INTRODUCTION: Medical institutions have been forced to modify gross anatomy pedagogy in order to comply with the health restrictions imposed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) is one such institution that temporarily restructured its course. We replaced cadaveric dissection activities with prosections and a greater emphasis on a flipped classroom model. This study investigates the effectiveness of new course materials developed to aid these curriculum changes. RESOURCES: Course materials were developed for three purposes: (1) preparation before laboratory sessions (orientation videos and Complete Anatomy screens); (2) guidance during lab (laboratory guides); and (3) review after laboratory sessions (Zoom recitation sessions). We asked students questions regarding the most helpful and least helpful aspects of the course materials. We performed a grounded theory thematic analysis of students’ responses (80/160, 50% response) to qualitative survey questions and to focus group questions (16 students who self-selected between 4 different sessions). DESCRIPTION: Data from both the survey and focus groups demonstrated that the vast majority of students strongly agreed or agreed that the materials helped them navigate through learning gross anatomy. However, students expressed that laboratory guides were used mostly for post-lab review as opposed to the intended direction during laboratory sessions. Students within all focus groups overwhelmingly touted the value of, and advocated for, Zoom recitation sessions, with many stating that they were imperative to course success and comprehension of material. SIGNIFICANCE: We propose that the utilization of course materials that students perceive as time saving, useful integration of information, pertinent to their exam performance, and combined with cadaveric prosection emphasizes the benefits of flipped-classroom learning to help students learn gross anatomy effectively and efficiently during the pandemic.

Mending the Gaps examines the failures and deficits that have occurred in education both historically and today. These gaps that already existed in learning, equality, opportunity, and technology have all been made worse after two years of a global pandemic. Focusing on students in the state of Texas, which has the 2nd largest economy in the United States, but currently ranks 34th in quality of education, now students face the reality of the COVID 19 health crisis in an already overburdened public education system. People in every area of the community, including local, state, and national policy makers, are questioning if it is time to rethink what is considered a quality education. This documentary project will take viewers from the classroom to the boardroom, as stakeholders from all levels of the educational spectrum have an earnest conversation and answer the hard question, can the current system close the gaps and salvage a generation of students?

archives@tulane.edu / Losing My Dimension seeks to characterize the nature of spacetime during quarantine. Designed to be viewed in both 2D and 3D using red/cyan glasses, this body of work wields space as a medium in order to probe the dimensional qualities of our changing realities. Through a series of interactive web vignettes built with recognizable user interfaces, this work engages the viewer in an individualized reflection upon both the benefits and detriments of digital denizenship, particularly in the context of a global pandemic. / 1 / Jenna deBoisblanc

archives@tulane.edu / 1 / Nicolas Sawyer Barnum

BACKGROUND: In Ontario, school closures due to the pandemic lasted 20 weeks at various times throughout March 2020 to June 2021; longer than any Canadian province or territory. School closures may have had a detrimental impact on school-aged children’s academic and psychological functioning. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to examine the variability in child mental/emotional mental health in association with family factors (caregiver depression, caregiver anxiety, overreactive parenting, partner conflict, work-family conflict) and COVID-19 experiences (health-related stressors, resource-related stressors, positive experiences) among children from two-caregiver working households in Ontario METHODS: Data came from the second iteration of the Ontario Parent Survey. The cross-sectional analysis (n=5787) was restricted to working adults, part of a two-caregiver household, with a child aged 4 to 17 years. Sample selection reflected the focus on work-family conflict and partner-conflict as important predictors of interest. Parent-reported, child negative affect and the negative impact on child functioning since the pandemic started, were the main outcomes of interest. Hierarchal linear regression models were constructed, and each group of predictors (covariates, family factors and COVID-19 experiences) were added in a step-wise fashion. Findings were also stratified by child age and child gender. Missing data were handled via multiple imputations. RESULTS: The final model accounted for 38.7% of the variability in negative affect scores, and 24.1% of the variability in COVID-19 negative impact scores. Negative affect was significantly associated with all family factors, resource-related COVID-19 stressors and positive COVID-19 experiences. The negative impact of COVID-19 on child functioning was significantly associated with all COVID-19 experiences and all family factors except overreactive parenting. Caregiver depression was the strongest predictor of worsening child mental/emotional health in all models. Upon stratifying the analyses by child gender and age, partner-conflict was only a predictor of child mental/emotional health for females and child adolescents. Additionally, health-related COVID-19 stress was a significant predictor for males/other only and caregiver anxiety, overreactive parenting and health-related COVID-19 stressors were significant predictors for children, but not for adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic recovery period in Ontario should consist of significant efforts to provide preventative family-based programming and interventions to address the growing mental health crisis in children. Future research efforts should aim to explore the mechanisms by which family factors and COVID-19 specific experiences interact to produce various family dynamics and psychological presentations in children. Further research should also replicate the present study in marginalized and culturally diverse populations. / Thesis / Master of Public Health (MPH) / School closures in Ontario due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted child development and wellbeing. The objective of this study was to examine the variability in child mental/emotional mental health scores, in association with family factors (caregiver depression, caregiver anxiety, overreactive parenting, partner conflict, work-family conflict) and COVID-19 experiences (health-related stressors, resource-related stressors, positive experiences). A cross-sectional study was conducted using the second iteration of the Ontario Parent Survey (n=5787). Parent-reported child negative affect and negative impact of COVID-19 on child functioning, as indicators of their mental health, were the outcomes of interest. The final model accounted for about 40% of the variability in negative affect scores, and about one-quarter of the variability in child functioning scores. Poor child mental/emotional health were associated with all family factors and COVID-19 experiences. Caregiver depression was the strongest predictor of worsening child mental/emotional health in all models. Consistent with other findings, this research can be used to support the provision of family-centered community mental health services.

