EDD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

Scripted/narrowed curricula are tangled in the webs of school reforms and standardization. Teachers are experiencing a monumental challenge: the deprofessionalization of their roles as educators. I sought teachers' understandings of how scripted/narrowed curricula impact their curriculum autonomy, specifically, their professional responsibility and pedagogical artistry. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from K–12 public educators in Rhode Island using an adapted Curriculum Autonomy Survey and Curriculum Autonomy interviews. I analyzed the quantitative data using descriptive and inferential statistics, which provided a broader picture of the experiences of Rhode Island educators faced with teaching scripted/narrowed curricula, and a second group emerged: teachers who develop their own curricula. Interview questions asked teachers to reflect on their experiences with the curriculum. By coding and conducting thematic analysis, I analyzed the interview transcripts, and multiple themes emerged after the data proved consistent across the survey and interview. Teachers using scripted/narrowed curricula are experiencing a loss of their curriculum autonomy. Their professional responsibility is being challenged because they are no longer stakeholders in the curricular and pedagogical decisions or curriculum changes for their content areas. This lack of decision-making has led to questioning the equity of curricula and questioning the breadth and depth of subjects and topics in curricula. These educators are facing challenges to pedagogical artistry, meaning they cannot modify/accommodate student needs or create lessons to promote cultural and social learning opportunities, and they have felt a loss of creativity in building lessons to ensure students are learning skills to be citizens of the world.

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2023, Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology MS

Organizational leaders want to retain employees who are healthy and motivated. Physical and mental health issues are on the rise in America for younger and older generations. Researchers have found that higher levels of autonomy relate to improved mental health, physical health, job satisfaction, performance, and the list goes on. However, a gap in the literature is a lack of understanding of the complex relationships between autonomy and outcomes, both functional and dysfunctional. I found that intrinsic motivation and autonomy support can compensate for lower levels of autonomy in one's work. These new findings provide researchers and organizational leaders with a modern perspective on past well-established findings. Organizational leaders can directly improve their employees' work and life outcomes by allocating resources and implementing interventions to align employees with work they enjoy and train leaders to better support their employees' autonomy.

MA, Kent State University, 2020, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English

This thesis explores the ways in which Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, and Lorraine Hansberry represent Black autonomous living in their texts. I begin by breaking down the theoretical leanings behind the assertions made in this thesis, starting with Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Booker T. Washington. I move on to a discussion of Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collin, wherein I use her tenets to qualify Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Bluest Eye, and A Raisin In The Sun as being works that fit solidly into the Black feminist thought tradition. After identifying scholars who have done cornerstone work in this field and establishing the theory behind the thesis, I dive into a discussion of the texts. In the first chapter, I focus on Hurston's piece, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). In it I use the text as well as pieces of non-fiction also written by Hurston to breakdown her thinking on integration and Black autonomy. The subsequent chapter centers Morrison's The Bluest Eye (1970). Here, I pay attention to the way Morrison concentrates on the interiority of Black women and girls by allowing their voices to stand as the focal point of her piece. Morrison's piece allows readers to understand the “American Dream” as something that was meant, primarily for white folks and I use the scholarship of Ta-Nehisi Coates to undergird these assertions. Finally, the Hansberry chapter examines A Raisin In The Sun (1958). This chapter directly deals with the issue of segregation and autonomous living. By using the text as well as secondary and outside scholarly resources, I show the ways and reasons behind Hansberry offering viewpoints that seem to be contrary to the crux and conclusion of the play.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2019, Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology PhD

Intelligent agent technologies are increasing the potential capacity for systems to behave more autonomously and are enabling more advanced human-autonomy teaming. For instance, future applications of human-autonomy teaming for the command and control of unmanned vehicles are now under consideration. This would involve a shift from a supervisory control approach to a teaming structure. These two approaches, instantiated as the task division and relationship between a human operator and a teammate, were empirically examined. The team's composition, either human-human or human-autonomy, was also considered. A control station that supports single operator management of multiple simulated unmanned vehicles performing a base defense mission was employed along with a task management interface to support coordination and team cognition. A 2 x 2 x 2 mixed experimental design was used to evaluate operator-driven (supervisory control) and role-driven (teaming) team structures (within-subjects), across two levels of mission complexity (within-subjects), by both human-human teams and human-autonomy teams (between-subjects). Twenty-four participants completed four 30-minute trials, during which they worked with their teammate to complete a series of mission tasks. The role-driven team structure resulted in increased team performance on all measures with reduced workload. Team performance did not differ for Team Composition but the human-human teams resulted in a greater number of communications, and the teammate was rated higher in terms of trust and reliability. These results indicate that a teaming approach between human operators and autonomy can be beneficial, however, the interfaces need to support teammate interactions and provide transparency. Future research needs are also discussed.

