The Power of Plate & Knowledge: Nutrition’s Role in PCOS Management for Asian American Women

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic endocrine condition with symptoms that severely impair women\u27s physical and reproductive health. However, individuals with PCOS, especially Asian American women, lack sufficient understanding of non-pharmacological symptom management options, such as dietary and lifestyle modifications. This research proposal explores whether culturally appropriate nutrition education can help manage PCOS symptoms and lessen the need for medical management. The literature critique focuses on addressing the knowledge gap regarding treatment management among women diagnosed with PCOS, health risks related to PCOS, ethnic differences, and nutrition. This proposal investigates the impact of a dietary education program tailored to align with traditional Asian eating patterns to help manage PCOS symptoms, grounded in the Health Belief Model (HBM). According to the HBM paradigm, people are more likely to adopt health behaviors, such as dietary modifications, when they realize their vulnerability to health problems, understand the benefits of taking action, and feel supported in overcoming hurdles. The study\u27s findings aim to encourage culturally sensitive nursing methods while also empowering women to control PCOS symptoms through realistic and culturally relevant dietary changes

Nursing Knowledge Regarding Pap Smears for Transgender Men

Cervical cancer screening (CCS) is a crucial test used for preventative measures against cervical cancer, yet transgender men (TM) experience significantly lower screening rates in comparison to cisgender women due to pain, anxiety, and systemic healthcare barriers. A major factor for deterrence is pain during speculum insertion, often because of vaginal atrophy related to testosterone usage. Other factors include fear of discrimination, mistreatment, and lack of provider awareness, particularly among nurses who play a pivotal role in patient preparation and care. This research aims to assess the extent of nurses’ knowledge regarding Pap smears for female-to-male (FTM) patients through a quantitative descriptive survey. A Likert scale-based questionnaire will evaluate the knowledge of 100 nurses in California, identifying potential areas of knowledge deficits in understanding CCS for TM. The anticipated findings will highlight any potential gaps in knowledge, which could inform future educational interventions such as workshops or simulations

Medical-Grade Honey and Standard Dressings in Burn Wound Care: Evaluating Effectiveness, Cost, and Patient Outcomes

Background: Burn injuries burden the healthcare system globally as silver sulfadiazine (SSD) is the standard treatment even though it delays healing and is highly costly. Medical-grade honey (MGH) demonstrates superior antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, however, there are still evidence gaps when comparing effectiveness, cost efficiency, and patient centered outcomes. Purpose: This study aims to compare MGH and SSD amongst these gaps to inform evidence based burn care. Methods:A randomized controlled trial will enroll 100 people between 25-50 years of age with first and second degree burns, \u3c 20% total body surface area within two hospital burn units. Participants will be assigned to either MGH or SSD treatment. The study will be a single blind design where dermatologists evaluating the wound photographs will not know the treatment given. Primary outcomes include wound healing time, infection rates, and patient reported pain scores. Secondary outcomes will focus on cost effectiveness analyses and patient quality of life. Standardized protocols will be implemented for data collection, wound assessment, and safety monitoring. Results: We anticipate that MGH will have lower infection rates, promote faster wound healing, improved outcomes from patient reports, and better cost effectiveness through shorter hospital stays and reduced medical treatments compared to SSD. Conclusion: This study will provide evidence comparing MGH and SSD across economic, clinical, and patient centered outcomes. If our hypothesis aligns with the results, MGH could be a new evidence-based standard in burn care as it offers many advantages over SSD in patient comfort, healing efficiency, and medical costs. The findings will provide areas for future research, especially long-term outcome and a bigger patient population

Psychological Impact of Ulcerative Colitis on Pregnancy and Postpartum Period

Background Ulcerative colitis (UC) poses significant challenges during pregnancy, affecting both physical and mental health. While the physiological effects of UC during pregnancy are well documented, less is known about its impact on maternal mental health. This study aims to investigate the psychological effects of UC on pregnant women, focusing on stress levels, postpartum depression (PPD) incidence, and the role of multidisciplinary care in improving mental health outcomes. Objective The primary objective of this research proposal is to evaluate the psychological impact of UC during pregnancy and determine whether disease activity increases the risk of PPD and stress. A secondary objective is to assess whether multidisciplinary care with mental health support improves psychological outcomes compared to standard care. Methods This quantitative, longitudinal cohort study will recruit pregnant women aged 18–45 with a UC diagnosis. Participants will be assessed at three time points: during the first and third trimesters, 6 weeks postpartum, and 6 months postpartum. A comparison group of pregnant women without UC will also be included. Data collection will involve validated surveys (EPDS, PSS, HADS), medical record reviews, and follow-up assessments. Statistical analysis will include independent t-tests to evaluate psychological outcomes based on the type of care model received. Expected Results It is expected that pregnant women with UC who receive multidisciplinary care will demonstrate significantly better psychological outcomes compared to those receiving standard obstetric care alone. The interdisciplinary group is anticipated to report lower levels of perceived stress, anxiety, and depression, as measured by the PSS, EPDS, and HADS. Improvements are expected to be most notable in the postpartum period, where the risk of psychological distress typically increases. Pregnant women receiving standard prenatal care without integrated support are expected to show higher psychological symptom scores across all time points, highlighting the need for more comprehensive care models for this patient population. Conclusion This research proposal aims to demonstrate the significant psychological burden of UC during pregnancy and postpartum, supporting the need for integrated, multidisciplinary care that combines gastroenterology with maternal mental health support

