Academic Team Research Articles

Relationship between medication regimen complexity and pharmacist engagement in fluid stewardship.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. The medication regimen complexity intensive care unit (MRC-ICU) score has previously been associated with pharmacist workload and fluid overload. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of MRC-ICU score with pharmacist-driven fluid stewardship recommendations as a means of establishing its role in risk stratifying critically ill patients for pharmacist intervention. Adult patients admitted to the medical ICU and followed by the academic pharmacy team were included in this retrospective, single-center cohort study. Patient and pharmacist data were collected via electronic medical record and surveillance tool, respectively. MRC-ICU and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores were captured at ICU admission. The primary outcome was correlation between MRC-ICU score and number of pharmacist-driven fluid stewardship recommendations. Secondary outcomes included the relationships between MRC-ICU score, accepted recommendations, and patient outcomes (fluid overload and length of stay [LOS]). Descriptive statistics were calculated for each variable. Spearman's rank-order correlation was used. Of 168 patients, 22 (13%) experienced fluid overload. Median MRC-ICU and SOFA scores were 13 and 7, respectively, and were higher for patients experiencing fluid overload than for those without fluid overload. MRC-ICU had a weakly positive correlation with the number of pharmacist-driven fluid stewardship recommendations (ρ = 0.200; P = 0.010), fluid overload (ρ = 0.167; P = 0.030), and ICU LOS (ρ = 0.354; P < 0.001). These relationships remained true when looking at only the fluid stewardship recommendations that were accepted by the team. MRC-ICU displayed a weakly positive correlation with pharmacist workload, suggesting its potential use in identifying patients likely to benefit from pharmacist intervention.

Vol 1 Issue 1 – Welcome to the issue

Welcome to this, the inaugural edition of the Northumbria Psychology Bulletin where we showcase some of the outstanding research conducted by our undergraduate and postgraduate students, both campus based and distance learning. Our goal is to provide a platform for innovative research that might help launch the careers of the next generation of professional and academic psychologists. I have always been impressed by the diversity and quality of research that our students carry out in the completion of their programmes of study under the exceptional supervision of our academic team. The continuing approach adopted by the department of psychology to support and facilitate the research ideas generated by the students is something that delivers an excellent opportunity for their development of research skills and steps towards independence. The continued student engagement with the process of writing for publication and the ongoing guidance of their supervisors is particularly impressive given that it extends beyond the completion of their degree programmes and is purely voluntary. I think it demonstrates the commitment of both parties to success beyond the classroom as well as the potential contribution our graduates can make to academic research. This issue features articles reporting applied experimental research in the area of healthcare and a qualitative investigation of the impact of Covid on the experience of higher education. I invite readers to engage with these thought-provoking studies and look forward to the future success of this journal.

Development and Evaluation of 4 Short, Animated Videos for Women in Midlife Promoting Positive Health Behaviors: Survey Study

Background Health and health behaviors in midlife are important determinants of healthy aging. There is evidence of unmet needs for health-promoting information for women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and women with low literacy. Objective This study aimed to (1) develop accessible short, animated videos viewable and downloadable from YouTube aimed at promoting positive health behaviors in women in midlife and (2) evaluate their accessibility, acceptability, understanding, and usability and whether this was influenced by the level of education or socioeconomic disadvantage. Methods In collaboration with a video production company, a multidisciplinary team of academics and health professionals developed 2 short, animated videos on self-management of menopause health and 2 promoting joint health. Their accessibility, acceptability, understanding, and usability to women were evaluated in an anonymous web-based survey. Results A total of 490 women viewed the videos and responded to the survey. Of these, 353 (72%) completed all questions. Almost all (from 321/353, 91% to 334/363, 92%) agreed that the information in the videos was “very easy to understand.” The proportions reporting that all or some of the information in the video was new to them varied between videos from 36% (137/386) to 66% (233/353), the reported likelihood of using the practical tips offered in the videos varied from 70% (271/386) to 89% (331/373), and between 61% (235/386) and 70% (263/373) of respondents stated that they would recommend the videos to others. Education-level group comparisons revealed few differences in opinions about the videos, except that women with lower education were more likely than those with higher education to state that they would recommend the 2 joint health videos to others (36/45, 80% vs 208/318, 65%; P=.051 for video 3; and 36/44, 80% vs 197/309, 64%; P=.04 for video 4). There were no differences between women living in the least advantaged areas (Socioeconomic Indexes for Areas quintile areas 1 and 2) and those living in the most advantaged areas (Socioeconomic Indexes for Areas quintile areas 3, 4, and 5) in their responses to any of the questions about the 4 videos. Conclusions Most women found the videos easy to understand, learned something new from watching them, planned to use the practical tips they offered, and were likely to recommend them to other women. This suggests that short, animated videos about health self-management strategies in midlife to improve the chance of healthy aging are perceived as accessible, acceptable, easy to understand, and useful by women.

