Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

2026 Via Research

Recognition Day

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1

2026 Research Recognition Day

Welcome

Welcome to the 21 st annual Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Via Research Recognition Day on the VCOM-Virginia campus. Held annually, the Via Research Recognition day is a significant event for VCOM that supports the mission of the College to provide medical education and research that prepares globally minded, community-focused physicians and improves the health of those most in need. VCOM's Research Recognition Day offers a forum for health professionals and scientists at academic institutions, teaching hospitals and practice sites to present and benefit from new research innovations and programs intended to improve the health of all humans. By attending the sessions with the speakers, participants have the opportunity to learn cutting edge information in the physiological bases of osteopathic manipulative therapy efficacy, new trends in physician-based research networks, and how to develop innovative research projects with high impact for human health. Poster sessions allow participants to learn about the biomedical, clinical and education-simulation research activities at VCOM-Virginia and its partner institutions.

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2 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

Agenda

Via Research Recognition Day - Virginia Campus February 13, 2026 Poster Session: VCOM II, 2280 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, 24060

7:30 am

Check-In Desk Opens

8:00 - 10:30 am

Poster Viewing + Final Round of Poster Competition

10:30 -11:00 am

Guests Invited to Move Across the Street to the Main VCOM Building 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia; VCOM transportation available for those in need

11:00 -11:05 am

Welcome and Opening Comments Dr. Ron Januchowski, DO, FACOFP Dean and Professor, VCOM-Virginia

11:05 - 11:35 am The State of Research at VCOM P. Gunnar Brolinson, DO, FAOASM, FAAFP, FACOFP Vice President for Research, VCOM-Virginia 11:35 am - 12:05 pm The VIA Learning Management System: Research VLMS Data Team and Fred Rawlins II, DO Associate Dean for Simulation, VCOM-Virginia 12:00 -12:45 pm

A World of Possibility: Mindfulness, Imagination, and Integrative Well-Being Cassandra Vieten, PhD Clinical Professor, Family Medicine, University of California, San Diego From Measurement to Medicine: The PRISM Approach to Musculoskeletal Treatment Vincent Wang, PhD Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech School of Engineering Clinical AI to Improve Patient Diagnosis and Outcomes Nicholas L. Rider, DO, FAAAAI, FCIS Professor, Health Systems & Implementation Science, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

12:45 pm - 1:30 pm

12:45 pm - 1:30 pm

2:00 - 2:30 pm

Poster Competition Awards and Researcher of the Year Awards Ceremony

2:30 pm

Closing Remarks and Adjournment

*To go boxed lunches available after the closing remarks for those who registered for the event.

Table of Contents RESEARCH changes the world.

4 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

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College Leadership and Program Moderators.........................................................................................................................6 Speakers P. Gunner Brolinson, DO, FAOASM, FAAFP, FACOFP............................................................................................................10

Vincent Wang, PhD..................................................................................................................................................................11

Cassandra Vieten, PhD............................................................................................................................................................12

Fred Rawlins, II, DO.................................................................................................................................................................12

Abstracts Faculty - Public Health Research............................................................................................................................................15

Medical Students - Public Health Research...........................................................................................................................16

Graduate Students - Public Health Research........................................................................................................................17

Medical Students - Case Reports...........................................................................................................................................38

Medical Students - Biomedical Research..............................................................................................................................90

Faculty - Biomedical Research.............................................................................................................................................115

Graduate Students - Biomedical Research..........................................................................................................................117

Undergraduate Students - Biomedical Research................................................................................................................122

Medical Residents - Clinical Research.................................................................................................................................130

Medical Residents - Case Reports.......................................................................................................................................132

Faculty - Education and Simulation Research.....................................................................................................................155

Medical Students - Education and Simulation Research....................................................................................................158

Faculty - Clinical Research....................................................................................................................................................168

Medical Students - Clinical Research...................................................................................................................................172

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Click a Title to Navigate to Abstract Section

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2026 Research Recognition Day