The Effectiveness of Botulinum Toxin Injections in the Management of Chronic Neck and Shoulder Myofascial Pain: A Nursing Perspective

https://scholar.dominican.edu/nursing-student-research-posters/1159/thumbnail.jp

Wings and Wounds: Stories of War, Truth, and Other Casualties

Wings and Wounds: Stories of War, Truth, and Other Casualties is a hybrid thesis that combines fiction and nonfiction to explore the emotional and psychological cost of military service. It begins with an autobiographical essay that describes the author’s medical separation from the military, followed by a craft essay that outlines his approach to writing about trauma. Drawing on these two essays, this thesis ends with an excerpt from a satirical war novel set during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, inspired by the author’s own military service. Together, these works explore the power of Narrative Medicine, showing how the act of storytelling—whether fictionalized or factual—can become a tool for processing trauma, improving wellbeing, and help others feel less alone in their pain

Even Then I Knew

My thesis for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is composed of two parts. The first part, “I See My Whole Family in your Face,” is a collection of 29 original poems with themes of lineage and family as well as trauma and violence. The second part, “Fragments of Mercy: Andrea Two,” is a type of erasure poem where fragments of Andrea Dworkin’s 1990 novel Mercy are randomly presented chapter by chapter to represent the story of a character from the novel: Andrea Two

Trauma-informed Care: A Catalyst for Strong Therapeutic Alliances

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a framework designed to support trauma survivors and is centered around 4 R’s: realizing the holistic impact of trauma, recognizing symptoms of dysregulation, responding to needs appropriately, and resisting retraumatization (SAMHSA, 2014). The present study explored how receiving TIC impacted a client’s perception of the therapeutic alliance. Participants consisted of 118 adults who have attended individual outpatient psychotherapy. More than half of participants worked with a master’s level psychotherapist (e.g Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker), followed by a third working with a psychologist. The remaining participants worked with a psychiatrist or pre-licensed professional. The measures used in the present study were the Patient Trauma-Informed Care Survey (Kokokyi et al., 2021), Brief-Revised Working Alliance Inventory (BR-WAI; Horvath & Greenberg, 1989; Mallinckrodt & Tekie, 2015), and Client Assessment of Multicultural Competent Behavior scale (CAMBC; Oh & Shillingford-Butler, 2021). A series of Pearson R correlations found a significant positive relationship between receiving TIC and experiencing safety, alongside collaborating with a mental health provider, while a significant moderate relationship between receiving TIC and experiencing multiculturally competent counseling was found. Additionally, participants who discussed TIC with their providers reported higher levels of TIC. The findings of this study will begin to bridge the literature gap regarding patient outcomes of TIC

Exploring the Mental Impact of End-of-Life Care Exposure on Neonatal Nurses: Perspectives and Insights

Purpose: This research investigates education interventions aimed to improve neonatal nurses’ knowledge in End-of-Life Care (EoLC), with a goal in improving their mental health using coping strategies. This study seeks to, in the end, deliver effective sensitive and comprehensive care during EoLC. Improved education in this area is expected to enhance higher quality of care while fostering better mental health outcomes for nurses themselves. Methods: The proposed research utilizes a pre- and post-test design to evaluate the effectiveness of education and training in nurses who have a minimum of 3 to 4 years of experience in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Training workshops will be completed every two months within the unit, or as needed, focusing on 100 neonatal nurses, men and women, who are working in a Level III to Level IV. The focus is on high-acuity NICUs that are greatly impacted by communities of low-socio economics within California. Data: Anticipated results of performed Quasi-Experimental Design, include pre- and post-tests that are expected to demonstrate statistical improvements in educational interventions, aimed at enhancing nurses’ knowledge. The expectation of training and workshops interventions reduces shortage of education. A p-value \u3c 0.05 will show a significant positive post-test, to highlight nurses’ effective understanding because of interventions. Conclusions: Lack of knowledge about EoLC greatly impacts the mental well-being of neonatal nurses, thus resulting in inadequate quality care. Implementing education within the unit leads to statistically significant effects on neonatal nurses, highlighting the value of efficient and thoughtful training and workshops.https://scholar.dominican.edu/nursing-student-research-posters/1167/thumbnail.jp

The Arrow

In the sleepy town of Heart’s Bay lives a twelve year old boy named Oliver Blue, a boy with a tendency to live with one foot in the dreamworld and one foot on Earth. Up until now, the summer before seventh grade, this tendency has brought both wonder and hardship to Oliver’s life. But he hasn’t seen anything yet. Oliver’s parents have just been divorced, prompting he and his mother to move across the city and into a mysterious old building. And as things in Oliver’s reality get turned upside down, so does everything he knows about the world of dream and imagination that he calls home. # The Arrow is many things. From one angle it is a whimsical, comforting journey through the labyrinth that is the middle road, the pathway which winds between dreams and reality, childhood and adulthood, and sometimes even compassion and contempt. One might also say that The Arrow is a story about worlds torn apart, as well as the struggle that follows to mend and find peace. But perhaps most of all The Arrow is a tale, written for all ages, about the magical, dreaming child within—a fire of light that may dim with age, but which may also be rekindled