Communication Intern at NOFS Interning for the New Orleans Film Festival and New Orleans Film Society this summer was truly a once in a lifetime experience as a young, Black, and femme filmmaker. My title was Communication Intern. I worked on the news letter, managed the social media accounts on official Facebook and Instagram, and acted as a liaison between our department and filmmakers. The best part was working with other interns. We all varied in identities, demographics, and cinematic genres, however, we all had a profound love for film for its artistic interpretation and expression of humanity. My daily duties allowed for serval interaction with members of the film society and filmmakers on social media, which expanded my professional network and I met some great companions. My favorite task would be sharing such as pictures of under-represented (BIPOC and/or Queer) filmmakers in order to give them more visibility.
This was one of the main values of the Communication department. Ensuring under-represented filmmakers had access and opportunities such as grants, screening opportunities, and pitch workshops was other task of mine that I was honored to do. Being a young film artist, I am still trying to figure out what I want to do within my Digital Media Practices major at Tulane. However, being behind the scenes supporting other staff and filmmakers felt extremely rewarding, a familiar feeling when I am directing my own film. This was a shocking discovery, at first, because I had never considered another career path other than directing documentary film, and for this realization I am forever grateful for my experience. The New Orleans Film Society and The New Orleans Film Festival expanded my knowledge of possible careers, which just encourages me continue being vulnerable enough to tackle new challenges within the film industry. I learned that behind the scenes “magic� does not always mean behind a camera.
ViaNolaVie: “Women in Journalism” Avery Anderson Tulane University, New Orleans LA 70118, USA Introduction: This summer, I worked as a Writing and Editorial Intern for ViaNolaVie, a digital publication. I collaborated with my mentors to generate article ideas exploring New Orleans arts and culture. I also partnered with the University of New Orleans to edit a student documentary series in addition to curating retrospective articles highlighting pieces from ViaNolaVie's archives.
Results:
❑I learned how an online publication functions and discovered how I fit in to such a system. ❑I learned how to write better articles and how to effectively edit and curate other people's work. ❑I gained more knowledge about the city of New Orleans and the creatives who live here. ❑I developed industry connections through interviews and email correspondence ❑ I learned what it means to operate a female-run publication.
Methods:
I worked within the parameters of an online journal, learning how to format and edit articles in the backend of WordPress to get them ready for publication. I honed my writing skills by exploring several distinct styles of journalism, writing artist profiles and exploring photojournalism. I also conducted online interviews with the subjects of my articles using Zoom or email threads.
Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank Professor Kelley Crawford for giving me this wonderful opportunity to further explore my passion. I would also like to thank my other editor Renee Peck for helping me develop my writing and interview skills.
Geaux Girls Wonder! Y'vonne Antoine Tulane University Abstract: Geaux Girl Magazine is a local New Orleans magazine created for female teens under the age of 18. The magazine has a section that allows girls to send in questions that professionals will answer. I am curious about what specific topics New Orleans teens are interested in learning more about through past anonymous submissions to the magazine. Additionally I am curious how the education system can help to provide better education on these topics. I will be comparing the Louisiana curriculum to the topics in the archives. This is an archival research project that will include a content analysis of submission topics.
Figure Shown: Pie Graph of question category breakdown Methods: 1. Obtain all questions from previous issues of the magazine 2. Create Categories for questions 3. Sort questions into each category 4. Calculate percentage of each category 5. Research Louisiana School Curriculum on highest percent categories 6. Compare curriculum to questions from magazine 7. Brainstorm and Research ideas of how to fix the gap in learning
Results: After completing the research I realized the top category of curiosity was Women's Health. Women's Health produced 43%, Sexual Activities produced 29%, Situation Advice produced 17%, Sexuality produced 7%, and Mental Health produced 4%. Compared to the Louisiana Curriculum there is no set class or lesson plan dedicated to Women's Health. This supports why female girls are the most curious about this topic. In regard to the next highest topic, there is curriculum for Sexual Education but it is not mandatory for all students to participate. Therefore, the curiosity is a result from not being educated in the school setting. My suggestions on how to integrate more education on these topics include the following: • Mentorship Programs to help girls get one on one time with an older female to confide into and get advice from • Provide optional events at the school that educate and inform the girls on these topics • Partnership with foundations and organizations such as Beyond the Stage and The Beautiful Foundation that are after school programs that would give girls the opportunity to be connect, educated, and mentored
Mary Elizabeth Barrow, Tulane University
Project Description The current study is examining behavioral differences in populations of the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus Polyglottos). This particular species is a good study organism because they have established populations in two geographically distinct neighborhoods in New Orleans, LA that vary between high (200-299 mg/kg) and low (2-49 mg/kg) levels of lead contamination (McClelland et al. 2019). This experiment will test how lead exposure impacts the cognition of the mockingbird by testing their memory over the course of their breeding season (March – July 2020) when responding to a potential nest threat. By surveying birds from areas with different lead concentrations we will learn more about how varied sub-lethal lead concentrations affect the Northern Mockingbird, and can make prediction about other New Orleans wildlife. This is an ongoing project and will require several years worth of data before conclusions can be made.
Methods Thi s summer, we were collecting data exclusively from Uptown New Orleans. We did this by fi rs t i dentifyi ng where nests were l ocated through searching through suitable habitats. After i dentifyi ng nests with nestlings, we collected both blood and feather s amples from them. These samples were used to a nalyze lead content in the blood.
Mbarrow@tulane.edu
Results Ma ny urba n a reas suffer from heightened l ead levels due to i ts historical use in multiple facets of modern l i fe. Globally, i ncreased l ead concentrations have been pi nned as a major issue for the health of humans (Worl d Health Organization, 2010) but there is a growi ng concern a bout how urban wildlife i s also i mpacted by l ead exposure . Pres ently, i ncreased numbers of wi ldlife a re finding themselves at home i n urba n environments (Marzluff, 2008). Acci dental uptake of l ead occurs through the inhalation or i ngestion of contaminated s oil or food s ources, res pectively (Roux a nd Ma rra, 2007) a nd results in phys i ological tissue-lead concentrations well a bove the normal amount. When lead i s consumed in high dos es, the outcome is often fatal (Dooyema et al., 2011), but mos t l ead exposure is s ublethal, especially for urba n wildlife. While many free-living urban a ni mals are being dosed s ub-lethally wi th l ead, we do not know how i t is affecting their a bility to s urvive through negative impacts on behavior (Hunt, 2012). Thi s research will advance our understanding of how l ead contamination impacts the millions of wild a ni mals living i n urban environments (Ma teo, Thomas et a l ., 2016).
Acknowledgements Special thanks to Tulane University, the Center for Aca demic Equity, Annelise Blanchette, and Dr. Jordan Ka rubian
Samhita Basavanhalli, Fadok Lab- Brain Institute, PI: Jonathan Fadok, Funded by Center for Academic Equity
Current and Future Directions on Alzheimer’s Disease Importance of the Cholinergic System in Alzheimer’s Disease The basal forebrain cholinergic system controls regulatory aspects of cognition (Leanza et al., 1996). Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons are most severely affected in patients with AD and this loss contributes to the loss of memory in AD patients and is linked to presynaptic neurochemical abnormalities in the cortex (Whitehouse et al., 1915). Cholinergic neuron loss impacts three main categories of executive functions: inhibition, updating, and cognitive flexibility.
