University Of Maryland Eastern Shore Research Articles

225 Curricula-Based trainers’ Training: Integrated Approach for Preventing Diseases and Parasites in Small Ruminants in the Southeast

Abstract A high prevalence of diseases and parasites is one of the major constraints in the small-ruminant industry in the Southeast because of its warm and humid climate, and poor management practices. Drug resistance developing in pathogens, and the lack of access of producers to and affordability for veterinarians practicing in small ruminants warranted us to look for integrated preventive approaches. To promote integrated approaches for preventing diseases and parasites in small ruminants, a team of scientists and professionals from five institutions (Tuskegee University, Fort Valley State University, USDA-ARS Booneville, University of Arkansas, and the University of Maryland Eastern-Shore) worked together with an objective to develop curricula (training handbook) and train the trainers (educators) and small-ruminant producers in the Southeast. The Training Handbook consisted of nine chapters authored by project collaborators and invited experts. Relevant aspects of keeping small ruminants healthy and preventing possible diseases and parasites, including basic facilities and health care, suitable sites, grazing systems and management, biosecurity, selection and breeding, nutrition, and economics have been presented and discussed in the Handbook. After the handbook was developed, a 3-day train-the-trainers training was conducted at Tuskegee University. County agents, specialists, and technical-service providers working at various land-grant universities and other institutions working with small-ruminant producers or their educators were invited to participate in the training. Additionally, selected lead producers raising small ruminants from Alabama and graduate students working on small-ruminant research and outreach were invited to the training. Twelve professionals from four different states (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina) six farmers, and four graduate students attended the training. Training included indoor sessions with presentations, discussions, and question-answer sessions. Outdoor sessions included demonstrations, hands-on activities, and tours of the small-ruminant production sites and facilities. Evaluations by participants were conducted before adjournment on the same day or at the beginning on the next day. Most participants expressed that presented topics, hands-on activities, demonstration, and tours were extremely useful (71-85%) or very useful (13-23%). They stated that they were extremely likely (73-89%) or very likely (11-23%) to apply what was learned from the training. Similarly, most participants reported that the ultimate condition of small-ruminant health would be improved if the learned knowledge and skills are applied on the farms (producers) or on education endeavors (professionals) with most improvements (64-83%) or reasonable improvements (15-21%). Evaluations by participants showed that the training handbook and the overall training could be very useful to improve health of small ruminants significantly.

Applying Entrustable professional activities to prescription verification activities in two skills-based laboratory courses

Background and purposePrescription verification is a practice-ready expectation for pharmacy graduates. Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) should be applied to practice-ready skills-based assessments. This manuscript describes the technique of two different institutions in assessing prescription verification aligned to the Practice Manager domain of the Core EPAs as defined by the Academic Affairs Standing Committee 2015–2016 report. Educational activity and settingVirginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy (VCU) and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) School of Pharmacy and Health Professions describe their two methods of evaluating prescription verification with the EPA Practice Manager domain. Each program performed the activities in first-year skills-based laboratory courses. FindingsFulfillment of a medication order was framed into law, medication label, and dispensing accuracy. Both institutions' assessments were high-stakes assessments that included errors. Overall, the majority of both programs' students passed with the institution-specified level of entrustment on their first attempt, with 75.9% to 77.5% of VCU students per each assessment and 74.5% for UMES. The lowest performance, Level 1, assessment scores for the first attempt were 10% for VCU and 2% for UMES, requiring repetition of the assessment for those students. All students achieved a minimum of Level 3 during the reassessments. SummaryDifferent assessment techniques may arise from program design and institutional resources. However, it is important to ensure EPAs are met for all students in prescription verification. Faculty should consider their own verification activities and level of trust expected for students to meet prior to pharmacy practice experiences.

Maryland DH announces MH first aid training for historically Black colleges, universities

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) has launched Mental Health First Aid Training in Maryland's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Announced in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, this initiative aims to train 20,000 students, faculty and staff members across four HBCUs — Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore — during the next four years, as reported by https://www.Maryland.gov on May 10. In Maryland, 52% of Black high school students (ages 14 to 19) reported feeling significantly sadder and more hopeless in the past year compared with the statewide average of 36%, according to the 2021 Youth Pandemic Behavior Survey. In 2019, suicide was the third leading cause of death for Black Americans ages 15 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This Mental Health First Aid training initiative, which MDH previously announced for Maryland's first responders, is being coordinated for Maryland HBCUs by the Mental Health Association of Maryland and MDH's Behavioral Health Administration with funding provided through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Mental Health block grant.

