Research Accomplishments from across NSU (Oct. 2022)
Find below a selection of recent research accomplishments by investigators from across NSU colleges.
From the College of Psychology:
Dr. Jonathan Banks and Dr. Jaime Tartar were awarded a 3-year, $350,000 NSF award to fund the project “Identifying the Role of Mind Wandering in Stress Related Changes in Executive Attention and Inflammation.” The project will examine the impact of stress on cognitive functioning and inflammation. This research project uses theoretical insights from cognitive psychology to shed light on the precise relationships among chronic stress, cognition, and inflammation among individuals who experience a variety of day-to-day stressors. It further analyzes whether and how mindfulness mediates the relationships between stress and inflammation and between stress and attention. It trains students at a minority-serving institution, disseminates results broadly to academic and non-academic audiences, and provides insights that are relevant to clinical health interventions. The findings from this study provide a missing link between the impact of chronic stress on cognitive functioning and inflammation and identify factors that can be used in interventions seeking to limit the negative impacts of chronic stress on health and well-being.
Dr. Jeff Kibler was awarded a 3-year, $430,000 research grant from NIH (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute) entitled “The Effects of a Cognitive Behavioral Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” The intervention tested in the project is theoretically-based, and informed by research on the unique aspects of PTSD symptom presentation that increase cardiovascular risk by serving as barriers to healthy behaviors. Conceived to be an adjunct to psychotherapy, the intervention aims to lower cardiovascular risk by enhancing multiple heath behaviors among civilian adults who evidence PTSD and cardiovascular risk at baseline. The impact of the intervention on both subjective and objective indices of health behaviors, cardiovascular risks, and cardiovascular disease markers, will be assessed over a one-year timeframe. Student assistants will be involved in the project at a range of levels, including recruitment and data collection, study coordination, and contributing to publications and presentations. The findings have the potential to inform multidisciplinary PTSD treatment approaches.
Dr. Steve Gold, Professor Emeritus, received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award in Trauma Psychology from Division 56 of the American Psychological Association (APA) (Trauma Psychology). The award recognizes a senior distinguished psychologist who has made outstanding contributions to science, practice, advocacy, and/or education/training over the course of his/her career. In addition, he received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). This is the highest recognition given to an individual who has contributed over a generous span of time to the field of dissociation and/or trauma and the ISSTD. Gold, and a number of his former students, have made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of psychological trauma, including PTSD, dissociation, sexual abuse, and complex trauma.
Dr. Angie Su (Hui Fang Su) and Dr. Jie Borror recently published a study examining two different methods of teaching preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One method used a combination of discrete trial teaching and Strategies for Teaching Based on Autism Research (STAR), the traditional math curriculum utilized at the preschool. The second method was a naturalistic teaching method called Project MIND – Math is Not Difficult. The teaching methods were randomly assigned to four classrooms with students with ASD, and after three months the student’s knowledge of mathematics subjects was evaluated. Read about their findings in the above-linked article.
From the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences:
Barbara O’Connor Wells, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Associate Professor in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology Program at NSU and Dr. Connie K. Porcaro (FAU) co-edited and co-authored the book, A Caregiver’s Guide to Communication Problems from Brain Injury or Disease. This comprehensive, all-in-one resource for caregivers dealing with speech, voice, swallowing, language, and memory problems due to neurological injury or degenerative diseases. NSU SLP faculty members Dr. Frederick DiCarlo, Dr. Lea Kaploun, and Dr. Elizabeth Roberts contributed chapters to this book, along with adjunct faculty member, Dr. Marissa Barrera, and professional colleague, Dr. Teresa Signorelli Pisano. This book is currently part of the book club series of Today’s Caregiver Magazine and has been spotlighted on several media sources, such as the NSU Shark Bytes, ASHA Leader, St. John’s University’s alumni page, and the 95.9 FM True Oldies station.
Dr. Raquel Garcia is the PI for the study “Tiny Tots Transition to Home.” This study partners with the University Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and multiple professional colleges at NSU to support parents of admitted NICU infants and recently discharged infants as they transition to home from the critical care unit. The primary goal of this study is to measure peer to peer support, measure parental mental health during the discharge process, and support infant neurodevelopment. She also leads a study about neonatal therapy practices for infants diagnosed with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It is a two-prong study that surveys neonatal therapists as well as parents of infants with primary diagnosis of HIE.
