Sarah Ory Pronouns: She/her Research Mentor(s): Jaie Woodard, Postdoctoral Fellow Research Mentor School/College/Department: Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, Michigan Medicine Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 Session: Session 1 (10am-10:50am) Breakout Room: Room 10 Presenter: 1 Event Link Abstract Authors: Sarah Ory Research Method: Computer Programming
Bioinformatics study on genetic diseases Read More »
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a term that is used to generalize Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease, is a disorder that involves chronic inflammation in the digestive tracts. UC is restricted to the colon, while Crohn’s disease can involve all segments of the GI tract. The pathogenesis of IBD is still unclear but several proposed mechanisms are being investigated which lead to a loss of homeostatic host-microbe interaction in the GI tract. Our study focuses on one of those mechanisms whereby a mutation in a gene that encodes an NADPH oxidase called Duox2 might lead to a loss of host-microbe homeostasis in the gut. In addition, we aim to better understand the possible environmental and hereditary factors that may contribute to IBD. Our study aimed to recruit 100 sibling pairs to take a survey that asked questions about diet, sleep, exercise, and their living environment. One of the siblings had IBD while the other was a control subject. Each sibling pair had a first degree relative with IBD, indicating a possible genetic component (e.g., Duox2 mutation). There was a parallel study conducted in Taiwan to also compare differences in ethnicity. Through our survey, we predicted that results will show trends among families who have IBD. The second phase of the study, identified patients who may be more likely to have a mutation in the Duox2 gene by screening for congenital hypothyroidism known to share a common genetic risk gene in Duox2. By collecting a blood and stool sample from families, we predict that we will be able to better understand the determinants of genetics, environment, and gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of IBD.
Genetic Impact on Low Diversity Microbiomes in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Read More »
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver due to causes unrelated to excessive alcohol consumption. Around 25% of the global population is affected by NAFLD, with some countries having even higher rates.[1] However, most people with this condition are just suggested to change their lifestyle.[2] Often associated with these underlying causes are cardiovascular disease (CVD) and high cholesterol levels, which the class of drugs known as statins are often prescribed to help treat. Statins have been shown to lead to some liver injury and therefore they have not been a popular medication physicians consider for NAFLD.[3] Thus, the aim of this study will be to explore the impact of statins on treating the progression of NAFLD. While some studies have been performed on the effects of statins on liver disease associated with varying causes,[4] it is not well-known what effect these medications have on the progression of NAFLD. Some have suggested that there is a beneficial effect in reducing the time it takes the disease to progress[5,6] and generally improving liver blood tests,[7] but there are not many systematic reviews synthesizing all recent data. Our goal is to conduct an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the current literature investigating the effects of statins on NAFLD to determine the consensus on whether these medications do have a beneficial effect in disease progression. To investigate this relationship, we used Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE to gather all the references, utilizing the Boolean search method to collect the past research studies using all keywords relating to NAFLD and statins. The relevant, qualified studies were then compiled into EndNote X9, and Microsoft Excel and R statistical software were used to conduct a formal meta-analysis (i.e., inclusion of forest plot, funnel plot, etc.). The data is expected to show that statins do help improve the condition of NAFLD patients due to decreasing the build-up of fat and improving NAFLD test scores. The implications of this study will allow for physicians to more easily reject or approve of the use of statins in NAFLD treatment.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver due to causes unrelated to excessive alcohol consumption. Around 25% of the global population is affected by NAFLD, with some countries having even higher rates. However, most people with this condition are just suggested to change their lifestyle. Often associated with these underlying causes are Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and high cholesterol levels, which the class of drugs known as statins are often prescribed to help treat. Statins have been shown to lead to some liver injury in extreme cirrhotic cases and therefore they have not been a popular medication physicians consider for NAFLD. Thus, the aim of this study will be to explore the impact of statins on treating the progression of NAFLD.
Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people (10-14, 14-24, and 25-34-year olds) and disproportionately affects Indigenous communities. Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide (PC CARES) is a community-based participatory research project that is committed to developing relationships within Alaskan Native (AN) communities that supports using “upstream” prevention methods of suicide. This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of PC CARES At Home, which involves direct mailings and social media interactions to maintain a connection with community members who started with the first cohort (N=140) that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to establish new connections with school staff who were nominated as influential people in students’ lives. To continue building local capacity to support youth wellness and suicide prevention throughout a remote setting, we will send information and material resources that introduce and reinforce the PC CARES curriculum for AN families at home. This involves PC CARES Care Package mailings every couple of months, along with the option for a consistent exchanging of ideas and support through a private Facebook page. We estimate that 100 people will “opt-in” to receive more packages after receiving their first 1-2 packages. Our research will examine satisfaction, perceived benefits, and feasibility of this approach. Our analysis will assess recipient reactions to each package via feedback surveys, opt-in rates for future deliveries, and phone interview transcript summaries. In addition, we will track social media engagement in response to posts themed on the package contents and information. In conducting this study, we expect to gain a better understanding of the usefulness, appeal, and recipient satisfaction with mail and social media-based suicide prevention and wellness tools. These results will be especially beneficial for understanding socially-distanced suicide prevention and wellness education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will also act as a guide for practitioners to understand mail and social media-based suicide prevention programs.