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Surrogacy has been a highly contested practice for several decades, with many critics expressing concern for surrogates' loss of bodily autonomy. Although the number of surrogacy arrangements continue to rise in the United States, empirical research that explores surrogates' and intended parents' expectations for, negotiation, and experiences of control and autonomy over medical decisions made throughout surrogacy process is lacking. To fill this gap in U.S.-based surrogacy research, I conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with eighteen surrogates and fifteen intended parents. Of the 18 surrogates, 17 were female and one was a trans male. Of the 15 intended parents, seven were female, seven were male, and one identified as transfeminine. I utilized Neiterman's (2012) concept of “doing pregnancy” to explore decisions around embryo transfers, abortion, pregnancy care, and childbirth—different phases of what I call “doing surrogacy.” I found that a clear division of control between “baby-based” and “surrogate-based” decisions were not always easily determined due to the blurred line between surrogates' bodily autonomy and intended parents' right to control the health of their child. As a result, surrogates sometimes experienced a loss of bodily autonomy when the interests of intended parents became paramount during the arrangement. Many times, however, surrogates were able to assert control over their bodies during surrogacy, a reality often supported by intended parents. This was especially true during the pregnancy phase, when surrogates were able to utilize their embodied knowledge of pregnancy to elicit trust from intended parents in terms of their decisions about pregnancy care. There were also times during the surrogacy process that intended parents chose to forgo their own interests to support their surrogate's autonomy or to protect their surrogate's health.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

The persistent tension and power struggle between healthcare executives and physicians is a prevalent issue in healthcare organizations, often leading to a culture of organizational mistrust. This dynamic stems from perceived conflicting goals: executives are frequently seen as primarily focused on financial outcomes, while physicians are viewed as resistant to change. This study explored how physician fulfillment is experienced at work, with the ultimate goal of identifying potential interventions to bridge the gap between these groups. There is vast research and literature available regarding burnout in healthcare; this research focused on understanding what physicians find fulfilling in their work and identifying actionable factors healthcare system leaders can address to enhance their fulfillment. Key factors identified from the literature include meaningful patient contact, quality of professional relationships, and organizational decision-making input. At the same time, challenges such as administrative burden and loss of autonomy were noted as detriments to fulfillment. After conducting and transcribing semi-structured phenomenological interviews with physicians, the data were coded for meaning, resulting in 169 codes. The prevalence of these broad themes varied concerning each research question, reflecting the complex and multifaceted nature of physician fulfillment. By identifying patterns and connections in the physicians' experiences, this study highlighted the importance of addressing both systemic and individual factors to enhance professional fulfillment. Key findings of the study include the importance of humanizing healthcare goals and several directions for iv healthcare organizations: addressing moral injury, improving patient outcomes, obtaining and utilizing physician input consistently, fostering a supportive culture, and creating time and space for peer support. Targeted interventions to enhance physi (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision in June of 2022, which overturned the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade, the disparity in protection of abortion rights between states has widened. Many states had trigger laws that were set to go into effect to restrict abortion as soon as Roe was overturned, and many others have enacted laws severely restricting abortion availability. In addition to the widening gap between restrictive and protective states, state-level policy trends in the year since the Dobbs decision illustrate that abortion policies are changing rapidly, indicating the precarious state of abortion access. Although abortion researchers and activists were prepared for and expecting Roe to be overturned, much of the public was not. In this sense, the Dobbs decision marked both a significant shift in abortion policy, and in the tangible precarity of access to abortion and reproductive health more generally. The political environment surrounding abortion since the Dobbs decision has further emphasized what reproductive justice activists and scholars have argued for the last two decades: reproductive health politics is fundamentally about intersectional power. Thus, although abortion access was inequitable prior to Dobbs, the sociopolitical environment post-Dobbs has amplified these inequities both in political engagement and responsiveness, and in the effects of restrictive policies. This dissertation project aimed to better understand how abortion policies are enmeshed in the socio-political environment in which people experience their reproductive lives, and how this environment is associated with measures of well-being. The relations between state-level abortion policy, reproductive autonomy, feelings of anxiety, and personal beliefs about the appropriate roles for women and men were examined. Quantitative data was collected via an online survey from 338 reproductively capable people living in Illinois, (open full item for complete abstract)