References Leanza, G., Muir, J., Nilsson, O. G., Wiley, R. G., Dunnett, S. B., & Björklund, A. (1996). Selective immunolesioning of the basal forebrain cholinergic system disrupts short-term memory in rats. In European Journal of Neuroscience (Vol. 8, Issue 7, pp. 1535–1544). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-9568.1996.tb01616.x Long, J. M., & Holtzman, D. M. (2019). Alzheimer Disease: An Update on Pathobiology and Treatment Strategies. Cell, 179(2), 312–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.09.001 Okada, K., Nishizawa, K., Kobayashi, T., Sakata, S., & Kobayashi, K. (2015). Distinct roles of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in spatial and object recognition memory. Scientific Reports, 5, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep13158 Tait, D. S., & Brown, V. J. (2008). Lesions of the basal forebrain impair reversal learning but not shifting of attentional set in rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 187(1), 100–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2007.08.035 Whitehouse, P. J., Price, D. L., Struble, R. G., Clark, A. W., Coyle, J. T., & DeLong, M. R. (1915). Alzheimer’s Disease and Senile Dementia: Loss of Neurons in the Basal Forebrain Author. Journal of Education, 81(3), 73–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/002205741508100313
Lesion Studies 192 IgG-saporin is a toxin conjugate that is commonly used in lesion studies to induce a loss of cholinergic neurons in the NBM that lead to cholinergic denervation throughout the neocortex and hippocampus to imitate the pathology of AD. Below are the results of several lesion studies and the impacts found on various executive functions. Disruption of Short-term Memory The results of the study show that rats with the 192 IgG-saporin lesions had a significant delay-dependent decline during behavior tests, indicating that there was a deficit in their short-term memory (Leanza et al., 1996. Impaired Reversal Learning but not Attentional Set The results of the study showed that the rats with 192-IgG saporin injections in the basal forebrain were not impaired in comparison to the control group (Tait & Brown, 2008). These selective lesions of the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons did not result in impairments of discrimination learning, reversal learning or formation of shifting of attention. Object and Spatial Recognition Memory The results of this study showed that ablation of MS/vDB neurons impaired spatial reference memory in the reference memory task; however, elimination of MS/vDB or NBM neurons did not influence object recognition memory during the same task (Okada et. al, 2015). Future Directions- Effects on Attention and Cognition In this study conducted in the Fadok lab, cholinergic neurons loss was selectively induced in the diagonal band using a caspase virus (AAV-Flex-taCasP3-TEVP) in three groups of mice. The mice went through three cognitive tests: 2-choice serial reaction time task, novel object recognition task, and an extradimensional set-shifting task. The results of a 2-choice serial reaction time task showed slower learning, higher impulsivity, and impaired motivation and attention. The results of the extradimensional set-shifting showed lower attention and motivation in mice with ablation induced cholinergic neuron loss. These studies provide the potential to develop treatments with specific effects on such functions. In the future, an interesting pathway that could be further investigated is the substantia innominata/ horizontal vertical band pathway.
Perceptions of Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment Victoria Conway Tulane University INTRODUCTION
CONCLUSIONS
Instances of sexual harassment are often ambiguous and can be difficult to identify. Sexual harassment is defined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC, 1997) as a form of sexual discrimination that involves unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and sexually related physical or verbal actions that are offensive and unsolicited. In 2019 alone, the EEOC received 26,221 charges of sexual harassment (EEOC, n.d.). There are two forms of sexual harassment: quid pro quo harassment, which is the elicitation of sexual favors using the threat of job consequences, and implicit harassment that produces a hostile environment, through unwarranted sexually related physical and verbal actions (EEOC, 1980). Implicit instances of sexual harassment may be harder to identify than explicit harassment. Moreover, previous research has found that people are more likely to detect prejudiced behavior (i.e. sexual harassment) when the behavior fits their expectation, or stereotype, of that prejudiced action (Inman & Baron, 1996). More specifically, the perception of sexual harassment is dependent on the recognition of potentially harassing behavior and the ability to link that behavior to gender-based group membership (Major et al., 2002). Research reveals that people perceive victims of sexual harassment to be more prototypically feminine than non-victims, in both appearance and character (Goh et al., in press). I am interested in what prototype, if any, people have for perpetrators of sexual harassment. Based on research by Goh et al., which finds that the mental representation of targets of sexual harassment overlaps with the prototype of women, I hypothesize that perpetrators of sexual harassment would be perceived as hypermasculine. In the present study, I aim to develop a sexual perpetrator scale, which will be used to guide my future research on prototypes of sexual perpetrators.
The results of each study were tallied to determine the counts of each characteristic. Then, a list of thirty-five adjectives was compiled using the data from Study One and Study Two according to the Act Nomination Method, which is a common method of scale development in psychology (Buss, 2016). The top five characteristics from each study are displayed in the presented figures. These adjectives were grouped into five different subscales: physical looks, sleazy behaviors, pathological traits, naïve behaviors, and position of power traits. These adjectives will be used in a third study, currently in progress, that will present participants with a vignette of a man who behaves inappropriately at work. Participants will then be asked to rate the man on each characteristic, using a scale of 1 (Not at All) to 7 (Completely). The data from this third study will be used to create a scale to measure prototypes of men who sexually harass women. This scale will be used in my future research assessing prototypes of sexual harassment in more detail.
METHODS Study One Participants were recruited using Reddit.com (N=79). Each participant was directed to an online survey, where they were asked to imagine a man who frequently engages in sexually inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Then, they were directed to list three to five adjectives that might describe this man. Study Two Participants were recruited using Reddit.com (N=87). Each participant was directed to an online survey, where they were told that researchers are interested in their impressions of hypermasculine men, where hypermasculinity can be understood as exaggerated masculine behavior. For example, a hypermasculine man engages in behaviors that makes his masculinity visible to others. They were then asked to list three to five characteristics that come to mind when they think of a hypermasculine man.
REFERENCES & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to Dr. Laurie O’Brien and Danica Kulibert, M.S. Buss, D. M. (2016). Act Nomination Method. In V. Weekes-Shackelford, T. K. Shackelford, & V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science (pp. 1–3). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1862-1 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.). All Charges Alleging Harassment FY 2010 - FY 2019. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (1980). Discrimination because of sex under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as amended: adoption of interim guidelines — sexual harassment. Federal Register, 45, 25024–25025. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (1997). Fact Sheet: Sexual Harassment Discrimination. Goh, J. X., Bandt-Law, B., Cheek, N. N., & Kaiser, C. R. (in press). Prototypes and Perceiving Sexual Harassment. Inman, M. L., & Baron, R. S. (1996). Influence of prototypes on perceptions of prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psy chology, 70(4), 727–739. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.4.727 Major, B., Quinton, W. J., & McCoy, S. K. B. T.-A. in E. S. P. (2002). Antecedents and consequences of attributions to discrimina tion: Theoretical and empirical advances. In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 34, pp. 251–330). Academic Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(02)80007-7
Kyla Denwood D e s p e r a t e Ti m e s , D e s p e r a t e M e a s u r e s :
Tulane University
H o w CO VI D -1 9 W i l l Af f e c t D i s c r i m i n a t i o n i n Ac c e s s t o M e n t a l H e a l t h Ap p o i n t m e n t s
kdenwood@tulane.edu www.linkedin.com/in/kyladenwood
I n t r o d u ct io n t o P ilo t St u d y Mental health services save lives, while improving the outlook for people who may feel hopeless and lost. Therefore, understanding the role of discrimination in access to mental health care is critically important, especially given the severe mental health disparities for marginalized communities: higher rates of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidality. Discrimination creates a barrier to the ability of these groups to use mental healthcare services to treat the conditions that they disproportionately face, creating a ruthless cycle. In “Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Identity Discrimination in Access to Mental Health Care: A Pilot Study”, the team conducted a pilot study for an audit field experiment emailing appointment requests to 1,000 mental health professionals. Prospective patients differed in race and ethnicity (Black, Hispanic, or white) and gender identity (binary transgender, nonbinary, or cisgender). Preliminary results suggest race, ethnicity, and binary gender play key roles in how mental health professionals treat potential clients while gender identity along may play a less significant role. Furthermore, evidence suggests that Hispanic people and particularly Hispanic nonbinary people, likely face high levels of discrimination from mental health professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred early on in our pilot study. We decided to continue with the study as mental health appointments are now more necessary than ever. Taking the pandemic into consideration, we plan to utilize this to test how a global health crisis affects discrimination by mental health professionals in access to appointment. This will be the first experiment of its kind and will tell us a lot about discrimination during times of crisis. This summer, my research fellowship focused on gathering information on the COVID-19 pandemic, policy outcomes, and policy intensity for the next round of the study.
M e t h o d o lo gy I spent the summer of 2020 searching the web to collect information on the changing government policies as well as the mortality and infection rates of the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to collect data at both the state level and lower levels of government, including county and municipality. We collected data on a variety of policies, announcements, and restrictions including mask mandates, school closures, and stay-at home orders. Following our data collection, we linked all the collected data to our COVID-19 data sheet experiment. In the future, we will be able to examine whether mental health professionals were more selective/discriminatory in areas with more intense COVID-19 restrictions.
