Healthy and Successful Aging Outside the Closet: How Outness and Social Support Relate to Health and Aging Concerns

The ability to disclose an LGBTQ+ identity is a significant part of many queer lives. A person’s outness can often be tied into their social support whether through their network or available resources. This study investigated how outness, social network, and access to resources relate to older LGBTQ+ individuals’ concerns regarding their care and their aging. A secondary data analysis was conducted using survey data from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The results showed that an increase in one’s social network indicated a decrease in aging-related care concerns; an increase in access to resources indicated a decrease in concerns; the degree to which one was out was not associated with a change in concerns. Ultimately, this study was able to provide several insights into the LGBTQ+ community and how their perceived social support relates to their concerns about their care as they age

Mobilizing Prevention and Early Detection of Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in Allegheny County through the Area Agency on Aging (AAA)

Objectives: In collaboration with the Department of Human Services (DHS): the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) using the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI), my capstone project will involve the development of a comprehensive literature review examining the impacts of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) on patients and their caregivers. The project aims to help the AAA focus on strategies to delay the onset of ADRD in Allegheny County. It also seeks to evaluate and enhance early detection programs for ADRD established by the AAA in communities within the county. Additionally, the project will explore how public health initiatives can increase access to care, educate the public about ADRD, and train healthcare providers to better support consumers and caregivers. Priority Population Served: In Allegheny County, the AAA’s initiative focuses on the BOLD Public Health grant, funded by the CDC. The study aims to address the multifaceted challenges that consumers who are susceptible to ADRD and their caregivers face. Methods: The project will consist of primary research conducted that will serve as a basis for the analysis. The primary research will be qualitative data from the departments that will be interviewed within the AAA. The qualitative data will be analyzed through a modified thematic analysis and compared to Deep Seek AI coding analysis. In addition, secondary research of the Behavioral Surveillance Survey System (BRFSS) data collected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) will further support the claim. Using literature reviews, I will be able to provide a needs analysis containing the identification of effective public health strategies to determine primary and secondary interventions for ADRD that can be initiated by the AAA (Expected) Results: This project anticipates determining the gaps within the current care for the ADRD community within the AAA and supporting further programs for dementia patients and their caregivers. The project will provide public health strategies that will enable the ADRD provider community to increase early detection and diagnosis of dementia-related diseases, support dementia caregiving, and raise awareness within Allegheny County. These efforts will aid the public to explore earlier interventions and integrate them into their lives. In the future, AAA will aid the HBI and use the American Heart Association’s guidelines for cardiovascular disease as a model to establish public health interventions for the ADRD community. Public Health Implications: This project will utilize levels of prevention to establish a baseline need for the ADRD community, aiming to improve overall health outcomes and support for both patients and caregivers. Keywords: Formatting Guidelines: Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, ADRD, Cognitive Disfunction, Caregivers, Brain, Public Health, Initiativ

Cortical Visual Impairment Awareness and Education

Objectives: This Capstone Project, conducted in collaboration with The Children’s Home (TCH), aims to raise awareness of the educational aspect of cortical visual impairment (CVI) by compiling the work already done in schools, hospitals, and the communities it serves. The focus is on raising awareness and education, interdisciplinary collaboration, diagnosis and early detection, public health implications, and strategic planning and implementation through secondary research. Methods: This project uses CH’s strategic plan to improve the flow of grand rounds already enforced. Meetings with multiple people on the Marketing & Development team and Pediatric VIEW team will answer how much progress has been made with awareness of CVI and the following steps that need to be taken to organize the information already researched. More focus will be on identifying where in-depth explanations are required when doctors or healthcare providers visit schools, which is being conducted by the project team. (Expected) Results: The project anticipates that the collaboration will significantly increase the frequency of patients diagnosed with CVI and improve patient outcomes. Specifically, the study expects a 15% increase in knowledge about CVI among healthcare providers and caregivers. This increase will be measured through the distribution and evaluation of educational infographics. These results promise a brighter future for children with CVI, instilling hope and optimism in our collective efforts. Public Health Implications: Spreading awareness and education about CVI in a university setting has more comprehensive implications. This project emphasizes the importance of diagnosis, understanding of disease prognosis, and support for healthcare providers and educators. These factors will play a role in future public health initiatives that account for CVI awareness and education for children, healthcare providers, and educators

