Medical Education Commons^™

Holistic Admissions, Anna Kam

Theses and Graduate Projects

As patient populations of Minnesota and the nation become more diverse there is much work to do in preparing a nursing workforce that has the experiences and attributes to provide holistic and culturally congruent care. The process of holistic admissions admits the most qualified applicants into schools of nursing who bring with them life experiences and crucial attributes. These holistic aspects of the applicants support both academic success and promote quality nursing practice. Holistic review aims to align the mission and vision of academic institutions with the admissions process ensuring that both the applicant and organization are clear in their …

To Care When There Is No Cure: Chronic Illness And Medicine, Skylar Nash

Honors Theses

Millions of people worldwide are suffering from chronic illness at this very moment. Just in the United States, a little less than half of the entire population has been diagnosed with a chronic illness, and a large portion of those patients have been diagnosed with multiple chronic diseases. Those stricken by incurable illness are forced to face and manage their unique illness experience along with the side-effects of the disease itself. For this subset of the population, everyday normal activity can become relatively impossible to work through. There are financial, psychological, social, and physical obstacles to overcome every day that …

First Profunda Artery Perforator Flap For Breast Reconstruction Performed At A Va Hospital, Kaitlynne Pak, Amanda Fang, Garrison Leach, Riley Dean, Sarah Crowley

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The profunda artery perforator (PAP) flap for breast reconstruction originated by Dr. Robert J. Allen in 2010 after multiple failed attempts at using muscle-sparing transverse rectus abdominal muscle (MS-TRAM) flap and implants. This flap method was initially approached due to the patient’s request for an autologous tissue graft that did not sacrifice muscle. The PAP flap has grown significantly in popularity and usage in breast reconstruction and makes up to about 16% of autologous breast reconstruction, coming second to DIEP flaps (76%). This well-tolerated, muscle-sparing approach is ideal for patients without sufficient abdominal fat (low BMI or previous abdominal liposuction) …

The Role Of Art In Teaching Virtual Anatomy During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Shaigan Bhatti, Ashwatha Thenappan, Rose A. Maxwell, Marilyn Kindig

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The purpose of this study is to determine whether drawing anatomical structures and teaching it virtually to others improves student confidence in remembering anatomy and improves student perceptions of OB/GYN anatomy in the obstetrics and gynecology core clerkship. Active recall is a superior method of learning and memory retention because it practices information retrieval. If one draws an anatomic region of the human body after visualization and then teaches it, the learner would be exercising retrieval thus promotion retention of the material. The specific act of writing things down on paper promotes memory retention. This study sets a precedence of …

Identifying Factors Underlying The Decision For Genetic Carrier Screening Among Women In Montgomery County, Sowon Kim, Rose A. Maxwell

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Genetic Carrier Screening (GCS) is a genetic test that allows patients to find out if they carry genes for certain genetic disorders. The results of the test enable patients to make changes to their family planning decisions and prenatal care when appropriate and allow them the opportunity to seek further medical and social support. Despite these health benefits and notable clinical utility of GCS, GCS has not been utilized in most nations due to moral and ethical controversy among the public. Previous studies have demonstrated patients’ ethnicity, socio-demographic (age, education) and economic factors were associated with the patient’s intention to …

Access To Primary Care Among Emergency Department Patients, Megan Hanna, Nicholas Seitz, Steven Repas, Michael Harrington, David L. House, Tiffany Le, Derek Sorensen, Catherine Marco

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Primary care is an essential component of a robust healthcare system by promoting preventative medicine and health education. This study assessed the percentage of Emergency Department (ED) patients with access to primary care and barriers to primary care.

Tb Incidence In Us And Puerto-Rico From 1993 To 2017, Bowranigan Tharmalingam, Amber Todd

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The objective of this project is to test for possible correlation between the trend of Tuberculosis incidence rate in the US and the Tuberculosis incidence rate in PuertoRico from 1993 to 2017. Data from CDC Wonder-Online Tuberculosis InformationSystem and Pearson Correlation test were used to investigate the relationship. Analysis shows a positive association and a significant correlation between TB incidence rate between both region during the 26-year timeframe. This result has the potential for in-depth future research to identify the common variables and causes for the positive correlation.