Ab s t r a c t Transgender individuals face many mental health disparities, including higher rates of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidality. A growing body of evidence suggests that transgender individuals experience stigma and discrimination in their everyday life that leads to “minority stress”. This stress may be exacerbated further for transgender people of color as they experience additional anti-transgender community bias coupled with structural racism. While mental health care can help, existing research suggests that health care practitioners engage in “cream-skimming”, where they attempt to curate a set of more “desirable” patients by discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, insurance type, and other patient characteristics. Some research shows that mental health professionals (MHPs) “cream-skim”, and this could be even more common in the realm of mental heath given the more personal connection required for counseling or therapy, relative to primary care. I contributed to the current experiment being performed by Dr. Patrick Button titled Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Identity Discrimination in Access to Mental Health Care by analyzing how the COVID-19 pandemic could affect discrimination among MHPs when granting appointments to minorities and transgender individuals. Through tracking everchanging COVID-19 policies available on online databases, I was able to compile information about government policies and pandemic intensity throughout the country. This information will be utilized in the experiment to better understand how uncertain times can affect discriminatory behavior among MHPs. Based on the results of the pilot study and given racial inequities in COVID-19 infection and mortality rates, we predict that COVID-19 intensity will intensify existing patterns of discrimination. We also predict that MHPs will become more selective in choosing patients if the demand for mental health services increases while the supply remains the same. This could also further discriminatory behaviors.
Co n c l u s i o n New research has shown that crises and social distancing orders (including and especially shelter-in-place) can increase depression and suicidal ideation. The CDC has also reported that long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19, with factors including discrimination; healthcare access and utilization; occupation; educational, income, and wealth gaps; and housing. Finally, if demand of mental health professionals increases without an increase in their supply, they could be me selective with patients. This could then lead to more discriminatory behavior. We hypothesize that the negative supply shock of COVID-19 will outweigh the positive demand shock, yielding a lower quantity of appointments overall. In terms of how this will affect access to appointments for gender, racial, and ethnic minorities, we hypothesize the racial inequities in COVID-19 infection and mortality rates will only intensify existing patterns of discrimination. My investigation into COVID-19 rates of infection, mortality, and government policies allowed the team to better understand which places and policies would lead to an increased demand in mental health services. Data has been gathered for all fifty states. Since data collection for the pilot study was in the field before and during the pandemic, extending data collection will allow us to examine the dynamics of access to mental health professionals before, during, and after the global pandemic.
Fu tu r e R esea r ch In the future, I will be utilizing the results from the pilot study to understand the role of intersectionality in discrimination by mental health professionals in access to appointments. Many researchers argue that individuals with multiple marginalized identities will experience mistreatment that stems form multiple systems of inequality, producing a “double disadvantage”. However, I argue that stereotypes between social identities intersect in nonadditive and complex ways. I will be examining the intersection of race and gender identity, African-Americans and transgender binary individuals, to understand how combining identities shape positive appointment outcomes in the mental health context. In the United States, widespread negative stereotypes exist about African-Americans while a recent study claimed stereotypes associated with transgender individuals to be positive or neutral. I posit that stereotypes of the two groups will combine in nonadditive ways, and transgender African-Americans will experience a higher rate of positive appointment outcomes than cisgender AfricanAmericans and potentially even white transgender binary individuals. This study will add to the growing body of empirical research on intersectionality and allow us to quantitively test the effects of discrimination on transgender African-Americans seeking mental health services.
Ac k n o w l e d g e m e n t s Special thanks to Tulane University, the Center of Academic Equity, Patrick Button, Ben Harrell, Luca Fumarco, David Schwegman, Eva Dils, Catherine Douglas, and Vincent Grisby
Fighting Economic Inequality in New Orleans by Empowering Local Entrepreneurs
WHAT I LEARNED INTRODUCTION
MY ROLE
New Orleans is filled with informal enterprises that go unrecognized and underserved by traditional financial institutions. These entrepreneurs are at risk of being left behind by the boom of entrepreneurship New Orleans is experiencing. Fund 17 fights against this by providing services and one on one help to local entrepreneurs in order to close the opportunity gap. Through workshops and one on one counseling sessions, Fund 17 aims to turn side hustles into livelihoods as they support entrepreneurs to raise their businesses to the fullest potential.
In my primary project I collaborated with a University of New Orleans professor to design, collect, and showcase data for the 2020 Impact Report and utilized R to create graphs for data visualization. Throughout the summer I also spearheaded overhauling data collection and storage systems to increase efficiency. Additionally, I conceptualized and created surveys and forms for collecting data. Finally, I analyzed programs to generate logic models and reports
ACCOMPLISHMENTS • • • • • • •
Developed a call script for interviewing program graduates Wrote a data and evaluation intern orientation guide Finished transferring all records from Podio to Airtable Created new BCM weekly reporting form Raised almost $300 for Give NOLA day Created logic models for each program Generated monthly reports and program reports
• • •
•
•
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Through my assignments, I learned how to use Airtable, a skill that I’m sure will come in handy in future internships and jobs I have learned how to conduct myself professionally over email and messaging, a critical life skill that I will always use From the Podio transfer I learned what a CRM is and what they entail and how to manage them, knowledge that will qualify me for different types of jobs in the future I have never fundraised for anything before so Give NOLA Day was a very new challenge for me. I learned how to fundraise which is a very important skill in the nonprofit sector I have improved on my multitasking skills by juggling multiple assignments at once. I have learned how to prioritize tasks which will allow me to be even more successful in the future I learned that I like working with a small team where my tasks can vary greatly. I enjoyed working in the start-up environment of Fund 17 where everyone was pitching in. For example, I once helped media and marketing by writing a pros and cons list for different website platforms. I really enjoy this type of work environment.
Emily Gilbert
Tulane University
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many thanks to Kalena Mayer and Antonio Alonzo at Fund 17. my fellow interns. the Center for Academic Equity
The Adverse Effects of Non-Regulated Cannabidiol Products Kailee Hudshon Tulane University Introduction The chemical that this report will focus on is Cannabidiol (CBD) and its two types: one being from hemp and the other being from cannabis. This literature review intends to broaden the knowledge of the effects of state regulation of CBD, potentially making regulated CBD products safer than non-regulated CBD products. By conducting this review there will be a clear differentiation about the chemical differences of the plants and a demonstration of the importance of testing the purity of non regulated CBD products, providing evidence as to how non regulated CBD products can have serious, dangerous implications to Americans all over the nation.
Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Lopreore and the Chemistry Department at Tulane University for helping me with my project. I would also like to thank the Center of Academic Equity for making my project possible and helping me continue my research
Methods One of the most common ways that Americans use CBD is through E-cigarette products which can be found readily at convenience stores, gas stations and more all across the country. Although the CBD oil being sold at shops can be easily bought, the products are not regulated. These unregulated products coupled with an already dangerous delivery method has resulted in severe lung injuries across the nation. In 2018 the CDC began investigating a national outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). In response to this, I compared the amount of EVALI cases per state to see if there was any effect of regulation on the frequency of injuries. I first recorded all of the case numbers from each states public health department and arranged each state from highest population (the left of the graph) to lowest population. Given each state varies in population size I calculated the percentage of cases by dividing the population size by the amount of cases. With that percentage I then converted the incredibly small number to scientific notation where each state is 10 to the -4 power.
