The Research Scholar Program provides structured educational research opportunities for undergraduate students. Within each session, students apply for positions offered by health network departments. Each position involves a combination of research, as well as professional and clinical observations. The program offers educational experience for students and additionally provides valuable assistance to health network departments.
Go to Lehigh Valley Health Network's website for more information about the Research Scholar program.
2026
Optimizing Orthopedic Outcomes: Correlation Between Postoperative Disposition Planning and Quality Outcomes in Joint Reconstruction Patients, Mahdi Ali; Teresa Latvis MA, BSN, RN; Carissa Hrichak MBA, BSN, RN; Ashleigh Solomon; and Hannah Fortune MHA (Poster)
Beyond Visual Inspection: Evaluating the Role of Borescope Technology in Detecting Internal Contamination of Reprocessed Surgical Instruments, Charlotte Annes; Adrienne Bell BBA, CSPDT; Robin Tannous BSN, RN, CNOR; and Jonathan T. Berback MPH, CIC (Poster)
Exploring the Role of Medical Interpreters in Patient Care, Polina Baba and Joumana De Santiago (Poster)
Histologic Evaluation of Late Burn Scars With and Without Dermal Substrate, Melaina Barbe, Daniel Magallanes, and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Poster)
Assessment of Graduate Medical Educators’ Confidence in Their Institution’s Abilities to Provide Appropriate Resources for Graduate Medical Education Trainees, Madison Berger and Melissa L. Brannen MD (Poster)
Analysis of Physicians Who Trained and Remain at Lehigh Valley HealthNetwork, partof Jefferson Health: Factors Influencing Satisfaction and Retention, Michela Biondi, Terri Vian, and Joseph E. Patruno MD (Poster)
Utilizing Data to Inform Educational Decision Making, Andrew Blum and Kerri Green EdD, MS (Poster)
Availability of Cannabinoid-infused Products in Corner Stores in Franklin Park, Allentown, Abigale Brosious; Joselyn Correa-Melendez DHSc, MPH; and Kimberly C. Brown MD (Poster)
Assessing Language Access Barriers in Medical Settings, Ashley Cardona-Carrillo, Joumana De Santiago, and Janiris Sanchez (Poster)
Diabetes equity in Lehigh Valley: Recruitment for a national diabetes prevention program train the trainer model, Miguel Chuidian MD; Autumn Kieber-Emmons MD, MPH; Rachel Apiolaza; and Carolyn Peterseim MD (Poster)
From Awareness to Ownership: A Framework for Values & Habits Adoption, Mariuxi Coyago and Gerald Mcglinn M.A., ACC (Poster)
From Prevention to Intervention: Delirium Order Set Utilization at Pennsylvania's First American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verified (GSV) Hospital, Emma Dela Cruz; Rovinder Sandhu MD; Lauren Curcio MSN, RN, GERO-BC, TCRN; and Christina Holub MSN, CRNP, FNP-C, GS-C (Poster)
AI in Residency: A Mixed Method Evaluation of AI Tools Used in Family Medicine Residency Programs, Josiah Daniel; Autumn Kieber-Emmons MD, MPH; Erin Smith DO; and Roya Hamadani MPH (Poster)
LVHN Harm Reduction Navigator Evaluation, Sandra Eaddy; William Delgado; Nyann Biery DHSc, MS; and Abby S. Letcher MD (Poster)
Understanding the Voices of Franklin Park Youth: The Development of a Needs Assessment, Alexander Ellison-Drum, Rachel Hager, and Cheryl Arndt PhD (Poster)
Health Effects of Adolescent Vaping, Marco Ashraf Fekry and Kimberly D. Smith RRT-ACCS (Poster)
Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Associated with Pediatric Cochlear Implantation: A 10-Year Retrospective Study, Julia Finley, Michael McGlone MD, and Sri Kiran Chennupati MD (Poster)
Evaluating Compliance with Evidence Based Guidelines in Diagnostic Workup and First Course of Treatment for Adenocarcinoma of the Rectum Stages I-III, Sada Fleischaker; Dennis Sopka MD; and Melissa Kratz RN, MSN, AOCN (Poster)
