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With advances in biotechnology, personalized medicine has become an ever-expanding field. Even with so much growth, the critics equally match the proponents of personalized medicine. The source of their disagreement is rooted in the concept of empowerment. This analysis utilizes the personal genomics company 23andMe and their relationship with the

With advances in biotechnology, personalized medicine has become an ever-expanding field. Even with so much growth, the critics equally match the proponents of personalized medicine. The source of their disagreement is rooted in the concept of empowerment. This analysis utilizes the personal genomics company 23andMe and their relationship with the Federal Food and Drug Administration to illustrate varying views of empowerment. Specifically, the case study focuses on the ability to provide direct-to-consumer health reports to patients independent of physicians. In doing this, larger issues of what is at stake in personalized medicine are uncovered. These include but are not limited to: who determines what individuals get empowered and what information is determined good versus bad.
ContributorsSilverman, Adam Mattern (Author) / Brian, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Hurlbut, Ben (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
Populations in the United States and globally struggle to receive equal and affordable access to healthcare, this is no secret. However there are several minority and underprivileged groups within the population that experience disproportionate quality of healthcare when compared to their cis-gendered heterosexual counterparts.
Individuals that align and identify themselves as

Populations in the United States and globally struggle to receive equal and affordable access to healthcare, this is no secret. However there are several minority and underprivileged groups within the population that experience disproportionate quality of healthcare when compared to their cis-gendered heterosexual counterparts.
Individuals that align and identify themselves as part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) Community, often face discrimination and bias from within the healthcare system that prevent them from receiving adequate patient knowledge, tailored and beneficial healthcare, as well as social support when seeking treatment for conditions that may at times, be more persistent within the community. Examples of these holes within the healthcare system include a lack of culturally competent and appropriate care for those in the community, access to affordable treatments, and other unique health needs.
Consequently, as a minority group these members face social and environmental factors that contribute to their overall wellbeing and health, and therefore training and education need to be implemented for future and current healthcare providers to assess, recognize and acknowledge these varying factors and how they contribute to a patient’s overall wellbeing.
ContributorsRandell, Arianna Nicole (Author) / Kizer, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Don, Rachael (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
The purpose of this study was to evaluate how incarceration impacts the health of female inmates. Healthcare professionals and employees at the Riverside Correctional Facility, a women’s prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were interviewed in order to ascertain their perspective on the health of the female inmates they serve. A total

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how incarceration impacts the health of female inmates. Healthcare professionals and employees at the Riverside Correctional Facility, a women’s prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were interviewed in order to ascertain their perspective on the health of the female inmates they serve. A total of six employees, identified as “respondents” were interviewed and, in addition to these interviews, a tour of the facility was provided. This study used a phenomenological design and the results were analyzed through grounded theory, in which responses were broken down into several codes and themes were then identified from those codes. The analysis of the interviews found that healthcare, empowerment, and drug use were the main themes identified in relation to the health impacts of incarcerated women. The healthcare provided at the facility has a significant impact on the health of the inmates, because most of the inmates struggle with some form of health issue, such as a mental illness, untreated malady, or drug dependency. Empowerment was found to be the most important factor in motivating women to obtain an education, employment skills, and employment once they reenter society. All respondents identified drug use as the most profound health issue at the facility, in addition to acting as the largest barrier for women to successfully reenter society and attain stable employment.
ContributorsBraunstein, Zoe (Author) / Savaglio, Lauren (Thesis director) / Davis-Strong, Devi (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Medicine is evolving at an accelerating rate. The needs of the future in medicine are different than the needs of today. With many possible outcomes for the future of medicine, researchers and physicians have tried to predict the future for particular fields. As new healthcare workers enter the medical field,

Medicine is evolving at an accelerating rate. The needs of the future in medicine are different than the needs of today. With many possible outcomes for the future of medicine, researchers and physicians have tried to predict the future for particular fields. As new healthcare workers enter the medical field, their training must be tailored to provide the best education to prepare healthcare workers for their careers. Therefore, it is imperative to take a closer look into the future in order to better decide how to train doctors, nurses, PA’s, etc. effectively to provide the best care possible.
ContributorsHewlett, Jessica Lynn (Author) / Sklar, David (Thesis director) / Lindor, Keith (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
This thesis uses the Foucauldian model of the biopolitical state to explain the regulation of refugee women’s bodies who have undergone female genital cutting/mutilation (FGC/M). The main theoretical framework for this thesis is inspired by Dr. Khiara Bridges’ work: Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of