Results and Discussion My calculations resulted in Utah being the highest percentage of cases in relation to their population size at 41.9%. While the lowest percentage was New Hampshire at 0.66%. The average percentage of the 39 non-regulated states was 8.47%, while the average percentage of the 11 regulated states was 6.43%. It should be known that Utah is not recreationally legal and only began to legalize cannabis medicinally in 2020 after the outbreak of lung injury cases due to synthetic cannabinoids in 2018. The synthetic cannabinoids were found in several CBD oils and caused over 134 people to contract a serious lung injury as a result of the sale of unregulated cannabis products. It should also be known that New Hampshire is not recreationally legal but is medically legal and has been since 2016. Since the national outbreak New Hampshire has only had 1 case of serious lung injury. There is a wealth of literature showing how years of heavy prohibition has led to the mangled US cannabis industry today. Parting states on decisions to legalize the substance or keep it restricted and unregulated to the public. In terms of full federal regulated nations like Canada, it can be proven that regulation greatly increases the medicinal potential of the plant and significantly decreases the likelihood of adverse effects from cannabis use. This can be seen when comparing EVALI cases both by the decrease in the average number of cases in regulated states (6.43%) and the average percentage of cases in unregulated states (8.47%). Additionally, in 2018 when the US had an outbreak of EVALI cases, Canada made a huge stride in political regulation and legalization. As a result Canada had only 20 cases of vaping related lung injuries 11 of which were related to nicotine while the US had a total of 2,668 vaping related lung injuries that required hospitalization and 68 deaths in the year 2018 alone.
It is Never Too Late to Teach an Old Dog New Tricks
Health Literacy in a High-Risk Geriatric Patient Population Didi Ikeji BSPH '21, MHA '22 Candidate1, Dr. Kathy Jo Carstarphen MD, MPH2 1Tulane
University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 2Ochsner Medical Center
Graphics
Statement of Topic The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines health literacy as an individual’s capacity to perform in a health care setting. This can include but is not limited to a patient’s ability to understand their health and directives, read prescriptions and be compliant with medications, navigate a hospital system, and communicate with and understand providers. Low health literacy, among other factors, can contribute to diminished health, polypharmacy, and dependence on others to make health care decisions. A literature review was conducted to research the different factors which can impact an individual’s health literacy. The aim of this review was to provide the foundation for further research on how medical professionals can access a patient’s health literacy, how to best help patients who are identified to be of a lowered literacy status, and the impact of low literacy on end of life decision making. The increase in geriatric patient populations will require increased research and innovations in order to better prepare patients as well as their health care providers. The foundational step in these new innovations and prevention measures are assessing health literacy in all patients in order to fill gaps in current research and better understand how pervasive the problem of lowered health literacy is.
Methods
The methodology will be modeled after current assessment tools implemented at Mount Sinai New York. This will be done in a similar fashion to the experimentation done by Federman where a geriatric population was selected. Federman then conducted pre and post interviews with patients and administered the S-TOFHLA, which is Mount Sinai New York’s standard exam (Federman, 2009). Additionally, most health literacy research has been done through a cross sectional study with a cohort such as Shirooka in Japan where 500 patients were added to link frailty and health literacy (Shirooka, 2017). The assessment will begin with a cross sectional cohort study of 600 patients within the New Orleans Ochsner MedVantage Clinic. Individuals will then be eliminated from the cohort if they fail to meet the criteria. A retrospective chart review will be conducted to gather previous self-perceived health literacy data from patients. Individuals without previous data will either be eliminated from the cohort or reassed in order to provide data. This patient self-assessed data will act as a health literacy baseline. Patients will then be tested using Ochsner’s new health literacy examination. The scores between the baseline and test will be analyzed to draw conclusions on literacy rates. Patient information will be kept deidentified using MRN numbers which are then assigned another random 4-digit and letter code in order to declassify them further.
MV CLINIC AIMS
Future Aims
Ochsner MedVantage Clinic
The MedVantage clinic was established in 2016 to serve a low resource, high-risk geriatric patient population. It services a patient panel of approximately 600 patients under the care of Dr. Carstarphen. A cross-disciplinary and coordinated primary care approach to diagnosis, treatment and prevention is undertaken at the clinic where medical care is grounded in an understanding of the social determinants of health and based on an accountable care organizational model. Geriatric patients in Louisiana face at minimum two risk factors for lowered health literacy status due to their location and age. In the United States, the State of Louisiana, ranks 46th in education and 49th for health. The focus of this research will be on geriatric individuals within the New Orleans, Louisiana area specifically in Ochsner’s MedVantage Clinic. Trends within their health literacy will be investigated in order to illuminate the vulnerabilities of geriatric individuals with lowered health literacy face when accessing care.
Health Literacy Exams Cuttili and other researchers argue for the creation or implementation of health literacy examinations in order to improve patient outcomes. Health literacy is best encompassed by a ranging ability that can be impacted by reading level, mathematical skills, and cognitive ability. Demographics such as age, gender, race, education, and socioeconomic levels can all impact a patient’s health literacy. In order to improve geriatric outcomes, health care workers must assess and educate elderly patients in more effect ways with the inclusion of simpler language, visual and hearing aids, and other techniques that have been proven to improve comprehension. Providers must first assess patients in order to form baseline literacy levels. Health literacy exams are essentially reading exams with all the questions pertaining to medical care, doctor initiatives, and medications. Generally, the first step in this process is a qualitative measure such as an interview and survey in order to asses a patient’s cognitive abilities. Then the health literacy examination questions are formulated based on commonalities between the study group such as common medications or illnesses. Information on social determinants of health is taken based on patient selfreported data. It is suitable to utilize standardized examination such as the TOFHL. Health literacy and health status often have a linear relationship. The more important aspect of health literacy is how it impacts a patient’s ability to care for themselves regardless of disease status. Individuals with lowered health literacy often have worse health outcomes because they are unable to make well informed healthcare decisions. This is not limited to but can include low comprehension rates of prescription bottles, insurance plans, doctor’s directives, and food labels which increases a patient’s chances of having low medication compliance and/or misunderstanding dosage instructions. Davis conducted a study in order to assess medication noncompliance due to low comprehension. Of the 395 patients studied comprehension rates varied from 60% - 90%. The implications of this are great as it means not a single patient completely understood the dosage instructions on their medications. This gets worse the more medications a patient is prescribed, and most geriatric patients have multiple comorbidities that require daily medication. The first step in combating this is addressing the lack of assessment by primary care providers who can act as primary interventionist when patients are experiencing low literacy and as a result poor health.
Figure 1 Distribution of barriers to care for 39% of patients with case management referrals.
th 7
-
th 8
GRADE THE AVERAGE READING LEVEL IN THE UNITED STATES
12% PORTION OF THE UNITED STATES WITH A HIGH HEALTH LITERACY
Figure 2 Distribution of geriatric population for the past and future as percentage of the total population.
The proposed research aims to provide new information on health literacy rates within a New Orleans high risk geriatric clinic. The contribution of this research would lead to improved quality of care for the individuals within the clinic. This information is pertinent as the number of geriatric individuals are increasing creating more high risk, low literacy individuals. Additionally, it can provide physicians within the clinic assistance in the overall aims such as hospice enrollment. Knowledge of an individuals score and the demographics at risk for lower scores can provide social workers with data necessary to better target at risk populations and create better tools to deploy information. On a larger scale this implication of this study will contribute to ongoing research at Ochsner about how social determinants of health impacts a patient’s quality of care and life. Thus, allowing for a better patient experience across the hospital system as a whole. It endeavors to fill a current gap in research identified in literature reviews pertaining geriatrics and health literacy.