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2024, School Psychology

School psychology continues to experience professional shortages in the face of increased need. Burnout and other sources of job turnover have been researched; however, there are limited studies on the specific factors influencing retention. The present study investigated sources of job satisfaction among experienced school psychologists. Seven school psychologists with at least 10 years of experience in the state of Ohio were interviewed regarding their reasons for remaining in their roles. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify themes across participant experiences. Results indicated both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of job satisfaction in the field of school psychology. Common themes across participants included the value of meaningful work, professional autonomy, supportive work environments, and positive staff relationships. This study provides insight regarding drivers of motivation for school psychologists to remain in the field long-term, which contains implications for improving the current shortage of these professionals in the state of Ohio. Educational agencies seeking to retain professionals should foster supportive environments, clear roles, professional development, and work-life balance.

MA, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Philosophy

In this thesis, I evaluate substance abuse and the treatment of addicted persons through a lens of care ethics. The current policies in place focus on criminalization, which is largely ineffective at preventing and lowering rates of substance abuse. I use the relational definition of autonomy put forward by Onora O'Neill to analyze how addiction affects autonomy. I appeal to Stephanie Collins' four key claims of care ethics as the best ethical model to treat addiction using harm reduction policies.

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Engineering and Applied Science: Civil Engineering

The rapid advancement in automation technologies has substantially decreased human errors, one of the foremost contributors to crashes, contributing to a safer transportation environment. Connected Automated Vehicles (CAVs) present advantages including heightened safety, decreased congestion, improved traffic operations, and environmental benefits. However, the seamless integration of CAV into current infrastructure and effective navigation of mixed traffic scenarios pose significant challenges. A crucial aspect of this integration involves comprehending the dynamics of traffic in a mixed environment that includes both Human-driven vehicles and CAVs. Furthermore, the limitations in the existing infrastructure to adapt to CAVs raise safety concerns, emphasizing the pivotal role of infrastructure upgrades to meet the specific requirements of CAVs. Additionally, CAVs must align with the psychological aspects of road users, addressing human safety perception and comfort needs. In the context of evolving transportation landscapes, this consolidated research explores the intricate interplay between human factors, automation technologies, and roadway infrastructure to enhance safety and operational efficiency. The first segment of the study delves into mixed traffic scenarios involving human-driven vehicles (HDVs) and Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) at varying Market Penetration and Level of Autonomy (MPLA). Utilizing a VISSIM-based microsimulation model with 27 scenarios, safety assessments were conducted using the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model tool using Time to Collision using three levels of thresholds. The second segment investigates the impact of varied automation levels on roadway infrastructure. Employing VISSIM parameters, 15 scenarios explored the relationship between traffic volumes, segment automation capabilities, and safety outcomes assessed through the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model and Time to Collision indicator. Results revealed that CAVs w (open full item for complete abstract)

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

This project explores the relationship between freedom and well being. Through reviewing the literature of positive psychology and existential psychology, clearer pictures of well being and freedom emerge, allowing for statistical analysis. By adopting Seligman's well being theory as a model that incorporates hedonic and eudaimonic elements of well being and self determination theory's conceptualization of autonomy as a proxy for freedom in existential psychology, this study explores the relationship between these constructs and their theorized factors through correlational analysis. A potential measurement model for an overall well being measure incorporating freedom as a factor is proposed and tested using confirmatory factor analyses. The effects of demographic factors on well being and freedom are also explored through analyses of variance. The results of this project suggest a moderate positive correlation between well being and freedom, although the hypothesized measurement model fails to achieve good fit when tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Through model modifications, an acceptable fitting model emerges that reflects the relationship between freedom and well being described in the literature review and bolstered by the data. This model, however, requires further study and verification due to the nature of its emergence. Certain identity and demographic factors are also identified as having effects on well being and autonomy. These results are discussed, along with the limitations of this study. Future directions for research and theoretical investigation are highlighted, including revisiting the measures used in this study through exploratory factor analyses or exploratory structural equation modeling. Clinical implications are identified and discussed, with suggestions for clinical practice also included, such as the need for clinicians to assess a person's level freedom and well being as an element of motivation to change. This dissertation is a (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