Harmful Algal Bloom Species in the St. Martin River: Surveying the Headwaters of Northern Maryland's Coastal Bays

Wolny, J.L.; McCollough, C.B.; Rosales, D.S., and Pitula, J.S., 2022. Harmful algal bloom species in the St. Martin River: Surveying the headwaters of northern Maryland's coastal bays. Journal of Coastal Research, 38(1), 86–98. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In the spring seasons of 2015 through 2017, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore monitored the phytoplankton community of the headwaters of the St. Martin River, a tributary at the northern end of Maryland's coastal bays, to determine the presence and extent of harmful algal bloom (HAB) species. The phytoplankton community composition, including HAB species, was examined via weekly sampling from March through June. In 2015, HAB events began in late March with a bloom of Gymnodinium aureolum, representing the first report of this species in Maryland waters. Following the G. aureolum bloom, blooms of other HAB species occurred, including Dinophysis acuminata, Karlodinium veneficum, Prorocentrum minimum, and a species in the Alexandrium minutum complex. Initiating at the NW extent of the St. Martin River, these blooms became distributed both temporally and spatially throughout the study area. These same species were detected in 2016 and 2017 but at lower concentrations than those seen in 2015. High concentrations and diverse blooms of HAB species in 2015 may have been due to significant rain events and/or an increase in ammonium levels from a legacy nutrient pool following the removal of the Bishopville Dam, located upstream of the study site in November 2014. This study provides a baseline assessment for future work on harmful algae in the St. Martin River watershed and a look into phytoplankton community dynamics after a dam removal.

Exploring COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy at a rural historically black college and university

ObjectivesMinorities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) yet have the lowest COVID-19 vaccine rate. Vaccine hesitancy has been reported at higher rates in African Americans (AAs) and young adults. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, determine the rationale for receiving or declining the COVID-19 vaccine, and propose strategies to address confidence in faculty, staff, and students at a rural historically black college and university (HBCU). MethodsA study was conducted using an electronic survey administered to a convenient sample of 210 faculty, students, and staff at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, an HBCU in a rural community. ResultsMost participants were 18 to 24 years old (69%), college students (73.89%), AA (70%), and identified as a woman (70%). Notably, 87% of participants were nonhesitant (received one dose or intended to be vaccinated). Approximately 54% had already received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Only 13% of participants were hesitant and did not plan to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The most common rationale for vaccine hesitancy was mistrust of the health care system or government toward AAs. ConclusionThe results show that vaccine hesitancy was low in the predominantly young-adult AA population at a rural HBCU. However, opportunities exist for pharmacists and other accessible health care professionals to contribute to efforts aimed at decreasing vaccine hesitancy and improving vaccine confidence.

Carbon Sequestration Assessment of Selected Campus Champion Trees

This study aims to quantify the unique score of selected champion trees on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) main campus. Individual trees that are evaluated as “champions” of their species are measured for their trunk’s diameter at breast-height, overall tree height, and average crown spread to calculate their total score. Based on each specimen’s total score, selecting the top 20 champion trees provides data that is beneficial in developing a UMES campus tree map using geospatial technology. Furthermore, finding the carbon sequestered value and emissions-storage amount per tree is a targeted topic for the next step in this study. This study also provides a pilot direction for UMES to value its forested regions, to maintain these colossal trees, and to help the campus reach its sustainability goals. Given the relationship between tree size and efficiency of carbon sequestration demonstrated here, additional studies to test the hypothesis that some open grown tree species gain greater girth in a shorter period of time when compared to forest-grown specimens are encouraged to aid in tree selection.

Capitol Hill Health Fair: Showing Congress what pharmacy has to offer

Capitol Hill Health Fair: Showing Congress what pharmacy has to offer

Undergraduate Material Research in a Land Grant HBCU to Sustain Local Farmers Communities

