Showcase

This research study aims to explore the diverse impacts of various experiences on youth diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease, particularly focusing on factors such as racial bias, emotional mood, levels of anxiety, and overall quality of life. My role ... in this project has involved actively recruiting eligible participants within the age range of 11 to 17 years. This process includes not only outreach to potential candidates but also maintaining a comprehensive log of all participants. This organized chart is essential for tracking and ensuring that our research remains structured and systematic for further analysis. Read more

This research focuses on improving services for adolescents with mild to moderate substance use concerns in a primary care setting. We are interested in testing three different ways to involve caregivers in brief interventions for teens: no caregiver ... involvement, a single caregiver session, or an online parenting program. Among adolescents who use alcohol and other substances, most do not develop substance use disorders, and those who do typically experience mild to moderate symptoms. This research project is important as it can help identify effective interventions for those adolescents, who often do not need a long-term course of therapy. Also, this research can benefit a wide range of adolescents because it is implemented in a primary care setting, where more than 90% of teens visit each year. Primary care settings may be more accessible than specialty behavioral health services, like mental health and/or addiction and recovery programs. By including adolescents as participants, we are able to provide support for a group of people who do not typically seek help for substance use. Addressing their substance use concerns at mild to moderate levels may lead to higher chances of avoiding poor mental and increased substance use. Read more

At my showcase, visitors will learn about the transcription work I completed for the LHSI internship, where I transcribed videos recorded by Stephanie Bartlett, who was asking important questions for research purposes. The videos covered various topi ... cs related to end-of-life medical decisions, and my role was to accurately transcribe the conversations to help ensure that the data could be analyzed for the project. This experience gave me hands-on exposure to the transcription process, as well as insight into the ethical considerations of handling sensitive conversations. Visitors will also hear about how this work contributes to the larger goal of improving healthcare practices and patient care through research. Read more

During my internship, I contributed to research aimed at improving early autism evaluation in the U.S. and developing countries like India and Kenya. Many families face delays in diagnosis due to long wait times and a shortage of experienced clinicia ... ns, creating a bottleneck that hinders timely intervention. To address this, I analyzed interview transcripts to identify key themes related to autism awareness, diagnostic barriers, and cultural perceptions. I was also involved in all aspects of the screening process, from title and abstract screening to full-text screening, ensuring relevant research was included. Additionally, I helped design surveys on REDCap to assess participants' autism knowledge, refining questions to capture insights from diverse populations. This data collection was crucial in identifying gaps in awareness and access to diagnostic services. Through this experience, I gained insight into unique cultural barriers, such as stigma, that impact autism identification and care in underserved communities. This deepened my understanding of the systemic challenges in autism evaluation and reinforced the importance of research-driven solutions in expanding early diagnosis efforts globally. Read more

The IUI ECHO Center's mission is to improve health outcomes and quality of life for individuals affected by chronic and complex conditions through innovative research, education, and community engagement. This work matters because it impacts millions ... lions of Americans struggling with chronic illnesses, aiming to enhance patient-centered care, reduce health disparities, and promote equitable access to healthcare. The ECHO Center's research has shown that nearly 60% of Americans live with at least one chronic condition, highlighting the need for effective management and support. Read more

Antibiotics are the only approved, effective treatment for bacterial infections. Some researchers have projected that by 2050, antimicrobial resistance could be responsible for 1.91 million deaths per year (Naghavi, 2024). In an effort to mitigate th ... is crisis, phage therapy is being closely studied. Bacteriophages are viruses that target and kill specific bacteria. Each phage specifically targets one bacterial species, so leveraging the targeted attacks with phage therapy offers an effective and accurate treatment option for infection. Although phage therapy sounds like a good method, it is not FDA-approved for use in humans, and more research must be done to establish conditions in which it is effective and powerful, yet safe for clinical use. During this project, various common bacteria found in the gut-microbiome and their corresponding phages were studied to see if phage therapy can be applied to control bacterial numbers in monocultures in vitro and mixed bacterial communities in vivo. Resource: Naghavi, M. et al. Lancet https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01867-1 (2024). Read more

The objective of this project is to investigate the impact of pollution on gene expression of DNA repair component Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group C (XPC). Cells were treated with pollution (particulate matter, PM) and RNA extracted and analyzed by RT-qP ... CR (quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) for expression of XPC and control (GAPDH). Additionally, lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage were evaluated from mice (XPC wild-type and knock-out) directly exposed to PM or control (PBS) for 3 weeks, sacrificed at 3 and 10 weeks. BAL was analyzed for cell number, macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes. Lungs of mice showed persistent PM at 10 weeks primarily in macrophages. We found an increase in total BAL cells in mice exposed to PM at 3 weeks with differences in lymphocyte count. The results found will further be utilized to study DNA repair on lung pollutant damage. Read more

My project focuses on diaper need and how it affects the parenting experience. The purpose is to implement better resource integration based on responses and create validated survey questions for diaper need. I've spent a lot of my time collecting di ... ng diaper need surveys from patients at Eskenazi Health Centers Grande and Westside. The work is important because diaper insecurity is a huge problem that doesn't have a lot research on it. The team is currently working on refining and validating the survey questions and publishing a paper about the findings. Read more

WISE (Wellbeing Informed Science Evidence) Indiana is a partnership between the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) enabling Indiana's academic experts to evaluate and ... e and inform health and well-being practices, programs, and policies. An overarching challenge of this partnership is demonstrating the value and impact of scientific evidence to a variety of stakeholders including state policy and decision-makers. One goal of this internship was to assist in implementation of the Translational Science Benefits Model (TSBM). The TSBM uses 30 elements to highlight the impact on clinical, community, economic, and political factors. Use of the TSBM framework is growing among researchers in clinical and community settings. As the LHSI intern, I conducted a literature search in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science for studies that used the TSBM and wrote an annotated bibliography. Previous research about the framework contributed to a literature review in a peer-reviewed manuscript in preparation. Additionally, I coded over 15 WISE Indiana reports using TSBM elements as a codebook and analyzed data collected at pre-, post-, and 6-month intervals to articulate the projects' impact. These research endeavors demonstrated the TSBM's versatility and WISE Indiana's impact in Indiana. Read more

This project explores how instrument-assisted soft tissue manipulation (IASTM), a hands-on treatment used by healthcare professionals can help assess and manage muscle and joint pain. By applying controlled pressure and movement to muscles and tissue ... s, soft tissue manipulation is commonly used to treat injuries and pain. Our research focuses on using digital tools to measure the effects of IASTM and improve the quality of personalized care. A key part of this study is testing dynamic pain threshold testing (DPTT) a new method designed to reliably measure pain and improve treatment decisions. Additionally, we are investigating whether the process of structured pain assessment itself can influence recovery outcomes. This research could help advance pain management by making it more measurable, precise, and personalized. Read more