What is Volunteer Services?, Anaya Freeman; Denyelle Buck BBA; and Karla Bachl MBA, SHRM-CP, CAVS, CDVS (Poster)
Is Colder Always Better? DHCA vs. MHCA in Aortic Surgeries, Sophia R. Gormas; Sofia A. Veluz; Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP; and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Donor Site Scarring and Dyspigmentation Following Split-Thickness Skin Graft Procedure: A Large-Sample, Single-Site Retrospective Study., Sakura Helm and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Article)
Oximetry Disparity Due to Skin Color, Sera Wambui Karanja and Kirth W. Steele DO (Poster)
To Be Understood: The Impact of Professional Medical Interpreters on Patient Satisfaction, Kassia Kuczynski and Joumana De Santiago (Poster)
Evaluating the Impact of a Medical-Surgical Cohorting Model on Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Readmissions at LVH-Muhlenberg, Sonal Lakhani; Karanda Erdman BSN, RN; Heather Faust MSN, RN, CMSRN; and Michael Goldner DO (Poster)
Implementation of a Network-Wide Pediatric Stroke Protocol, Isabella Latini, Liborio LaRussa MD, Teresa M. Romano MD, and Matthew Palilonis (Poster)
Assessing Frontline Rehabilitation Clinician Engagement in Quality Improvement and Research: The Role of Systems Thinking, Psychological Safety, and Advisory Board Support, Synthia Layous; Kasey Hutter MS, CCC-SLP; Michael Pechulis DPT; and Heather Monihan PT, DPT (Poster)
Reducing Emergency Department Length of Stay Through Split-Flow Optimization, Jessica Lee and Matthew Souchak BSN, RN, CCRN (Poster)
Clinical Outcomes of Patients Transitioned from Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation to Biventricular Support, Kenny Lu; Zachary Onsinyo; Sophia Gormas; Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP; and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Do Burn Wounds Treated With Dermal Scaffold Need Surgical Reconstruction?, Daniel Magallanes, Melaina Barbe, and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Poster)
Mystery Archives: Administrative File Management & Retention, Mia Mancebo; Amy Kintz; and Jonathan Davidson MBA, MABC, PMP (Poster)
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR): Does The Surgical Location Impact Outcomes?, Vaughn McCain; Sam Veluz; Zachary Onsinyo; Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP; and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Sean McClain and Terry Purcell MBA (Poster)
AI-Assisted Patient Assignment: Enhancing Workload Balance and Supporting Charge Nurse Decision-Making, Grace Mei and Brandon Bush MSN-RN (Poster)
Common Factors and Conditions Affecting CABG Readmissions, Jonathan Nelson; Vaughn McCain; Kelly Lu; Grace Perez; Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP; and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Comorbidity Burden, Age, and Outcomes in VA ECMO: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis, Zachary Onsinyo; Kenny Lu; Sophia Gormas; Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP; and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Operative Room Turnover and Efficiency Transitioning Between Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgery at Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health, Liyana Paiker; Kelsey White DO; Mark Broadwin MD; Rovinder S. Sandhu MD; and Jeffrey Glaser MD, MBA (Poster)
Analysis of Care and Outcomes for Stage IV Melanoma Patients at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute (2017-2023), Jake M. Panzer; Suresh G. Nair MD; and Melissa Kratz RN, MSN, AOCN (Poster)
Impella 5.5 Total Implant Outcomes for the Past 4 Years, Grace Perez; Jonathan Nelson; Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP; and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Upper Macungie Township Lifestyle Center Assessment, Anthony Pino, Dana Levano MS, and Brielle Gregoli MS (Poster)