The Academic Community Early Psychosis Intervention Network: Toward building a novel learning health system across six US states

AbstractIntroductionCompared to usual care, specialty services for first‐episode psychosis (FES) have superior patient outcomes. The Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET), comprised of eight U.S. regional clinical networks, aims to advance the quality of FES care within the ethos of learning healthcare systems (LHS). Among these, the Academic Community (AC) EPINET was established to provide FES care, collect common data elements, leverage informatics, foster a culture of continuous learning and quality improvement, and engage in practice‐based research.MethodsWe designed and implemented a novel LHS of university‐affiliated FES programs within a hub (academic leadership team) and spoke (FES clinics) model. A series of site implementation meetings engaged stakeholders, setting the stage for a culture that values data collection and shared learning. We built clinical workflows to collect common data elements at enrollment and at consecutive 6‐month intervals in parallel to an informatics workflow to deliver outcome visualizations and drive quality improvement efforts.ResultsAll six clinical sites successfully implemented data capture workflows and engaged in the process of designing the informatics platform. Upon developing the structure, processes, and initial culture of the LHS, a total of 614 patients enrolled in AC‐EPINET, with the most common primary diagnoses of schizophrenia (32.1%) and unspecified psychotic disorders (23.6%). Visualized outcomes were delivered to clinical teams who began to consider locally relevant quality improvement projects.ConclusionsAC‐EPINET is a novel LHS, with a simultaneous focus on science, informatics, incentives, and culture. The work of developing AC‐EPINET thus far has highlighted the need for future LHS’ to be mindful of the complexities of data security issues, develop more automated informatic workflows, resource quality assurance efforts, and attend to building the cultural infrastructure with the input of all stakeholders.

Dynamic Bayesian Networks, Elicitation, and Data Embedding for Secure Environments.

Serious crime modelling typically needs to be undertaken securely behind a firewall where police knowledge and capabilities remain undisclosed. Data informing an ongoing incident are often sparse; a large proportion of relevant data only come to light after the incident culminates or after police intervene-by which point it is too late to make use of the data to aid real-time decision-making for the incident in question. Much of the data that are available to the police to support real-time decision-making are highly confidential and cannot be shared with academics, and are therefore missing to them. In this paper, we describe the development of a formal protocol where a graphical model is used as a framework for securely translating a base model designed by an academic team to a fully embellished model for use by a police team. We then show, for the first time, how libraries of these models can be built and used for real-time decision support to circumvent the challenges of data missingness seen in such a secure environment through the ability to match ongoing plots to existing models within the library.The parallel development described by this protocol ensures that any sensitive information collected by police and missing to academics remains secured behind a firewall. The protocol nevertheless guides police so that they are able to combine the typically incomplete data streams that are open source with their more sensitive information in a formal and justifiable way. We illustrate the application of this protocol by describing how a new entry-a suspected vehicle attack-can be embedded into such a police library of criminal plots.