ABSTRACTLand-Grant Universities including those that were developed under the second Morrill Act in 1890 have historically been a key resource for the best scientifically based information for agricultural production. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is situated on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a critical area, with small farms and underserved farmers. This unique location serves as an interface between University specialty crop research and those farmers. While prices of crops such as corn and soy, which traditionally have been a major source of income for local farmers, have increased dramatically over the past years, small farms cannot generate enough income from these commodity crops alone, and a need alternatives for extra income. At UMES agricultural, chemical and material research specialists formed a special research and training cluster in which they work jointly on non-traditional and non-food related applications of specialty crops in the field of material research leading to non-traditional applications of such crops. Examples of such research are: (i) blending natural specialty crops extracts with polymers to develop natural and effective anti-foaling coating to prevent biofilm formation on objects including military ships, platforms etc.; (ii) using biocompatible polymeric chitosan-based blends as sorbents for reversible carbon dioxide capturing and controlled release in algae-growing reactors and in the process of transforming biomass into alcohol by fermentation to increase the effectiveness of biomass use. Only about 20% of students-researchers in the cluster are graduate students and the rest are undergraduates. The main focus is to provide undergraduate students with research experience as a powerful tool for their education and career development. Focus on students performing outstanding research through their undergraduate education is the main priority in UMES. Working on the material research projects described above, our material cluster has developed some educational practices for effectively involving undergraduate students into research. These practices include early involvement, the development of special workshops and training settings for fast project starts, working in small groups lead by more experienced students, picking projects that can be easily divided into small tasks suitable to undergraduate student’s schedules, and participation in scientific conferences for undergraduates and others. In this presentation we will review two material research projects for undergraduate students mentioned above and will show how our best practices are implemented in each of these projects.

CSM 2014 Orthopaedic Section Poster Presentations (OPO1106–OPO1165, OPO2218–OPO2298, OPO3106–OPO3183)

CSM 2014 Orthopaedic Section Poster Presentations (OPO1106–OPO1165, OPO2218–OPO2298, OPO3106–OPO3183)

Biz of Acq-Promoting eBooks at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Biz of Acq-Promoting eBooks at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

University of Maryland Eastern Shore Creates Collaborative Spaces for Student Study Groups

University of Maryland Eastern Shore Creates Collaborative Spaces for Student Study Groups

Increasing Minority Golf Participation Through PGA Education Initiatives

The article provides a report on the successful acquisition of the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) golf management university program by the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES). The PGA’s accredited program is housed at 20 universities with UMES being the first predominantly Black college to offer the coveted program. The article provides interview excerpts on the process undertaken by UMES. The article also identifies initiatives by programs and associations to increase minority golf participation.

Dose titration of sericea lespedeza leaf meal on Haemonchus contortus infection in lambs and kids

The objective of three experiments was to determine the impact of supplementing sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata; SL) in three concentrations in a loose or pelleted diet on gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in small ruminants. Experiments on lambs were conducted at the USDA, Agricultural Research Service in Booneville, AR (Exp. 1) and at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA (Exp. 2); an experiment on goat kids occurred at University of Maryland-Eastern Shore (Exp. 3). Exp. 1 used crossbred hair sheep lambs naturally infected with GIN that were randomly allocated to diets containing 0, 25, 50, and 75% SL diets (n=11 or 12/diet). Exp. 2 consisted of Haemonchus contortus-inoculated crossbred wool breed lambs that were blocked by gender and FEC and randomly assigned to 0, 25, 50, or 75% SL diet (n=8/diet). Fecal egg counts (FEC) and blood packed cell volume (PCV) were not influenced by SL supplementation in Exp. 1 and 2. Exp. 3 consisted of naturally GIN infected Boer crossbred goat kids in individual pens. Kids were blocked by FEC and randomly allotted to treatments of 0, 20, 40, or 60% SL with 9–13goats/diet. The more SL fed, the greater the reduction in FEC (P<0.001). There was an increase in PCV in SL fed goats (P<0.001). Larval speciation at the end of the experiment indicated that feces from control animals produced 43% H. contortus larva while 20, 40 and 60% SL resulted in 39%, 35% and 31% H. contortus larvae, respectively. Feeding dried SL may be less effective in lambs than kids, though concurrent studies must be conducted to confirm this.