This thesis uses the Foucauldian model of the biopolitical state to explain the regulation of refugee women’s bodies who have undergone female genital cutting/mutilation (FGC/M). The main theoretical framework for this thesis is inspired by Dr. Khiara Bridges’ work: Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization (2011). Her book explains how “material and societal conditions appear to affirm the veracity of race” (Bridges, 2011, 10). She describes pregnancy as a “racially salient event” that inevitably engages racial politics. In her book, she illustrates how the material body is the primary sign of racial difference (Bridges, 2011, 47). I argue that race and culture are inscribed in the body, and FGC/M is a physical representation of that inscription. As a result, a physical representation of racialization opens women with FGC/M to far more scrutiny and regulation. I define the United States and France as biopolitical states whose values and agendas regulate and police bodies to behave according to their norms. The value set that underlies the United States is predicated on principles of sovereignty, federalism, and an emphasis on a Puritanical work ethic where an individual must earn their benefits from the state. In France, however, there is less stigma surrounding social welfare but there is forced cultural assimilation that results in a singular, secular French identity. These value systems then inform the tools to police behavior. The tools, or systems, I have identified for this thesis are the adoption of human rights instruments into domestic law, refugee policy, healthcare systems, and regulation of women’s reproductive health. All of these macro-level systems then inform individual patient-provider relationships since those interactions are not independent of these systems. I argue that refugee women who have undergone FGC/M deviate from these prescribed norms and thus are subjugated to overwhelming biopolitical regulation.
ContributorsRamakumar, Asha Anjali (Author) / Reddy, Swapna (Thesis director) / Switzer, Heather (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Healthcare encounters may often be experienced by patients as cultural experiences as much as they are medicinal, creating different expectations and perceptions for each individual seeking care. This project sought to understand the experiences that Alaska Natives have with healthcare and how those experiences influenced their care. It provided a

Healthcare encounters may often be experienced by patients as cultural experiences as much as they are medicinal, creating different expectations and perceptions for each individual seeking care. This project sought to understand the experiences that Alaska Natives have with healthcare and how those experiences influenced their care. It provided a small window into the cultural relevance to healthcare for Alaska Natives by conducting interviews with participants from Sitka, Alaska. Interviews addressed three topics (or themes): linguistic and communication barriers, culturally specific care associated with individual tribes and patient-provider relationships. Although these topics, within the context of healthcare, have been well studied under the Native American - Alaska Native demographic umbrella, few projects target Alaska Natives specifically. This project was developed to specifically spotlight Alaska Natives to gain an understanding of their healthcare experiences.
ContributorsLarson, Skylar (Author) / McMullen, Mary (Thesis director) / Rowans, Leslie (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
The rate of vaccinations has been consistently decreasing in the past years in children of ages 0-18. Multiple factors and barriers contribute to these low rates. This comparative case study investigated the accessibility of information regarding childhood vaccinations to parents in areas with differing poverty levels in the greater Phoenix

The rate of vaccinations has been consistently decreasing in the past years in children of ages 0-18. Multiple factors and barriers contribute to these low rates. This comparative case study investigated the accessibility of information regarding childhood vaccinations to parents in areas with differing poverty levels in the greater Phoenix region, specifically in the West Valley, Downtown Phoenix, and the East Valley. Pediatric clinics, public elementary schools, and public libraries were visited in each area to assess how much information was available where. The analysis produced unexpected results: the West Valley, which had the highest poverty level, contained the most amount of accessible information for parents in many languages, while the East Valley, with a low poverty level, had almost no information accessible to parents of these children. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed. Based on these unexpected results, one recommendation is to develop a pamphlet that could be distributed to these public places to raise awareness of the importance of vaccinations in children to parents.
ContributorsShah, Veedhi (Author) / Bates, Denise (Thesis director) / Castillo, Elizabeth (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Due to unique barriers to access and quality of healthcare, rural Americans have, among many other poorer health outcomes, a worsening life expectancy than their urban counterparts: 76.8 years compared to 78.8 years. In addition to overall mortality, the burden of disease is greater in rural areas, as well as