References
1. Best States for Education | US News Best States. (n.d.). U.S. World News. Retrieved May 5, 2020, from https://www.usnews.com/news/beststates/rankings/education 2. Carolyn Crane Cutilli Profile, ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carolyn_Cutilli 3. Cutilli, C. C. (n.d.). Health Literacy in Geriatric Patients: An Integrative Review... : Orthopaedic Nursing | The International Leader in Education, Practice & Research. Orthopaedic Nursing. Retrieved April 4, 2020, from https://journals.lww.com/orthopaedicnursing/Abstract/2007/01000/Health_Literacy_in_Geriatric_Patients__An.14.aspx 4. Cutilli, C. C., & Schaefer, C. T. (2011). Case Studies in Geriatric Health Literacy. Orthopaedic Nursing | The International Leader in Education, Practice & Research, 30(4), 281–285. https://doi.org/10.1097/NOR.0b013e3182247c8f 5. Davis, T. C., Wolf, M. S., Bass, P. F., III, Thompson, J. A., Tilson, H. H., Neuberger, M., & Parker, R. M. (2006). Literacy and Misunderstanding Prescription Drug Labels. Annals of Internal Medicine, 145(12), 887– 894. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-145-12-200612190-00144 6. Federman, A.D., Sano, M., Wolf, M.S., Siu, A.L. and Halm, E.A. (2009), Health Literacy and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57: 1475-1480. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02347.x 7. Gazmararian J, Baker D, Parker R, Blazer DG. A Multivariate Analysis of Factors Associated With Depression: Evaluating the Role of Health Literacy as a Potential Contributor. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(21):3307–3314. doi:10.1001/archinte.160.21.3307 8. Gausman Benson, J., & Forman, W. B. (2002). Comprehension of Written Health Care Information in an Affluent Geriatric Retirement Community: Use of the Test of Functional Health Literacy. Gerontology, 48(2), 93–97. https://doi.org/10.1159/000048933 9. Health Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/healthliteracy 10. Javadzade, S. H., Sharifirad, G., Radjati, F., Mostafavi, F., Reisi, M., & Hasanzade, A. (2012). Relationship between health literacy, health status, and healthy behaviors among older adults in Isfahan, Iran. Journal of education and health promotion, 1, 31. https://doi.org/10.4103/2277-9531.100160 11. Kuffel, H. (2019, December 9). What Retiring Baby Boomers Mean for the Economy. SmartAsset. https://smartasset.com/retirement/baby-boomers-retiring 12. Kim, S.-S., Kim, S.-H., & Lee, S.-Y. (2005). Health Literacy: Development of A Korean Health Literacy Assessment Tool. Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion, 22(4), 215 227. http://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO200503018258075.page 13. McCleary-Jones, V. (2016). A Systematic Review of the Literature on Health Literacy inNursing Education. Nurse Educator, 41(2), 93– 97. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000204 14. Ratzan, S. C. (2001). Health literacy: Communication for the public good. Health Promotion International, 16(2), 207–214. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/16.2.207 15. Scott, G. (2019, February 27). Health Literacy and the Older Adult—Page 2 of 2. Clinical Advisor. https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/home/features/clinicalfeatures/health-literacy-and-the-older-adult/ 16. Shirooka, H., Nishiguchi, S., Fukutani, N., Adachi, D., Tashiro, Y., Hotta, T., Morino, S., Nozaki, Y., Hirata, H., Yamaguchi, M., and Aoyama, T. ( 2017) Association between comprehensive health literacy and frailty level in community‐dwelling older adults: A cross‐sectional study in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int, 17: 804– 809. doi: 10.1111/ggi.12793. 17. Son, Y‐J, Won, MH. Gender differences in the impact of health literacy on hospital readmission among older heart failure patients: A prospective cohort study. J
Cell-Specific Deletion of G-Protein Coupled Estrogen Receptors in Transgenic Mice Using Doxycycline Murad Laradji and Sarah H. Lindsey Department of Pharmacology and the Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112
Conclusion
Abstract
There was sufficient enough expression of secondary antibodies to verify presence of Gprotein coupled estrogen receptors in rtTA (-) tissues, indicating that administration of DOX did indeed cause deletion of the GPER.
The Tet-On system is a widely used genetic mechanism of deleting a specific gene in-vivo, which allows for characterization before and after the deletion of specific tissues. The tet-on system (described in Figure 1) relies on the Cre gene that codes Cre recombinase to delete a specific gene flanked by loxP site genes. Finally, a specific promoter, rtTA drives Cre to only be activated in particular tissue, smooth muscle in our case. The activation of the Cre gene is caused by sufficient intake of doxycycline (DOX), a generic antibiotic. In this project, we studied the effects of G-protein coupled estrogen receptor(GPER) deletion. The process of deletion was followed by the analysis of specific tissues which showed that the protein for G-protein coupled estrogen receptors was indeed not present in subjects where it had been deleted.
Figure 1, Diagram of Tet-on system (Sungsoon Fang, Yonsei University)
Methods 4 mice total (2 rtTA(+) and 2 rtTA (-)), all heterozygous for Cre and homozygous positive for loxP, were administered doxycycline for 7 days before a 7 day waiting period. Following the waiting period, smooth muscle tissue from several organs were gathered from the lung, kidney, heart, aortic arch, and brain. Tissue samples were mounted onto slides by the Tulane Pathology department, and further analyzed via immunohistochemistry with primary antibody Rabbit RFP and secondary antibody Goat-anti Rabbit (480 nm).
GPER is well studied and known to play a role in the cardiovascular health of rodents and humans. In particular, menopausal-correlated cardiovascular decline is tied to lower estrogen levels (and thus less activation of GPER). By using the tet-on system to create negative-controls for GPER, more research on combatting cardiovascular decline in post-menopausal humans can be done on rodent models. Thanks to Dr. Sarah Lindsey for providing assistance and facilities, and the Center for Academic Equity fund for funding this project.
Figure 2, Aorta tissue of rtTA (+) mouse, green indicates binding of secondary antibody
Imagining the Unimaginable:
LITERARY OBSERVATIONS & CREATIVE APPLICATION Abstract:
Literature has always been a realm in which attempts at conceiving the unimaginable are be executed and explored. Despite the saying write ‘what you know,’ writers often think and write directly about that which cannot be known. Many literary works—especially those within the fields of experientialism, existentialism, magical realism, and surrealism—use symbolic abstractions as a means to engage the unthinkable— or at least the idea of it. The aim of this research is to perform a comprehensive survey of works that arguably fit into the previously-mentioned genres as a means by which to examine how these books —and genres —portray the unimaginable. After researching and condensing various works’ imaginations of the unimaginable, I began a collection of poetry and prose that attempts to emulate and enter into conversation to with the unknown.
Introduction:
Genres like experientalism, existentialism, magical realism, and surrealism all tend to make defamiliar and abstract our material realities in a way that permits believable conversation with and interpration of the nonexistent, sometimes magical, and otherwise unimaginable. In a time that feels so uncertain, literature containing this sort of communion with the unknown allow us to uproot our perception of our realities and enter fictional worlds where magic, joy, and the truly sublime are a little more present. These fictions allow us to envision worlds and material realities beyond our own, enabling hope and vibrant, liberated imaginations in times of crisis and revolution.
Methods: Results: The first phase of this research project involved reading a selection experientalist, existentialist, magical realist, and surrealist books, especially those written by queer, Black, and/or brown authors as, frankly, that is the only sort of imagination of the unknown I currently wish to read. I purchased these books from Black-owned bookshops as well as non-Amazon secondhand bookshops. The second phase of this research began while reading these books; I compiled examples and notes on their treatment of and interaction with the unknown. I used this information to create writing exercises, which I later used to create a small body of work where I attempted to write about the inconceivable.
Anyway, these books included Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler; Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James; The Vegetarian by Han Kang; Little Gods by Meng Jin; Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie; Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward; The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara; Shiner by Amy Jo Burns; The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter; Riddance: Or the Sybil Joines Vocational School for Ghost Speakers & Hearing-Mouth Children by Shelley Jackson; A People’s Future of the United States by Victor LaValle; and The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley.
Many of these books represented the unimaginable through the use of symbolism, using motifs like nature or the sky as sites of allusion to something greater. Other books engaged with the inconceivable more directly, using language to express overwhelming physical and emotional sensation as the protagonist(s) came face-to-face with something completely beyond them. As I conducted this research, I noticed that the vast majority of these books, in an attempt to make the unbelievable believable, paid special attention to the expansion of everyday detail as a means by which to balance detailing the otherworldly or unknowable.
Conclusion:
When I initially began this research, I planned to write a research paper. While I have plenty of research, I found, rather––especially in light of how eventful and stressful this summer was––that I was inspired and wished to create work of my own. I received permission from the Center of Academic Equity to do so, and have produced a small compilation of poetry and prose created in conversation with the books I read. Engaging so directly with the unknown and unimaginable in the middle of a pandemic, a revolution, global wildfires, and personal financial and housing crises, I found my research growing ever closer to a quasi-theological experiment. Near the end of this research project, I found myself in conversation with that which lies at the heart of the unknown: whatever lies beyond and is greater than what we as humans can conceive.
