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.
2023
Gestational Change in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes (First Place), Anam Ali and Sharon E. Maynard MD (Poster)
Barriers Faced by Unstably Housed Persons When Seeking Care from a Behavioral Health Specialist in Street Medicine, Madelyn Amadio and Kate Dreisbach MSW, LCSW (Poster)
Optimization of Guided Scheduling in the Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, Miko Barbe and Justin Kashner MBA (Poster)
Readmissions in Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients, Annalise Barner; James K. Wu MD; and Bryan D. Nelson MBA, NR-P (Poster)
Researching the Profitability and Necessity for an Orthobiologics Center for the Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute (LVOI) at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Matthew Barraco, Jennifer Roeder MBA, Jennifer Burrell MHA, and Chelsea Evans DO (Poster)
Identifying Risk Factors for Readmission of Trauma Patients Treated with Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization, Alexandria Baum and Michael Steven Farrell MD, MS (Poster)
An Assessment and Review of Residency and Fellowship Recruitment at LVHN, Miranda Bellocchio, Joseph E. Patruno MD, and Robert Sweeny MHA (Poster)
Analyzing Baseline Compliance on Four Healthcare Effectiveness Data Information Set (HEDIS) Quality Measures in Diabetic Population, Jessica Berman; Alexandra Cline BSN. RN; and Lori Piltz MSN, BSN, RN (Poster)
In Pursuit of Zero Preventable Deaths: A Retrospective Analysis of Venous Thromboembolism in Trauma Patients (Second Place), Emily Breslin and Matthew D. Painter MD (Poster)
Analysis of Major Causes of Stroke Among Patients which Underwent Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Christian Calderon Pinon and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
How To Achieve Value-Based Care Through Decision Support, Jacob Cierech and Maulik P Purohit MD, MPH (Poster)
Implementing Tdap Vaccine Administration Protocol in a Pilot LVHN Family Medicine Clinic, Jacqueline Costello; Madalyn Schaefgen MD; and Grant M. Greenberg M.D., M.H.S.A., M.A. (Poster)
Retrospective Demographic Review of LVHN Internal Medicine Residency Applicants, Elizabeth Donovan, Justin L. Guthier DO, and Brian J. Costello DO (Poster)
Impact of Supportive Housing Program Services on Loneliness and Well-being Among Previously Homeless Individuals, Sherief Elrafei; Ashwini Kamath Mulki MD, MBBS, MPH; and Nicole M. Burgess BS (Poster)
Investigating Neighborhood Engagement & Perceptions, Quinn Fantozzi, Cheryl Arndt PhD, and Samantha A. Shaak PhD (Poster)
Evaluating Blood Culture Contamination Rates Associated with a Newly Inserted Peripheral Intravenous (IV) Catheter, Jack Freemont; Deborah Fry MT (ASCP), MBA, CIC; Elisa C. Moyer BSN, RN, CEN; Christine Schmidt; Joseph Yashur BSPH; and Alyssa Kahr BSN, RN (Poster)
LVHN Summer Work Experience: Participant Perception of its Impact, Evan Grim and Kerri Green EdD, MS (Poster)
Development of a Concussion Dataset and Preliminary Analysis of Outcomes, Kristen Heilenman and Mark Cipolle MD, PhD (Poster)
Donor Site Scarring Following Split Thickness Skin Graft Procedure, Sakura Helm and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Poster)
Remaining Active: The Crucial Integration of Patient Mobility Practices in an Acute Care Setting, Olivia Hoeing and Heather Faust MSN, RN, CMSRN (Poster)
An Analysis of General Surgery ACGME Case Logs through Program Expansion and the COVID -19 Pandemic at LVHN, Winnie Incorvaia and Daniel Relles MD (Poster)
Community Strategies for Improving Health in Allentown: The Lens of Diabetes Health Disparities, Michael Irvin; Autumn Kieber-Emmons MD, MPH; and Carolyn Peterseim MD (Poster)
Analysis of Systems of Care and Outcomes for Stage III Melanoma Patients at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute (2014-2019), Aidan Johnson and Suresh G. Nair MD (Poster)
Demographics of Patient No-Show Rates in Pediatric Surgical Specialties, Isabella Joyce and Sarah A. Jones Sapienza MD (Poster)
Establishing a Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) for the Transitional Living Center (TLC) of LVHN, Cameron G. Koch and Megan Messa LPC (Poster)
