Showcase

The Lifespan Resiliency After Family Trauma (LifeRAFT) research program studies how stressful life events affect how parents and their children think, feel, and act by using questionnaires, DNA samples, and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans ... . The purpose of our research is to examine how the difficult things that parents and their children have been through in their lives affect them so that we can help make better treatments for those who have gone through traumatic experiences. One of the LifeRAFT research studies focuses on parents' stress and substance use and how those two problems relate to their children's brain development. Understanding how parents' mental health and children's development are related is important because it might help us understand why some children are at greater risk for substance use and other problems than others. In turn, we could reduce negative outcomes for children at the greatest risk. Read more

Disorders of the gut-brain interaction are heterogeneous gastrointestinal disorders characterized by disturbances in gut motility, food sensitivities, the gut microbiome, and other systematic effects. A common disorder of the gut-brain axis is irrita ... ble bowel syndrome, which may induce constipation, diarrhea, pain, anxiety, depression, and numerous other symptoms. Disorders of the gut-brain axis are difficult to investigate due to the complexity, variability, and widescale effects of symptoms across patients. Throughout my internship, I have worked alongside the research team to investigate the physical and psychological effects of IBS, the receptiveness to care in patients with IBS, and research regarding other matters related to gastroenterology. At my internship, I helped to conduct research regarding the prevalence of IBS in individuals with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disease. This research aimed to assess the prevalence of IBS, determine treatment modalities for gastrointestinal symptoms, and characterize dietary habits and food sensitivities within this patient population. Furthermore, additional research that I have taken part in has investigated the receptiveness to cognitive behavioral therapy in patients with IBS. Overall, this research has aimed to improve the understanding and treatment of various disorders of the gut-brain interaction. Read more

Our goal is to tackle food insecurity for the diverse patient population at Eskenazi by surveying patients on the types of foods they eat. This data is then aggregated to culturally-tailor the clinic's food pantry. Eskenazi Health Pecar sees many min ... ority and low-income patients. Because of this, addressing health disparities, poor health outcomes based solely on social or economic disadvantages, is a necessary part of Eskenazi's mission and vision. Food insecurity, or not having enough food to meet one's basic needs, is not the only goal of this initiative. There is also a mission to provide nutritious foods to the people that need it. The survey consists of asking preferences of proteins, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and other cooking essentials. Read more

Subjects over 65 years are at increased risk of developing chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and arthritis. These are often found to be related to chronic inflammation. In this work we hypothesize that persistent viruse ... s can repeatedly stimulate the T cell immune system for prolonged periods of time, leading to a phenomenon called immunosenescence, a highly pro-inflammatory condition. This results in chronic inflammation that leads to chronic diseases of aging. If true, by quantifying viral burden, it is possible to create a biomarker that predicts chronic disease. In order to assess this proposed relationship, viral load, inflammatory cytokines, and assessment of immunosenescent T cells was measured across two populations: adults ages 65 and older, and adults ages 21-40. For both populations, each participant also answered a chronic disease questionnaire. The younger population was used as a control to establish that the older population has an increased number of cytokines, and latent viruses. Through making a cross comparison between viral load and reported chronic disease, it is plausible to tentatively find a correlation between an increased likelihood of chronic disease in adults over 65+ with a high viral burden and whether it pertains to a specific virus. Read more

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a clinical imaging technique that uses radioactive molecules to illuminate body tissues and processes to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. Due to the radioactivity associated with PET tracers, ... they are usually prepared using automated radiochemistry modules that shield workers from radioactivity. Commercially available modules are usually very expensive and difficult to repair. The goal of this project is to design, build, and test a low-cost, open-source alternative to commercial radiochemistry modules that is easier to customize and maintain. We set out to design a system from scratch that could 1) distribute the radioactive solution across multiple reaction vials; 2) rapidly heat and cool reaction vials individually or simultaneously; 3) add multiple reagents to reaction vials in variable amounts. A schematic was constructed to select the most efficient combination of valves, pumps, and manifolds allowing for flexibility and remote operation while maintaining a modular cost-effective design. Several parts have been designed and produced in-house via 3D-printing, and a Raspberry Pi is being used to control hardware via the open-source programming application Node-Red. This project is ongoing and future work will focus on programming of other components, followed by assembly and testing. Read more

Patients with sickle cell disease often face systemic barriers related to their healthcare. Utilizing several psychosocial screeners is one way that care teams can better understand and address these patients' psychosocial and mental health needs. Th ... ere are currently several psychosocial screening tools utilized by medical providers for pediatric patients living with a variety of acute and chronic illnesses. My work through LHSI involved compiling and analyzing data from multiple screeners utilized in the Pediatric Sickle Cell Center at Riley Hospital for Children: Pediatric Quality of Life Inventories (PedsQL), Patient Health Questionnaires-9 (PHQ-9), and Psychosocial Assessment Tools (PAT). These screeners are respectively designed to identify patient quality of life, symptoms of depression, and barriers to care for children living with sickle cell disease. In addition, I developed an updated REDCap database to record data related to the Sickle Cell Story Club, which provides free books to sickle cell patients of all ages and reading levels that promote positive themes, such as increasing self-confidence, as well as including characters from diverse backgrounds. Assisting with these projects allowed me to understand how caring for individuals with a chronic disease means understanding the disease's impact on the whole patient to improve health outcomes Read more

Instrument assisted soft tissue manipulation(IASTM) is a form of manual therapy used for musculoskeletal recovery treatment. In this research study, male and female clinicians of varying experience tested two devices linked with software that produce ... d real-time results of the amount of force clinicians applied during different strokes of quantifiable soft tissue manipulation. One device (Q1) applied local force and the second device (Q2) applied dispersive force. Two strokes were used for data collection, a linear stroke, and a curved stroke. The devices were tested in three regions of the body. The thoracic lumbar region, thigh, and calf. The Qware software used in the protocol collected force data regarding the x, y, and z fields. For this project, data from the software was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively to see how linear and curve strokes compare in different regions of the body to determine if from the graphs you can determine what stroke the clinician is using. Read more

This project is about collecting the artificial nutrition goals of care conversations. PEGs are provided after a severe stroke to help with nutrition, hydration, and getting medicine down to the stomach. We documented how many patients that received ... a PEG tube had a goals of care conversation prior to placement. Read more

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States, yet the origin remains puzzling to many. To indulge in your curiosity, visit my table to learn more about my pivotal project. In doing so, glaucoma is a progressive eye disease t ... hat damages the optic nerve leading to one developing visual loss and blindness. An increase in intraocular pressure is a diagnostic tool and one of the leading risks for glaucoma. The trabecular meshwork is the principal tissue responsible for the regulation of eye pressure. By directing the drainage of fluid out of the eye, its dysfunction is responsible for eye pressure elevation. This irregularity will initiate a resistance of the flow of fluid that will deteriorate the optic nerve. Through the Characterization of Primary Trabecular Meshwork Cells for Downstream Use, one will be able to understand the imperative purpose of trabecular meshwork cells and narrow the knowledge gaps regarding glaucoma today. Read more

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that affects millions of people around the world. Individuals with T1D must monitor their glucose levels constantly and are dependent on daily synthetic insulin injections to maintain blood glucose withi ... n a narrow window. We study the relationship between the development of this disease and biochemical stressors that may be involved in early disease triggering events, specifically those that are associated with the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. We are particularly interested in early damage to the beta-cells because they naturally secrete insulin. Therefore, in my project I worked to analyze factors related to oxidative stress and the antioxidant response to determine the role they may play in initiation and progression of this devastating disease. Read more