HOSPITAL ORGANIZATIONS’ OBLIGATION TO PROMOTE SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING AMONG NURSES: DEVELOPMENT OF A NORMATIVE ETHICAL ARGUMENT

This dissertation presents an innovative strategy to promote the support of nurses\u27 spirituality within hospital organizations. By focusing on the spiritual well-being of nurses by hospital organizations, with a natural extension into nursing schools, the approach aims to enhance nurse’s ability to protect their own spirituality, provide comprehensive spiritual care to patients, and increase nurse moral resilience. By investing in nurses\u27 spirituality and spiritual growth, hospitals can potentially increase job satisfaction among nursing staff, improve patient care outcomes, and create a more holistic healing environment for both nurses and patients. As the nursing shortage continues and the number of nurses leaving the profession continues to increase, supporting nurse spirituality is an ethical and moral responsibility of hospital organizations

DCLI - Faculty Speakers Series - Patricia DeMarco

Director and Duquesne Kline Associate Professor of Legal Skills Dana Neascu, and Pittsburgh leader and author Patricia DeMarco discuss DeMarco\u27s work in sustainability, energy and environmental policy in the context of Earth Day 2025

ANALYZING DECOLONIAL SUBJECTIVITIES IN REGGAETON AND LATIN-TRAP MUSIC IN PUERTO RICO: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYISIS

This project studies decolonial possibilities for subjectivities in the urban music genres of reggaeton and Latin-trap in Puerto Rico. Using Ian Parker’s critical discourse analysis to analyze the lyrics and videos of three key songs, it systematically examines subjects constructed in songs, objects, discourses, and their relationships to each other. In addition to studying reggaeton and Latin-trap lyrics, the project highlights the emergence of social themes that guide the critical discursive analysis. Psychological literature and decolonial theory supplement the analysis, bringing in important theoretical insights regarding the songs’ salient social themes, such as black pride and resistance, gender fluidity and women’s liberation, and political demonstrations against colonialism. Each of these themes is highlighted in the chosen songs and their corresponding music videos, “Bandoleros” by Don Omar and Tego Calderón, “Yo Perreo Sola” by Bad Bunny, and “El Apagón” by Bad Bunny. These songs, studied through a twenty-step methodological approach, point to emerging discourses, patterns of language, subtext, relationships of power, and histories. I argue that they have created decolonial possibilities for diverse subject-positions. Concluding statements following each discourse analysis further elaborate upon the analysis and explore the impact of social critiques, such as challenging the power of institutions and local political discourses in Puerto Rico

Frequency of Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native US Residents Screened for Firearm Access

Objective: This study evaluates Black and AIAN individuals’ self-reported history of being screened for firearm access by healthcare providers, and identifies factors that influence screening. Methods: A cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of included 3015 Black and 527 AIAN adults in the US. Participants were recruited via probability-based sampling. Results: Among Black participants, 13.1% and among AIAN participants, 18.4% reported being screened for firearm access. Of the participants who reported being screened, most have been by mental healthcare providers or primary care physicians. Factors associated with higher screening odds in Black adults included history of suicidal ideation or mental health treatment, current firearm access, younger age, and having children at home. For AIAN participants, a lifetime history of mental health treatment or identifying as female increased screening odds. Conclusion: Black adults report infrequently being screened for firearm access by healthcare providers. Identifying screening barriers and fostering discussions on firearm safety in healthcare settings are important next steps for firearm injury prevention efforts

Epidemiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in central and Western Pennsylvania

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive disease of unknown origin. Establishing the epidemiology of IPF has been challenging due to diagnostic complexity, poor survival, low prevalence, and heterogeneity of ascertainment methodologies. OBJECTIVES: This research aimed to estimate the rates of IPF in central and western Pennsylvania and to pilot the use of capture recapture (CR) methods to estimate the disease incidence. METHODS: We identified adults ≥ 30 years old diagnosed with IPF (by ICD-9/10 coding) between 2013 to 2021 from two health systems (UPMC Health System and Penn State Health) participating in the PaTH Clinical Research Network. We extracted information on patients\u27 sex, race, date of birth and 3-digit zip code from electronic health records (EHR). Incidence rate of IPF among Pennsylvania residents was calculated using three case definitions (broad and two restricted) and piloted the use of CR in estimating IPF incidence. RESULTS: IPF incidence rates were 8.42, 6.95 and 4.4 per 100,000 person-years for the unrestricted (n = 3148), partially restricted (n = 2598) and fully restricted (n = 1661) samples, respectively. Low case overlap between two sites resulted in a highly inflated estimate of IPF incidence, using the CR methodology. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of IPF in central and western Pennsylvania was similar to previously published statistics. The application of CR to IPF epidemiology could be further investigated in health systems with greater overlap of patients utilizing more than one system