Innovative Digital Learning

This poster highlights the effective use of learning technologies like animation, generative AI tools, and immersive reality to create digital learning and assessment artifacts for university nursing students. The purpose is to deliver a high-quality digital learning experience aligned with the university's pedagogy and education plan. It also showcases accessible, inclusive digital artifacts and early evaluations of their impact on learning. Animation technology is at the forefront of creating engaging educational content. By using animation, complex concepts can be shown in a visually appealing and easily digestible manner, making learning more engaging for students (Liu &amp; Elms, 2019). It also allows for dynamic storytelling and the illustration of abstract ideas, which can be particularly beneficial in concepts that are challenging to visualize (Rasmusson &amp; Bourne, 2017). Generative AI plays a pivotal role in developing scripts for these educational animations. Leveraging AI, we generate content tailored to learners' needs and optimized for clarity and engagement. Though AI-generated, our academic team thoroughly edits and revises the scripts to be clinically representative of the topic covered. This AI-driven script development ensures efficient collaboration with academics, resulting in accurate, relevant, and pedagogically sound material. (ProQuest LLC, 2024). Using cutting-edge animation and generative AI technologies can create impactful nursing education materials that boost student engagement. (White, Huang, &amp; Campanale, 2023) and facilitate learning outcomes (Huang et al., 2020). These activities are anchored in the university’s signature pedagogy—active, applied, and authentic—immersing students in educational content and inspiring them to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world scenarios presented through animated learning activities. In addition, immersive reality technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), further enhance the educational experience. By incorporating AR and VR as additional resources to complement the animations, we create immersive environments where students can interact with the material in a hands-on manner. This not only can make learning more engaging but can also help students better understand and retain complex concepts through experiential learning (Tene et al., 2024). A digital learning developer collaborated with the academic team to create an augmented reality-based artifact for nursing students. Integrated into Canvas our institution’s learning management system this artifact presented difficult topics in three dimensions with the aim of effectively explaining concepts and enhancing student engagement. While animation and immersive technologies can boost engagement, they can also present inclusivity and accessibility challenges for some students. To facilitateinclusivity and accessibility, we followed digital accessibility guidelines and universal design principles (Ismailov &amp; Chiu, 2022). We evaluated tools like animation, AR/VR, and interactive modules for accessibility, offering alternatives when needed. This approach accommodated diverse learning preferences, making education accessible and inclusive for all students. The environmental impact of adopting these technologies is a significant consideration. Digital tools can reduce the need for physical materials and decrease travel-related emissions, making education more sustainable. The early assessment of the digital learning materials, incorporating animation, AI, and immersive learning technologies, reveals promising results in enhancing student engagement. These materials cater to various learning preferences reflecting insights from the academic team.

Anatomically Correct! A qualitative evaluation of an integrated cadaveric clinical skills workshop series designed for future pharmacist prescribers