Compared to the lower 48 states, Alaska faces unproportional rates of suicide related death and injuries, especially among the Alaskan Native (AN) youth. From the effects of colonialism to social changes, there are numerous issues plaguing Native youth today, putting them at higher risk of suicide compared to their White counterparts. Another aspect of life that puts youth at higher risk is access to firearms, which are commonly found within rural Alaskan homes. Research is being done to learn about safe firearm storage practices within people’s homes in order to increase safety and reduce the risk of firearm related accidents and suicide. The short intervention we are developing uses motivational interviewing to increase adult family members’ safe firearm storage practices in their households. Building on information generated through local household surveys about home firearm storage practices, communications, responsibilities and preferences, we will develop motivational Interviewing guides. This project will identify key motivations and ways of engaging adults in a universal intervention to improve safety practices related to firearm storage. This project integrates previous motivational interviewing research and guides to be used to adapt our brief intervention–the family safety net–to the local priorities, motivations, values and local language use and norms.
Alaska Native Health Research Read More »
Asian Americans are one of the smallest minority subpopulations in the United States, yet they comprise the second-highest, first being white Americans, percentage of persons employed in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) workforce (MartÃnez & Gayfield, 2019). Although a vast variety of articles examine the reasons why other racial/ethnic groups are underrepresented in STEM fields, fewer authors have examined the reasons why Asian Americans are overrepresented in STEM fields.
Factors Affecting Asian American Students’ STEM Career Choice Read More »
Occupational diversity is an area that has increasingly received attention. Lack of diversity in professional careers is a problem because it encourages a system of inequality and discrimination within society. Lack of diversity is especially problematic in health professions (Frazer, 2005). While many articles on occupational diversity focus on racial/ethnic or gender diversity, other types of diversity, such as socioeconomic status are less frequently mentioned. Socioeconomic status plays a very influential role in determining who enters professional careers (Cooter et al., 2004). Persons with higher socioeconomic status are much more likely to be accepted into medical school, resulting in an underrepresentation of medical students of lower socioeconomic status.
The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Medical School Admissions Read More »
Black popular culture and Black feminisms in social media have become generative pedagogical sites in previous years. With the rise of celebrities such as Beyoncé and Lizzo, and the explosion of social media as a primary means of creating cultural discourses, students are increasingly interested in how gender, race, sexuality, class, and other vectors of identity shape their entertainment experiences. Yet, few teachers feel comfortable effectively teaching Black popular culture using an intersectional lens. This project will construct a guidebook for teaching Black popular culture using Black feminist pedagogies and best practices from seasoned educators, to provide educators with a comprehensive framework and concrete strategies for teaching Black popular culture across disciplines. This project uses a variety of sources from interviews to books to educational studies in order to look at what it means to teach popular culture through the lens of Black feminism. Our research team has studied Black popular culture and Black feminism in an academic setting in order to better understand how to ask questions for our interviews we conducted for the project. The questions this guidebook will answer are: 1) What is Black feminism? 2) What methods can I use for teaching that fall under the framework of Black feminism? 3) How can I ensure these methods of teaching allow students to get the most out of their experience, academically and personally? The goal for this guidebook is to be used as a resource for educators across the country. Since Black feminism and Black popular culture have not been taught widely among classrooms, we hope this guidebook will start making these methods and ideas accessible.
Black Feminist Approaches to Black Popular Culture Pedagogy – Background/Intro Read More »
Black popular culture and Black feminisms in social media have become generative pedagogical sites in previous years. With the rise of celebrities such as Beyoncé and Lizzo, and the explosion of social media as a primary means of creating cultural discourses, students are increasingly interested in how gender, race, sexuality, class, and other vectors of identity shape their entertainment experiences. Yet, few teachers feel comfortable effectively teaching Black popular culture using an intersectional lens. This project will construct a guidebook for teaching Black popular culture using Black feminist pedagogies and best practices from seasoned educators, to provide educators with a comprehensive framework and concrete strategies for teaching Black popular culture across disciplines. This project uses a variety of sources from interviews to books to educational studies in order to look at what it means to teach popular culture through the lens of Black feminism. Our research team has studied Black popular culture and Black feminism in an academic setting in order to better understand how to ask questions for our interviews we conducted for the project. The questions this guidebook will answer are: 1) What is Black feminism? 2) What methods can I use for teaching that fall under the framework of Black feminism? 3) How can I ensure these methods of teaching allow students to get the most out of their experience, academically and personally? The goal for this guidebook is to be used as a resource for educators across the country. Since Black feminism and Black popular culture have not been taught widely among classrooms, we hope this guidebook will start making these methods and ideas accessible.
Black Feminist Approaches to Black Popular Culture Pedagogy – Methods Read More »
