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S18, E15: Children\u27s Bureau (Aired 4/18/2025)
Get PDFNia and Aughie discuss the rich and long history of the Children\u27s Bureau, from its founding in 1912 to the modern era.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/civil_discourse/1270/thumbnail.jp
The Permanent Supportive Housing of Central Virginia’s Aged Out Foster Youths: The Permanent Supportive Housing of Central Virginia’s Aged Out Foster Youths A Plan to Increase Regional Capacity, Fill Gaps in Service, and Identify Potential Sites.
Get PDFAs of 2024, Virginia’s Central Region continues to produce one of the highest rates of foster care emancipations in the state, despite having minimal infrastructure to support young adults transitioning out of care. Each year, dozens of foster youth in the region age out of the system without reunification, adoption, or other forms of permanency, disproportionately entering adulthood without the stability of housing, employment, or accessible services. Although permanent supportive housing (PSH) has emerged as a nationally validated model for housing and service integration, few PSH developments in Virginia are designed specifically for aged-out foster youth or their families.
This study investigates how a mixed-use, trauma-informed PSH model can be implemented in Central Virginia to address this policy gap. Conducted on behalf of CORAL Housing, the plan combines demographic, spatial, and policy analysis to assess regional housing capacity, identify service gaps, and evaluate the siting potential for PSH in localities including Petersburg, Richmond, and Dinwiddie County. A weighted overlay GIS analysis was used to assess parcel-level suitability for PSH development, incorporating zoning, affordability, and proximity to transit and services.
This plan outlines a strategic, place-based approach to permanent supportive housing development that responds directly to the lived realities of foster care-impacted youth. It provides a replicable planning framework for siting, funding, and programming PSH developments that align with both human needs and regulatory feasibility. By combining social work insights with planning methodologies, the plan proposes a path forward to address systemic housing instability among Virginia’s most vulnerable young adults
Exploring Prenatal Cannabis Use Among Young Pregnant Bisexual Individuals: A Mixed Methods Study
Get PDFThe perinatal period is a critical time for health behaviors with outcomes that have short- and long-term effects for both childbearing person and child. Research indicates that young bisexual people are at greater risk of unintended pregnancy, experience psychosocial health disparities, and may be more likely to use cannabis during pregnancy. Few studies have examined this phenomenon. This study is a secondary analysis of mixed methods data from a longitudinal cohort study. Thematic analysis of qualitative data (n=12) revealed the contextual adaptivity of cannabis use, with participants explaining the situations and rationales which motivated their cannabis use changed over time. Participants did not believe their sexuality was related to their cannabis use. Participants reported that pregnancy was a formative experience which affected their beliefs about cannabis and cannabis use patterns. Participants shared their struggles with reducing or abstaining from cannabis use. Analysis of survey data (n=204) found that bisexual participants reported significantly more depression symptoms, stress, discrimination, childhood experiences of trauma, and cannabis use related distress and dysfunction. In a binary logistic regression, emotional distress increased the risk of prenatal cannabis use. Iterative analysis of interview data found that participants described traumatic experiences and the importance of household and significant other substance use. Concurrent triangulation of survey data found that household and significant other substance use were significantly associated with prenatal cannabis use. This study provides novel information about the pregnancy experiences of young bisexual individuals. Findings suggest that bisexual individuals may experience psychosocial health disparities during pregnancy
Improving telehealth education and training: A needs assessment of healthcare providers and trainees
No full textTelehealth utilization has increased dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many positive impacts of this shift to telehealth, including increasing access to care and reducing patient burden. However, healthcare providers report several consistent challenges that limit their ability to deliver telehealth, such as effective communication, technological difficulties, and difficulty performing physical examinations. To address these concerns, it is necessary to integrate telehealth education and training into healthcare professional training programs and healthcare systems. While many institutions have implemented telehealth education and training since the start of the pandemic, there is little consistency in the content, duration, and activities used in these interventions. The aim of this research was to assess healthcare providers\u27 and trainees\u27 experiences with telehealth education/training, needs for additional