Category: Innovative Discoveries Series

New Strategies to Identify Genes Linked to Human Birth Defects

This presentation will introduce an integrated approach to identify genes linked to human structural birth defects. Specifically, the application of systems based approaches in combination with animal models to identify the genetic basis of ocular and craniofacial defects will be discussed. Dr. Lachke is an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware’s Department of Biological […]

Innovative Strategies for Engaging Vulnerable Populations

The purpose of this talk is to describe effective academic-community partnerships to engage vulnerable populations. The talk will draw evidence and lessons from two major efforts. The first was a long-term project on youth homelessness, conducted in partnership with arts-based organizations, social service providers, journalists, researchers, and marginalized youth. The second is a partnership between […]

Owning Attention: Applying Human Factors to Alert Design

Alert numbness and fatigue is a blight on the health care industry. Because we can alert on basically anything, and we can argue that anything could be a harbinger of things that could drastically affect care, we generally put an alert on everything we get our hands on. This presentation will explain the impact on […]

The Impact of Toxic Stress on Lifelong Health

This will be a didactic and interactive presentation to define toxic stress and the biology of exposures to adverse experiences, describe the prevalence nationally and in Delaware, describe screening methods in clinical care and research tools, and discuss evidence based treatments. Dr. Sharif is Chief, Division of General Pediatrics at Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for […]

Opioid Use in Pregnancy: Trends, Treatment, and Controversies

There has been a large increase in opioid use and its consequences in the US. This presentation will approach opioid use through a historical and epidemiological lens focusing on how the reproductive life course intersects with substance use in pregnancy. Mishka Terplan is a physician boarded in both obstetrics and gynecology and addiction medicine. He […]

Moving Community Engaged Research from Participatory toward Anticipatory: Utopia as Method in the Reconstitution of Healthy Society

The mainstream health and social policy agenda is largely limited to “tinkering with the system”, influenced by normative values and dictated by incrementalism and lifestyle-drift. At the core of utopia is the desire for being otherwise, individually and collectively; therefore, this seminar will examine the sociological and epidemiological significance of utopia as an imaginative and […]

Maternal and Infant Behavioral Health and Nutrition: Incentives and Mobile Technology in Community Settings

Health incentives have been one of the most effective, yet controversial approaches in public health behavioral interventions. This presentation will introduce the general knowledge of health incentives and address common critiques related to the use of incentives for maternal and infant health and nutrition behavioral change. Yukiko Washio is a maternal and infant health researcher, […]

The Use and Misuse of Statistics in Medical Research

The misuse of statistics in medical research is more common than one might think. While some may be due to use of the wrong statistical method, it more often reflects a lack of understanding of the purpose of statistical analysis, assumptions of inferential statistical methods, and the connection between statistical methods and research hypotheses. This […]

Qualitative Methods: Tools for Understanding Patient, Provider and Community Experiences

Qualitative methods can augment, explain, or shed light on quantitative findings. Additionally, qualitative methods can inform the development of a testable hypothesis. While qualitative research methods originated in the social and behavioral sciences (sociology, anthropology, and psychology), today qualitative methods are powerful tools in the hands of health researchers. This presentation will introduce the audience […]

Improving Assisted Reproductive Technologies through Identification of Oviductal Fluid Components

Infertility/subfertility, the inability of a couple to conceive a child after 1 year of trying, is a fairly common health problem which affects 10-15% of couples in the U.S. and 70 million couples worldwide (with increasing frequency). The most commonly used treatment option, ICSCI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection), has only a 32% success rate. This presentation […]