Abstract Introduction All newly qualified pharmacists in the UK will register as independent prescribers from 2026. Schools of Pharmacy are required to adapt current curricula to allow for greater embodiment of the skills future prescribers require. One essential element of the curriculum for prescribing pharmacists, set by the General Pharmaceutical Council, is understanding anatomy1. Clinical examination techniques can be difficult to grasp without anatomical understanding of physical landmarks. Previously, pharmacists have had little anatomy training. The need for a stronger foundation of clinical skills and knowledge of anatomical landmarks is imperative as graduates become prescribers. Aim To explore the student perceptions of integrated pharmacist anatomy education. Methods In September 2022, an interprofessional team of anatomy and pharmacy academics developed a novel, two-year workshop series using cadaveric examination to better dovetail with clinical skills practical classes, delivered in the same week and covering the same body systems. Within the dissection room, students were invited to complete self-directed exploratory tasks using cadavers followed by interprofessional direction about relevant anatomical landmarks needed for clinical examination techniques. Qualitative evaluation of student perspectives of this experience was undertaken in autumn 2023. Semi-structured interviews following a topic guide were arranged using purposive sampling by inviting students on the new programme (years one and two) and students who had received the non-integrated, anatomy-only programme (years three and four). Interviews were conducted and recorded using Microsoft Teams. Transcripts were cleaned and quality checked. Inductive, open-coding was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis to understand student experiences and perceptions, with coding and theme generation from one author (DD) with a second author (CEC) for sense-checking in a collaborative approach2. A combination of latent and semantic codes were used as appropriate. Epistemological considerations regarding the data were constructivist, with experiential orientation. Institutional ethical approval was granted for this study (reference: 36415/2023). Lead author (DD) noted his positionality as a fourth-year MPharm student. Results Seventeen one-to-one interviews (n=17) were conducted with post- (n=8) and pre-curriculum change participants (n=9). Five themes were derived from transcripts: navigating initial reactions to anatomy education; valuing integrated and experimental learning; transfer and consolidation of knowledge through staff and peer interaction; individualised perception comprising of student’s overall anatomy experience; prospective application of knowledge via content integration. Content integration was seen as beneficial by students, suggesting that it gave greater insight into the role and remit of a pharmacist and guided them towards the ‘more relevant’ information. Discussion and Conclusion An integrated approach of aligning clinical skills teaching with a multi-disciplinary-led, practical cadaveric anatomy series provided students with greater self-perceived confidence and understanding of clinical examination techniques. Students appreciated the importance of anatomy knowledge in prospective roles as prescribing pharmacists. Limitations of the study included the single site for recruitment at one School of Pharmacy, limiting transferability. Students highlighted benefits of being taught by practising clinical pharmacists who could illustrate the links to diagnosis and prescribing skills. Future research should focus on the longitudinal impact of an integrated anatomy education both pre- and post-registration.

Igniting the fire and seeing through the smoke: Enabling medical students to see themselves as future clinical academics

Purpose Lack of recruitment to clinical academic careers is of concern, and may be linked to lack of awareness and promotion of this pathway in undergraduate medical education. Our study explored undergraduate experiences which support academic career progression and potential barriers to pursuing Specialised Foundation roles in the United Kingdom. Methods We adopted a constructivist lens and conducted interviews with specialised foundation programme (SFP) doctors and final year students who had applied for SFP positions. We analysed interview transcripts using reflexive thematic analysis. Results We recognised four key stages which stimulated and supported students in pursuing a clinical academic career: (1) Lighting the inner spark; (2) Igniting the fire; (3) Feeding the fire; and (4) Seeing through the smoke. Although students showed a strong inner drive, meaningful undergraduate experiences and positive interactions with academics were crucial for sparking academic interests. Participants were more often inspired by their extra-curricular activities than core undergraduate education. Conclusions Early positive experiences are needed for students to overcome stereotypes and consider clinical academic careers. Medical schools should raise awareness of clinical academic careers early on, ensure all students have opportunities to participate in relevant activities with academic teams, and develop medical educators and researchers who can engage and inspire others.

STEP UP to University: Continuity and Belonging for Articulation Students

Articulation plays a key role in widening access to HE, but tailored support is necessary for a smooth transition. Articulating students often see themselves as lacking key skills and express concern at the significant differences between college and university. This case study explores how the academic skills team at the University of Dundee supports articulation through STEP UP: a credit-bearing module designed for students enrolled on a Social Sciences HNC at Dundee and Angus College who hold a direct entry place for second year Humanities at the university. A key strength of the STEP UP approach is its emphasis on continuity between college and university, welcoming students to the University during their college year. Students journal about their college experiences, create an artefact reflecting on their articulation year, and present a group project on "Becoming, Being, and Belonging" as a university student. They also implement feedback on their college writing to complete their first university essay, providing them with a clear link between their college and university assignments. Rather than emphasising the "gap" between college and university, STEP UP empowers students to recognise the skills they have developed during their HNC and identify how to employ these skills at university. By fostering reflexivity and feedback literacy, the module helps students understand what they bring to university and how they can grow within it. As Scottish institutions adjust to the new tertiary landscape, STEP UP demonstrates how emphasising continuity rather than difference can help articulation students develop their sense of belonging at university.