Counselors must be equipped to support clients who have histories of interpersonal trauma (SAMHSA, 2014a). Interpersonal trauma often involves experiences of powerlessness (Finkelhor, 1986), and counselors can risk retraumatizing trauma survivors by misusing or neglecting power (Sweeney et al., 2019). Therefore, it is essential that counselors understand clients' experiences of power within the counseling relationship. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the client's perspective of power within the counseling relationship. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation was to explore how adult women with histories of interpersonal trauma experience power within the counseling relationship. This constructivist grounded theory study (Charmaz, 2014) included semi-structured interviews and follow-up emails with 29 participants during concurrent data collection and analysis. Data analysis led to the construction of seven categories and one core category. Categories are sorted via the Corbin and Strauss (1990) model, leading to two contextual conditions (Sociocultural Mental Health Factors and Prior Experiences of Power), one causal condition (Choosing Counseling), two action strategies (Advocating for Needs and Assessing for Safety and Fit), and two results (Reclaiming Power and Reliving Disempowerment). The core category summarized all other categories and answered the research question: participants experienced power within the counseling relationship by Practicing Personal Power in Connection with Others. Analysis also included comparing the grounded theory to Relational-Cultural Theory. Findings illuminated implications and recommendations for counselors, educators, supervisors, leaders and advocates, and researchers.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Now follows the executive summary of the dissertation in practice. Western City Schools is a small and regionally ranked public school district. Despite its many successes, students report feeling a disconnect with teachers and a lack of sense of belonging (YouthTruth, 2022). In order to respond to this concern, this study seeks to better understand the overall organizational culture and uncover ways in which teachers and the district are responding to the increasingly diverse needs of their student population. This study employed a qualitative, phenomenological approach to better understand the lived experience of district staff. Purposeful sampling was used to generate high-quality data within a short period of time. Semi structured interviews were held on site and participants were asked to discuss their experiences related to the organizational culture, culturally responsive teaching practices, and their access to professional development supports. The data yielded rich descriptions of the lived experiences of teachers. First, it is evident that the culture of the district, known as “The Western Way”, has an impact on students and staff. Second, participants described varying levels of knowledge and expertise related to culturally responsive teaching practices. Finally, participants discussed the professional development (PD) and learning opportunities that they have had prior to and during their tenure at Western City Schools, which includes the PD offered by the school district. Collectively, these themes led to two recommendations and the creation of an action plan, which employs critical participatory action research in an effort to involve all stakeholders in the response. The first recommendation is to include teacher voice in district professional development planning and provide teacher choice, which both encourages autonomy but increases accountability. The second recommendation centers around building cultural support systems, which foster a (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Bioethics

Biobanking research represents a nexus of forces that greatly complicate the accepted ethical norms and expectations of biomedical research. The longitudinal nature of biobanking research, the uncertainties involved in the research procedures and eventual outcomes and benefits, and the contested legal and ethical status of human biospecimens in research all serve to distinguish this type of research from more traditional research studies. The ethical principles of respect for persons and justice and the concept of trust in the biomedical research enterprise are connected in this research context in a novel way that blurs the barrier between these principles and ultimately affects the equity of outcomes in biobank research. Using John Rawls' original position thought experiment, mechanisms of governance to ensure fairness and equity are examined. Lastly, an examination of the case of Henrietta Lacks demonstrates the effects of research that does not respect participant autonomy and which delivers inequitable benefits and serves as evidence of the interconnectedness of respect for persons, justice, and trust.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Mechanical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

