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Reviewing Emergency Medical System Needs Assessments Across The Indo-Pacific Region
No full textABSTRACT
Emergency care is a significant contributor in morbidity and mortality in the Pacific region. Efforts to improve emergency care must start with a need assessment model appropriate for the region. The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Joint Trauma System (JTS) face numerous challenges in their goal of a Global Trauma System (GTS), with assessment of emergency care being a critical component of the trauma system. This review sought to identify current emergency systems needs assessment methods in use within the INDOPACOM. Once key terms were chosen, searches of PubMed and Cochrane databases were performed. A total of 554 results were identified, of which 239 were screened, and 5 ultimately met the inclusion criteria. Data extraction was performed by the sole author using both closed and open-ended questions and compiled.
A significant gap exists in the literature regarding the use of emergency medical system assessment methods within the Pacific. This significant gap in understanding severely limits the JTS’s goal of building a GTS that will meet the region-specific needs across the Pacific. Whether selecting an existing model or creating a new one, greater attention must be paid to the unique regional needs of the Pacific. If developed appropriately the DoD can strengthen partnerships across the region with ally and partner nations to promote knowledge sharing and improve global healthcare outcomes. The ten-year timeframe and the limitation to English-language articles may have limited the current understanding of the situation. Further research, conducted through partnerships with key stakeholders and regional governments, could counteract these limitations.
Keywords: Pacific, emergency care, systems, needs assessment, medical system, global trauma syste
Incorporating Academic Coaching into Traditional Advising Models: Expanding Support for PA Students
No full textAcademic advising and mentoring are long-standing cornerstones of student support in physician assistant (PA) education. Yet as graduate medical education becomes increasingly complex, traditional models may not fully address the diverse needs of contemporary learners. Academic coaching has emerged across higher education and medical training as an approach that emphasizes learner-driven goal setting, self-regulation, and skill development. A blended advising model that integrates academic coaching with existing advising and mentoring structures may expand student support while simultaneously fostering faculty growth. This article explores the conceptual distinctions among advising, mentoring, and coaching, highlighting the potential of coaching to improve student performance, persistence, and well-being. Evidence from higher education demonstrates associations between coaching and improved grade point averages, retention, self-efficacy, and belonging. Barriers to programmatic adoption, such as faculty workload, role confusion, and structural inertia, are acknowledged, but these challenges can be reframed as opportunities for faculty development and institutional culture change. Faculty training in coaching methods offers skill-building in active listening, feedback delivery, and reflective facilitation, strengthening both advising interactions and clinical teaching. For PA programs, incorporating academic coaching within traditional advising frameworks represents an innovative strategy to advance student success, promote resilience, and enhance faculty-student relationships. By adopting and evaluating blended advising-coaching models, PA educators and administrators can collaboratively drive their programs to the forefront of learner-centered educational innovation
Navigating New Worlds: Acculturation and Stigma in the Mental Health Journey of Hispanic Immigrants
No full textHispanics in the U.S. face unique mental health challenges influenced by acculturative stress and cultural stigmas. This study examines how demographic factors and generational differences affect mental well-being and access to mental health care among 38 participants. Using validated psychological measures, it explores the relationship between acculturation levels, cultural stigmas, and mental health outcomes, particularly stress, depression, and anxiety. This study hypothesizes that Hispanic immigrants with higher levels of acculturation will experience fewer mental health challenges, while those facing stronger cultural stigmas related to mental health will report worse outcomes. Findings reveal significant correlations between stigma, discrimination, and mental health struggles. A statistical analysis shows that higher social stigma is linked to increased stress, accounting for 26% of the variation, while experiences of discrimination correlate with higher anxiety, explaining 12% of the variation. These results highlight the complex dynamics of acculturation and stigma in shaping mental health within Hispanic communities. Greater acculturation appears to be associated with fewer mental health struggles, suggesting that better integration into the host culture may reduce psychological distress. However, cultural stigmas remain a major barrier to seeking care, preventing many from accessing necessary support. Addressing these stigmas is crucial for improving mental health outcomes among Hispanic immigrants. This study emphasizes the importance of culturally sensitive mental health interventions and increased awareness to reduce stigma, promote well-being, and improve access to mental health care for Hispanics in the United States
The Pen Is Mightier Than The Keyboard: The Benefits of Explicit Handwriting Instruction
