NURSING PROJECT SUMMARIES
SPRING 2025
Patrina Sexton Topper
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Lack of access to healthcare remains a significant challenge within the LGBTQIA2S+ community. This is particularly true for youth who identify as transgender or gender diverse (TGD) in the United States. Discrimination, bias, stigma, and state level policies often create barriers that prevent minors and their parents from effectively accessing and receiving the care they need. Many TGD youth and their families face difficulties finding healthcare providers who are knowledgeable about their specific health concerns and who can provide culturally informed and competent care. Furthermore, many families find that state or local level policies create barriers to necessary care. Additionally, financial constraints, limited insurance coverage, and healthcare avoidance exacerbate the problem. These barriers to access not only impact physical health but contribute to higher rates of mental health challenges within the community. Efforts to address these disparities and ensure equitable access to comprehensive healthcare services for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity are crucial. In an innovative approach to healthcare services research collaborations, I have partnered with Included Health (a pioneering company dedicated to revolutionizing the field of healthcare) to enhance collective understanding of LGBTQIA2S+ health by generating fresh insights. Together, Included Health and my research team will conduct a comprehensive analysis of de-identified data provided by Included Health, in strict adherence with Included Health's data privacy statements.
The primary aim of the study is to enhance understanding of the needs of parents with transgender and gender diverse children as they navigate diverse healthcare landscapes. The research question that we will address in this project is: What can we learn from chat conversations between IH members who are parents seeking to affirm care for their children and care coordinators about access to care and parents' needs?
Student research assistant responsibilities will focus primarily on two dimensions of the project. First, student researchers will have the opportunity to engage in qualitative analysis of a large, redacted data set of chat conversations. Second, the student will engage in a systematic scoping review related to parents engagement in health navigation and information acquisition about gender-affirming care across the United States. In addition, students will be responsible for biweekly attendance at study team meetings, coding and memoing during parts of the analytic process.
Christina Whitehouse
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic condition requiring careful management, particularly in school environments where students may experience hypoglycemia. This project aims to research and advocate for state laws that ensure all schools have trained personnel and adequate access to glucagon, a critical emergency treatment for severe hypoglycemia.
Project Goals:
- Identify Current Legislative Gaps: Assess existing state laws related to diabetes management in schools.
- Evaluate School Preparedness: Analyze the readiness of schools to manage diabetes emergencies, focusing on glucagon availability and trained personnel.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Gather insights from students, parents, educators, and healthcare professionals about current challenges.
- Propose Model Legislation: Develop a comprehensive policy framework that addresses identified gaps.
Methods:
- Literature Review: Examine existing research on T1D management in school settings, focusing on hypoglycemia and glucagon usage.
- Surveys and Interviews: Conduct surveys with parents of children with T1D, school nurses, and teachers to assess their knowledge, training, and experiences with diabetes management.
- Case Studies: Identify states with effective legislation and policies regarding T1D management in schools. Analyze their frameworks and outcomes.
- Policy Analysis: Review and analyze current state laws and regulations regarding diabetes management in schools to highlight deficiencies.
Assist with project management and completion of research related activities including but not limited to completing a literature review and conducting surveys with parents, school nurses, and teachers. Assist with data analysis and dissemination of research. Participate in advocacy including attending meetings with stakeholders and state representatives.
Monika Pogorzelska-Maziarz
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
The aims of this mixed method study are to:
- Describe the evolution of infection prevention and control (IPC) programs from 2011 to 2019 and determine the effectiveness of IPC staffing, infrastructure and processes in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in acute care hospitals.
- Quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infection prevention and control departments, HAI rates and rates of antibiotic resistance in acute care hospitals.
- Develop an in-depth understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on infection preventionists, IPC resources and practices in acute care hospitals.
In Aim 1, building upon our previous work, we will link hospital surveys to longitudinal National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) HAI and staffing data (2011-2019) to examine the effectiveness of IPC staffing, infrastructure and processes on reducing HAI. In Aim 2, we will conduct a national survey of U.S. hospitals and link the survey to NHSN (2011-2022) and CMS data (2018-2022) to examine the impact of COVID-19. In Aim 3, we will conduct interviews with personnel involved in infection prevention and control in 20 hospitals.
The student will work with an interdisciplinary group of researchers including epidemiologists, nurse researchers, health services researchers and qualitative experts to carry out the aims of the project. The student will specifically support the qualitative phase of our mixed-methods study. As part of this project, the student will gain expertise in conducting qualitative interviews, qualitative coding and analysis using NVivo software, and preparation of presentations and manuscripts. In addition, the student will work on developing tables, figures and references for manuscripts. From a coordinating standpoint, the student will have an opportunity to participate in business meetings, witness how our team troubleshoots data collection challenges and be part of the solution. As a valuable addition to the team, they will be asked to track their progress through a weekly progress report on MS project management software and will be held accountable to identified milestones.
Michelle McKay
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
One-third of older adults suffer a fall each year often resulting in the loss of independence, decreased quality of life, permanent disability and even death. As the population ages and increases in size throughout the United States, there is a need to explore new and unique areas for intervention to decrease the rate of falls and the resulting negative outcomes. Current projects focus on symptom management as a fall prevention tool, gait analysis through radar detection, the correlation of sleep and falls, and others.
The Research Assistant will work closely with Dr McKay providing support for multiple projects. Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, conducting literature reviews via scholarly databases, compiling tables of evidence, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, creating data tables for manuscripts, and preparing posters and publications related to the various projects. Base Microsoft Office skills including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint are helpful. Student must be detail-oriented, self-motivated and highly dependable.