Dr. Jackie Hinckley with a colleague and two NSU students recently published an article on how to evaluate the language demand of cognitive assessments. Clinicians have a responsibility to fairly evaluate cognitive functions of individuals with impaired language functioning. The analysis of linguistic demand provides a useful way to evaluate task instructions and materials in a systematic way, so that individuals with language impairments or language differences might be more appropriately evaluated.
From the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM):
Dr. Robin J. Jacobs recently published three articles covering research supported by NSU’s Health Professions Division (HPD):
- Research that investigated the factor structure of a tool to assess medical students’ perceptions of medical cannabis for the purpose of curriculum enhancement.
- A study that used multivariate regression modeling to assess the perceived knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions of medical students towards medical cannabis and to obtain a better understanding of factors that may influence their attitudes.
- A mixed methods study that investigated medical students’ attitudes, confidence, and perceived barriers regarding conducting research.
Dr. Farzanna Haffizulla: Given the dearth of health metrics and disaggregated population health data and culturally tailored health education for the burgeoning Caribbean community, the Caribbean Diaspora Healthy Nutrition Project (CDHNOP) took on groundbreaking work to capture the cultural, linguistic, aesthetic and visual preferences of the Caribbean community and used this data in tailoring health education materials that seek to lower the rates of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity and certain cancers – all affecting the Caribbean community disproportionately. This health equity project was the first to revise the evidence-based Go-Slow-Whoa (use the traffic light to eat right) to include healthy food and exercise options and to capture social determinants of health relevant to this population of focus. Today, this internationally recognized research and associated projects have impacted and engaged over 10 million people worldwide. In addition, this project is facilitating policy changes across the community and supported the launch of a patented diversity pipeline application, M3 (Mentoring Minorities in Medicine).
From the Halmos College of Arts & Sciences (HCAS):
Graduate student Ryan Logan, under the guidance of researcher Dr. Mahmood Shivji and colleagues, published their work on the impact of catch-and-release practices on two recreational sportfish, the blue marlin and sailfish, in the Journal of Marine Science. This work was featured on the front cover of the Sun Sentinel on August 29, 2022. They studied the post-release behaviors and recovery periods for these fish, finding that they are capable of rapid physiological recovery after capture.
Dr. Rosanna Milligan, Assistant Professor of Marine Sciences is one of only seven early-career researchers to receive the prestigious NAS (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) Gulf Research Program Fellowship award starting this past month (2022 – 2024 cohort). These seven scientists will spend the next two years advancing scientific knowledge and its applications to predict and prepare for ecosystem changes in the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal zones as the region navigates a changing climate and energy transition.
Dr. Charles Zelden has published a new book titled The American Judicial System: A Very Short Introduction (New York: Oxford University Press, 2022), which is described by the publisher as follows: “This book provides a very short, but complete introduction to the institutions and people, the rules and processes, that make up the American judicial system. Jargon free and aimed at a general reader, this Very Short Introduction explains the ‘where,’ ‘when,’ and ‘who’ of American courts. It also makes clear the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind the law as it affects everyday people. It is, in a word, a starting place to understanding the third branch of American government at both the state and federal levels; a guide to those wishing to know the basics of the American judicial system; and a cogent synthesis of how the various elements that make up the law and legal institutions fit together.”
Dr. Stephen J. O’Brien, National Academy of Sciences member and faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences, received the 2022 Lowell Thomas Award to celebrate those who exhibit excellence in Conservation Genetics and are probing the very DNA of life. His research career and leadership has helped establish the discipline of Conservation Genetics, as well as associated disciplines of Genetic Epidemiology, Comparative Genomics, Emerging Infections and Diseases, Genome Bioinformatics, and the very ingredients to preserve and better understand the risks to endangered and threatened species.
From the Division of Research & Economic Development (DoR) & HCAS:
Dr. Ken Dawson-Scully (DoR), along with Dr. Venkatesh Shanbhag (HCAS) and student collaborators, recently published findings in Scientific Reports about the neurological health and physiology impacts of commercial pesticides like Roundup on both humans and other animals. Read more about this work in the above-linked scientific article, or in an NSU news release here.