Category: Topics

Time Series Analysis of 30-day Readmission Rates: Program Evaluation and Causality

This seminar will present a time series analysis of 30-day readmission rates using data from the BRIDGES project. The presentation will include a description of times series analysis and how it differs from other analyses of longitudinal data, the use of interrupted times series for program evaluation, how different times series can be cross-correlated to […]

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 […]

Cognitive Assessment and Aging Physicians: Are Patients or Doctors the Ones at Risk?

The aging of our physician workforce presents a new concern for both workers and patients. Cognitive changes associated with aging can impact clinician performance. In some cases, cognitive aging progresses beyond acceptable age-associated changes into the realm of pathological aging with clinically significant performance consequences. This presentation will describe normative cognitive aging and how this […]

What CAN Be Done About the Cost of Care for Chronic Diseases and Conditions

The annual cost of care in the United States for people with chronic diseases accounts for more that 83 percent ($1.2 trillion) of all healthcare costs – and this cost continues to rise. Yet many chronic diseases and conditions are linked to lifestyle choices so they can be prevented. This presentation will review the current […]