Autonomous uncrewed aircraft will require collision avoidance systems designed with autonomy in mind as they integrate into the increasingly crowded national airspace system. Current uncrewed aircraft collision avoidance systems typically require a remote pilot to execute avoidance or provide poorly defined guidance that does not benefit autonomous systems. Path Recovery Automated Collision Avoidance System re-plans flight paths to adjust to collisions autonomously using path planners and keep out zones but does not currently detect or mitigate overtaking collisions. This work investigates the effect of geometric keep out zones on the overtaking scenario for autonomous uncrewed aircraft. Keep out zone shapes were developed by relating relative velocities and turn rates of the aircraft in the overtaking scenario and tested using the Path Recovery Automated Collision Avoidance System. Operational ranges for approach heading, relative velocity, and look-ahead time were then determined. The developed set of keep out zones prevented intruder aircraft from entering the minimum separation distance of one wingspan of the mission aircraft in the overtaking scenario for scenarios with look-ahead times between five and twelve seconds, relative velocities of two to twenty, and approach angles between 110◦ and -110◦ measured from the heading of the main UAS. Minimum separation was maintained for low speed encounters with relative velocities between 1.1 and 2.0 for look-ahead times between two and eight seconds for all approach angles. With a look-ahead time range of five to eight seconds, overtaking collisions of all tested approach angles and relative speeds are handled with more than twice the separation required for success, showing that the developed keep out zones are feasible for implementation on possible autonomous collision avoidance systems.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Leadership Studies

This qualitative study used Glaser and Strauss' (1967) grounded theory design and explored leader and teacher perspectives of driving and restraining forces when implementing Finnish strategies for joyful leading, teaching, and learning. The study examined teacher perceptions of autonomy as well as differences between Ohio school district typologies with higher or lower populations of students from historically marginalized groups. Twelve participants, including six leaders and six teachers represented five of the eight Ohio school district typologies. Participants completed a Qualtrics demographic survey and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) (Hills & Argyle, 2002), had a pre-implementation and post-implementation Zoom interview using Seidman's (2019) semi-structured interview protocol, completed three weekly Qualtrics journal entries, and a member checking Qualtrics survey. Participants implemented strategies for joyful leading, teaching, and learning using a Joy Menu created by the researcher, which condensed strategies from Timothy D. Walker's (2017) book Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms. Dedoose software was utilized along with memo writing and a hybrid coding approach to analyze transcripts with constant comparative methodology. Through the lens of Kurt Lewin's Force Field Analysis Model, findings from the analysis were condensed into eight emergent themes, five driving forces, and five restraining forces, all of which were synthesized to create a theoretical model. Findings suggested that benefits of joy included improved connections and relationships, improved school culture, increased student engagement, and stress relief, all from a cost-effective initiative. Barriers to joy included overarching stress, changes to childhood, limited background knowledge, perceptions of joy, and a culture of accountability. Mastery and autonomy may need to coexist to fully realize joy in education, and leaders should provide (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2023, Counseling Psychology

Incarceration is a difficult experience, and research has well documented how trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder are highly relevant for justice-involved populations. Traumatic stress can predict justice system involvement, as well as result from trauma exposure while incarcerated. However, minimal research has yet explored how the deprived environment of prison can result in symptoms of traumatic stress. The current study examined the mechanisms by which prison may be traumatic. Specifically, the pains of imprisonment were translated to psychological constructs (internalized stigma, autonomy, resource loss, and personal safety anxiety) and examined as predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Results offered support for how the pains of imprisonment are significantly associated with PTSD symptoms post-release, even when controlling for several relevant control variables. A high rate of probable PTSD diagnosis was observed. Internalized stigma, resource loss, and personal safety anxiety all predicted PTSD symptoms positively and significantly. Autonomy predicted PTSD symptoms negatively and significantly. Time since release, sentence length, pre-prison trauma exposure, trauma exposure while in prison, and trauma exposure post-release all significantly predicted PTSD symptoms and were included as controls. When examined collectively, trauma exposure during incarceration, autonomy, and resource loss emerged as the most important unique predictors of post-release PTSD symptoms. Additionally, the role of oppression was explored, given the justice-system's historic oppression of minorities. Oppression was found to moderate the relationship between internalized stigma and PTSD symptoms; among those with less history of oppression, internalized stigma significantly and positively predicted PTSD symptoms, but among those with more oppression, internalized stigma significantly and negatively related to PTSD symptoms. Additionally, oppression modera (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2023, Educational Leadership

