From the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences…
October 2023 Research Highlights reported by the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences.
Kamilah Thomas-Purcell, PhD, MPH, MCHES, RN
Associate Professor, Health Sciences
Dr. Kamilah Thomas-Purcell, PhD, MPH, MCHES, RN, Associate Professor, focuses her research efforts on the impact of culture, ethnicity, social-ecological, and institutional factors on preventive health behavior, with expertise in health education, social marketing, cultural influences on health, and qualitative methods. She is conducting a study titled, “Implementation strategies addressing Caribbean stigma to improve the Woman-to-Woman Cervical Cancer Prevention Intervention”, that was awarded National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding to support exploratory research studies to expand the current understanding of cancer stigma, assess its impact on cancer control and prevention, and develop stigma-reduction interventions to improve cancer outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study will take place in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada, West Indies.
Based on her research, Dr. Thomas-Purcell was honored as one of the recipients of a Minority & Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Award at the 16th AACR Special Conference, where Dr. Thomas-Purcell will also be presenting a poster titled, “That’s our culture…”: A Qualitative Study on Factors that Influence Cervical Cancer Stigma in the Caribbean taking place September 29-October 2, 2023.
Additionally, Dr. Thomas-Purcell was asked to speak on behalf of the Cancer Stigma, Cervical Cancer Screening, and HPV Vaccination during the PLENARY SESSION 1: Fostering Team Science and Global Oncology Research: Highlights from ongoing AC3 Collaborative Projects at the 8th Bi-annual African Caribbean Cancer Consortium Scientific and Training Conference scheduled on October 11th -14th, 2023 in Mombasa, Kenya. The 2023 conference theme is “Community to Molecular Approaches in Early Screening and Diagnosis to Promote Equitable Outcomes Through the Continuum of Care in Cancer Among Populations of African Ancestry”.
Jose Antonio PhD, FISSN, CSCS
Professor, Health and Human Performance
Dr. Antonio’s manuscript is unique as it found that both the Strength and Strength + Endurance Training Groups experienced a significantly greater increase in strength (i.e., bench press, biceps curl) and arm crosssectional area (i.e., the left and right arms) in comparison to the Control Group. However, there were no significant differences between the Strength Training Group and the Strength + Endurance Training Group. In this small cohort of untrained young males, strength + endurance training does not impede strength gains or muscle hypertrophy when compared to strength training alone. The Effects of Upper Body Strength Training Versus Concurrent Strength+ Endurance Training on Indices of Strength, Aerobic Power, and Muscle Cross-Sectional Area.
Pradeep R. Vanguri, PhD, LAT, ATC
Associate Professor, Health and Human Performance
Dr. Vanguri’s article focused on the movement specific reinvestment and the “Yips” in professional baseball. This work was submitted in part with the former NSU Baseball Coach Lazaro Gutierrez. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/neurosports/vol1/iss2/9/
G. Monique Mokha PhD, ATC, LAT, CSCS
Professor, Health and Human Performance
Equipment worn by law enforcement officers (LEO) plays a vital role in LEO safety and enables them to protect and serve communities. Dr. Mokha published a study in Ergonomics, titled “The effect of equipment carriage on functional movement quality among law enforcement officers”, which demonstrated that while mandatory equipment serves an important function, load carriage of this equipment has a significant hinderance on functional movement and performance of simple movement tasks such as squatting and stepping over objects.
Morey J. Kolber PT, PhD
Professor, Physical Therapy
Study detail: Low back pain is the most common orthopedic problem with chronicity and recurrence rates exceeding all other musculoskeletal conditions. This study looked at the influence of both the therapeutic alliance and a patient’s personality type on a patient’s low back pain. Results suggested that personality type influences both disability measures and the relationship a patient may have with their physical therapist.
Annette Willgens, PT, MA, PhD
Professor, Physical Therapy
Study detail: Burnout, compassion fatigue, stress, and management of pain-related health conditions are common concerns for novice health care professionals. The aim of this study was to determine if training novice Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) practitioners in delivering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can cultivate psychological flexibility and professional quality of life. This mixed methods study addressed novice physical therapist burnout, compassion fatigue, and stress for managing chronic pain-related conditions. The intervention was an acceptance and commitment (ACT) self-paced course. The results demonstrated a significant (p<.05) improvement in psychological flexibility following an ACT intervention for novice physical therapists which improved personal and professional quality of life.