Efficacy Of Urolift Procedure For Bph By A Single Center Of Excellence Over 5 Years, Joseph Wiedemer, Jennifer Espenschied, Trevor Mckoy, Benjamin Schmeusser, Andrew Drozd, Jeffrey Bierly, Michael Yu

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Since receiving FDA approval in 2013, the Urolift intervention for BPH has shown to be a promising alternative to the TURP characterized by nearly equal efficacy with markedly reduced recovery time. The 5-year L.I.F.T study is by far the most robust Urolift research published to-date, which reports on a prospective randomized controlled study of 206 subjects. The L.I.F.T study reported stable improvement in the vast majority of patients over 5 years including preserved uroflow improvement from initial post-op evaluation and just 13.6% requiring surgical retreatment. Despite the procedure’s ostensibly high efficacy, more research is needed on a larger scale.

Urologists …

Holding Traction During Ct: Simple Tricks To Maintain Reduction In The Lower Extremity, Garrhett G. Via, David A. Brueggeman, Alexander Chase, Jennifer L. Jerele, Kyle S. Mobley

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Traction is one of the pillars of orthopaedic injury management, as it can provide both temporizing and definitive treatment for anatomic malalignment associated with joint dislocations and fractures. In the realm of modern orthopaedic care, post-traction imaging provides the surgeon with information about resting fracture position and the overall effects of traction that are critical to preoperative planning. However, there are often circumstances in which an orthopaedic surgery provider is faced with the discrepancy between the proper sequence of orthopaedic care and the need for emergent, advanced imaging to evaluate other organ systems. In other words, they are often forced …

Liposomal Bupivacaine Infiltration And Transversus Abdominis Plane Block Versus Standard Of Care For Post Caesarean Pain Control: A Retrospective Chart Review, Ellie Ganz, Darren Adams, Rose A. Maxwell, Theresa Roby, Marilyn Kindig

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and wound infiltration with local anesthetics are shown to reduce opiate use and pain scores when compared to controls who received narcotic pain medications. With the current opiate epidemic, finding different ways to control pain without opiates is important,-to prevent unnecessary use of these drugs and reduce the potential for addiction in patients having a Cesarean delivery who often times receive opiate medications on schedule regardless of their reported pain.

Predictive Factors For Early Breastmilk Discontinuation In Premature Infants: A Retrospective Study, Smiti Gupta, Darah Yuhas, Janet Wasylyshen-Valesco, Adrienne Stolfi

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, followed by continuation of breastfeeding with introduction of complimentary foods for at least 1 year (1). There has been considerable success initiating breastfeeding in birth hospitals. This can largely be attributed to many beneficial programs, including the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and “10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” (2, 3). Despite the success with increasing breastfeeding rates in birth hospitals, only 58.3% of US infants received breast milk at 6 months of age and only 25.6% of US infants were exclusively breastfed at 6 months in 2019 (4).This discrepancy is even greater for …

Adrenal Insufficiency Following Intraarticular Steroid Injections, Julia Hitchcock, Ankur Gupta

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

A 59-year-old woman presented with fatigue and 50 pounds weight gain in the last two years.She has been receiving triamcinolone steroid injections in both knees every three months for the last two years.She has also been receiving triamcinolone injections in ankles sporadically during this time period. Laboratory evaluation showed undetectable serum cortisol and inappropriately normal serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The patient underwent cosyntropinstimulation test confirming secondary adrenal insufficiency (Table 1).Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a normal pituitary gland with no tumors.She was started on hydrocortisone 10mg twice daily with improvement in fatigue.The patient was recommended to minimize steroid injections. The …

Reduced No-Show Rates And Sustained Patient Satisfactionof Telehealth During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brenden Drerup, Jennifer Espenschied, Joseph Wiedemer, Lisa Hamilton

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

TheCOVID-19 pandemic thrusted the relatively novel approach of telemedicine to thecenter stage of healthcare infrastructures within the U.S. and around the globe, leadingto adramatically increasedutilization of telehealth services.Since the first reported case ofCOVID-19 in the U.S. on January 20, 2020, telemedicine has played a large role in reducingviraltransmission by preserving PPE and supporting crippled healthcare revenuestreams. The convenience of these serviceshas also reduced caregiver burden and travelcosts for patients. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, studies have consistentlydemonstrated a strong association between telehealth utilization and increased patient satisfaction. The impact of telemedicine on patient satisfaction during the currentpandemic has yet to …

A Case Of Ruptured Cornual Pregnancy With Delivery Of A Viable Pre-Term Infant, Elana Miller, Elena Fuell-Wysong, Marilyn Kindig

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Interstitial and cornual ectopic pregnancies are rare forms of ectopic with high mortality rate. As such, they pose significant challenges in diagnosis, treatment, and follow up.