College Leadership

Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, DO, FACOFP President Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dr. Dixie Tooke-Rawlins has served as the administrative officer principal to the founding of the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2001. As the founding dean for VCOM, she led the College in the development of the curriculum, clinical site affiliations, budget and long range plan, and assisted in the design of the first educational and research facilities. She currently holds the position of president and provost as well as the academic title of professor in the Department of Family Medicine at VCOM. In 2011, Dr. Tooke-Rawlins served as a founding dean at the opening of the Carolina campus of VCOM in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and again in 2015 at the opening of the Auburn campus of VCOM in Alabama. Prior to joining VCOM, Dr. Tooke-Rawlins held the position of interim dean at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCOM) in Kirksville, Missouri. Past appointments include associate dean for academic and cinical affairs at KCOM, director of osteopathic medical education and ptogram director of the Osteopathic Family Practice Residency at St. Luke’s Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Family Practice Residency director at Metropolitan Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She currently holds several appointments nationally and the state level including president of the Virginia College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, governor appointee to the Virginia Council on Healthcare Reform and the Virginia Healthcare Workforce Development Authority. Dr. Tooke-Rawlins is a member of

the Board of Governors of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and has served on the inspection teams for both osteopathic post graduate training institutes and osteopathic family medical residencies. She is a board member of the American Osteopathic Foundation, and she has been a member of the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians for more than 20 years. Dr. Rawlins has focused her career on the interests of osteopathic medicine, osteopathic medical education, rural health/rural medicine, health care disparities, and global health. She was instrumental in the establishment of the VCOM International Medical Missions program that provides year round primary care clinics in Honduras, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic. She participates in annual outreach programs in Appalachia including remote community outreach programs by the college and has for many years served the uninsured and medically underserved with time committed to community service. Dr. Tooke-Rawlins is a graduate of Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State University) and the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine with a Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine degree. She completed her post-graduate work at Grandview Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and entered the field of Emergency Medicine for the first seven years of her early career. She returned to Kirksville where she entered the field of Family Medicine and became board certified in Family Medicine by the American Board of Osteopathic Family Practice.

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6 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

College Leadership

Deborah West, EdD Provost Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Deborah West, EdD, currently serves as provost for the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). Dr. West has served in various administrative roles while at VCOM, most recently serving as the vice provost for academic affairs and accreditation. During her tenure at VCOM, she established the Center for Institutional, Faculty, and Student Success, which is focused on supporting students throughout their medical education journey and continuously advancing the quality of education by providing faculty with resources, programs and support that promote excellence in teaching.

Previous to her employment at VCOM, she served for 15 years in the public education setting as a school counselor and school principal. In 2019, Dr. West earned a Doctor of Education degree in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University. She majored in education at Concord College and completed her graduate degree in counseling from Marshall University. Dr. West is passionate about helping students reach their full potential and creating an educational environment where students and faculty thrive.

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2026 Research Recognition Day

College Leadership

Ron Januchowski, DO, FACOFP Dean, Virginia Campus Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Ronald Januchowski, DO, FACOFP, graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993 and did a one-year internship at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He began active duty in the Army at Fort Bragg, initially in an operational capacity and then completed his Family Medicine residency at Womack Army Medical Center in 1998. After leaving active duty in 2001, he went into private practice in Gastonia, North Carolina, and eventually moved to the Spartanburg, South Carolina, area to become the Osteopathic Family Medicine residency director at the first osteopathically accredited residency site in South Carolina. While at Spartanburg Medical Center, he served as the chair of the family medicine department as well as the IRB chair.

Dr. Januchowski started at the VCOM-Carolina’s campus when it opened in 2011 and has served as the associate dean for clinical education and then as the associate dean for preclinical education. He was very excited to begin his tenure as dean of the VCOM-Virginia campus in October 2023. Dr. Januchowski is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians and a professor in the Family Medicine department of VCOM. He retired from the military with the rank of colonel.

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8 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

Program Moderator

James E. Mahaney, PhD Associate Dean of Biomedical Affairs & Research Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Jim Mahaney, PhD, is professor and chair of the biomedical sciences department and serves as the associate dean for biomedical affairs and research at the Virginia Campus of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is also a research associate professor in the department of biochemistry at Virginia Tech. Dr. Mahaney received his BS degree in chemistry from Virginia Tech in 1984, and his PhD in chemistry/biophysical chemistry from the University of Virginia in 1989. He pursued post-doctoral research training in the department of biochemistry at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis from 1989 to 1994. His first faculty appointment was as an assistant professor in the department of biochemistry at West Virginia University School of Medicine in 1994, and in 2001 he was granted tenure and was promoted to associate professor. During this time there, Dr. Mahaney established his independent research program designed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of calcium transport regulation in the heart, focusing on age-based and disease-based changes in calcium transport and its regulation. For this work, Dr. Mahaney combined the biophysical techniques of fluorescence spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy with pre-steady state and steady state enzyme kinetics methods. The goal was to correlate specific enzyme dynamic transitions with key steps in calcium transport processes related to cardiac muscle relaxation. Dr. Mahaney’s work at West Virginia University was carried out by four graduate students and 12 undergraduate research students, with the help of a full-time