Due to unique barriers to access and quality of healthcare, rural Americans have, among many other poorer health outcomes, a worsening life expectancy than their urban counterparts: 76.8 years compared to 78.8 years. In addition to overall mortality, the burden of disease is greater in rural areas, as well as rates of physical injury. There are many intersecting influencing factors including, but not limited to, barriers to access needed healthcare, issues regarding the quality of healthcare provided, the ability to pay for healthcare and other socioeconomic considerations are both causes and consequences of poor health and healthcare access.
The health disparities between rural and urban communities in the United States are not uniquely American. This rural-urban divide in health outcomes is present across the world and, closer to home, across North America. In addition to reviewing the current literature surrounding barriers to health and healthcare access in the United States, we will also use southern neighbor Mexico’s history and their pursuit of rural equity (universally and in health/healthcare access) to contrast initiatives that the U.S. has attempted, with the intent of exploring new theories of rural healthcare provision. By combining the history of social medicine in Mexico with literature on barriers to healthcare access, I hope to highlight areas of innovation and improvement in the American health care delivery system.
The purpose of this paper is to review the current literature regarding health disparities among rural Americans, possible causes of such disparities and current strategies to improve health, healthcare access and healthcare quality in rural America in order to recommend the most effective, practical solutions to improve rural mortality, morbidity and quality of life.
ContributorsSt Martin, Zachary (Author) / White, Adrienne (Thesis director) / Reddy, Swapna (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
This project was designed to assess whether Arizona State University’s current Health and Counseling services perpetuate healthcare discrimination against its LGBTQIA+ student population: a pervasive problem that both researchers and patients have observed in the general healthcare landscape--on university campuses and beyond. A two-part online survey, including multiple-choice and free-response

This project was designed to assess whether Arizona State University’s current Health and Counseling services perpetuate healthcare discrimination against its LGBTQIA+ student population: a pervasive problem that both researchers and patients have observed in the general healthcare landscape--on university campuses and beyond. A two-part online survey, including multiple-choice and free-response questions, was administered to ASU students attending any of the four campuses in order to receive a wide range of student feedback from diverse populations and assess the queer and transgender healthcare experience on campus. This survey data was used to pinpoint gaps and/or problems in student care and to assess how these concerns might be addressed. Results showed that a number of participants experienced discrimination, including incorrect references to gender pronouns, name preferences, and sexual identity. In response to survey participants’ desire for clearer information about health care services, a prototype for a resource pamphlet and corresponding mock-up of an online platform were created. These prototype resources clearly outline information about the sexual, mental, and physical health resources provided by ASU and include supplementary off-campus programs to fill the gaps in university services. Additionally, these findings were used to create a prototype that could be used to help ensure healthcare workers are familiar with LGBTQIA+ specific healthcare needs.
ContributorsJocque, Meta Elizabeth (Co-author) / Sells, Emma (Co-author) / Miller, April (Thesis director) / Brian, Jennifer (Committee member) / Van Engen, Dagmar (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
This paper sought to answer the question of how to improve the American healthcare system. The Affordable Care Act aimed to do this by increasing access to insurance. What this has done, however, is exacerbate the already rising rate of physician shortages. As a way to fix this problem, it

This paper sought to answer the question of how to improve the American healthcare system. The Affordable Care Act aimed to do this by increasing access to insurance. What this has done, however, is exacerbate the already rising rate of physician shortages. As a way to fix this problem, it is suggested that state legislatures and the federal government adopt the rising trend of expanding scope of practice to the extent of the care providers' certification. This is a movement has garnered support throughout the country and 20 states already allow for nearly autonomous practice by advanced practice nurses (APNs). This paper looked at systematic review, peer-reviewed papers, state/federal legislation and labor statistics to demonstrate how this move could increase access to healthcare providers as well as decrease cost by nearly 25%. This paper also evaluated how to formalization of nursing education has had positive impacts on the French healthcare system. Additionally, it evaluated a more specific look at Arizona and used data provided by the Arizona Board of Nursing and The Arizona Medical Board to make a compelling argument as to why this is a viable option for solving the disparity between rural and urban healthcare. The conclusion of the paper was to push policy makers to make the statutory constraints of the profession closer to the certification the people receive in their education as opposed to relying on case law. Additionally, it would be helpful to use technological innovations, like project echo, to help these professionals practice in rural areas. This will ultimately lead to a healthcare system that better serves the needs of all populations, as well as decreasing the overall cost of care.
ContributorsKingsbury, Andrew (Author) / Brian, Jennifer (Thesis director) / McGregor, Joan (Committee member) / Reddy, Swapna (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05