Jess Martel Tulane University jmartel1@tulane.edu Acknowledgements:
Thank you, first and foremost, to Tulane’s Center for Academic Equity for their generous Summer Research Grant. I truly do not know how I would have made it through this summer and research project without those funds. Thank you to Professor Ferruh Yilmaz for agreeing to supervise this project and for introducing me to science fiction’s imaginings of the unknown. Though I definitely took this project and ran off with it, exposure to that sort of academic theory and reasoning is what made this project possible. Finally, thank you to Mr. Gabriel Rodriguez for being so patient and reminding me of all of the deadlines that I would have otherwise completely forgotten.
References:
Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower. New York: Warner Books, 1995. Print. James, Marlon. Black Leopard, Red Wolf. New York: Riverhead Books, 2019. Print. Kang, Han. The Vegetarian. London: Hogarth, 2018. Print. Jin, Meng. Little Gods. New York: HarperCollins, 2020. Print. Rushdie, Salman. Midnight’s Children. London: Jonathan Cape, 1981. Print. Ward, Jesmyn. Sing, Unburied, Sing. Waterville: Wheeler Publishing, 2017. Print. Cade Bambara, Toni. The Salt Eaters. New York: Vintage Books, 1981. Print. Jo Burns, Amy. Shiner. New York: Penguin Publishing, 2020. Print. Carter, Angela. The Passion of New Eve. London: Virago, 2015. Print. Jackson, Shelley. Riddance: Or the Sybil Joines Vocational School for Ghost Speakers and Hearing-Mouth Children. New York: Black Balloon Publishing, 2018. Print. LaValle, Victor. A People’s Future of the United States. New York: One World, 2019. Print. Dahyana Headley, Maria. The Mere Wife. New York: Farrer, Straus, and Giroux. 2018. Print.
Immune Monitoring of Cytokine Storm in COVID-19 Impana Murthy Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine New Orleans, LA
Abstract
The most frequent clinical presentation of severe COVID-19 is cough, fever, and dyspnoea. However, the factors that cause severe illness in individuals affected by COVID-19 are still not fully understood. An excessive inflammatory response, associated with high levels of circulating cytokines and chemokines, is observed in patients who are critically ill. This cytokine storm, is a warning sign of disease escalation and is involved in the exacerbation of symptoms that often contributes to COVID-19 mortality. Careful immune monitoring of cytokines, chemokines, and associated immune cells is indispensable for patient management and timely treatment interventions.
Methods
Human 76-Plex Cytokine Panel and Olink Inflammation Panel* *The researchers used data sets from COVID-19 studies performed around the world to compare the levels of cytokines and immune cells present. The human 76-plex cytokine panel was not performed by us.
Cytokine Storm Response Predicts Severity of Disease
Sun X, Wang T, Cai D, et al. Cytokine storm intervention in the early stages of COVID-19 pneumonia. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2020;53:38-42. doi:10.1016/j.cytogfr.2020.04.002
Conclusion
Our study shows that disease severity was found to be significantly associated with early production of inhibitory mediators, such as IL-10 and IL-1Rα. In addition, a combination of CCL5, IL-1Rα and IL-10 levels at week one of the disease may be able to predict patient outcomes. Therefore, immune monitoring for chemokines and cytokines in COVID-19 patients should be incorporated in the clinical management as it provides a critical tool to predict disease prognosis. Acknowledgements
Suparna Dutt, PhD Dept of Medicine/Immunology & Rheumatology Stanford University School of Medicine Sangeeta Kowli, PhD Dept of Microbiology and Immunology Stanford University School of Medicine Holden Maecker, PhD Director of Human Immune Monitoring Core Stanford University School of Medicine
Fighting Racial Health Injustice Through Social Media Marketing Sharmila Mysore Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine
Abstract During my time as an intern with The Skin You’re In: Coronavirus and Black America, I have found myself questioning and discovering biases within myself and the Tulane community. At first, this internship was a valuable way for me to get practical experience in the field of public health that coincided with a global pandemic. As a public health major, aiding vulnerable populations during an unprecedented time is an important responsibility and must approached carefully. I have learned that many different factors go into this internship that I had not necessarily been exposed to in the classroom. However, I see the opportunity to understand my biases and privileges as a blessing because it has allowed me to ensure that I work to dissolve these characteristics to prevent spreading them. As a part of our volunteering experience we were required to be trained in cultural humility. This was a subject that I had never been formally introduced to but opened my eyes up to the many ways I can practice it in my studies and everyday life. I also learned how to approach certain tasks and problems that arose during my internship with cultural humility and patience, which I believe has made me a better overall public health student.
Lessons Learned/Experiences
Throughout the campaign, our supervisors have taught us that checking our biases and understanding where we lack cultural temperance and why it is important to create effective change. During this time, racism against African Americans has been the forefront of this campaign and an overwhelming issue of this pandemic. I am not only honored to be a part of a campaign that seeks to combat systemic racism but am glad that throughout the process I have been able to find areas where I could’ve been contributing to the problem and change them. It is difficult to do things that are outside of our comfort zone, but also important if we want to ensure sustainable change.
Methods My internship was centered around the fact that African American people in New Orleans have a much higher rate of morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 than any other population. The duties that I was tasked with this summer included collaborating with local business leaders and community members to assist with development of effective content modality. My team also developed messaging strategy to continually update audience on changes in health information and resources. And finally, we provided community-level intervention, through health education campaign, to shift actual and perceived beliefs regarding
TSYI.ORG
Conclusion and Acknowledgements I have learned how a social marketing campaign during a pandemic is an incredibly efficient way of communicating information to the public and to specific audiences due to the social distancing and safety parameters that are in place during this time. In other instances, social media may not be the most effective and useful platform, but it works for this campaign and that is what public health professionals have discovered through this applicable process.
Motor and Cognitive Skills in Daily Activities: The Development of Children's Buttoning Abilities Annabelle Reese Tulane University Infant and Toddler Development Project
Abstract
Pediatricians and developmental psychologists agree that one crucial milestone for young children’s school readiness is the ability to dress oneself independently. Extant research on this skill suggests that at age 5, most children are competent enough at dressing themselves to be considered “school ready.” However, existing research doesn’t adequately address the specific and diverse developmental abilities required for independent dressing. For example, tying shoes is a much more developmentally challenging action than putting on socks. This study focuses on one of the more complex components of dressing, buttoning, in order to understand the fine motor skills and cognitive processes required of this action. Through behavioral observations of 5 and 6-year-old participants buttoning shirts in three presentations (on themselves, on a puppet across from them, and on a puppet in their laps) and in two conditions (small and large buttons), I analyzed and coded not only the success but also the process of the participants’ buttoning. By watching video recordings of the participants in a coding program, I was able to pinpoint their start and stop times for each button as well as other related behaviors. The buttoning process reveals that it can be considered an “assembled skill”; that is, it requires different components – fine motor, planning, and spatial – that can be acquired at different developmental markers. This finding suggests that the fine motor skills that are currently considered markers for school readiness for young children may be more complex than originally understood; thus, some children may be developmentally ready in some skill areas while unready in others.
Data Collection Data collection is currently ongoing, but, since this summer, I have been coding the data on the program Datavyu, in which I analyze the video footage of the participants and code for specific behaviors. These behaviors include start and stop times, which hand is used first, strategy used to bring the shirt to the button, strategy used to button, where the participant was looking, number of "pop-outs," whether the button and hole are misaligned, and any other relevant notes. The program records a time stamp for each cell created, allowing us to track the time elapsed per button, per shirt for future data analysis.
Methods We aimed to recruit at least 48 participants who were roughly 5 to 6 years of age to come into the lab and complete three conditions of buttoning activities. The activitiy conditions were buttoning a shirt on the self, buttoning the shirt of a monkey puppet that is oriented across from the participant, and buttoning the shirt of a monkey puppet oriented in the participant's lap. The presentation of the conditions was randomized, and each condition consisted of 4 shirts with 4 buttons – a "boy's" shirt with big buttons and small buttons and a "girl's" shirt with big buttons and small buttons. Both a wide-angle camera and a zoom lens were used to video each participant button the 16 total shirts in all three conditions in order to capture both large-scale behaviors (e.g. where the participant is looking) and detailed behaviors (e.g. buttoning strategies).