technician. His work was funded by an American Heart Association Established Investigator grant and an American Heart Association Grant-in-Aid, and Dr. Mahaney was a co-investigator on two separate NIH R01 awards. In 2003, Dr. Mahaney moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, and served as the founding discipline chair for biochemistry at VCOM. He continued his research work at VCOM with the help of two additional graduate students and eight undergraduate research students from Virginia Tech. He was also funded with new grants from the American Heart Association and an NIH R15 award. In 2008, Dr. Mahaney became the associate dean for biomedical affairs and research and shifted his focus to managing the biomedical division for VCOM and promoting research for all research active faculty on the Virginia campus. He also works to create opportunities for increased medical student involvement in research and encourages student participation in a wide variety of settings and projects. Dr. Mahaney is an active member of the Biophysical Society and serves on the cell transport and metabolism grant review group for the National American Heart Association. He also serves as a reviewer for the American Osteopathic Association Research Division. In 2004, he received the VCOM Biomedical Educator Award – Peer Choice, and the VCOM Biomedical Educator Award – Student Choice. In 2009 and again in 2014, Dr. Mahaney received the VCOM Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching from the medical students. In 2012, Dr. Mahaney received the VCOM Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching from the post-baccalaureate class.

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2026 Research Recognition Day

Program Moderator and Speaker

P. Gunnar Brolinson, DO, FAOASM, FAAFP, FACOFP Vice Provost for Research Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dr. Brolinson is vice provost for research, professor of family and sports medicine at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and team physician at Virginia Tech. He is also an adjunct professor in the department of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. He is the fellowship director emeritus of the primary care sports medicine fellowship at VCOM. He is also a volunteer physician for the United States Olympic Committee and a team physician for the United States Ski Team and was head team physician for the Freestyle Ski Team at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. He was also named to the medical staff for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was medical director of the USOC performance services center. He obtained his undergraduate training from the University of Missouri at Columbia earning a degree in biology. A 1983 graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Brolinson is board certified in family practice and holds a subspecialty certification in sports medicine. Prior to coming to VCOM, he was the co-director of the primary care sports medicine fellowship training program at The Toledo Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, and team physician for University of Toledo. He has extensive experience in undergraduate and post-graduate medical education. Dr. Brolinson has served on the boards of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the Midwest Chapter of the

American College of Sports Medicine. He is a past president of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. Dr. Brolinson is a fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Family Practice and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice. In 1997, he was named outstanding young physician in Ohio by the Ohio State Medical Association. He is a former associate editor for the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine and a former member of the editorial board of the physician and sports medicine. He is former section editor for Competitive Sports and pain management in the journal Current Sports Medicine Reports. Dr. Brolinson is a frequent speaker at national sports medicine meetings and often teaches didactic laboratory sessions on the use of osteopathic manipulative therapy for athletic injuries. Dr. Brolinson is a contributing author in the latest edition of Foundations for Osteopathic Medicine and he has published several scholarly articles and book chapters in the area of sport and exercise medicine. His research interests have included exercise and immune function, exercise and bone mineral density, mild traumatic brain injury in sports, impact biomechanics, human factors in auto safety, sports performance and manipulation and other health and disease prevention related topics.

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10 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

Speaker

Vincent Wang, PhD Associate Professor, Virginia Tech Director of Industry Partners Program

Dr. Vincent Wang is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he has been a faculty member since 2015. He received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering (with a concentration in biomechanics) from Columbia University. He completed post doctoral research training in the Department of Orthopedics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he directed the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center. Today, Dr. Wang directs the Orthopedic Mechanobiology Lab, whose highly collaborative research projects span the disciplines of soft tissue biomechanics and healing, mechanobiology, diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound, clinical imaging, and radiomics. He has received more than $7 million in extramural research funding—with a personal share of nearly $3 million—to support a variety of projects related to skeletal tissue biomechanics, clinical imaging and healing. His lab’s research on focused ultrasound treatment of tendon injuries is currently supported by NIH, while his collaborative team’s clinical trial for treatment

of thoracolumbar fascia pain is supported by the Department of Defense and American Osteopathic Association.