Evaluating the Decrease in Medication Errors Using IV Pump Electronic Health Record (EHR) Integration, Jackson Kondak and Alice Vrsan RN-BC, MSN (Poster)
Identifying Opportunities for Improved Postoperative Orthopedic Patient Care in Dickson City, Victoria Libretti; Carissa Hrichak MBA, BSN, RN; and Kathryn Paone (Poster)
Genetic Referrals, Appointments and Testing for BRCA Mutation in Ovarian Cancer Patients from 2019 to 2022, Julia Mandarino; Melissa Kratz RN, MSN, AOCN; Samantha Carr MS, LGCG; Savitri Skandan MD; and Christine H. Kim MD (Poster)
An Audio-Visual Distraction Technique for a Burn Surgical Patient, Gwendolyn Minogue and Jill Krystofinski MSN, CRNA (Poster)
Identification of LGBTQ+ Knowledgeable Clinicians in the OB-GYN Department at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Mitchell Mondschein and Judith Sabino MPH, CDP (Poster)
Qualitative Exploration of Impacting Cervical Cancer Disparities in Hispanic Women in Hot Spots of the Lehigh Valley (Third Place), Narena N. Nerahoo and Autumn Kieber-Emmons MD, MPH (Poster)
Antibiotic Treatment of Acute Otitis Media (AOM), Corinne O'Connor; Tibisay Villalobos MD; and Kristin M. Held Wheatley PharmD, BCOP (Poster)
Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on a Medium-Sized Travel Medicine Clinic in Eastern Pennsylvania, Pravallika Palwai; Mark Knouse MD; Sowmya R. Rao PhD; Marcelo Gareca MD; and Regina C. Larocque MD, MPH (Poster)
Assessment of Ongoing Challenges with the Parental Nutrition Ordering Processes Within the Lehigh Valley Health Network, Victoria Rosado; Kimberly Cephas MS, RD, CNSC; Rachael Geosits MS, RDN, CNSC, LDN; Courtney Kalamar RD, CNSC, LDN; Melissa Faura RD, LDN; and Ann Flickinger MS, RD, LDN (Article)
Provider Support of Parental Nutrition Management by Registered Dietitians, Victoria Rosado; Kimberly Cephas MS, RD, CNSC; Rachel Geosits MS, RDN, CNSC, LDN; Courtney Kalamar RD, CNSC, LDN; Melissa Faura RD, LDN; and Ann Flickinger MS, RD, LDN (Poster)
Automating the Data Analysis Process Used by Performance Improvement to Generate Impactful Results, Riddhi Shelat and Will Salton MBA (Poster)
COVID-19 infection and pregnancy at LVHN: pregnancy outcomes by trimester of diagnosis, Divya Sirdeshpande; Joanne Quiñones MD, MSCE; Kay Young MSN, RN; Amanda B. Flicker MD; Michael Young MD; Jessica Davis; and Shreyas Kudrimoti (Poster)
A Decade of Skeletal Surveys: What have we learned?, Olivia Stevenson and Hamed Amani MD (Poster)
Federal Pricing Transparency: Reimagine Patient Estimates, Christine Stock and Jacqueline Nelms (Poster)
Cell Yield and Viability of Spray-On Skin Suspensions in Various Age Groups, Caitlin Stoudt, Jacob Orrico, and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Poster)
COVID-19 Death Rate Comparison within Hospitals in the Tri-State Area, Emily Vaughan; Danielle Weaver; and Kenneth Miller MEd, RRT-NPS (Poster)
Assessment of Different Etiologies of Patients Mechanically Ventilated with COVID-19 from 7/1/2022 to 6/31/2023, Emily Vaughn; Danielle Weaver; and Kenneth Miller MEd, RRT-NPS (Poster)
Improving Efficiency and Patient Experience In Emergency Medicine With a Virtual Physician In Triage, Christian Voloshen and Eric W. Bean DO (Poster)
MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound for Essential Tremor Business Review: Fleming Neuroscience Institute, Riley Wehr and Brian Leader (Poster)
2022
Risk Factors in Traumatic Injury with Periprosthetic Fracture, Michael Andres, Lauern Ladehoff, Victor Shen, Clara Freedman, Robert P Wessel MD, and Matthew D. Painter MD (Poster)
An Analysis of the State of Urological Care in Rural Communities, Kevin Detrick; Meliya Hart; and Jatin P. Gupta DO, MS (Poster)
Student Journeys: Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention in Healthcare, Rylee Donaldson; Kerri Green MS, MEd.; and Nicole Wiswesser RN (Poster)
Knowledge is Power: Using an Instructional Video Library to Provide Continuous Education in the NICU, Leyna Fleischaker; Marybeth Browne MD; and Dolores T. Suzansky MSN, RNC-NIC (Poster)
Enhancing LGBTQ+ Care Provision at LVHN, Anne Glowacki and Judith Sabino MPH, CDP (Poster)