MyFeedback: an online writing feedback service with students as partners

MyFeedback is an online feedback service run by the academic tutoring team at the University of East London (UEL). The service provides a formative type of feedback on the academic writing of students based on drafts they upload to a digital inbox. The service is a differentiating support mechanism that complements the one-to-one guidance provided by the academic writing tutors. This is possible by training and supervising students (online feedback initiators) to provide reviews of assignment drafts. In this ALDCon24 workshop, we discussed how the development and operation of the service has thrived through a partnership between learning developers and students, and thus establishing a community of practice (Wenger, 1998) of shared learning and vision. We provided insights into the working model and the ways in which students become partners and occasionally co-creators. We highlighted the opportunities and benefits that are shared among all those involved and the roles they assume. Student users of the service engage in a self-regulated learning experience (Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2006) enacted by their repeated exposure to peer feedback interactions that is underpinned by pedagogical principles, such as the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978) and differentiation, for example in Tomlinson (2001). Tutors and student partners collaborate to consolidate their feedback mechanisms by bringing together teaching expertise, fresh enthusiasm, first-hand student experiences, and a sense of belonging, inclusivity and collaboration. At the same time, tutors direct their capacity efficiently to students who can benefit more from a live dialogue based on their assessment at hand.

Co-producing evidence to inform universal health coverage implementation in Ireland: 2019-2024

Abstract Background In 2017, Ireland’s parliamentary health committee published a ten-year health reform plan, entitled Sláintecare, with the aim of delivering universal healthcare. Endorsed by government in 2018, progressing Sláintecare remains government policy in 2024. In 2019, Prof Burke was awarded public funding to co-produce knowledge for the design and implementation of the regions, a key aspect of Sláintecare. In 2020, with the arrival of COVID-19, regional reform was paused and the research pivoted to capture the learning from the COVID-19 health system response to inform Sláintecare. In 2022/3, the research returned to focus on the regions. Methods Foundations’ research resulted in 14 peer-reviewed publications between 2019 and 2023. These were mixed-methods using qualitative and quantitative data and analysis. Coproduction with health system leaders that were devising and implementing the regions and the COVID-19 health system response underpinned the research. Results There are 14 academic publications from the Foundations Research (2019-2023). At the core of co-production is trust and good working relationships. Co-producing research with senior policy makers and implementers has benefits and drawbacks. The benefits include access to resources and data and that the data and knowledge generated are more likely to be adopted. Drawbacks include control over areas researched, denial of access to data and lack of openness to research findings. Producing controversial findings, unpopular with government, minister or health system leaders can also lead to difficulties for the research team. Discussion/conclusions Details of the coproduction process with senior health system and policy leaders will be presented. It will detail specific examples of the research which were initiated by the health system and those that came from the academic research team. It will give examples of how the research influenced the policy making and implementation processes. Key messages • Co-producing research between academics and health system and policy leaders leads to better use of evidence. • Trust and good workign relationships are key to co-producing research that is used in policy making and implementation processes.

Innovation in Teacher Training: Curricular and Operational Keys in Pedagogy Programs

This study addresses the curricular components and operational conditions required for the success of curricular innovations in teacher education programs. This quantitative study analyzed components related to epistemic meanings, organization, design, and curricular policies, as well as operational conditions for the development of curricular innovations in teacher training. A Likert-scale survey was administered to academics from public universities in Chile that train teachers. The method of analysis used SPSSv28 software, establishing a descriptive and inferential analysis through descriptive statistics of sex, age, gender, and position in the organization. The results show that operational conditions, academic teams, organizational aspects, updating of regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, and curricular policies are essential for the success of curricular innovations. We conclude that curricular innovations at the institutional level require the generation of curricular policies that contemplate the design, monitoring, and evaluation of the curriculum to favor the processes of curriculum review and quality assurance.

Living and Researching the COVID-19 Pandemic: Autoethnographic Reflections from a Co-Research Team of Older People and Academics.