No description available.

The burden and behaviour of influenza in Southeast Asia is poorly charac- terised, leading to uncertainty about the importance of influenza as a local health problem and the role of Southeast Asia in the global epidemiology of influenza. Prospective community-based studies have provided fundamental insights into the epidemiology of influenza in temperate regions; therefore a household-based cohort study was established with the aim of determining the intensity and characteristics of influenza transmission in a semi-rural tropical setting. The primary results of the cohort study are presented, along with the results of a survey of social contact patterns in the cohort and a mathemati- cal model of the spread of pandemic influenza A/H1N1/2009 in Vietnam that utilises data from the cohort. Highly pathogenic avian influenza A/H5N1 remains endemic in poultry in parts of Southeast Asia and continues to infect humans. Marked familial clustering of human H5N1 cases has led to speculation that susceptibility to H5N1 infection may have a host genetic component. The epidemiological data that led to the hypothesis of genetic susceptibility to H5N1 is summarised, whilst the evidence for a role of host genetics in susceptibility to influenza in general is systematically reviewed. A genome-wide case-control genetic association study was conducted in Vietnam and Thailand to test the hypothesis of genetic susceptibility to H5N1 infection, and the results are presented. This work provides new data and understanding of the patterns and deter- minants of inter-pandemic, pandemic, and avian influenza epidemiology. The cohort study has added to the body of knowledge that is accruing on the burden and epidemiology of influenza in the tropics by providing community level data that were previously absent. The genetics study has provided the first direct evidence of genetic loci associated with susceptibility to H5N1 and opens new avenues of research to test these findings and their relevance to the pathogenesis of H5N1 and other types of influenza.

With the outbreak of the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) comes the need to evaluate the preparedness level of government entities that had preparedness plans. This study looks at the preparedness level for pandemic influenza among key leaders in Brazos County according to their Brazos County Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan. Ten key leaders were recruited to participate in interviews. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for salient themes. Main themes that emerged from interviews were categorized into vaccinations, communication, logistical issues, and the need for evaluations and feedback. Recommendations for increasing preparedness include addressing contingency plans, increasing education through public health efforts, addressing biosecurity, increasing use of technology, and increasing funding and research.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Influenza pandemics are a fact of nature. Our human history is marked by global influenza outbreaks that have stricken large numbers of people with illness, caused many deaths, and disrupted the social and economic life of many communities, states, and nations. A novel influenza virus spreading efficiently human to human and causing severe illness causes an influenza pandemic. In the last three hundred years there have been at least ten influenza pandemics (IOM 2005; Osterholm 2005a). The twentieth century alone experienced three pandemics in 1918, 1957, and 1968 (HHS 2005). There is no single ethical framework robust enough to adequately address the various issues that arise in pandemic planning and response. Pandemic influenza is a social problem that requires a social effort in planning, preparedness, and response. The values of participation, loyalty, and solidarity are fundamental social values that are critical to sustain the life of communities. The study of these values will assist local officials with an ethical approach for developing pandemic response plans that ensures community participation, incorporates fundamental values, and minimizes conflicting obligations in the planning stages, which in turn inspires loyalty to the response effort and fosters an attitude of solidarity in the community during the pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was difficult for mothers in Ontario to obtain the breastfeeding support they required due to pressure on the healthcare system, social restrictions, and redeployment of healthcare professionals from perinatal services to the pandemic response (Canadian Institute for Health Information [CIHI], 2022; Jack et al., 2021; Rudrum, 2021). The purpose of this interpretive description study was to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon first-time mothers' experiences and perceptions of breastfeeding support in Ontario, Canada. Eligible participants were recruited using purposeful and snowball sampling. Thirteen one-on-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted using a video-conferencing software. One over-arching theme, on their own, and three major themes were identified by the researchers. The first theme, lack of support, is broken down into subthemes lack of practical support, lack of informational support, lack of social support and lack of emotional and esteem-building support. The second theme, figuring it out, is further categorized into the subthemes understanding, taking risks, and motivation and resourcefulness. The third theme, emotional hardships, is broken down into two sub-themes, isolation and it was difficult. The findings from this study have implications for nursing practice, policy, and research, that support the need for more effective pandemic preparedness from the province, including, consistent access to formal and informal breastfeeding support services.