Participant buttoning small buttons on monkey's shirt in lap condition
Conclusion and Acknowledgements Because we are just now wrapping up data collection, we have not been able to begin the analysis process of the coded buttoning footage and thus do not have results to present yet; however, we do plan on beginning the process by this spring. Despite the delay in data analysis, my experience in Dr. Lockman's lab has been extremely informative and crucial to my introduction to psychological research settings – I learned how to code qualitative data, work collaboratively, and train other research assistants. Although pandemic constraints necessitated the lab work to be completed online, I learned how resilient and determined researchers are to see the scientific method all the way through, no matter the obstacles. That said, I want to thank Blair Youmans who has graciously allowed me to work on this project with her and Dr. Jeffrey Lockman for his support as well.
Promoting Behavior Change Through Social Marketing to Lower Incidence Rates of COVID-19 Infection in African-American Communities in New Orleans Matty Savich The Skin You’re In Campaign
Discussion
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted AfricanAmerican communities across the United States. In fact, “Nearly 20% of U.S. counties are disproportionately black, and they accounted for 52% of COVID-19 diagnoses and 58% of COVID-19 deaths nationally”.1 In order to understand why this disparity exists, a critical approach surrounding anti-Blackness and the creation of this country must be taken. The United States is built on a white supremacist structure, which continues to perpetuate and reproduce white supremacy. This means that many Black people in New Orleans have not had access to the same privileges, resources, and capital as their white and non-Black counterparts have, leading to increases rates of infection and mortality. Through social marketing efforts that specifically target African-American communities in New Orleans, The Skin You’re In Campaign (TSYI) continues to disseminate factual information about COVID-19 and remove any false information currently spreading through each community with the goal of improving overall community health and lowering rates of infection.
Methods
According to the Health Belief Model, by altering an individual’s perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and/or barriers with regards to COVID-19 infection, an individual may change their behavior to create a different health outcome. This social marketing campaign attempts to create these changes in behavior by dispelling COVID-19 myths and making information surrounding infection accessible. Every individual is susceptible to COVID-19 and the severity/impacts of infection are not yet entirely known, but what is clear is that Black communities are experiencing the highest rates of mortality in New Orleans.
Responsibilities
Many individual’s perceptions of infection are determined by myths. I was tasked with making information accessible through decoding inaccessible academic language and making this information easy to share across platforms. I designed and built the website and created posts for social media platforms to help disseminate information and did so with accessibility in mind. Accessibility comes in many forms,
but I focused mostly on language and dissemination, allowing for all people to understand academic, research that is difficult to decipher and easily share this information. We found that by making information more accessible in various manners, we could achieve more engagement that could hopefully lead to changes in behavior that promote preventative action in the long run. This
promotes preventative behavior change, especially if there is an increase in one’s perception of severity and susceptibility. By handing out masks for free we promoted self-efficacy and when paired with access to factual information we developed a call to behavior change.
Increasing information accessibility by breaking down academic barriers and language while making this information easy to share will actively dispel myths surrounding COVID-19 transmission and create behavior change that lowers rates of infection. According to Graph 1. and Graph 2. there has been a steady decrease in COVID-19 incidence in New Orleans. When cases were at their highest in March (4,848), TSYI had 5,478 page views. Interaction with the website and handing out masks for free may have created some behavior change that played a role in Phase 1 re-opening and helped maintain a steady decrease in COVID-19 cases until they rose once again as a result of Phase 2 re-opening. According to the Health Belief Model, we were able to alter people’s perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and/or barriers with regards to COVID-19 through accessibility and call to action.
References: 1. Millett, G. A., Jones, A. T., Benkeser, D., Baral, S., Mercer, L., Beyrer, C., Honermann, B., Lankiewicz, E., Mena, L., Crowley, J. S., Sherwood, J., & Sullivan, P. S. (2020). Assessing differential impacts of COVID-19 on black communities. Annals of epidemiology, 47, 37–44.
The impact of COVID-19 on undergraduate medical education in teaching Gross Anatomy Logan A. Smith, NRAEMT Tulane University School of Science & Engineering
Abstract How did COVID-19 impact undergraduate medical education in teaching Gross Anatomy? This literature review analyzed the currently reported effects, both anecdotal reports and systematically collected data, reporting on how undergraduate medical education in Anatomy has changed. A scrub of GoogleScholar and PubMed was performed to gather the literature pertinent to the topic. Keywords included: anatomy, gross anatomy, education, medical education, cadaver, COVID 19, Coronavirus, SarsCov2, and all other synonyms of the previously listed words. It appears there has been a drastic upheaval of the delivery to Anatomy undergraduate education, globally. Unfortunately, not much research has been published on this rapidly evolving topic. Major concerns surround the in-person gathering of students for a cadaver lab, and some have transitioned to virtual dissections as well. These policies and approaches tend to be institution-dependent, if not anatomist-dependent within those institutions.
Methods
A scrub of GoogleScholar and PubMed was performed. From there, the articles were screened for relevance to the topic at hand with a simple heuristic of disqualification. Articles were disqualified if they did not, in some respect, speak to the objective listed at hand. 15 articles were obtained from the scrub, and 1 was excluded. 4 articles were randomized controlled trials, 4 articles were correspondence to the editor, 1 was a case study, and the remaining 5 were anecdotes of a variety.
Synthesis
Conclusion and Acknowledgements
It appears that there is concern from both students and instructors about the issue with both parties seeking the best outcomes from an unprecedented situation. Medical schools across the globe are trying new and innovative solutions to the challenges at hand. One of the biggest changes seen in undergraduate Anatomy education is the use of digital dissection software. This point also seems to garner the most tension in the field. Still, some instructors feel as though their students are lacking in engagement, missing critical surgical instrument skills, missing important team-work skills, losing out on the compassion associated with dissecting a live donor, and forgoing the depth of knowledge associated with a live cadaver. Moreover, cadavers have real pathologies and anatomical variants, critical details for those going into surgical specialties. Figure (left): National Geographic Digital Dissection Model and (right) students using a dissection table
The issue lacks predominantly in quantitative research and most of the literature is qualitative . commentaries on the state of the issue. Much more research needs to be conducted in a systematic fashion in order to ascertain the longterm effects these changes will have on students’ Anatomy education. Moreover, it is likely that some schools will have better outcomes depending on the techniques they employ as well as the amount of support their instructors are given to make and create digital content for their students. I am indebted to the Center for Academic Equity at Newcomb-Tulane College for their logistical and financial support.
A Comprehensive History of Utility Regulation in New Orleans Kendra Valerius
Alliance for Affordable Energy 4505 S Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, LA 70125
Introduction New Orleans is #2 in energy poverty in the U.S., meaning more people are lacking access to reliable and affordable energy services in New Orleans than in almost any other city in America. Pervasive energy poverty threatens the future of New Orleans since access to energy is imperative to the development and prosperity of an urban community. The Alliance for Affordable energy is a non-profit that seeks to improve the affordability and access to energy in New Orleans through revision of the way Entergy, the main utility that serves New Orleans, is regulated. Presently there is minimal to no regulation of Entergy, and the monopoly often takes actions that oppose the best interests of New Orleanians. Given the lack of regulatory authority imposed by the City Government, New Orleanians are virtually unprotected from Entergy. It is therefore important the New Orleans residents understand the natura of utility regulation in their city and how they are financially affected by Entergy’s actions. This project organizes research on the history of utility regulation in New Orleans into an informative timeline to be accessed by anyone on the Alliance for Affordable Energy’s website. The research explores how the lack of utility regulation came to be, and if any events notably contributed to the domination of Entergy.
Methods
This research was a continuation of previous research conducted by Michael Cobar, a former intern with AAE. His research was fact-checked and built upon using various web sources including official reports by the Federal Power Commission, court case records from the Louisiana Court of Appeal, Louisiana Public Service Commission website, and rate cases and articles published on the Alliance for Affordable Energy website. The research was compiled into a report organized in a timeline format as seen to the right. The report was broken up into seven 10-20 year periods. Notable events were identified in bullet points under each time period. The events that occurred during that time were further explained in paragraph format underneath the bullets.