Integrating Sensor Technologies with Conversational AI: Enhancing Context-Sensitive Interaction Through Real-Time Data Fusion

This article examines how sensor technologies (such as environmental sensors, biometric sensors, and IoT devices) intersect with conversational AI models like ChatGPT 4.0. In particular, this article explores how data from different sensors in real time can improve AI models\u27 comprehension of surroundings, user contexts, and physical conditions. Lastly, this article delves into the scientific principles supporting sensor technologies, data processing methods, and their fusion with generative models such as ChatGPT to develop adaptable, dynamic systems that engage with humans intelligently in real time. Some of the specific topics that are investigated include the science behind sensor networks and acquiring real-time data, how ChatGPT can analyze sensor data to generate dialogue that is sensitive to context, instances in healthcare (such as using wearable sensors along with AI chatbots for patient treatment), and smart homes (interaction with AI assistants driven by sensors). These subjects will prove advantageous for researchers in sensor technology as well as AI development, showcasing interdisciplinary progress in smart systems

Illness Terminable and Interminable: A Lacanian Exploration of Medical Assistance in Dying

More and more people worldwide are requesting euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide (PAS), or medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Arguments in favor of expanding access to MAiD tend to prioritize the rational, competent, autonomous subject who has the right to make decisions about their body, including their death. Some have argued that this perspective – common in biomedical and bioethical literature – tends to neglect the fact that requests for assisted dying involve a relational structure: a relationship between the subject who requests an assisted death and the Other to whom this request is addressed. After reviewing relevant psychoanalytic approaches to suicide and assisted dying, this study examines the relational structure of MAiD from a Lacanian theoretical perspective, focusing on the case of non-terminal in Canada. The overarching question motivating this study is: What is the position of the o/Other addressed in MAiD? From this perspective, the relational structure of assisted dying is tracked across three Lacanian registers: first, as a (real) relation of the subject to his/her body, including the illnesses for which they seek an assisted death; second, as a dyadic (imaginary) relation between the subject and the others to whom they address their request; and third, as a (symbolic) relation between the subject and the big Other, instantiated by the laws, policies, and institutions governing assisted dying practice. To track the position of the o/Other addressed in MAiD, the author conducted semi-structured psychoanalytic interviews with six individuals with non-terminal illness considering applying for MAiD. Lacanian discourse analysis (LDA) was deployed as the methodology to analyze data collected. LDA is an evolving methodological tradition characterized by diverse methods, but is unified by its definition of the human subject as split into conscious and unconscious processes, and hence replete with ambivalence and contradiction. Data analysis was divided into two main chapters. In the first, the author outlines the relational origins of subject-formation according to Lacanian psychoanalysis and discusses the central position of the Other in mediating the relationship between the subject to the body and its drives. The author examines two participant transcripts in which an actualpathological position was assumed, characterized by the Other failing to provide adequate knowledge of and symbolization of the drives. This chapter includes a discussion of the structural lack in the symbolic (the Other) with respect to the real of the drives (object a), and explores MAiD as a master’s discourse that functions to cover over medicine’s lack vis-à-vis the real. In the second chapter, the author discusses identificatory processes operative for participants who request MAiD. A Lacanian theory of identification and alienation is described. Key Lacanian concepts are then operationalized (ideal ego, Ego ideal, superego, and master signifier) and analyzed with reference to two participant transcripts. This study concludes that with respect to MAiD, the Other appears to function in at least two ways: First, as a promise to solve the problem of the body and its drives; and second, as a promise to solve the problem of alienation in the Other’s signifiers. In both functions, MAiD, as a total identification with the master’s discourse, may preclude the subject from encountering his/her own desire/lack; alternatively, the process of applying for MAiD may initiate the subject’s interrogation of their alienation in the Other’s discourse and a movement toward separation