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Publication Investigating The link Between High-Risk Protein Kinase R-Like Endoplasmic Reticulum Kinase (PERK) Haplotypes, Periodontal Inflammation and Depression in People With HIV (PWH) on Antiretroviral Therapy ( ART)(2025-12-21) khalifah, Afnan; Jordan-Sciutto, Kelly L; Omolehinwa, Temitope Tolulope; Akay-Espinoza, CaglaPeople with HIV (PWH) who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) continue to suffer from chronic inflammation, dental diseases, and increased rates of depression, despite substantial viral suppression. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor, protein kinase R–like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), encoded by EIF2AK3, is a crucial part of the integrated stress response (ISR) that regulates cellular adaptation to viral and inflammatory stimuli. Genetic variations in EIF2AK3 are linked to increased PERK activity and susceptibility to chronic inflammation and neurobehavioral diseases. This dissertation examines the link between high-risk PERK haplotypes and periodontal inflammation, systemic and local immunological activation, and depression in PWH on ART, while also exploring the molecular significance of PERK signaling in HIV-induced inflammation through peripheral and central immune cell models. In this study, 96 PWH on ART were evaluated for periodontal inflammation and depressive symptoms/diagnosis, determination of PERK haplotypes was perform from collected stimulated saliva, and cytokine profiling from serum and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) via Olink proteomics. Although high-risk PERK haplotypes did not show a significant correlation with clinical periodontitis or depression, carriers showed a higher prevalence of gingivitis and increased concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines (CCL11, CCL19, CD8A, CXCL8, and FGF-19) in serum and (CSF3 and IL-1β) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). Race- and sex-stratified analyses demonstrated unique cytokine profiles, with elevated levels of CCL23, CXCL5, FGF5, and DNER in individuals of African ancestry, and increased IL-4 and MMP-10 in individuals of White origin, underlining ancestry-dependent immune regulation. Moreover, to clarify the cellular mechanisms linking PERK signaling to HIV-related stress responses, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia (iMg) were treated with HIV and pharmacological PERK modulators. Following HIV infection, PBMCs from risk haplotype carrier, showed a non-significant trend toward increased early eIF2α phosphorylation (p-eIF2α) and slightly higher expression of activating Transcription Factor 4 (ATF4). In addition, HIV-infected iMg showed an increase in the expression of ATF4, C/EBP Homologous Protein (CHOP), and Binding Immunoglobulin Protein (BiP) mRNA, consistent with partial activation of ISR. Inhibition of PERK via treatment with a pharmacologic inhibitor (GSK2606414) reduced cytokine release and enhanced viral replication, whereas activation of PERK via treatment with a pharmacologic activator (CCT020312) elevated ISR markers and limited viral replication, demonstrating PERK's dual function in modulating inflammation and viral persistence. These data indicate that whereas PERK haplotypes may not directly anticipate overt disease, they influence inflammatory state and stress sensitivity in PWH on ART. The combination of genetic, cytokine, and in vitro evidence establishes PERK as a molecular regulator of inflammation that connects systemic, oral, and neurobehavioral consequences. This dissertation highlights the necessity for population-specific, mechanistically informed intervention approaches aimed at ER-stress pathways to reduce chronic inflammation and associated depression in PWH on ART.Publication SCHOOL-BASED EATING DISORDER SUPPORT: A RAPID SCOPING REVIEW OF THE U.S. LITERATURE(2025-12-18) Chantelle Mccormick; Corcoran, JacquelineABSTRACT SCHOOL-BASED EATING DISORDER SUPPORT: A RAPID SCOPING REVIEW OF THE U.S. LITERATURE Chantelle McCormick Dr. Jacqueline Corcoran Background: Eating disorders (EDs) are among the most severe pediatric mental health conditions, with rising prevalence, multisystem consequences, and one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric illness. Among youth, up to one in ten experience clinically significant disordered eating, with onset occurring at increasingly younger ages. Educational settings represent primary entry points to mental health services for adolescents. Despite this unique position to implement systemic supports, schools often deliver fragmented eating-disorder services, lacking uniformity across districts and grade levels. Purpose: This scoping review, guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute framework and PRISMA-ScR standards, maps U.S. school-based responses to EDs across screening, prevention, stakeholder perspectives, caregiver engagement, workforce readiness, procedural guidelines, and policy. This review then situates ED support measures along a multi-tiered system of support to implement within a school setting. Method: The search was conducted with the aid of an academic librarian, involving six databases with a yield of 2,554 records; after de-duplication and multi-staged screening, 61 studies published between 2000-2025 met inclusion criteria (U.S. K-12 settings; ED-related constructs). Extraction involved study characteristics and findings, and studies were critically appraised with design-appropriate JBI tools. Results: Cross-sectional survey (32.8%) and pre-experimental (25%) designs predominated. Approximately 