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Dr.Chris Grantham
No full textSummary by Eliza Anderson.
Chris Grantham, M.D., is a critical care attending and director of the ICU at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.
He grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, and returned to the area after medical school to complete his residency in internal medicine at St. Barnabas and his fellowship in critical care at Montefiore. After years of working as an attending at St. Barnabas, Grantham began his position as the Critical Care Director in December 2019, mere months before the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
In the weeks and months after the virus was first discovered in China, St. Barnabas prepared for the arrival of COVID-19 patients by developing disaster plans for extending the ICU. Grantham recalls, however, that the amount of staff and supplies needed to care for the record-high number of patients was underestimated. Within a few weeks of the disease’s spread to the U.S., the ICU had reached maximum capacity and the ratio of nurses to patients stretched up to 1 to 6. Key issues for Grantham’s ICU at the height of the pandemic included the number of available ventilators, limited hospital staff, and limited space to extend the ICU. For himself and his staff, overworking was an everyday reality. When asked about the hardest days, Grantham recalls that “those days where the volume is so high and the acuity is so high, and there is no – you\u27re not able to stop. Those are the worst in the pandemic.” The most rewarding days for Grantham were when patients were successfully weaned off the ventilator.
Grantham notes that the statistics for COVID patients in the Bronx were especially dire, and that a lack of preventative care for conditions such as diabetes and obesity raised the risk factor for many patients who may have been uninsured or on Medicaid. Speaking on St. Barnabas’ relationship to the Bronx community during the pandemic, he says, “We\u27re a small hospital, but I think we showed how important we are to the community here during that time.
“These Are Our Saints:” A Lourdes Shrine, the St. Coletta School for Exceptional Children, and the Catholic Remaking of Cognitive Disability
No full textThis chapter appears from the book American Patroness: Marian Shrines and the Making of US Catholicism by Katherine Dugan and Karen E. Park, Editors.
\u27These Are Our Saints:\u27 A Lourdes Shrine, the St. Coletta School for Exceptional Children, and the Catholic Remaking of Cognitive Disability focuses on a Lourdes shrine on the campus of what was once perhaps the most celebrated institution in the United States for persons with cognitive disabilities. It takes this site as a window onto mid-twentieth century Catholic efforts to re-imagine cognitive difference and highlights the importance of Marian devotional grammars to those efforts
Work to Live or Live to Work? How Work Culture Has Influenced Workers Rights in France and the United States
No full textWork culture is something that employees live through but don’t often think about. The basis of a work culture is rooted in the societies it is part of, most often associated with the countries where the work is based. There exists a strong relationship between work culture and the rights of workers. Workers rights aid in further emphasizing sentiments regarding work culture through legislation. A culture that places a heavy emphasis on work rather than on personal enjoyment outside of a work environment will have different labor laws than a culture that appreciates the finer things in life by making work a lower priority. This essay will examine the influence that work culture has on workers rights, specifically in France and the United States. Beyond my personal connections and experiences to the two countries, I chose France and the United States because they are both wealthy western countries, but have stark differences in their work cultures. I explored this topic by examining some of the key components regarding work culture and its influence on workers rights– the impact that societal cultures have, the legal components, economic influences, different mentalities associated with working, and the role that protests play. Throughout the essay, it will become clear that there exists a distinction between the two work cultures and that the relationship between the rights workers have and the ways in which they feel and act on it are very different in both countries. A work culture not only sets the tone of whether an employee will enjoy their job but how they will be treated as well. It’s important for countries to have solidified labor laws that companies cannot take advantage of so that the workers are protected and are able to perform their jobs, whatever that may be, under fair and correct conditions
Climate Change and Environmental Crises in Coastal Cities: Charleston vs New York City