Abstract A1: NCI CRCHD Geographic Management Program (GMaP): Catalyzing inter-institutional collaboration for enhanced cancer health disparity (CHD) research and outreach

Abstract In 2009 the NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities launched its Geographic Management Program (GMaP) initiative, which groups cancer health disparity (CHD) research/outreach efforts according to geographic region. Region 1 (DC, MD, VA) includes: Bowie State University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Hampton University, Howard University, Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, University of the District of Columbia, University of Maryland-Baltimore, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, University of Virginia, Washington Hospital Center, Virginia Commonwealth University. The George Washington University Cancer Institute (GWCI) was selected as the Region 1 coordinating hub. Region 1 also includes additional funding for BMaP which is focused on Biospecimen Banking for CHD research. The Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center is the BMaP coordinating hub. The GMaP goal is to create a regional network wherein resources can be pooled to facilitate progress through inter-institutional collaborations with large-scale funding. There are six regions across the country. A vital aspect of the Region 1 infrastructure are its Core/Elective Groups, which each have the goal of assessing research/outreach potential in the following fields: Administration and Communication, Training, Bioinformatics, Biospecimen Banking (BMaP), Clinical Trials, Community Translation, Emerging Technology, Evaluation, Social and Behavioral Oncology. To begin cataloging institutional resources, two survey tools were circulated to Region 1 institutions. The first is the NCI's Readiness Assessment Tool (RAT), which collects institutional data on: communication abilities, bioinformatics, biospecimen banking, clinical trials, emerging technology, training programs. Region 1 institutional data has been organized and submitted to the NCI. The second survey tool, the Resource Assessment Database (RAD), is Region 1-specific. While the RAD aims to obtain a more thorough understanding of institutional resources, including community translation and social and behavioral oncology programs, it crucially is also meant to identify cooperation potential. The RAD is considered a “living document” that is to be modified as GMaP progresses in order to best capture developing research/outreach data interests. The first RAD draft was circulated to all participants, and the resulting data is being organized. All RAT/RAD data will be used to assess and plan collaborative efforts within the Region. The BMaP Group also surveyed three Region 1 institutions on metabolomics specimens by type and race. Further information on tissue type, disease state, was culled for specimens located at Georgetown University. BMaP also plans to host a meeting to discuss the feasibility and interest of a virtual repository for CHD biospecimens. Specific discussions will focus on shared access, universal consents, logistics, as well as institutional and other barriers. Leaders from Region 1 participants have met to initiate more detailed discussions of potential inter-institutional collaborative research/outreach projects. The RAT/RAD data submitted thus far indicates a wide variety of resources that can be brought together to meet its goal of addressing CHDs as a whole. Funded by grant NIH 5U01-CA-116937. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A1.

Student Performance and Perceptions in a Web-Based Competitive Computer Simulation

Computer simulations have implications across disciplines and with learners at all levels. By requiring learners to develop and apply knowledge and skills in interactive changing environments, they encourage deeper levels of learning. Additionally, simulations have been shown to be particularly effective at teaching complicated concepts that depend on the ability to understand interrelationships, strategize, make predictions, analyze and evaluate, and engage in multi-faceted decision making. In order to help students gain a deeper understanding of key business concepts, encourage critical thinking and decision making, foster collaboration and critical discourse, and encourage the application of concepts into real world business practices, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a minority serving institution, decided in 2004 to introduce a series of competitive webbased simulations at key junctures throughout the curriculum but focused primarily in the course Strategic Management. The simulation selected covers topics such as Strategy & T actics, Policy, Production, Accounting, Marketing, Finance, Quality control, Human resources, Leadership, and T eamwork and involves students competing in teams against other teams. In order to assess the effectiveness of the simulation, a research protocol was introduced that included the administration of student surveys as well as the collection of performance data. The findings indicate that students overwhelmingly felt that the simulation helped them understand the application of key concepts and learn the decision making process that occurs in professional business practice. The examination of student performance data gathered in this study, with consideration given to the strong levels of student satisfaction, encouraged the authors to postulate based on the high success rates of this student population, which traditionally underperforms in more traditional mode of assessments, that simulations may serve as an equalizer that offers all students, from low to high achievers, an opportunity to succeed and that competitive web-based simulations enhance the overall educational and personal development experiences of minority students enrolled in higher education business programs.

Incorporating the Hybrid Learning Model into Minority Education at a Historically Black University