Meredith MacKenzie Greenle and Patricia Bradley
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
The purpose of this research study is to develop and test the impact of video vignettes developed with standardized participants (SPs) on baccalaureate nursing students’ ability to recognize and respond to microaggressions. Microaggressions are defined as brief, commonplace, daily verbal behavioral or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults toward minoritized individuals. Students enrolled in a course on social justice and health equity reported difficulty recognizing microaggressions when they occur, and great discomfort about responding when microaggressions are recognized. The focus of this pilot will be to embed experiential learning to increase students’ awareness of, and comfort with addressing, microaggressions in the healthcare setting. During a three-hour block of time, small groups of students will watch a video vignette illustrating microaggressions and then undergo structured debriefing. This process will used again with a second video vignette. Approximately 56 students in one semester with participate in these SBEs, with another 56 students serving as the wait-list comparison group. After obtaining IRB approval and informed consent, participants in the intervention group will complete pre- and post-test surveys (wait-list comparison group will complete surveys at approximately the same times). These surveys will include demographic questions, a previously developed instrument by Walker and colleagues measuring self-rated knowledge and self-efficacy in relation to microaggressions, and the Social Justice Scale.
Data collection (emailing links to Qualtrics surveys, distributing flyers with QR codes, reading informed consent to participants), data entry (downloading Qualtrics forms into Excel and checking data), assistance with preparation of materials for presentation and manuscript submission (e.g. editing Powerpoints and reviewing written manuscripts).
Carol Toussie Weingarten
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Background: Since Spring 2018, when senior nursing students began placement at WXVU for the required clinical course in health promotion, our team of advisors and nursing students has built a thriving partnership with Villanova University’s radio station (WXVU, 89.1, The Roar) and the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing in collaboration with the Office of Health Promotion. This academic-co-curricular partnership has been so successful that in January 2023, WXV&U Health debuted as the first nurse-led health department in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Licensed College Radio.
Spring 2025 celebrates the start of the third year of WXV&U Health. Nursing’s presence has been established at the station, and the first-year student who matches with us will arrive with a genuine welcome to this non-traditional health promotion setting where nursing’s role is real and supported. The station broadcasts and streams 24/7 worldwide. The public service announcements (PSAs), which are one to two-minute health promotion messages often by “Villanova Nurses," broadcast 48 times per 24 hours, 336 times per week, and 17,472 times per year. The station’s web visits have come from more than 53 countries.
Our projects are evolving with the development of WXV&U Health. Building upon our first research project evaluating each of the 484 college radio stations included in the Radio-Locator listing of FCC-licensed college radio stations, this continuing project addresses nursing’s roles in health promotion through radio. Another beginning project focuses on the assessment of outcomes and the impact of participation upon nursing students at the station. Several specific scholarly opportunities exist as noted in this application and could be selected according to the first-year student’s interests and goals.
The student will work with Dr. Weingarten and the WXV&U Health/WXVU team and:
- Attend weekly meetings related to the selected project and programs. Meetings may be at the station or virtual. Scheduling is flexible in meeting the hours for this setting.
- Assist with a literature review.
- Assist with the production, recording and editing for the selected project’s health promotion programming, for example with the InNOVAtion series, spotlighting innovations of nursing faculty, students and others and/or The Alumni Series. These recorded series use strategies like podcasts and Public Service Announcements (PSAs), featuring outstanding nursing alumni in non-traditional and traditional careers. The student also may have the chance to create/host/cohost a show, podcast, or PSA. Actual activities to be determined.
- Produce a “deliverable” from the scholarly project selected. This might be an article co-authored with the team for publication, a poster, or a podium presentation. Examples include Undergraduate Nursing Scholars’ Day, conventions of the state and national student nurses’ associations, or other events.
- Behave in a professional, respectful manner toward self and others always and act according to Villanova’s values of Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas.
Miranda McPhillips
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Both cognitive impairment and insomnia are major public health issues that continue to worsen as the older adult population expands. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a degenerative condition characterized by cognitive decline that affects almost 20% of older adults. Early assessment and management of risk factors for cognitive changes could help slow the progression from MCI to dementia. Upwards of 60% of people with cognitive impairment have insomnia or other sleep disturbances. Given that insomnia symptoms can lead directly to pathological accumulation of proteins that cause neurodegeneration, identifying and treating insomnia could mitigate subsequent cognitive decline in people with MCI. Given that primary care providers are often the first point of contact for people with MCI, we must first understand how primary care providers are assessing and treating insomnia in this group. The goal of this retrospective chart review is to assess the information collected by primary care providers of people living with MCI during a typical first encounter concerning insomnia. In a diverse sample of 200 older adults with insomnia and cognitive impairment, specific aims are to:
- Determine the type and extent of information collected during the first primary care provider office encounter for insomnia.
- Determine the prescribing therapies of primary care providers during the initial insomnia encounter.
We have an established protocol and can expand our existing data abstraction infrastructure1 to support exploring primary care management of insomnia in older adults with MCI. This is the first step to inform future policy of the need to include sleep assessment as a screening for cognitive impairment /dementia.
Sun, J., McPhillips, M.V., Zang, Y., Li, J., Chen, K., Oehlke, J., Brewster, G., Gooneratne, N. S. (2021). Primary care provider evaluation and management of insomnia. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 17(5), 1083-1091. PMID: 33576737
Student responsibilities include participating in a research team (preparing meeting agenda, attending meetings, documenting minutes, etc.), completing Human Research Protection Training, conducting a literature review, participating in REDCap database setup and data abstraction via Slicer Dicer.