education/training, and self-efficacy in delivering telehealth. In Study 1, focus groups and interviews were conducted with licensed providers. In Study 2, samples of licensed providers and current trainees were recruited to participate in an online questionnaire including open-ended questions about telehealth education/training experiences and needs. These results were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings from this research revealed that providers are generally confident in their ability to use telehealth but that there is room for improvement in existing telehealth education/training interventions. Providers and trainees would benefit from education/training that focuses on common challenges in telehealth visits such as patient-provider communication and troubleshooting technological issues, particularly experiential training (e.g., standardized patient visits) that provide opportunities to practice these skills. Furthermore, it is critical to tailor telehealth education/training to the specific medical contexts and patient populations in which providers are most likely to use telehealth
Innovative Secondary School Scheduling Practices to Positively Impact Student Outcomes in West Point Public Schools
Get PDFUtilizing the principles of improvement science through a critical pragmatic approach, this study aimed to promote West Point Public School (WPPS) student success through researching secondary school scheduling practices. The primary theory of change for this study stated that if instructional time is maximized, all WPPS students will be given the opportunity to experience academic success and increase achievement. Three key research questions emerged as we analyzed the problem of practice: How can WPPS structure a secondary school day schedule to ensure every student has the best opportunity to succeed within the system? How can WPPS incorporate research-based strategies for school start times to more effectively close equity gaps of its secondary school students? How can WPPS use intervention best practices and scheduling to address the specific learning gaps of the WPPS secondary student population? Previous research on scheduling models, adolescent sleep patterns, school start times, and academic intervention provided context and informed the findings of this study. Data collected for this study included qualitative and quantitative data from stakeholder surveys, student focus group survey notes, and student achievement and engagement data. While previous research does not provide sufficient evidence to support a block versus traditional scheduling model or intervention approach, this study framed WPPS stakeholder perspectives relative to their secondary scheduling. Research indicates a school start time of 8:30 AM or later is more conducive to adolescent circadian rhythms. With various contributing factors such as missed instructional time and extracurricular activities, schools need a nuanced approach to their start and end times. Student achievement and engagement data were used to conduct an equity audit of secondary school scheduling outcomes for the 2023-2024 school year. Equity audit findings revealed disparities in achievement and advanced course enrollment for Black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students compared to their peers. Recommendations from this study include conducting an extensive equity audit, continued engagement with stakeholders, detracking students into more heterogeneous classes, considering personalized student scheduling, and implementing clearly defined and data-driven academic interventions
Patient satisfaction and compliance with clear aligner therapy during treatment
No full textIntroduction: This study compared patient satisfaction between both clear aligner and traditional fixed appliance treatment. This study also explored patient compliance with both treatment modalities, outcomes, and overall satisfaction.
Methods: Two, original, paper copy questionnaires were distributed to 394 patients at a University orthodontic clinic and one private practice orthodontic office, one for patients in active clear aligner treatment and one for patients in active traditional fixed appliance treatment. Surveys were completed prior to scheduled orthodontic appointments and results were analyzed. Categorical responses were evaluated with chi-squared tests or Fisher’s exact test. Differences in compliance were compared with paired t-tests.
Results: Two hundred and six patients in clear aligner treatment and 188 patients in fixed appliance treatment were recruited. Included patients were aged 8-89. Sixty-two percent of patients were receiving orthodontic treatment for the first time. The majority of patients undergoing re-treatment received clear aligner therapy, including the majority of those originally treated with fixed appliances. Patients in fixed appliances believe that they provide a superior result to aligners. Patients in aligners perceived that they provided a similar result to fixed appliances. More patients in fixed appliances said they would switch to aligners if provided the opportunity than patients who would switch from aligners to fixed appliances (p \u3c 0.0001). There was no significant difference between expected and actual patient compliance with aligner treatment.