This article describes and reflects upon the work of a co-research team on the Healthy Ageing in Scotland (HAGIS) 'COVID-19 Impact and Recovery' study (January 2021 to November 2022). The co-research team (seven older adults and three academics) was constituted near the start of this project; the team contributed to the development of recruitment materials and research tools and undertook qualitative research and analysis with older adults living across Scotland. This article provides a collaborative autoethnography about the activities undertaken by the team, the impact of the co-research process on the individuals involved, and the research findings and reflects the realities of co-research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Team members describe benefits, including increased confidence, new skills, and social connections, and reflect on the increased validity of the findings through their close involvement in the co-creation of knowledge. The process of team building and the adoption of an 'ethics of care' in our practice underpinned the success of this project and the sustainability of the group during and after the challenging circumstances of the pandemic.

Investigating Co‐Authorship Networks of Academic and Industry Researchers in Artificial Intelligence

ABSTRACTResearch teams from the industry, especially big technology companies, have been pushing impactful research work in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), changing the prospects of the field and the careers of many researchers. Research teams from big technology companies usually possess more data, bigger computing infrastructure, and research talent, granting them the advantages in advancing AI research. While most previous work focuses on investigating the advantages the industry has in the field of AI, and how their research publication is different from those published by academic teams, few research has been done to investigate whether working as an industry researcher is beneficial at the individual level. In this work, by analyzing co‐authorship networks of researchers published in AI conferences, we investigate whether working in the industry gives researchers advantages in “intangible” forms, such as social capital, represented by the collaborative relationships they gained or maintained. Our result shows that the many advantages industry researchers possess correlate with the social capital they have, measured by degree centrality, eigenvector centrality, betweenness centrality, and effective size.

The Languages of Love Support Group: Exploring quality of life and relationship satisfaction among couples experiencing cancer.

206 Background: Based on Dr. Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages (5LL), love is given and received in different ways. By identifying preferences for reciprocating love, relationships are enhanced through strengthened bonds and improved communication. Study goals were to optimize quality of life and reduce pain through improved dyadic communication via support group curriculum adapted from Dr. Chapman’s work. Methods: A research collaboration was established between an academic pharmacy research team and a large community oncology practice. A group of Masters prepared Social Workers (MSWs) within the oncology practice developed a virtual 6-week, cancer specific curriculum targeting the patient-partner couple (dyad). Participants completed 5LL quiz to determine their preferred love language. In each group session facilitated by MSWs, dyads were educated on each love language meaning (words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, physical touch) and potential impact following a cancer diagnosis. Weekly sessions included collective discussion and breakout groups consisting of patients and partners separately. Participants took a researcher-designed, pre- and post-test survey. Participants shared their preferred love language and were encouraged to perform actions accordingly. Dyads were mailed infographics with application examples for each love language and received a welcome starter kit including $50 of items. Results: A pilot group of 24 dyads consisting of 3 cohorts were enrolled in the 6-week intervention. Eleven dyads completed pre- and post-tests (45.8%); 100% of dyads were married, greater than 50% more than 20 years. Greater than 80% of participants were 50 years or older, greater than 70% White; 81.8% of patients female and 63.3% of partners male. Patient relationship satisfaction increased significantly (p&lt;0.10) while trend for improved partner relationship satisfaction was not significant. There was a trend of decreased patient depression and anxiety despite patients’ reported pain increasing significantly (p&lt;0.10). The comments regarding intervention were overwhelmingly positive. Conclusions: Educating dyads within the 5LL virtual support group demonstrated a novel and effective way to provide emotional support and enhance intimate relationships. Through this innovative group, participants learned to identify and express partners’ love language. Pilot intervention shows how this approach is useful in improving relationship satisfaction during the cancer journey. Following group participation, patients also reported increased quality of life and decreased depression and anxiety even while reporting increased pain. Based on this evidence, a couples support group constructed from the 5LL paradigm is a promising approach to improve the quality of life of cancer patients.

Building a community-academic partnership to expand services for childhood cancer survivors in a rural, low-income region in California.