Black women in higher education are situated in a hegemonic, white, patriarchal context of academia. Despite staff and faculty attempts to support students utilizing foundational theories of student development, these efforts still reinforce controlling stereotypes of Black women and (re)subjugate them to a tumultuous existence in the academy as “others.” Student development theories traditionally have focused on the experiences of white students, and for the few that are focused on Black women, the attention has been on what their experiences consist of, not how they exist, resist, and persist in the academy. Consequently, student development theories fail to identify models and frameworks that simply support Black women's existence in academia. This study is a grounded in Womanism, Black Feminist Theory, misogynoir, and the theory of adultification. Specifically, utilizing portraiture methodology to explore the manifestation of Black women graduate student's formation of Grown Black Woman Voice, a framework which emphasizes Black women's development of voice, to ultimately construct their own existence in academia. Through a qualitative study with Black women graduate student participants, findings illuminate that voice is contextual and influenced by parents, community, and societal influences. Furthermore, the ways in which voice is expressed relies heavily on authentic expression. Implications from this research suggest a deeper need to unpack the development of voice beyond higher education such as the workplace and k-12 education. Ultimately, the voices of the participants emphasize the continued necessity to center the diversity in expression that Black women hold and engage, as they exist in the academy.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Champion Academy teachers in this mixed methods action research case study illuminate the conditions which support or hinder the process of making collective commitments with cycles for iterative improvement. The results of the study demonstrate how closely connected process is to outcome in the work of school improvement. Since the work of school revitalization hinges on change at the classroom level, it is paramount that teachers find the processes utilized favorable in order to increase the likelihood that they will want to engage and follow through. Cycles for iterative improvement are embedded in an intricate school ecosystem spanning multiple domains, from goal setting to instructional leadership, and therefore fidelity to enacting collective commitments rests on many factors. To understand the health of the professional learning community where teachers interface with cycles for iterative improvement, the Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised was employed. Semi-structured interviews were then utilized to gain a more complete picture of the community prior to asking interview questions about cycles for iterative improvement and the process of making collective commitments. Teachers shared that working toward a shared goal, collegial, supportive relationships, and incremental capacity building are essential to the success of cycles for iterative improvement. Teachers unanimously reported that they are more likely to change practice, using new knowledge and skills in their classrooms, when their voice is included and valued in the process. According to Champion Academy teachers, choice and bounded autonomy is fundamental to the process but insufficient. During interviews, teachers repeatedly encouraged leaders to consider how to make cycles for iterative improvement more participatory in the future. The result of this study is an action plan which purposefully integrates teacher voice at the outset of the improvement p (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Medicine: Genetic Counseling

At the age of 18, young adults have the legal capacity to make medical decisions for themselves, including the decision to undergo genomic testing. Young adults have increasing opportunities to engage in genomic testing, research, and practice; however, there is no current understanding of how equipped young adults feel about making decisions to learn genomic information about themselves. We conducted qualitative interviews with 19 young adults, ages 18-21 years old, who enrolled in a research study where they were given the opportunity to learn about different categories of genomic information. The categories were: preventable conditions, treatable conditions, adult-onset conditions, and carrier status for autosomal recessive conditions. During the initial research study, young adults were given the option to include a parent in their study visit and the decision-making process. The goal of this project was to explore the reasons young adults chose whether or not to involve a parent in their study visit and to assess young adults' perspectives about parental roles in their healthcare. Nine of the participants included a parent in their initial study visit and 10 did not include a parent. Eleven participants received their results before the interview took place, while eight participants did not know their genomic test results at the time of the interview. Interview transcripts were coded inductively and deductively using a coding guide developed by the study team. An interpretive descriptive approach was used for analysis. Participants who did not involve a parent mostly mentioned logistical issues as to why they did not involve a parent; whereas those who involved a parent often cited having a close relationship with the parent and the parent's previous involvement in the participant's healthcare as reasons for involving them. Both groups of participants described a gradual transition to independent healthcare decision-making with age, and felt their desired level (open full item for complete abstract)