Get PDFStudies of handwriting instruction point to students’ skilled reading and spelling acquisition as a benefit of handwriting practice. Scientific imaging of the human brain captures highlighted regions associated with sensorimotor skills. These same regions illuminate when used during handwriting. Research indicates these images prove sensorimotor activities facilitate learning and the foundational skills necessary during reading acquisition (Ying, et. al., 2024). All teachers and administrators can benefit from learning how handwriting practice provides “irreplaceable advantages” that digital devices and typing do not, and therefore demonstrate why a return to pen and paper use can support school-wide literacy growth. Research shows the significant role handwriting plays in reinforcing learning for the reading and writing brain. A review of evidence-based experiments from peer-reviewed journal articles informs teachers regarding methods for incorporating handwriting strategies with younger students as well as with special populations of students. Therefore, by understanding the role that handwriting plays, along with practical suggestions for instructional practice, educators will understand how sensorimotor skills used when writing by hand enhance instruction and intervention in the classroom
BIOL 114: The Effect of Sand on Arabidopsis thaliana Growth and Development
No full textThis experiment investigated the effects of sandy soil on the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana. We hypothesized that Arabidopsis thaliana would grow better in standard potting soil compared to a mixture of sand and soil. To test this, we grew wild-type and mutant Arabidopsis thaliana plants in two conditions: a 1:1 potting mix and perlite (standard topsoil) and a mixture of 65 percent sand with potting soil, simulating the sandy conditions of Virginia Beach. Our results supported the hypothesis for the wild-type plants, as those grown in standard soil had significantly larger rosette diameters than those in the sand mixture. However, the mutant plants showed the opposite trend, with larger rosette diameters in sandy soil than in standard soil. This suggests that genetic variations may influence how Arabidopsis thaliana responds to soil composition. The findings align with research indicating that standard soil, which retains more nutrients, generally leads to better plant growth. However, the mutant plants\u27 unexpected response to sand shows a potential for genetic adaptation in different soil environments
Community Risk Reduction Efforts of the Lynchburg Fire Department
No full textThe Lynchburg Fire Department’s Weekly Walkabouts were established in Spring 2023 as a Community Risk Reduction effort to promote fire safety in the community. Through this program smoke alarms are installed in homes throughout the area and fire prevention literature is passed out. This initiative received the 2023 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Community Risk Reduction
Comparison of PFAS in Immunotoxicity: Effects on inflammatory responses in the RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line
No full textPerfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), otherwise known as “forever chemicals”, are fluorinated compounds that have a high thermal and chemical stability are found in manufacturing and consumer products. This class of chemicals has been traced to harmful effects on the environment with known toxicity to human physiological systems including kidney, liver, testes and related reproductive toxicity. The need for examination of effects on inflammatory responses is of interest because of effects on other types of immune responses. The build up of PFAS in soil and water is said to pose a threat to the environment, wildlife and humans. The purpose of this research was to gain knowledge on the effect of PFAS on the RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line. This was accomplished by an analysis of macrophage activation in RAW 264.7 cells by measuring the nitric oxide concentrations following stimulation by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RAW 264.7 cells were treated with different concentrations of PFAS substances with or without the addition of 100 ng/mL LPS. LPS is a molecule found on the outer cell membrane of gram-negative bacteria cells and is a common pro-inflammatory stimulus for macrophages. Two experiments that tested pentadecafluorooctanoic acid ammonium salt and perfluorooctanesulfonate revealed no effect on the RAW 264.7 cells when observing nitric oxide concentrations
Screening for Prodromal Symptoms of Schizophrenia in Primary Care Settings
Get PDFSchizophrenia is a debilitating mental health disorder with severe and wide-ranging consequences. Early detection of prodromal symptoms (subtle warning signs preceding full-blown psychosis) can significantly improve patient outcomes. Primary care settings, where early intervention is typically most feasible, lack standardized tools to screen for prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia, however. This review examines existing psychosis screening questionnaires to determine their suitability for primary care use. In addition to highlighting the significant role of primary care providers in managing mental health conditions, this review outlines the challenges associated with recognizing early signs of schizophrenia, particularly in resource-limited settings, and therefore why utilizing appropriate screening tools is so important. Gold-standard screening tools such as the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS) and the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS) are highly effective but impractical for routine primary care use due to their length, training requirements, and, in the case of the SIPS, limited language availability. In contrast, the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief (PQ-B) and the Prodromal Questionnaire-16 (PQ-16) emerge as the most viable options for primary care settings. The PQ-B and PQ-16 demonstrate high sensitivity, are freely available, require minimal administration time, are easy to administer, and have been validated in multiple languages. While other prodromal symptom screening tools, including the PRIME Screen-Revised (PS-R) and the Youth Psychosis at Risk Questionnaire-Brief (YPARQ-B), show potential, their accessibility and licensing constraints limit widespread implementation. Future research should focus on refining and validating shorter, highly sensitive screening tools, such as the Mini-SIPS, and exploring telemedicine’s role in early detection, particularly in rural areas. By working collaboratively to identify effective screening measures and integrate them into clinical practice, primary care providers may play a crucial role in reducing the duration of untreated psychosis and improving long-term outcomes for individuals at risk of developing schizophrenia