Impacting Cervical Cancer Disparities in Hispanic Women in the Lehigh Valley, Jaskaran Grewal and Autumn Kieber-Emmons MD, MPH (Poster)
Remaining Open about the Recurrence of Pediatric Pilonidal Disease: Setting the New Standard, Olivia Hoening; Carly Miller; Marybeth Browne MD; and Mary Fragassi CRNP, MSN (Poster)
Impact of Embedded Cross-Reactivity Alert for Penicillin-Allergic Patients, Brianna Holumzer, Amy Slenker MD, Eric Young MD, Kathryn Zaffiri MPH, and Jarrod W. Kile RPhD (Poster)
Duration of Empiric Antibiotic Therapy in Young Febrile Infants, Emma Kelly; Tibisay Villalobos MD; and Kristin M. Held Wheatley PharmD, BCOP (Poster)
Mid-Term Outcome of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) in Patients with Renal Failure on Hemodialysis, Ibrahim Khalil, Sakshi Patel, Mary McFarland, Puja Patel MD, Alexander Makkinejad, and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Outcomes of lytic therapy on empyema and loculated pleural effusion, Mary McFarland; Sakshi Patel; Ibrahim Khalil; Katherine M. Penetar DNP, CRNP; Sanjay M. Mehta MD; and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Gynecologic Preventative Care of Women with Disabilities: What Are We Missing?, Caroline McGrath and Sweety Jain MD (Poster)
Identifying the “Hole” Picture; Working Towards Personalizing Treatment for Pilonidal Disease, Carly Miller, Marybeth Browne MD, and Olivia Hoening (Poster)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Prediabetes Infographic, Caroline Nelson, Nicole M. Burgess, Roya Hamadani MPH, and Beth Careyva M.D. (Poster)
Identifying Factors Contributing to LVISE Improved Patient Experience, Spencer Owens and Alyssa Foley (Poster)
Effect of Vision Therapy on Post Concussion Metrics on The Graded Symptom Checklist, Justin Pasquale, Joseph Pasquale, Eden Hunt, David Clark, Daniele Shollenberger, and Mark Cipolle MD (Poster)
Risk Factors Associated With Neurosurgical Intervention in Patients With Mild Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage., Puja Patel MD; Mark Broadwin MD; Tara Stansbury; Jeffrey B. Brown; Hope Kincaid MPH, CPH; Shae Duka MPH; Justin Pasquale; Mark Cipolle MD; and Kamalesh T. Shah MD (Article)
Outcomes of Ultrasonic Aspirator Use for MAC Debridement in Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery, Sakshi Patel, Ibrahim Khalil, Mary McFarland, Alexander Makkinejad, Puja Patel MD, and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Implementation Strategies to Align Radiation Treatment for Non-Spine Bone Metastases Across an Academic-Community Partnership, Shivani Patel; Alyson McIntosh MD; Erin Gillepsie MD; Noah Mattis MD; and Patricia Shearburn RN, MSN, AOCN (Poster)
Comparing LVHN Standard of Care Equipment and Delfin Technologies Equipment for Burn Scar Assessment, Charlotte Samuelson and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Poster)
Heart Health after Preeclampsia, Nichole Stettner and Nidhi Mehta MD (Poster)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Providing Social and Medical Resources to Recently Discharged Patients Experiencing Malnutrition, Theresa Tellez; Melissa Faura RD, LDN; Ann Flickinger MS, RD, LDN; and Kimberly Procaccino MBA, RD, LDN (Poster)
Assessing the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Breast Cancer Appointment Scheduling, Alan Van Tiggelen and Muhammad A. Rizvi MD (Poster)
Assessing the Patient Demographics and Clinical Characteristics of Mechanically Ventilated Patients with COVID-19 at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), Danielle Weaver and Kenneth Miller MEd, RRT-NPS (Poster)
2021
Is there a difference between burn patients treated with topical mafenide acetate before and during COVID-19?, Morgan Anderson and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Poster)
Outcome of Surgical Ultrasonic Aspirator Use for Patients with Severe Mitral Annular Calcification for Mitral Valve Replacement, Zachary Appel and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Impact of Fellow/Resident Involvement during Colonoscopy in a High-Volume Colorectal Surgical Practice, Zachary Chomitzky and William Sangster (Poster)
The Impact of COVID-19 on Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes, Jessica Davis; Joanne Quiñones MD, MSCE; and Michael Young (Poster)