Conclusions: Patient satisfaction was high for both treatment modalities. Patients preferred clear aligners over fixed appliances for re-treatment. Patients reported choosing clear aligner therapy due to esthetics of treatment and more anticipated comfort. More patients reported a desire to switch to aligners than to fixed appliances during active treatment and compliance with aligner treatment was good
S18, E17: The Bureau of the Mint (Aired 5/2/2025)
Get PDFNia and Aughie discuss the history and responsibilities of the Bureau of the Mint.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/civil_discourse/1272/thumbnail.jp
The Diseased Extracellular Matrix in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Modeling
Get PDFChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the world, with an increasing prevalence as the world’s population ages. In the distal regions of the lungs, COPD is characterized by progressive emphysema due to an imbalance of proteases that continuously degrade essential extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins within the alveolar walls, causing fatal tissue impairment. This dissertation examines the unique properties of this diseased lung ECM in two parts: (1) As a key constituent in inflammatory signaling that leads to increased inflammation and progression of COPD, and (2) as a tool in three-dimensional (3D) in vitro lung disease modeling. The lung ECM is elastin-rich, providing the lung with the elastic recoil necessary to expel air. The degradation of this ECM in the alveolae leads to an abnormal accumulation of elastin-derived peptides (EDPs). While many ECM proteins and their byproducts are known to impact cell behavior through binding to cell surface molecules, the mechanism by which EDPs interact with cells in not well defined and has yet to be investigated in relation to COPD. Here, we consider how EDPs influence inflammation through the activation of calpain-1, leading to downstream protein regulation and subsequent inflammation. The findings reported herein suggest that EDPs perpetuate an inflammatory feedback loop by interacting with elastin binding protein (EBP) and activating calcium channels in human lung cells, which influence calpain-1 activity, resulting in the production and/or activation of COPD-related proteins IL-6, MMP-2, and MMP-12. This work indicates that the diseased ECM is involved in the inflammatory progression of COPD and must be considered in regard to ongoing investigations. However, studies continue on tissue culture plastic and in animal models that are not translatable to the COPD microenvironment. This dissertation continues by examining how decellularized ECM, derived from human COPD lung, can be utilized to create a 3D in vitro lung model that captures key COPD microenvironment characteristics. This work describes a novel human lung ECM hybridgel that supports encapsulated cell culture, retains pathologic characteristics of its source tissue, and mimics the elasticity of intact human lung tissue. This report concludes by defining a COPD human lung ECM hybridgel with native composition, disease-specific elastin/collagen ratios, depletion of sulfated GAGs, increased insoluble collagen, and reduced elastic properties. Collectively, this evidence furthers our understanding of how COPD ECM plays a significant role in disease progression and how it can be manipulated to engineer more physiologically relevant in vitro disease models for future investigation into the mechanisms of COPD
A Mixed Methods Study: High School Teachers’ Perspectives on Incorporating Mindful Artmaking in Their Classroom as a Mental Health Resource
Get PDFMental health concerns and the need for mental health resources for high school students continue to rise in Virginia. Some of the reported benefits to the current mental health services and resources offered in Virginia schools are increased academic outcomes, attendance, and positive behaviors. The reported barriers to current mental health services and resources are lack of participation, lack of training, time constraints, funding, and resources. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined high school teachers’ perspectives on the benefits and barriers to incorporating mindful artmaking in their classrooms as a mental health resource at a local high school. This research is significant, because it increased teachers’ awareness of the benefits to mindful artmaking at a local high school. This study is important to the field of education, because it raised awareness to tier one services and supports by providing teachers with ways to incorporate mental health supports in their classrooms through mindful artmaking. The main significance of this study is it addresses a crucial gap in existing research of high school teachers’ perspectives on the benefits and barriers to incorporating mindful artmaking in their classrooms as a mental health resource
A Multimethod Approach to Examining Racial Coping Socialization among Black Adolescents
Get PDFExperiences of racial discrimination are pervasive in the lives of Black youth and result in race-related stress. Racial coping has been found to mitigate the negative physical and mental health effects of racial discrimination; thus, it is imperative that we understand the process that Black youth undertake to navigate racialized experiences by utilizing a person-centered approach. Additionally, parents socialize their Black youth to navigate racialized experiences, indeed, previous research has investigated racial and emotion socialization as separate phenomena, however, this does not reflect the integrated nature by which racial and emotion socialization processes are interconnected during parents’ and youths’ discussions about race. Given the pervasive nature of race-related stress on Black adolescents’ adjustment, the present study employed a multi-method approach to achieve two primary objectives: (1) to identify parents’ racial and emotion socialization process that promote racial coping and (2) to understand the profiles of racial coping among Black adolescents in the 6th – 8th grade. Findings revealed that parents used a myriad of socialization strategies during conversations of negative racial experiences with their youth and these parenting strategies were reflected across the ways in which the youth responded to and coped with situations of racial discrimination. Implications of these findings are discussed