Background In 2005, the regents of the University System of Maryland instituted a policy in 2005 that all students enrolling in a Maryland State University as of the fall of 2007 take on average 12 of their credits through out-of-classroom experiences and other nontraditional means. The definition of out-of-classroom experiences includes: e-learning, internships, student teaching, and a host of other activities. Founded in 1886, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a historically black, 1890 land grant institution and a member of the thirteen-campus University System of the State of Maryland. The student body is approximately 3,700, with 10% of the enrollment representing graduate students. UMES is located in a rural region and is the most affordable four-year institution of higher education in the state. With the institution's inexpensive tuition and minimal enrollment criteria, the university attracts a large number of students from a lower socio-economic background than is found in colleges and universities across the state. The Department of Business Management and Accounting is one of the largest departments on campus. The department has approximately 420 majors, offering programs that include Business Management, Marketing, Accounting, and Business Education. The Department of Business was chosen because of its size and adequate socio-economic representation of the UMES student body. Additionally, a historically black institution was chosen due to the lack of substantial research that focused specifically on the perceptions of African American college students with respect to e-learning. WebCt has been adopted as the course management system of choice by the University System of Maryland. UMES began integrating WebCt into their curriculum in 2001. Currently, UMES offers a large number of web-enhanced courses, a few dozen of hybrid courses, and a handful of fully online courses. Literature Review The higher-education classroom has undergone radical reformations in the last decade as a result of technological development, causing academicians across the globe to recognize the importance of technology in higher learning. Technology has illustrated that the classroom does not need to be the nucleus of learning, as networked multimedia are able to extend the teaching and learning experience (McClintock, 1999). Course websites have proved to be an effective means of delivering learning materials, with students responding positively to the quality resources they make available. Wernet, Olliges, and Delicath (2000), who surveyed students who used WebCT in a social work course, found that all of the respondents considered the online course materials beneficial to their overall learning experiences. The movement from the traditional classroom to web-enabled learning has been explained as a move from a behaviorist methodology to a constructivist one (Lewis, MacEntee, DeLaCruz, Englander, Jeffrey, Takach, Wilson, & Woodall, 2005). Koohang and Harman (2005) assert that e-learning by its very nature is rooted in constructivist ideology, where knowledge acquisition is a self-directed activity that is facilitated by an instructor. They draw correlations between elements inherent in both constructivism and e-learning including: collaboration, social discourse, problem solving, exploration, anchored instruction, critical thinking, the revisiting of information in multiple perspectives and representations, intellectual discourse, knowledge construction, and scaffolding. Much of the instructional-technology-based research that has been conducted in the past decade focused on the examination of fully online learning experiences. Significantly less attention has been paid to the blended, or hybrid, learning format. Hybrid courses blend face-to-face interaction with online learning and customarily involve the delivery of curricular materials, access to resources, submission of assignments, and online discussions that may be asynchronous or synchronous in nature. …

Guidelines and Standards for the Development of Fully Online Learning Objects

The transition from face to face learning to the delivery of instruction through re-usable online learning objects has been shown by Salas and Ellis (2006) to be not only effective but have benefits to students, instructors, and administrators. Course websites are learning objects that when used in conjunction with sound pedagogy, learning outcomes, and content can support traditional, authentic, and alternative learning and assessment protocols (Bennett, 2002). The adoption of standards and guidelines for the design and evaluation of learning objects is an important means of quality assurance (Friesen, 2005; Krauss & Ally, 2005; Valarmis & Apostolakis, 2006) that supports the communication of meaningful feedback to instructional designers for product improvement (Krauss & Ally, 2005). In order to ensure that learning objects that support fully online instruction are well developed, a set of standards has been developed by the Office of Instructional Technology at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore that are supported by an evaluation rubric. The goal of this paper is to encourage the establishment of guidelines and a method for evaluating e-learning quality by providing a model that can be adapted and adopted by interested institutions.

Maryland's Special Populations Network

The unequal burden of cancer in minority and underserved communities nationally and in Maryland is a compelling crisis. The Maryland Special Populations Cancer Research Network (MSPN) developed an infrastructure covering Maryland's 23 jurisdictions and Baltimore City through formal partnerships between the University of Maryland School of Medicine, University of Maryland Statewide Health Network, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and community partners in Baltimore City, rural Eastern Shore, rural Western Maryland, rural Southern Maryland, and Piscataway Conoy Tribe and statewide American Indians. Guided by the community-based participatory framework, the MSPN undertook a comprehensive assessment (of needs, strengths, and resources available) that laid the foundation for programmatic efforts in community-initiated cancer awareness and education, research, and training. The MSPN infrastructure was used to implement successful and innovative community-based cancer education interventions and technological solutions; conduct education and promotion of clinical trials, cancer health disparities research, and minority faculty cancer research career development; and leverage additional resources for sustainability. MSPN engaged in informed advocacy among decision- and policymakers at state and national levels, and its community-based clinical trials program was recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a Best Practice Award. The solutions to reduce and eliminate cancer health disparities are complex and require comprehensive and focused multidisciplinary cancer health disparities research, training, and education strategies implemented through robust community-academic partnerships. Cancer 2006. (c) American Cancer Society.