Management of Hospitalized Patients with the West Nile Infection at Lehigh Valley Health Network, a part of Jefferson Health (LVHN), Ta'Niya Pleasant, Maham Rehman, and Raul E Davaro MD (Poster)
Assessing the Impact of a Pharmacy Driven Adult MRSA Nasal Screening Protocol, Priyal Prabhu, Jarrod W. Kile RPhD, Golda Peysakhova PharmD, Kathryn Zaffiri MPH, and Eric Young MD (Poster)
Improving Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness in Radiology Services Within Urgent Care Imaging Services, Athon Ros and Drew Borger CPA (Poster)
Connecting to the Community through the Lehigh Valley Practice and Community-Based Research Network, Rachel Rose; Nicole M. Burgess BS; Autumn Kieber-Emmons MD, MPH; Ashwini Kamath Mulki MD, MBBS, MPH; Angela Colistra LPC, PhD, MS; and Roya Hamadani MPH (Poster)
Learning, Growing, Caring: A Psychological Perspective on High School Students in the Junior Research Scholar Program, Kasey Royse and Lisa Keller MEd (Poster)
The Impact of Vision Therapy on Post-Concussion Symptom Resolution, Priya Sandhu; Francesca Andronic MD; Hope Kincaid MPH, CPH; Mitch Daniel; Daniele Shollenberger CRNP; and Mark Cipolle MD (Poster)
The Process of How Products Get to the Patient in the Hospital: Supply Chain at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Nisayr Santiago; Esther Indah BA; Marc Curcio AS, BS; Daniel Patrie MBA, PMP, CMRP, CPhT; and Stephanie Morrison (Poster)
Assessing the Impact of a Pharmacy Driven Adult Clostridioides difficile Screening, Anya Sawhney, Jarrod W. Kile RPhD, Brooke Broczkowski PharmD, Eric Young MD, Kathryn Zaffiri MPH, and Golda Peysakhova PharmD (Poster)
Population Health Analysis and Identifying Healthcare Need in Monroe County, Kayla Schankel and Lisa Keller MEd (Poster)
Retrospective Review of Vaginal Cuff Recurrence Following HDR Therapy of Endometrial or Uterine Cancer, Kaitlyn Shak and Melissa Kratz RN, MSN, AOCN (Poster)
A Review of Actinomyces Cultures and Pathology Specimens at a Large Academic Institution, Amy Slenker MD, Alex Benjamin MD, Deepti Verma MD, Shae Duka MPH, Alison Sutter MPH, and Divya Verma (Poster)
Management and outcomes of multisystem traumatic injury: A retrospective multicenter trial of combined traumatic brain injury, solid organ injury, and blunt cerebrovascular injury, Sophie Steckel and Michael Steven Farrell MD, MS (Poster)
Treatment Patterns and Survival of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients Seen at Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health (LVHN) from 2017-2022, Swarna Rishika Suresh; Savitri Skandan MD; and Melissa Kratz RN, MSN, AOCN (Poster)
Complication Rates in Aortic Surgeries Using Deep versus Moderate Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest, Sofia Velez; Sophia Gormas; Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP; and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Impact of Preconception Counseling on Rates of Preterm Birth and Cardiac Events in Pregnant Patients with Underlying Cardiac Issues, Sienna Walenciak; Rachel Flanagan DO; Rijul Amin; Taylor Deannuntis DO; Ghamar Bitar MD; Hope Kincaid MPH, CPH; Terri Vian; and Joanne Quiñones MD, MSCE (Poster)
Sepsis Not Present on Admission Mortality Analysis: Insights from SQUAD Virtual Nurse Monitoring, Adelaide Weir; Courtney Moore MD; Lorraine Valeriano BSN, RN, CNRN; Michael Blawn BSN, RN; Deborah Santos BSN, RN; Jessica Maher ADN, RN, CCRN; Timothy J. Friel MD; Matthew McCambridge MD; and Dana Peluso LPN, BS (Poster)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of CRR Programs on Decreasing Hospitalizations and Improving Client Stability while in the CRR Program, Grace Yoshioka, Megan Messa LPC, and Nicholas Waxmonsky LPC (Poster)
2025
Outcomes of Acute Infective Endocarditis with Antibiotic Treatment in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Ella Amadio; James K. Wu MD; and Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP (Poster)