Dr. Wang has published 62 peer-reviewed journal articles and co-authored six book chapters, nine review articles and over 200 conference presentations. He has extensive experience in research mentorship, having directly supervised seven completed doctoral degrees and 18 master’s thesis projects, in addition to mentoring nearly 100 trainees across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including visiting scholars, orthopedic residents, and research fellows. Dr. Wang was the Kevin P. Granata Faculty Fellow at Virginia Tech from 2016-2021. He was named a Fellow of the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) in 2024 and served on its Board of Directors from 2020-2022. Dr. Wang is a steering committee member of the Virginia Tech Regenerative Medicine Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (RM-IGEP). He teaches courses on a variety of subjects including quantitative organ systems physiology, biomedical engineering ethics, and biomaterials.

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2026 Research Recognition Day

Speaker

Cassandra Vieten, PhD Centers for Integrative Health/Center for Mindfulness Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination University of California, San Diego

Cassandra Vieten, PhD, is a professor, licensed clinical psychologist, mind-body medicine researcher, author, consultant, and internationally recognized workshop leader and public speaker. Her current research projects focus on establishing training guidelines for spiritual and religious competencies for mental health professionals; developing and delivering wellness programs for law enforcement agencies, officers, and professional staff; developing virtual reality tools and experiences designed to induce perspective shifts that change people's worldviews; investigating the nature and potentials of imagination; and studying the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. Dr. Vieten is a clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine's Centers for Integrative Health at the University of California, San Diego, where she serves as the director of the Center for Mindfulness. The CFM is one of the leading mindfulness centers in the country, offering courses in mindfulness to the general public, conducting research on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), incubating new MBIs for special populations and settings, and training and certifying professional mindfulness teachers. She is also director of research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UC San Diego. The Clarke Center advances understanding of the phenomenon of imagination and its practical applications. The center researches, enhances, and enacts the gift of human imagination by bringing together the inventive power of science and technology, with the critical analysis of the humanities, and the expressive insight of the arts. And, they work to develop more effective ways of using imagination to cultivate public engagement with the

big questions of our time, to improve education and learning, and to enhance the application of imagination in meeting humanity’s challenges. Dr. Vieten is also co-founder and clinical psychology director at the Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UCSD, where a flagship study focuses on psilocybin for phantom limb pain in patients with amputations. She is senior advisor at the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, where she served as executive director from 2019-2023. Founded by Victor and Lynne Brick, in honor of Victor’s brother John who suffered from schizophrenia, the JWB Foundation funds and promotes empirical research on fitness, nutrition, and mind body approaches to foster mental health, and to better prevent and treat mental illness. Dr. Vieten is a senior fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), founded by Apollo 14 Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, where she worked for 18 years. She served as CEO/president from 2013-2016 and president from 2016-2019. The mission of IONS is revealing the interconnected nature of reality through scientific exploration and personal discovery, creating a more just and thriving world. In addition to her contributions to the overall mission, vision, strategic direction, financial health, board, and staff development, and activities of the organization, she headed up several initiatives including Mindful Motherhood, Living Deeply and the Transformation Project, and the Future of Meditation Research Project. She is co-chair of the Board of Directors of Partners for Youth Empowerment, vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative, and serves on the Board of the Virtual World Society.

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12 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

Speaker

Fred Rawlins, II, DO Senior Associate Dean for Simulation and Technology and Associate Professor for Emergency Medicine VCOM-VIrginia

Fred Rawlins II, DO, is the senior associate dean of simulation and educational technology, associate professor of emergency medicine at the Virginia Campus of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, chief medical officer of Via Learning Management System (VLMS), and chief information officer of Via Voice Recognition Technology (VVrT). He is an attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at West Virginia University. He has been in practice for more than 28 years as an emergency physician. Evaluating cardinal complaints of the undifferentiated patient is synergistic with teaching the pre-clinical medical students. Generating computer algorithms for the evaluation of screening the undifferentiated patients is fundamental to syndromic surveillance. This led to the development of VLMS funded by the Department of Defense. Recently, Dr. Rawlins received a grant to develop voice recognition technology for medical decision making (MDM) called VVrT.