Product & Conclusions Information organized under date ranges
This project sought to produce a comprehensive and informative history of utility regulation in New Orleans, and then to make that information accessible and engaging to the public. Various online and historic sources were used to fact-check and expand on previous research to develop a clear narrative detailing the rise and regulation of utilities in New Orleans from 1820 to present day. This research was organized by date and relevant events and compiled into a comprehensive report. The report is in the process of being converted to an interactive webpage that will be published on the Alliance for Affordable Energy’s website at all4energy.org. The webpage format will include a drop-down menu which allows users to choose which time period they wish to view information on. Through this research it became clear that frequent exchanging of regulatory control of Entergy between the state of Louisiana and the city government of New Orleans, combined with lack of funding and the purely capitalistic motivations of Entergy Corp. contributed to the lack of utility regulation historically and today. This report and webpage will serve as a resource for the New Orleans public to learn about how and why the disparate power dynamic between Entergy and the city of New Orleans came to exist.
Major events listed as bullets to be quickly accessible to readers
Further explanation of bulleted events
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my mentor Sophie Zaken and to Logan Atkinson Burke and Jessica Hendricks at the Alliance for Affordable Energy.
Determining the Effectiveness of Advertising for a Nonprofit My Role
Abstract
Fund 17’s mission is to provide local business support to disadvantaged New Orleans Entrepreneurs and promote economic equity. I assisted them this summer by running their social media outlets and coordinating marketing events. Data has already proven that the percentage of corona virus deaths is heightened among people of color, which can be seen clearly in the case of New Orleans. My position at Fund 17 allowed me to understand that the negative effects on the economy are significantly more detrimental for people of color. Fund 17’s goal is to reduce the opportunity inequality faced by people of color and low-income households. As a media and marketing intern I wanted to see whether my advertisements were more effective when addressing these populations by analyzing Facebook customer data. My hypothesis is that since people of color are facing more hardships due to corona virus, my advertisements featuring African American/Black entrepreneurs will be the most effective as they will resonate with the targeted audience. In conclusion I have determined that it is unknown whether certain posts are more successful because they feature people of color or whether it is based off the post's content/event it was promoting. The data shows that in general Fund 17's social media presence has remained consistent throughout 2020.
As a media and marketing intern for Fund 17 my role involved managing all Social Media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Creating and executing projectbased marketing plans, including targeted communications for donors. I designed graphics, flyers and promotional images on Canva. I would schedule and format posts on Hootsuite. In addition I curated and distributed monthly newsletters, kept the Fund 17 Website accurate and updated and transferred pdf documents into InDesign files
Susan Wahl, Tulane University Internship Results
Facebook Analytics Post Reach from January 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020
Accomplishments
- Created a Social Media Post that was 90% more successful in reaching Fund 17's followers than previous posts - Wrote a Media and Marketing Intern Guide that will be used to train future interns - Designed a more efficent graphics system to make access to Fund 17's logos and main colors more accessible - Advertised and designed graphics for Fund 17's most profitable Give Nola Day Event in history with over $5,000 raised
Facebook Analytics Post Reach from June 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020
Acknowledgements
Thank you Kalena Meyer and Antonio Alonzo for the opportunity to work with Fund 17 this summer. In addition, thank you to the Center for Academic Equity for granting me the ability to complete this internship.
Overall Facebook Reactions, Comments and Shares from January 1,2020 to August 31, 2020
Results
After analyzing the Facebook Analytics data from my internship I can conclude that there are too many factors to be able to decide what caused an overall upward shift in responses. These results could be due to Fund 17 gaining more overall aclaim, more consistenty posting, or a shift of more users being online platforms due to COVID-19. Currently we are unable to determine the effectiveness of using people of color centered economic advertising. We would need to perform more research and limit more variables to come up with a valid conclusion.
Food Swamp Policy (NYS) Tulane University Deja S Wells
Abstract
Food swamps exist in many different areas of the country their prevalence is indicated by residents' socioeconomic status in a given area. This summer, I had the privilege of interning for Assembly Member Brian Barnwell, District 30, in Maspeth, New York. When I worked with my policy group to address food swamps in New York City. I personally did research on the pros and cons of different programs that promote healthy eating across the country. One of the most populous cities in the United States, we concluded that fast-food restaurants are on almost every corner. The number of fast-food chains outnumbers the number of grocery stores; this issue is what is known as a food swamp/food desert. This mainly affects neighborhoods with large Black and Latinx populations. As a result, former First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move Initiative" brought nationwide attention to the facts mentioned above. The lack of grocery stores has been attributed to high obesity rates, increased diabetes, and other cardiac diseases. Healthier foods are more expensive while cheaper foods, such as McDonald's Dollar Menu, are not healthy. There is often more advertisement for fast food restaurants, and healthier foods are depicted as being too costly or less tasty. Research has shown that food swamps/food deserts can be eliminated by promoting urban farms and urban agriculture programs by appropriating funds, establishing grants, and creating tax incentives in NYS. Even though this initiative is aimed at NYS, this policy could prove useful in other parts of the country.
Method During the process of working on this project, I looked through the pros and cons of various food swamp initiatives throughout the country. We used resources such as federal, state, and local government websites for information on initiatives. Then cross referenced those with the outcomes in the varying areas. To then formulate a plan that could work in New York.
Policy Recommendation Promote the opening of urban farms and urban agriculture programs by the appropriation of funds, the establishment of grants, and property tax incentives from NYS. Authorize cities and counties to enter contracts with landowners to utilize vacant lots and public land for small-scale agricultural production with lower land assessment rates per-acre value of cropland
References Campbell, Keren & Lawson, Terri & Kim, Dohyeong. (2011). “Eradication of Food Deserts through Public Policy: Case of Durham, North Carolina.” Journal of Safety and Crisis Management. 1. 23-30. Food Trust. “Evaluating HFFI.” The Food Trust, 2012, thefoodtrust.org/administrative/hffi-impacts/evaluating-hffi. Lincoln, Karen D et al. “Race and socioeconomic differences in obesity and depression among Black and non-Hispanic White Americans.” Journal of health care for the poor and underserved vol. 25,1 (2014): 257-75. doi:10.1353/hpu.2014.0038 United States Department of Agriculture. “Urban Agriculture Tool Kit.” February 2016. https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/urban-agriculture-toolkit.pdf. Weber, Allison. “Help Kids Facing Hunger This School Year.” Feeding America. 8 August, 2019, https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-blog/help-kids-facing-hunger-this. Willis, Elease. “Food Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Local Food Policies versus Federal Government Policies.” Claremont Journal of Law and Public Policy, 17 May 2020, 5clpp.com/2 020/05/06/food-policy-a-comparative-analysis-of-local-food-policies-versusfederal-government-policies/.
Conclusion Food deserts and swamps are common in minority communities because of the lack of affordability, accessibility, which attribute to a multitiude of health risk for marginalized groups of people. The use of urban farms, urban agriculture programs, and economic contributions can allow for improved health through a balance diet and longer life expectancies.
What the Mother Holds
Introduction
Methods
To interrogate black existence, one must truly interrogate the position of blackness: blackness within an anti-black framework, blackness as a site for the imagination, blackness as affected by a haunting. And to further interrogate, one must return to where blackness is birthed: the black mother. My concern is rested on interpreting and honing an understanding that goes beyond typicality, that examines the wounding, the rupturing found within the mother’s hands. Hence, a question burns within my research: what does the mother hold?
The project required a literary investigation of texts ranging from fiction to theory. The primary text for the research was the late Toni Morrison’s Beloved coupled with Jennifer’s Morgan’s “Partus sequitur ventrem: Law, Race, and Reproduction in Colonial Slavery.” During my reading, I repeated three questions: what is Sethe’s true horror in Beloved (for it cannot simply be the ghost)? What haunted slave women and their wombs? Does the haunting remain?
Acknowledgements
Results & Conclusions The mother’s horror is one of self-realization. When she recognizes her position as black within an anti-black order, she recognizes herself as the world’s transgression and its necessity: transgression for she denied humanity, necessity for it is her womb (mechanized through slavery’s process) that yields the black body and, thus, blackness. In short, the mother’s horror is strengthened by the emptiness she feels as a non-being. From the mother—partus sequitur ventrem—the child inherits this horror.
Jalon Young jyoung18@tulane.edu
Much appreciation to Dr. Selamawit Terrefe for her powerful intellect and mentorship. Much love to my mother and grandmothers for their care and for giving me language.
Rebecca hugging mom. Photo by Morris Engel. 1947