The Effect of Intravenous Contrast on Creatinine in the Emergency Department, Brianna Andersen and Kathleen E. Kane MD (Poster)
The Effect of Lab Processing on Turn Around Time in the Emergency Department, Brianna Andersen; Kathleen E. Kane MD; and Shelbi Taylor MSN, MBA, RN-BC (Poster)
Comparing Concussion Recovery Rates Over Time, Francesca Andronic MD, William Kane, Daniele Shollenberger CRNP, and Mark Cipolle MD (Poster)
Focused Rapid Assessment Process (fRAP) 3.0: A Community-Led, Train-the-Trainer Model for the National Diabetes Prevention Program for Local Spanish-Speaking Adults, Rachel Apiolaza, Carolyn Peterseim MD, and Miguel Chuidian MD (Poster)
Understanding Flow States to Inform Post-Secondary Pathways, Na'Ciya Datus Bascus and Kerri Green EdD, MS (Poster)
Public Safety: Roles and Responsibilities, Yaritza Berrios and Joshua Houck BA NRP (Poster)
Exploring the Intersection of Healthcare and Climate Change with a Socio-ecological Model Approach, Shae Billmyer; Ashwini Kamath Mulki MD, MBBS; Nyann Biery MS, DHSc; and Lynn M. Wilson DO (Poster)
Linking Curiosity to Career: A Master Adaptive Approach to Resident Elective in Family Medicine Training, Shayna Blikshteyn, Drew Keister MD, and Karla J Felix PhD (Poster)
109 Frequency of Visible Long Term Scarring in Split Thickness Donor Sites, Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD, Sakura Helm, Shaliz Aflatooni, and Nicole Natarelli (Article)
529 Clinical Performance of Synthetic Dermal Skin Substitute in 77 Patients, Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD, Laetitia Roegner, Kurt Glaser, Hamed Amani MD, and Kyle Shaak BS (Article)
33 Real World Cell Viability in Cell Spray Suspension, Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD, Caitlin Stoudt, Hamed Amani MD, Sakura Helm, and Kyle Shaak BS (Article)
Impact of the Junior Research Scholar Program at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health, Yashimabet Burke and Kerri Green EdD, MS (Poster)
Implementing the Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Junior Research Scholar (JRS) Program: Mentoring at the Secondary Level, Magdalene Burnham and Lisa Keller MEd (Poster)
A National Hospital Review and Community Survey: Assessing Fall Risk Concern and Fall Prevention Program Awareness Among Older Adults, Luciana Carnero; Kendal Davis; Daniel Patruno; and Doree Feldman MD, MBA (Poster)
Insufficient Pap Smear Results in Transgender Male Patients, Ella Choi and Patricia L. Mara MD (Poster)
Cell Yield and Viability of “Spray-on” Skin Comparing Automatic vs. Manual Device Preparation, Faith Cook and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Poster)
Evaluating the Value of AI Solutions in Healthcare: A ROI Assessment, Michael Corrado, Devang Gor, Adam Flanders, Avishkar Sharma, Jessa Tunacao MD, Luis Taveras PhD, and Richard Kerr (Poster)
Emergency Department (ED) Patients with a Sepsis Alert Discharged with a Prescription for Oral Antibiotics, Mckenna Dempsey, Jarrod W. Kile RPhD, Megan Taylor PharmD, and Eric Young MD (Poster)
An Analysis of 10 Years of Actinomyces Cultures at a Large Academic Institution, Evan Dittus and Amy Slenker MD (Poster)
Application of NOVA & DENOVA for use of TEE on patients with E. faecalis Bacteremia, Chideraa Emma-Ugwuoke, Sameer Rahman, and Raul E Davaro MD (Poster)
Analysis of Consistent Self-Care and Mobility Scoring Across the Inpatient Continuum, MaKenzie Epting; Kasey Hutter MS, CCC-SLP; Michael Pechulis DPT; and Christopher Johns PT, DPT, OCS, Cert. MDT (Poster)
Connecting the Community in Research – Through a Community-Based Participatory Research Approach, Ava Fortner; Nicole M. Burgess; Autumn Kieber-Emmons MD, MPH; and Ashwini Kamath Mulki MD, MBBS, MPH (Poster)
