Shining a light on shingles
Student and faculty co-author review of herpes zoster for clinicians
If you’ve had chickenpox, that varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is living within your sensory neurons and may reactivate later, causing you --and about 1 million other people that same year -- the distress associated with shingles. Also called herpes zoster, shingles develops in approximately 1 in 3 Americans in their lifetime, with the risk increasing with age.
When sophomore Meghan Scanlon, a nursing student who is also in Villanova’s Honors Program, discussed a possible project to supplement her nursing Health Assessment course for credit in the Honors Program, she and Teri Capriotti, DO, MSN, CRNP, RN, talked through a variety of innovative options.
Dr. Capriotti, a clinical associate professor, has mentored many students in the process of researching and writing for publication and has co-authored numerous articles with students in clinical journals. “Ultimately, we agreed that shingles is a health issue that is gaining more publicity. With a plethora of information published on shingles, Dr. Capriotti and I thought that a complete guide to the epidemiology and treatment of shingles would be useful to primary care clinicians,” explains Meghan, a native of Smithtown, Long Island. She notes that it took weeks of research, writing, and editing to complete the article “Shingles: A Complete Guide for the Clinician” which was ultimately published as the feature article in the February 2017 issue of the journal Clinical Advisor.
“I am honored and humbled to have worked on this project. Dr. Capriotti served as a tremendous resource and mentor. The entire process was an invaluable learning experience. I am so grateful for this opportunity,” says Meghan.
Read Meghan’s article here: http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/features/clinician-guide-for-shingles/article/630871/?publishDate=False×tamp=636198171160171326