Dr. Rawlins has been actively involved in the world of simulation in his professional career. He earned his private pilot’s license for single and multi-engine land aircraft and has since logged over 5000+ hours of flight on turboprop planes with an instrument rating system. Modeling of aircraft simulation as a training tool contributed to the skillset to apply in medical simulation. In the medical field, he has worked closely with other departments at VCOM to enhance the 1st and 2nd year curriculum by presenting psychomotor cases to medical students that allow them to bring forth their medical knowledge in a hands-on, controlled, learning environment. Expanding this opportunity to other organizations, he has developed standardized patient and manikin-based simulation scenarios unique for aeromedical training certifications.

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2026 Research Recognition Day

RESEARCH breaks down barriers.

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14 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

Faculty Research Public Health

01 PREVALENCE OF RISK BEHAVIORS AND CHRONIC CONDITIONS IN VIRGINIA ADULTS WITH POTENTIAL FOR LEADING TO METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION–ASSOCIATED LIVER DISEASE (MASLD)

Pavithra I. Dissanayake, DO, Theresa J. McCann, PhD, MPH Corresponding author: pdissanayake@vt.vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

age groups and common chronic diseases among adults in Virginia. BRFSS is a yearly telephone surveillance conducted by CDC of adults age 18 to over 70. Numerous behavioral risk factors and chronic conditions were assessed. Many of them are related to, or predictive of MSLD. Several risk factors: Diabetes, Obesity, High Cholesterol and lipids, Hypertension, and low levels of Alcohol are indicators to diagnose liver disease, but have been missed in relation to MASLD. Results: In 2022, the prevalence of diabetes among Virginia adults was 12.8% (VDH website). Other selective results are shown below. SPSS data from 2022 provided further info on these metabolic conditions that are related to potential development of MASLD. The prevalence of alcohol consumption in the past 30 days was 54.2% 95%CI (52.8-55.7). The overall prevalence of overweight or obesity (BMI 30.0 - 99.8) was 54.2% 95%CI (33.8-36.6). By age groups, the prevalence of obesity was lowest at age 18-24, where it was 17.9% 95%CI (13.9-21.9) and highest at age 45-54, where it was 40.3% 95%CI (36.9-43.8).

Background / Context: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which affects approximately 30% to 40% of the general adult population, is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. (1) The new name, MASLD, is not routinely known partly because it was formerly called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Several noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are risk factors for its development. However, MASLD is not often diagnosed early, and may not be well known among primary care physicians. Objective / Hypothesis: “The definition of MASLD includes the presence of at least 1 of 5 cardiometabolic risk factors: overweight or obesity, prediabetes or diabetes, hypertension, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or high triglycerides” (2) The purpose of the study is to explore prevalence of common chronic conditions that may lead to MASLD and to describe how common they are in Virginia adults. Methods: We used the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for 2022 to obtain

Conclusions: Our impression of the high prevalence in VA adults of diseases (NCDs) that could lead to MASLD is concerning. Limitations with BRFSS suggests urgent attention. Based on our data, potential impact of MASLD will be considerable. More data are needed to increase awareness and preparation of clinicians in the near future.

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2026 Research Recognition Day

Medical Student Research Public Health

01 PROMOTION OF WHOLE PERSON CARE: EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF PRIMARY CARE TO INCLUDE BASIC ORAL HEALTH

Madeleine Sifford, Delaney Connolly, Anneli Kramer, Siddhant Pathak, Zachary Morris, Aashima Sagar, Leena Seyam, Jessica Nicholson, Bernard Kadio, MD, MPH, PhD Corresponding author: dconnolly@vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg,Virginia Virginia Poverty Law Center

standardized oral health screening package for frontline physicians. IRB Statement: This project has been approved by the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Institutional Review Board, 2315396-1, approved August 7, 2025.

Context: Rural regions of Virginia face a substantial shortage of oral healthcare providers. Recent data indicate that Montgomery County has one dentist per 1,940 residents, while Floyd County has one per 5,210 residents. This shortage contributes to significant unmet oral health needs, which can exacerbate systemic health complications. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate local physicians’ oral health knowledge, perceptions of barriers to care, and willingness to incorporate a basic oral health screening package into clinical practice. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, a modified version of a previously validated questionnaire was administered to physicians at LewisGale Montgomery Hospital, yielding 28 responses.

