: This research sought to gauge the extent to which doctors, nurses and paramedics in Australia were concerned about contracting SARS-CoV-2 during the country's first wave of the virus in April 2020.

Methods: Australian registered doctors, nurses and paramedics (n=580) completed an online questionnaire during April 16–30, 2020 (period immediately following the highest four-week period (first wave) of SARS-CoV-2 confirmed cases in Australia).

Results: During April 2020, two-thirds of participants felt it was likely they would contract SARS-CoV-2 at work. Half the participants suggested Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplies were inadequate for them to safely perform their job, with two-thirds …