No full textThis paper addresses the increasing vulnerability that coastal communities face regarding climate crises and rising sea levels. Specifically, this paper investigates the environmental crises facing Charleston, South Carolina, and New York City. The geographical location of these cities places a more severe threat upon their environment, as opposed to urban collectives removed from the immediate effect of rising sea levels. A cross-examination of politics and economics is discussed in order to determine the causal relationship of each city’s engagement with its surrounding environment. This paper examines how each city is affected by climate change, what measures are in place to protect their environment, and the feasibility needed to prevent further crises. Additionally, this paper offers an economic analysis of the differentiation between highly funded cities and their counterpart. Chapter 1 offers current statistical evidence of the environmental crises looming over these cities. The environmental history and current ecological conditions pertaining to each city are examined, along with a brief discussion surrounding each urban area\u27s economic, political, and legal characteristics. Chapter 2 expands upon the historical background briefly overviewed in the previous chapter. Additionally, a historical overview of environmental crises caused by human intervention is put forth. Urban planning, economic status, and the political landscape are cross-examined through a historical lens, both past and present, in order to provide a vivid description of the complexity of environmental degradation. Chapter 3 discusses the economic attributes surrounding each city’s role in relation to the environment. Sustainable practices, such as environmental engineering, architecture, and education, are discussed in order to examine the feasibility of potential ecological solutions. Chapter 4 examines the sociopolitical characteristics of each city to unveil the interrelatedness between politics, social justice, economics, and the environment. Theoretical concepts such as structural racism and environmental justice are included to provide examples of the severity of climate change and the societal implications inextricably linked to ecological crises. Chapter 5 provides a brief overview of previous chapters, along with several policy recommendations that each city could implement. Environmental crises must be addressed as multi-faceted issues in order to adequately provide feasible solutions
Sustainable Urban Design in New York City: The Case Study of Manhattan’s Chinatown
No full textHow should urban cities like New York City adapt with climate change? Can sustainability and cities co-exist? This paper addresses the environmental challenges New York City faces due to its geographical location and design plans of sustainable urban cities with a case study of Manhattan’s Chinatown. While there is existing discourse on ways to develop sustainably amid a grim environmental outlook, analyzing similar issues through racial and social perspectives are extremely critical particularly in a multi-culturally diverse city like NYC. This city offers rich architectural histories that intertwine with burgeoning immigrant communities during the 20th century. Chinatown, located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is known as the home to the one of the largest Chinese diaspora, but it was also once home to a large Jewish population particularly those of lower socio-economic class. Environmental justice, urban design, and climate change reveal interesting intersectionality. Through this paper, I will explore environmental concerns of the city as well as various green infrastructure to envision what the future of green cities may look like. Chapter One explores the ecological history of New York City, the city’s environmental challenges, as well as the history of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Chapter Two discusses current climate goals, building policies and regulations, and considerations of building construction materials. Next, Chapter Three examines environmental concerns through the lens of environmental justice as well as environmental injustices in Chinatown. Chapter Four proposes the sustainable urban design plan. Chapter Five analyzes the design plan through economic valuation frameworks. Lastly, Chapter six addresses policy recommendations to implement the urban design plan to address the growing climate crisis
Bees in the Big City: The History, Politics, and Infrastructure of Colony Collapse Disorder and Potential Solutions
No full textThis paper discusses the phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, the causes of CCD, and how to mitigate the causes of the phenomenon while increasing the population of pollinators in cities, specifically in NYC. Chapter 1 analyzes the reasons behind the issue of pollination decline, examining well-established theories such as habitat loss and climate change, as well as other theories such as the prevalence of radio waves and how they interfere with the internal navigation of pollinators. Case studies of other nations and their situations are also included. Chapter 2 examines the history of New York City’s pollinators from its inception to the present day, citing which pollinators are present in this area and the major fluctuations in the levels of these pollinators and the reasons behind them, up to the reasons for the major pollinator decline in the city in the present day. Chapter 3 introduces the field of urban planning and architecture, analyzing how existing and new infrastructure can be optimized with new installations such as green roofs and hanging and community gardens which work to expand the floral land area of the city, which is just one way in which to augment the number of pollinators in the city. Chapter 4 delves into the politics of the matter, examining which policies are active in the city currently, and how the policies have been designed to allocate more resources to groups seeking to mitigate the current state of pollinator decline and ensure that significant changes are made so the current state of decline is not reached once again. Chapter 5 expands on Chapter 4, analyzing which policies the city has implemented have been helpful, which have been harmful, and what more can be done not only by the city government but also by the inhabitants of the city and what they can do to push the government at the city and state level to increase the levels of pollinators in the greater New York City area.