Results: Statistical analysis revealed that 96.43% of surveyed physicians believed clinicians should assess patients’ oral health status either “frequently” or “occasionally.” However, 78.57% reported performing such assessments for only 1–25% of their patients. This gap between belief and practice likely reflects physician-identified barriers, including insufficient training and limited access to educational materials. Notably, 82.14% of respondents indicated a willingness to implement basic oral health screenings if provided with appropriate training and resources. Conclusion: These findings suggest that enhancing physician engagement and education in oral health represents a promising strategy to address disparities and improve access to preventive oral healthcare in underserved rural communities. Future research will focus on the development and implementation of a

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16 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

Medical Student Research Public Health

02 IMPACT OF GROUP-BASED EXERCISE CLASSES AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS ON DEPRESSION AND LONELINESS IN THE ELDERLY POPULATION AT A RURAL ELDER CARE FACILITY

Priya Batheja, OMS-III, Harpeet Dhami, OMS-III, Ramu Anandakrishnan, PhD, Richard Williams, MD, Ed Magalhaes, PhD Corresponding author: hdhami@vcom.edu, pbatheja@vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

of exercise based on an individual's fitness level, in order to promote physical improvement while also enhancing emotional and mental well-being. One limitation of this study is that participants were required to complete the PHQ-8 survey in a single session, which may have introduced recall bias. Additionally, the sample size may be another limitation that could affect the study. This study was approved by the VCOM IRB, Protocol 2276399-1.

Introduction: This pilot study examined the effects of group exercise classes on depression and loneliness in the elderly population, specifically at a rural elder care facility (Warm Hearth Village, Blacksburg, VA). The elderly population is more susceptible to developing depression and experiencing symptoms of social isolation. The primary aim of this study was to see if the exercise classes at Warm Hearth positively impact depression and loneliness in the elderly population, specifically by observing how classes affect Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) scores of the residents. Methods: Data was collected from the month of March 2024 to April 2024, where residents filled out a survey assessing PHQ-8 scores before and after attending classes. The survey also collected data regarding feelings of isolation, social interactions, access to therapists, and demographics, such as communities lived in and classes attended. The sample size was 77 participants. Data was analyzed using Krusal Wallace, Mann U Whitney, and a Wilcoxon calculator.

Results: Data analysis showed statistically significant results across two groups. First, a Mann Whitney U calculator was used to compare participants who attended classes compared to residents that didn't attend. Findings were significant (p = 0.001), demonstrating a difference in attending classes to those that didn't. Additionally, a Wilcoxon calculator was used to compare the before and after scores for those who attended classes. Findings were significant (p = .0278), showing a reduction in depression scores in participants who attended classes. Discussion: The purpose of this study was to examine whether physical activity combined with social engagement can improve the quality of life among the elderly population, and a positive correlation was found. This study is unique in the fact that it quantitatively evaluates the impact of exercise on depression in the elderly population using the PHQ 8 scale, allowing for a clear measurement. While previous research has established a general correlation between exercise and reduced depressive symptoms, this study specifically uses the PHQ- to determine the strength and extent of that relationship. Therefore, future programs can focus on prioritizing specific types

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2026 Research Recognition Day

Medical Student Research Public Health

03 ACCURACY OF FAMILY HISOTRY REPORTS OF MENTAL DISORDERS IN A COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY STUDY

Kevin P. Conway, PhD 1 , Chaitanya S. Mishra, OMS-II 2 , Lihong Cui, MSc 1 Jackie Franco, MSc 1 , Kathleen R. Merikangas, PhD 1 Corresponding author: cmishra@vcom.edu

1 National Institutes of Health, Department of Genetic Epidemiology 2 VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

examined factors associated with accuracy, adjusting for covari-ates. Results: Family informants demonstrated a high degree of agreement and accuracy for detecting mania and nic-otine dependence. Underreporting was common for most other disorders. Agreement and accuracy var ied by disorder as indicated by wide ranges for kappa (0.12 to 0.53), sensitivity (12% to 71%), specificity (73% to 99%), PPV (29% to 72%), and NPV (71% to 98%). Comorbidity in the index case, and to a lesser extent in the informant, was associated with lower agreement across disorders. Conclusions: Although the accuracy of family informants varies by mental and substance use disorder, family inform-ants can be relied on to accurately detect mania and nicotine dependence in their relatives. Findings underscore the value of informant reports, available at less cost than direct clinical interviews, for

iden-tifying individuals in need of treatment for these chronic and burdensome conditions. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ZIA MH002953. The study was approved by the Combined Neuroscience Institutional Review Board at the NIH. All participants provided written informed consent.