57% of the studies included were prevention- or intervention-based, largely universal, classroom-delivered psychoeducation that focused on body image, self-esteem, and coping; selective and indicated interventions were comparatively rare. The remaining studies examined prevalence, risk, stakeholder perspectives, or policies and legislation. Methodological rigor was moderate overall: limited follow-up and implementation outcomes were rarely reported. Key findings indicate a high prevalence of unhealthy weight-control behaviors, disproportionate risk among marginalized groups, limited educator preparedness, and gaps in re-entry planning, parent education, and referral pathways. Prevention studies showed short-term improvement in body image and thin-ideal internalization, especially for classroom-based, dissonance or media-literacy programs. However, most effects were not sustained over time. Although state and federal policy momentum is evident, concrete mechanisms for implementation guidance, fidelity monitoring, and outcome evaluation are underdeveloped. Equity considerations, such as subgroup impact and cultural adaptations, were rarely addressed. Conclusion: Findings emphasize the need for a systemic, tiered approach integrating screening, prevention, professional development, family engagement, and policy infrastructure to advance sustainable, equitable school-based ED support. This review further distills the literature into a pragmatic MTSS-aligned delivery blueprint that schools, districts, and communities can readily adapt to extend reach, promote more timely identification and response, and strengthen continuity of services for students and families across the full risk-severity continuum.Publication The Missing Lens: Exploring the Inclusion of Disability Content in HBSE Syllabi(2025-12-15) White, Allison S.; Bourjolly , Joretha; Ladley, KarenDisability is a core dimension of human diversity. In social work education, it is important to include disability content within the curriculum. This qualitative study examined the extent, nature, and framing of disability-related content across Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) syllabi. The HBSE content reviewed in this study were from Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited BSW and MSW programs across the United States. This study utilized a structured coding rubric to analyze to what extent disability content was presented in the HBSE course syllabi. The study utilized Critical Disability Theory (CDT) and the CSWE’s 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). The findings from this study revealed eight overarching themes. The findings also indicated a significant misalignment between the EPAS commitment to diversity, equity, and justice, with the inclusion of disability content within HBSE courses. Recommendations for social work education include the integration of disability as a critical dimension of human behavior; embed disability content across HBSE theories and applied frameworks; expand disability justice–oriented readings; and strengthen the explicit application of disability within the competencies. This study contributes to ongoing effort to advance disability-affirming, justice-oriented social work education, and offers a framework for assessment with recommendations for revising HBSE syllabi to better prepare social work practitioners for inclusive, anti-ableist practice. Keywords: disability, critical disability theory, higher education, human behavior in the social environment, qualitative research, social workPublication Identifying effective stress interventions for dogs living in shelters(2025) Amanda Farah; Meghann, PierdonLink: https://amandafarah.com/Publication MOTHER OF EXILES: A TWO-PAPER DISCUSSION OF ANTI-OPPRESSIVE THEORIES APPLIED TO THE ASYLUM PROCESS(2025) Nicole Nardone; Cnaan, RamThis two-paper dissertation examines the U.S. asylum process and applicant narrative through the frameworks of liberation psychology and narrative therapy, exploring how individuals navigate the task of recounting their lives within a legal system structured by borders, ideology, and historical power. The first paper situates the U.S. asylum system within historical, political, and ideological contexts. Using liberation psychology, it traces how structures of power shape not only policy but also the conditions under which people must describe their experiences of persecution. The second paper applies narrative therapy concepts to examine how asylum testimonies are constructed and how this process engages identity, memory, and meaning. Across both papers, I argue that testimony is not simply a recounting of events but a negotiated narrative shaped by law, culture, power, and the individual’s own interpretive and expressive choices. The asylum process can impose narrative constraints, distort lived experience, or demand coherence where persecution or fear of persecution has left rupture. Yet individuals also bring insight, resilience, and narrative authority to this process. This dissertation highlights these tensions—between structure and agency, silence and speech, erasure and presence—as central to understanding asylum testimony as both a legal requirement and a deeply human act. Finally, this work outlines future directions for qualitative, quantitative, and participatory research that examine testimony creation as a relational, psychological, and political phenomenon. It invites scholars and practitioners to imagine asylum systems informed by a deeper understanding of narrative, liberation, and the longstanding human practice of movement in search of safety and belonging.