360 Background: Community-engaged research is an effective approach to address health disparities that is well-established in the public health domain and has not been widely applied in childhood cancer survivorship. We present our multi-year experience building a community-academic partnership and community-engaged childhood cancer survivorship research portfolio. Methods: We have developed a partnership between Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services, a nonprofit community-based organization (CBO) and an academic pediatric cancer survivorship team, with the goal of improving health outcomes for childhood cancer survivors and their families in the Salinas Valley, a rural, low-income region in California with majority Hispanic/Latino/a/e residents. Our partnership process is guided by principles of community-based participatory research, prioritizing trust and involving community members as equal partners in all phases of research. Results: In year 1 (2021-2022), we held successive meetings which identified common goals and shared values, established the collaboration, and sought funding to advance our goals. In year 2 (2022-2023), with internal grant funding, we conducted a qualitative needs assessment interviewing childhood cancer survivors, parents, and CBO staff. Teamwork enriched the data analysis and allowed us to identify problems in communication as an area of need, which directly informed subsequent grant proposals. In year 3 (2023-2024), with external funding we began a multi-year study to understand and improve survivorship-related communication among Hispanic/Latino/a/e young adult childhood cancer survivors, their parents, and clinicians. Current and future projects include collaborative design and pilot testing of a novel communication intervention, formation of a dedicated community advisory board, and a CBO-driven program evaluation. Findings from our community-engaged studies have prompted new sets of research questions and illustrate opportunities for institutional change in the clinic setting. In parallel, the CBO has leveraged research findings in real-time to identify barriers to seeking support among childhood cancer survivors and families, and adapted and improved programming for families in response. Through our joint research portfolio, we have incorporated training and mentorship for staff at the CBO and medical trainees at the academic center. Conclusions: A community-academic partnership in a rural, low-income region has the potential to reduce health disparities and improve childhood cancer survivors’ health outcomes through collaborative program development and community-engaged research. Fueled by mutual investment and strong momentum, our partnership facilitates an interconnected cycle of research and practice change that is grounded in community needs.

Advancing gender equality through context-sensitive work-family support for breastfeeding: lessons from a participatory intervention in South Africa

ABSTRACT The return to work is a key reason for breastfeeding cessation worldwide. Where workplace breastfeeding support is available, it is shaped by universal policies that overlook local realities and needs. Our collaborative research, involving an academic team and government partners, sought context-specific solutions for supporting breastfeeding in a provincial government in South Africa. Using a participatory approach, we conducted qualitative interviews with 12 government-employed mothers and senior managers. We identified three key challenges to workplace breastfeeding support: (1) Lack of awareness and communicating of reliable information on maternity and breastfeeding rights, (2) Workplace cultures pressurising mothers into silence, secrecy, and supra-performance that perpetuate breastfeeding as ‘taboo’ at work, and (3) Inadequate context-sensitive and practicable interventions for supporting maternity and breastfeeding at work. Based on these findings, we co-created tailored, practical interventions with the interviewees and refined them iteratively to enhance support for workplace breastfeeding. This research informed updates to a provincial government department policy document on workplace breastfeeding support, moving beyond national legislation to create a breastfeeding-friendly workplace. Our study highlights the value of participatory approaches for the development of context-sensitive solutions for workplace breastfeeding support with implications for organizations, social policy, and future research.

Collaborative strategies for designing employability curriculum in a liberal arts context

In Australian higher education, the push for curriculum innovation to enhance graduate employability is crucial but faces contention and debate. While the importance of integrating employability skills is widely recognised, perspectives on how and whether to incorporate these as curricular objectives vary, especially in liberal arts programs. This paper explores a multidisciplinary academic team’s experiences of embedding employability units into the Bachelor of Arts and undergraduate Communication and Creative Arts degrees at one Australian university. It addresses the challenges of diverse disciplinary perspectives on employability, career education, and work-integrated learning (WIL), and the design for a diverse student cohort, including career starters, career advancers, and career changers from multiple disciplinary contexts. Utilising Tuckman’s ‘forming, storming, norming, and performing’ model, the paper evaluates the team’s dynamics, offering insights and guidance for academics and institutions undertaking similar curriculum innovation projects to enhance graduate employability. This case study highlights the institutional support necessary for fostering sustainable curriculum reforms and the positive effects of collaborative curriculum design on the professional development and teaching capabilities of the educators involved.