Concordance of Management of Early and Locally Advanced Esophageal and Esophagogastric Junction Tumors with National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines, Kanchan Gupta; Melissa Kratz RN, MSN, AOCN; Sean Quinlan-Davidson MD; and Savitri Skandan MD (Poster)
A retrospective analysis of the association of obesity with anthracycline- and trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity in the treatment of breast cancer and lymphoma., Mallorie L. Huff; Ranju Gupta MD; Rahul Gupta MD; Kelly C. Schadler MSN, CRNP; Shae Duka MPH; Vienna Histon-Figliolini; Joshua A. Kalter; Amogh M. Joshi DO; Nadeem V. Ahmad MD; Wilbert S Aronow; and Deborah W Sundlof DO (Article)
Commonalities of 30-day Readmitted Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Patients, Rosemarie Incorvaia; Hanna Sumner; James K. Wu MD; and Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP (Poster)
Investigating the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Values-Based Leadership Behavior, Brooke Johnson and Gerald Mcglinn M.A., ACC (Poster)
Quality Improvement Project to Increase Utilization of Oral Step-Down Therapy for Prosthetic Joint Infections (PJI), Juliane Kallenbach and Amy Slenker MD (Poster)
Comparing Concussion Recovery Between Men and Women Using Vision Therapy, Peter Kozloff, Francesca Andronic MD, Daniele Shollenberger CRNP, and Mark Cipolle MD (Poster)
A Hairy Situation: Investigating Facial Hair's Role in Central Line Dressing Integrity, Jaylen Lesser; Elisa C. Moyer BSN, RN, CEN; Jonathan T. Berback MPH, CIC; Joseph Yashur BSPH; and Brenda Croll-Stachelek MSN (Poster)
A Baseline Assessment of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QuIPS) in a Graduate Medical Education Environment; Does Programmatic Experience Influence ACGME Survey Data?, Emma Lincoln, Joseph E. Patruno MD, and Terri Vian MS (Poster)
Understanding Interpreter Services, Mariana Castano Lizarazo and Joumana De Santiago (Poster)
Fitness Feedbacks and Improvements, Ganasia Lopez, Brielle Gregoli MS, and Dana Levano MS (Poster)
Peering Within: Exploring X-Ray, IR, and MRI, Sabrina Lopez and Tamantha Garman RT, CRA (Poster)
From Feedback to Framework: Improving Mentorship Through Resident Insights In Scholarly Activity, Eleni Mastrokalos and Angela Colistra LPC, PhD, MS (Poster)
Impact of Virtual Visits on Antibiotic Prescribing for Upper Respiratory Infections, Anna Mikulski, Jarrod W. Kile RPhD, Brooke Broczkowski PharmD, Kathryn Zaffiri MPH, and Eric Young MD (Poster)
Exploring the Intersection of Health Care and Climate Change with a Socio-Ecological Model Approach, Ashwini Kamath Mulki MD, MPH, MBBS; Shae Billmyer; Nyann Biery DHSc; Lynn M. Wilson DO; and Roya Hamadani MPH (Poster)
Adherence to the 2022 Down Syndrome Guidelines in Children Less Than 18 Years of Age in the Greater Lehigh Valley Area, Constance Mulligan and Christopher P. Raab MD, MS (Poster)
Rationale for Pre-Procedure Dental Interventions to Enhance Medical Outcomes, Harsha Pamulapati; Rebecca Frank RDH, PHDHP; and MIchele Pisano-Marsh DMD (Poster)
Mechanical Circulatory Device Impella Usage in Patients with Cardiogenic Shock on ECMO support, Julia Pekala; James K. Wu MD; and Bryan D. Nelson MBA, CPHQ, NRP (Poster)
Perioperative Business Services, Laila Perez and Jacquelyn Mancini MBA (Poster)
Assessing the Inpatient Utility of Echocardiography and its Clinical Impact, Briana Prieto and Shuisen Li DO (Poster)
Hepcidin Overexpression in Burn Patients Causes Decreased Red Blood Cell Synthesis, Joshua Rushing; Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD; Gordon Lindberg MD; Nadine Koenig BMST, TC-NRCC; Cynthia Berger BMST-ASCP; Elizabeth Berger; and Tomas Ganz (Poster)
Impacts of Care Navigation on Patient Readmissions Post Total Joint Replacement Surgery, Prajeet Santra; Teresa Latvis MA, BSN, RN; Jessica Snyder BSN, RN; and Carissa Hrichak MBA, BSN, RN (Poster)