This patient was a 42 y/o female G2P1001 at 25+3 weeks gestational age who presented from an outside hospital after an episode of sudden onset abdominal pain with syncope. She was noted to have hypotension, tachycardia, lactic acidosis, and peritoneal free fluid. Physical exam was significant for peritoneal signs with abdominal guarding and rebound. Her pregnancy was complicated by advanced maternal age, THC use, and late presentation for prenatal care in the second trimester. …

Human Trafficking Education For 3rd Year Medical Students, Michelle Adamczyk, Ilana Siegal, Musunga Mulenga, Jeannette Manger

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Human trafficking is both a global and local human rights issue involving the exploitation of victims for labor or sex. Cases of human trafficking have been reported in every U.S. state, and victims of human trafficking include both minors and adults. Many victims of human trafficking will visit a health care setting during the time they are under the control of their trafficker. This allows health care providers the opportunity to play a key role in identifying and intervening to help victims of human trafficking, particularly while they are in the more controlled health care setting. The goal of this …

The Role Of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators For The Prevention Of Ventricular Arrhythmia In Left Ventricular Assist Device Recipients, Nikhil Reddy, Cristina Ortiz, Toshimasa Okabe, Muhammad Afzal, Mohamed H. Derbala, Asvin Ganapathi, Sakima Smith

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Advanced heart failure represents a significant strain on our health care system and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. New device therapies, including left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, have transformed management as both a destination therapy and as a bridge to transplantation. Although LVADs have improved patient outcomes, arrhythmias represent a significant and costly complication of this therapy. In recent years, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have been developed to reduce the incidence of lethal arrhythmia. However, a gap in the literature exists for both guidelines in prevention of early ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in LVAD recipients and the effectiveness of …

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Induces Axon Initial Segment Shortening In Cortical Neuron Culture, Jennae Shelby, Ryan B. Griggs, Josef Steinbrunner, Keiichiro Susuki

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The axon initial segment (AIS) is a domain located between the neuronal soma and axon responsible for action-potential initiation. Because even small changes in its length or location alter neuronal excitability and function, the AIS is a key structure for neurodegenerative pathophysiology. AIS shortening is seen in several neurodegenerative conditions such as traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis, and diabetic encephalopathy. Diabetic encephalopathy refers to mild cognitive impairment or dementia often experienced in patients with type 2 diabetes. Although patients with type 2 diabetes are 1.73 times more likely to develop dementia, there is currently no course …

A Review Of Identified Barriers To Sunscreen Adherence For Skin Cancer Protection, Kaitlynne Pak, Ericson Torralba, Clayton Connor, Julian J. Trevino

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US and worldwide. A clear risk factor for all types of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma) is UV exposure, whether artificial or natural. It is well-understood that regular sunscreen use with an SPF of 30 or greater reduces the risk of skin cancers; and especially that of melanoma, which is responsible for a majority of skin cancer deaths. However, the annual incidence of skin cancer cases, including melanoma, continues to rapidly rise in recent years. This may have a strong association with low rates of daily …

Magnitude Based Inference, Sharlo Bayless, Trevor J. Bihl

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Though its use is widespread in research, null hypothesis significance testing is not without flaws. Out of a desire to provide a more practical approach to solving statistical problems in certain fields, Magnitude Based Inference (MBI) was created. MBI is a statistical method that was developed by Will G Hopkins and Alan M Batterham, two researchers in Sports and Exercise Science, in 2009.The main issues that they wanted to address with null hypothesis significance testing (NHST),were: 1) the need for a large sample size,2) the confusing language, and 3) the arbitrary selection of a p value of 0.05 in testing …

Triamcinolone With Vitamin D Synergistic Efficacy In Psoriasis, Steven Repas, Jeffrey B. Travers

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Psoriasis is one of the most common skin conditions in the United States affecting more than 8 million people. High amounts of vitamin D has been shown to be effective in treatment of psoriasis. It also has a well-documented safety profile at the doses and duration that will be used during this study. Triamcinolone and other topical corticosteroids are considered a first line treatment for mild to moderate psoriasis with a well-documented safety profile. Individually both of these medications have shown effectiveness in the management and treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis. This study is designed to test whether a …