Editorial Preface by Editor-in-Chief

International Journal of Doctoral Studies (Vol. 6) IJDS had another great year. We have seen a significant increase this year in articles submission. IJDS editorial board members have been very busy throughout the year to maintain the quality of IJDS publications. board has kept the tradition of excellence in quality publication for accepted papers. This sixth volume of IJDS includes seven manuscripts. first article by Barnes, Chard, Wolfe, Stassen, and Williams, An Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Graduate Advising Survey for Doctoral Students, reported on a substantial endeavor of collecting survey data from nearly 2,400 graduate and doctoral students about the advising support they received during their academic experience. Their results suggested six sound dimensions and a validated instrument that practitioners can use to improve the quality of doctoral advising as well as support. second article by Nutov and Hazzan, Feeling the Doctorate: Is Doctoral Research that Studies the Emotional Labor of Doctoral Students Possible? documented an intriguing question about the viability of conducting a doctoral dissertation about emotional labor during doctoral studies. They concluded that such research is productive, while it is possible to achieve only at the end of the doctoral endeavor. third article by N. Dreher and H. Dreher, Empowering Doctoral Candidates in Finding Relevant Concepts in a Literature Set, reported on a great technique to empower doctoral students and novice researchers on the mechanics of literature attainment. fourth article by V. Castro, Garcia, Cavazos, and A. Y. Castro, The Road to Doctoral Success and Beyond, documented a qualitative research study using semi-structured interviews about women's success in a Ph.D. counseling program. Their findings suggested three main themes, attributes, attitudes, and motivations, as the key ingredients for success in such doctoral studies. fifth article by Holley, A Cultural Repertoire of Practices in Doctoral Education, discussed the role of culture as an active repertoire in doctoral studies. Her qualitative research using a group of 40 doctoral students indicated that cultural repertoire is central to their socialization. sixth article by Jones and Alony, Guiding the Use of Grounded Theory in Doctoral Studies--An Example from the Australian Film Industry, documented the use of Grounded Theory (GT) in doctoral dissertations. Their work documented an example from the Australian film industry as a context for the use of GT in doctoral research. last article of this IJDS volume by Wao and Onwuegbuzie, A Mixed Research Investigation of Factors Related to Time to the Doctorate in Education, reported on an exploratory research study using mixed-methods approach on a sample of over 1,000 doctoral students about time to attainment of the doctorate (TTD) degree. Their findings provide some insights into the critical factors that have significant impact on TTD. As in prior years, I would like to thank the IJDS advisory board members, Prof. Marc Schniederjans, C. Wheaton Battey Distinguished Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE (USA) and Prof. Niv Ahituv, Marko and Lucie Chaoul Chair for Studies in Information Evaluation Academic, Academic Director of the Institute for Internet Studies, Tel Aviv University (Israel) for their continuous support of IJDS. Furthermore, I would like to thank the IJDS associate editors for their exceptional work and continuous support to IJDS including (in alphabetical order of last names): Nicole Buzzetto-More, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (USA), Sue Conger (University of Dallas, USA), Nitza Geri (The Open University of Israel, Israel), George M. Marakas (University of Kansas, USA), Bernd Carsten Stahl (De Montfort University, UK), Steven R. Terrell, Nova Southeastern University (USA), and Victoria Wise, Deakin University (Australia). …

Maryland's Special Populations Cancer Network: Cancer Health Disparities Reduction Model

Cancer in Maryland is a serious health concern for minority and underserved populations in rural and urban areas. This report describes the National Cancer Institute (NCI) supported Maryland Special Populations Cancer Network (MSPN), a community-academic partnership. The MSPN's priority populations include African Americans, Native Americans, and other medically underserved residents of rural and urban areas. The MSPN has established a community infrastructure through formal collaborations with several community partners located in Baltimore City, the rural Eastern Shore, and Southern and Western Maryland, and among the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and the other 27 Native American Tribes in Maryland. Key partners also include the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the University of Maryland Statewide Health Network. The MSPN has implemented innovative and successful programs in cancer health disparities research, outreach, and training; clinical trials education, health disparities policy, and resource leveraging. The MSPN addresses the goal of the NCI and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to reduce and eventually eliminate cancer health disparities. Community-academic partnerships are the foundation of this successful network.