Language Access Care in all Communities, Nicholas DeFulvio and Joumana De Santiago (Poster)
People Living with HIV (PLWH) and COVID-19. The LVHN Experience, Jacob Frank and Marcelo Gareca MD (Poster)
Evaluating the Correlation of Academic Pursuits and Relative Value Unit Reimbursement in Trauma Surgery, Erin Gilbert and Joseph J. Stirparo MD (Poster)
Mechanical Circulatory Support using Impella Devices for Cardiogenic Shock, Gabriella Gormas and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Bridging the gaps: Individual and community level risk factors for non-lethal firearm injuries in the U.S., Alexander Hanisak and Mark Cipolle MD (Poster)
Do Virtual Visits Have an Effect on Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing for URIs?, Sydney Harris, Eric Young, Jarrod W. Kile RPhD, and Kathryn Zaffiri MPH (Poster)
ESR and CRP Testing May not be Useful in Monitoring Patients with Native Vertebral Osteomyelitis, Abigail Heilenman and Amy Slenker MD (Poster)
Improving Patient Access Knowledge, Xinyi He, Krista Bott MD, and Sean Quinlan-Davidson MD (Poster)
Assessing the Clinical Characteristics and Ventilator Parameters of COVID-19 Mechanically Ventilated Patients at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Andrew Kelly and Kenneth Miller MEd, RRT-NPS (Poster)
Variation in Patient Satisfaction based on Clinician’s Gender, Race, Age, and Degree, Elizabeth Lieb; Grant M. Greenberg M.D., M.H.S.A., M.A.; and Melanie B. Johnson MPA (Poster)
Top Comorbidities Associated with Patient Malnutrition on 30 Day Readmission Rate, Kaitlyn McGinley; Melissa Faura RD, LDN; Ann Flickinger MS, RD, LDN; and Kimberly Procaccino MBA, RD, LDN (Poster)
AngioVac Outcome Analysis in Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis, Maya Parekh and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Differentiating the Need for Neurosurgical Interventions in Patients with a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and a Positive CT Scan, Joseph Pasquale, Justin Pasquale, and Mark Cipolle MD (Poster)
Evaluating Patient Outcomes Following Redo Sternotomies in Cardiac Surgery, Sajan Patel and James K. Wu MD (Poster)
Mepilex Use in Breast Cancer Radiotherapy Patients, Yeuying Qiu and Sean Quinlan-Davidson MD (Poster)
Analysis of Risk Factors and Outcomes for Obstetric Trauma Patients, Lauren Salbinski, Matthew D. Painter MD, and Danielle L. Hashmi DO (Poster)
A Retrospective Review of LVHN Compliance With Diagnostic Workup For Pancreatic Cancer Per NCCN Guidelines, Caitlin Scialla; Dennis Sopka MD; Savitri Skandan MD; and Melissa Kratz RN, MSN, AOCN (Poster)
Six-Month Health Outcomes in Elderly Patients Post COVID-19 (SHOE-P), Nikhil Sharma and Neti N. Vora MD (Poster)
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity during Delivery at a Pennsylvania Hospital System, Vanessa Singh, Kay Young, and Obianuju Egwuowu (Poster)
Identifying Attributes of Success: A case study of SELECT Coaches and LVHN Physician Leadership Training, Madison Smith and Kerri Green MS, MEd. (Poster)
Review of COVID-19 Patient Demographics at LVHN Hospitals, Hannah Tan; Judith Sabino MPH, CDP; and Renee Bryant (Poster)
The Effect of Patient Age in Progression to a Hemorrhoidectomy, Justin Yoon and William Sangster (Poster)
2020
A Needs Assessment of Telemedicine Implementation in Skilled Nursing Facilities, Benjamin Antill; Robert Kruklitis MD; and Mindy Brosious BSN, RN (Poster)
Using NSQIP-Pediatrics to Target Quality Improvement Initiatives for Appendicitis, Erin Arevalo and Marybeth Browne MD (Poster)
NovosorbTM Biodegradable Temporizing Matrix (BTM) in the Complex Wound: A Retrospective Three-Year Review, Lydia Bothwell and Sigrid A. Blome-Eberwein MD (Poster)
COVID-19 Testing in Asymptomatic Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery, Joseph Budisak; Cathyann Feher RN,MSN; and Michael D. Pasquale MD, FACS, FCCM (Poster)
Drivers of Trust in Pediatric Health Care: Role of Family-Centered Care, Alyssa Carlier (Poster)
Developing A Questionnaire And Data Analysis Process: Identification Of Practice And Provider Stigma Score In Order To Improve And Measure Training Efforts, Jessica Deemer and Angela Colistra LPC, PhD, MS (Poster)