Abstract B076: Qualitative insights into building an effective community advisory board for cancer disparities research

Abstract To address cancer disparities in minority and underserved communities, many organizations and research studies use a community advisory board (CAB) to better understand the needs, preferences, and perceptions of communities experiencing health inequities. Researchers have described a range of problems resulting in less than optional engagement of CAB members. Academic members of an NCI-funded cancer partnership interviewed 15 of the 20 members of their CAB to better understand their perceptions of their roles and expectations, as well as barriers and facilitators of engagement. Two trained team members coded the transcripts and conducted qualitative analysis using an iterative inductive/deductive framework. Deductively, we used principles of community-engaged research, and inductively we used coded quotes to identify details in the CAB members’ perspectives. The research team collaborated in organizing major themes into a conceptual framework to describe context, expectations, barriers and facilitators, and recommended strategies for strengthening involvement and benefit of CAB participation for its members. CAB members identified individual factors associated with their involvement including skills (communication, problem solving, interpersonal, leadership, professional, and advocacy), and motivations (community commitment, personal or family experience with cancer). The interviews indicated that there is a gap between CAB members’ perceptions of their roles and what they expect from participation and attendance in CAB meetings, and those of the academic team as conveyed verbally, in the CAB manual, and during onboarding activities. Barriers to enthusiastic engagement include disruptions associated with the COVID experience, members’ competing priorities, and role ambiguity. The CAB members’ resources and connections to the community were identified as facilitators. All these factors influenced the amount and quality of engagement of members with the academic partners and the community at large. Participants suggested many useful adaptations of the CAB-academic partnership, including enhanced training, improved communication, explicit role definitions, clear expectations around engagement with research, and better onboarding for new members. Scientists using a CAB to enhance community engagement should approach building a robust CAB as a deliberate process involving considerable planning, organization, and attention. Projects using a CAB can use the findings from this project to organize a community-academic partnership that will effectively and efficiently contribute to clinical, translational, and community-engaged work addressing cancer health disparities. Citation Format: Leah Alexander, Jennifer Erves, Rebecca Selove, Ila McDermott, J'la Jenkins, Phillip Morris, David Schlundt. Qualitative insights into building an effective community advisory board for cancer disparities research [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B076.

Work readiness of student nurses voluntarily supporting NHS during COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods investigation into students’ experiences

Background: Transition from education to the workforce has been recognised as difficult and linked to ‘reality shock.’ Due to the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, many student nurses opted in for NHS emergency placements and prematurely transitioned to the workplace, which calls for an in-depth investigation of the work readiness and transition experiences of this cohort. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate self-perceived work readiness, the effectiveness of support provided by the universities and the NHS as well as explore the experiences of student nurses who responded to the COVID-19 crisis to understand the impact of this early transition to the clinical workforce. Design: A mixed methods study was conducted. It included two stages: (1) an online survey consisting of a work readiness questionnaire and close- and open-ended questions about received support; and (2) online semi-structured interviews that were thematically analysed. Methods: Participants were nursing students from Scottish universities who took on emergency NHS placements. Thirty-three (30 females and 3 males) participants completed the survey and 8 of them (all female) participated in semi-structured interviews. The Work Readiness Scale for graduate nurses along with questions about the support received were completed in the first stage of the study. Results: Organisational acumen was perceived by participants as higher than social intelligence, work competence and personal work characteristics. Three superordinate themes emerged: (1) participants expressed appreciation of and need for coordination of support from the university and the NHS as a key factor in easing into their role; (2) they indicated the sense of obligation as the key driver for taking up this placement; (3) placement was seen as an opportunity to understand their role and develop their professional identity. Conclusions: The findings found the importance of support from the clinical placement and academic teams to help with the integration and application of theory into practice.