Keywords: Colony Collapse Disorder, Pollinator, Urban Plannin
Lyme Disease in the Northeast: The Unintended Consequence of Suburban Development
No full textThis paper addresses the role of suburban development in the suburbs of the Northeastern United States in increasing human Lyme disease infection. Over the past 50 years, Lyme disease has become the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. In 2021, the two states with the most Lyme disease cases were New York and New Jersey, with a collective 6,524 cases, with Connecticut still representing 541 total cases. It is not a coincidence that case numbers are concentrated in suburban areas with high forest fragmentation. Chapter 1 of this essay analyzes how human land development disrupts bioregulatory ecosystem actors and the effects of this loss on Lyme disease incidence. It will also elaborate further on the issue of Lyme disease, including statistics on its prevalence, symptoms, and economic effects. Chapter 2 uncovers the history of Lyme disease outbreaks worldwide, in the Midwest, and explores the social construction of the disease. From a public health standpoint, Chapter 3 analyzes what strategies health professionals and governments are already using to mitigate Lyme infections. Transitioning to a suburban planning lens, Chapter 4 examines how a lack of adequate planning allowed Lyme disease to flourish. This chapter also investigates governments of the tri-state area in search of existing zoning strategies to decrease Lyme disease infection. Chapter 5 combines urban and suburban planning with lawmaking and policy to develop strategy ideas for land development going forward to mitigate the spread of Lyme disease. These strategies include educating the public about personal safety, reducing ecotone habitats, and Lyme screening in endemic areas. These environmental policies, combined with public health policies, will ensure a healthier future for humans and animals
Refugees or Migrants: Polish Reception to Ukrainian and Syrian Refugee Crises (2015/2022)
No full textAfter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, millions of Ukrainians fled the country as refugees. The majority of which settled in the neighboring country of Poland, where they were greeted with open arms both by the government and the public. However, Poland’s kindness towards Ukrainian refugees was an outlier: during the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, the Polish government and citizens adamantly opposed accepting refugees from Syria or other Middle Eastern countries. Their initial refusal meant they were woefully unprepared for the two million Ukrainians who chose to remain in the country both due to a lack of updated refugee law as well as institutional assistance programs. This paper juxtaposes the government and public response during the Syrian and Ukrainian refugee crises, as well as analyzes how Poland’s refusal to assist refugees in 2015 impacted their ability to do so in 2022
Media Framing of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: An Analysis of the TV Program \u27Evening with Vladimir Solovyov\u27
No full textThis study examines how Russian state-controlled media frames Russia’s assault on Ukraine by analyzing the coverage of the first year of the full-scale invasion on Russia’s most popular political talk show \u27Evening with Vladimir Solovyov.\u27 Based on content analysis of eight three-hour episodes of the talk show covering the major events in the conflict between February 2022 and February 2023, the research identifies several main frames in the official discourse on the topic, including (1) Nazism, (2) Genocide, (3) West as an Enemy, (4) Slavic Unity, (5) Liberation of Ukrainian Lands, and (6) Russia as a Victim of Western Sanctions and Russophobia. The analysis contributes to political communication literature by unpacking discursive strategies of regime-friendly talk shows in a hard autocracy. Moreover, the study adds to comparative politics literature by highlighting the role of state-controlled media in perpetuating violence and fueling mass support for the war
Novice Teachers’ Preparation and Support in Navigating High School Inclusive Classrooms
No full textCurrent research indicates that inclusive classrooms with students with disabilities are rising, and schools are challenged with shifting their structures and curriculums towards inclusion. This doctoral dissertation aims to understand pre-service program models and how they prepare teachers for inclusive environments, including their knowledge and skills in high-leverage instructional practices. This study also considers the types of support teachers are given within the first three years of being in the classroom to sustain success for themselves and their students, specifically in secondary settings. This qualitative multiple-case study gains insights from two second-year public school teachers who share their experiences and pedagogies through interviews, a focus group, journal entries, and lesson plans. The data analysis revealed themes of classroom confidence, collaborative partnerships, teacher support needs, pre-service pacing, foundational knowledge, applicability concerns, and misaligned realities. The lesson plan analysis revealed that both teachers are implementing high-leverage instructional practices into their lessons with the support of their co-teachers