The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone but has impacted some communities more than others. The study aims to understand and reduce the disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality for those disproportionately affected by the pandemic. As COVI ... D-19 prevention efforts have become more complex, it is important to identify strategies to best improve COVID-19 awareness and reduce its impact in the community. IU is one of the four study sites participating in this nationwide project and is the only site working with adolescents. This project aims to inform participants of the basics of COVID-19 and situation-appropriate prevention. The study focuses on teaching participants to identify misinformation and sharpen their media literacy skills. It also focuses on empowering participants to be change agents in their social circle. I have learned how to use REDCap to help collect data, conduct surveys, and generate randomization in REDCap. I have practiced going over an informed consent form. I have also practiced the process of enrolling participants in the study. In short, the overarching goals of the C3 study project are to increase COVID-19 vaccination and situation-appropriate testing and to promote accurate information regarding COVID-19. Read more

The Undiagnosed Rare Disease Clinic (URDC) is a clinic that takes in patients with undiagnosed rare diseases. The typical story for our patients is the patient sees a doctor and genetics tests will be run. The genetic testing will be inconclusive or ... blank. The patient then comes to us, and we run more extensive sequencing and analyze the data from a research perspective. It is a much more in extensive look than the classic clinical genetics. It is common for the mutations found to be only recently discovered to be associated with disease, or maybe not even fully published. My part in the clinic is to help out where needed. I have done things from scanning in consent documents to retrieving media for biopsies. Most of my first year has been spent learning from small team at the URDC. Read more

In this project, microscopy imaging of mice knee joints is used to measure cartilage density and determine efficiency of potential treatments that may be used to slow or halt the progression of osteoarthritis. Each slide sample is examined under a mi ... croscope, photographed, and then measured using a computer program. After this, the data collected from the measurements is tabulated and then compared in order to visualize results more clearly. Read more

My internship site is the IU Psychotic Disorders Program. This program focuses on helping people in the early stages of psychosis and psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia by conducting research to better understand and treat psychotic disorders ... . My tasks involve writing transcriptions of therapy sessions and entering data for current and past studies. My work related to individuals with psychotic disorders has made me interested in treatments for psychosis. There are currently many available treatments, such as antipsychotic drugs and metacognitive therapy. Animal-assisted therapy is a type of therapy that includes the use of animals and has proven to be successful for many types of mental illnesses. Some studies have shown that the use of animals in therapy may be beneficial for those with psychotic disorders. My project looks at different studies on animal-assisted therapy and compares the use of different animals, such as dogs, cats, horses, and even birds. The goal is to evaluate which animal is most effective in treating those with psychotic disorders. Read more

I have been working with Dr. Tom Hummer in the IU School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Our lab utilizes a variety of neuropsychological, behavioral, and neuroimaging tools to study how digital media use is related to brain structure and funct ... ion in children. Children's access to and usage of electronic devices at younger ages has increased in recent years. While this media use can have positive benefits, such as allowing for greater communication with friends and family, concern about potential negative impacts of screentime has grown. For example, an increase in screen time may decrease time available for other activities, such as studying. If this is true, it is likely that screen time is associated with grades and academic performance. I used data from the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, to analyze the relationship between non-educational screen time and academic performance. We conducted regression analyses, controlling for scores on attention-based tasks and behavioral reports. This information can help us provide parental guidance on the potential merits in monitoring and/or restricting screen time for children with the purpose of improving academic performance. Read more

The research focuses on suppressing the gene in multiple myeloma cancer. The research would compare RNA/DNA modifies sequences to the best fit of ability to suppress the gene. The research can proceed by utilizing and synthesizing novel mirror-image ... nucleic acids and selection/ study of the functional mirror-image RNA/DNA molecules in order to target the RNA-related disease by the process of SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment). The steps are further continued by researching the development of this mirror-image RNA. DNA structures for the improvement of drug efficiency and biostability before being processed to a candidate for treatment. DNA structures for the improvement of drug efficiency and biostability before being processed to a candidate for treatment. This research is done using RNA aptamers that are incorporated into a selected nanoparticle which will guide the aptamer to cancer cells in the body to deliver gene therapy. We create 3 DNA single strands using the DNA synthesis process and then attach the nanoparticles, aptamers, and siRNAs. My current work involves learning the biochemistry and organic chemistry structures behind these steps while visualizing my supervisor performing these steps with the help of chemicals and the use of laboratory-specific equipment. Read more

The Indiana Fidelity Monitoring Initiative (IFMI) seeks to improve the quality of mental healthcare services and patient outcomes through ensuring that evidence-based practices (EBPs) are delivered as intended (i.e., fidelity) in community behavioral ... health settings. Behavioral health professionals are encouraged to deliver EBPs based on research-backed standards to promote positive clinical outcomes. The clinical field lacks a widely accepted and feasible strategy to routinely measure therapist fidelity to best practice standards. This gap prevents the ability to monitor the quality of services provided in community settings, which limits opportunities to intervene with coaching, training, or other remedies. To address this gap, IFMI strives to establish a statewide procedure to monitor EBP fidelity among community-based behavioral health providers. To guide the development of this statewide program, we conducted interviews with directors of existing national EBP implementation centers and behavioral health professionals. We have collected data on various approaches, challenges, and outcomes of implementing different EBPs and monitoring fidelity. Findings will inform standard operating procedures for IFMI programming. Read more

Dr. Stephen Schlecht, our principal investigator, conducted research on the effect of in vivo fatigue loading on unraveled collagen in the murine anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The study aimed to understand how the ACL responds to repetitive loadi ... ng and how it affects its structure. The research involved subjecting mice to a series of controlled loading cycles and then analyzing the ACL issues to examine the changes in collagen structure. The results showed that the repetitive loading caused unraveled collagen fibers within the ACL, which may increase the risk of ACL injury. The study is significant because ACL injuries are a common problem, especially among athletes. By understanding the mechanisms of ACL injury, researchers can develop better preventions and treatment strategies. The findings suggest that preventing repetitive loading may help reduce the risk of ACL injuries. Overall, Dr. Schlecht's research provides valuable insights into the effects of repetitive loading on the ACL and highlights the importance of preventative measures to protect against ACL injury. Read more

As part of my role in the Healthy Sleep for Kids Research Laboratory, I have primarily worked on the SLUMBER Study. SLUMBER stands for Sleep Guidance in Black Families with Infant Children, this acronym outlining the premise of the study and its seek ... ing to evaluate and develop safe sleep practices for Black infants and their families because most of the infant sleep practices that have been established have not incorporated feedback from Black families and have not tested the efficacy of these interventions with these families. I have helped refine the interview protocol and have helped transcribe interviews that have been conducted thus far. The progression of the study has equipped me with invaluable learning experiences such as developing my ability to use different research programs, including Redcap surveys and Otter-Artificial Intelligence transcription software, along with providing insight into professional research and what it can involve. Read more

Interested in genetics? What about cancer research? Stop by our table to learn about Dr. Mendonca's Radiation Oncology research. We work with cells that have been altered genetically to test if any particular knockout affects radiation sensitivity. W ... ty. We work with Murine Embryonic Cells (MEF) that have P53-/- , P53 -/- & MDM2 -/- , and P53-/- & MDM2-/- & MDMX -/- knocked out. Come by to learn more and see our results! Read more