Background: Obtaining psychiatric information from family informants is common in mental-health and substance-use research. Few studies include both alcohol and drug use disorders and research on nicotine de-pendence is lacking. This study examined the accuracy of, and factors associated with, family inform ants for specific mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders. Methods: Participants included 374 adult probands and 793 adult relatives from a community-based controlled family study of affective disorders. Direct clinical interviews assessed lifetime diagnoses for specific mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria. Informants completed family history interviews. Inform-ant accuracy was examined using kappa, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and neg-ative predictive value (NPV). Analyses

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18 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

Medical Student Research Public Health

05 THE COMMUNITY COST OF STABILITY: EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PSR AND MHCSS COMPARED TO PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATION IN ROANOKE, VA

Aquije D. OMS-II, Burkett B. OMS-II, Chalamalasetty V OMS-II, Elassal M. OMS-II, Keith A. OMS-II, McBride P. OMS-II, Sivanandan N. OMS-II, McCauley-Wittl C. DNP, Nicholson J. MAT , Kadio, B. MD PhD MPH Corresponding author: nsivanandan@vcom.edu; melsassal@vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

MHCSS (n = 39) at Roanoke Resource, a community mental health agency. A subset of clients participated in both programs. Extracted variables included age, gender, primary psychiatric diagnosis, program type, length of service, and number of psychiatric hospitalizations within the previous 12 months. Descriptive and comparative analyses were used to characterize diagnostic subgroups, service utilization patterns, and hospitalization frequency across program types. Results: Most clients carried diagnoses of schizophrenia/schizoaffective or bipolar disorders, with a smaller proportion diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Across PSR, MHCSS, and combined program participants, hospitalization rates were relatively low, with the majority of clients experiencing zero or one psychiatric hospitalization within the examined 12-month period. Clients engaged in both PSR and MHCSS demonstrated the lowest observed hospitalization frequency. Length of service ranged from less than 1 year to over 10 years, with many clients maintaining multi-year engagement in at least

one program, suggesting that these services support sustained community tenure for individuals with chronic psychiatric conditions. Conclusions: In this pilot sample from an underserved region, community-based PSR and MHCSS programs were associated with relatively low psychiatric hospitalization rates and evidence of long-term community stability, particularly among clients engaged in both services. These preliminary findings support the potential of community mental health programs as viable alternatives or adjuncts to inpatient psychiatric care. Larger studies incorporating cost analyses, diagnostic stratification, and linkage with billing and electronic medical record data are needed to determine whether these models provide sustainable, cost-effective strategies to reduce hospitalization and improveoutcomes for individuals with serious mental illness. IRB Statement: This study was approved by the VCOM Institutional Review Board (protocol 2315406-2).

Background/Context: Mental health is a growing concern in Roanoke, Virginia, where nearly half of surveyed households cite mental health as a top concern, and large portions of the region are designated mental health professional shortage areas. Community based programs such as Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) and Mental Health Community Support Services (MHCSS) are designed to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations, build coping skills, and promote long-term stability, but local data on their impact remain limited. Objective/Hypothesis: To evaluate whether participation in PSR and/or MHCSS at a community mental health agency in Roanoke, VA, is associated with reduced psychiatric hospitalization and improved community stability among adults with serious mental illness, compared to traditional reliance on inpatient care. We hypothesized that clients engaged in these services, especially those utilizing both, would demonstrate relatively low hospitalization rates. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of adults receiving services through PSR (n = 25) and

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2026 Research Recognition Day

Medical Student Research Public Health

06 GEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF SYNAR COMPLIANCE AND ADOLESCENT VAPING BEHAVIORS ACROSS VIRGINIA

Tierra S. Kindred, OMS-IV, Theresa J. McCann, PhD, MPH Corresponding author: tkindred@vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

Background: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. In response, federal and state legislation has increasingly focused on reducing youth access to tobacco products, most recently through the Tobacco 21 initiative in 2018. However, federal efforts to limit tobacco sales to minors began earlier, with the 1992 Synar Amendment, sponsored by Congressman Mike Synar. This amendment became the first federal legislation requiring states to enact and enforce laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to individuals under 18 years old. Although retailer violation rates are publicly reported each year as part of Synar compliance monitoring, the extent to which these measures correlate with adolescent tobacco-use patterns remains unclear. Objective: To assess geographic variation in Synar compliance across Virginia and evaluate its association with the prevalence of adolescent vaping behaviors. Findings may inform clinical screening practices, enhance counseling strategies in pediatric and primary care settings, and guide evidence-based policy efforts to reduce harmful vaping behaviors in youth.

Methods: This cross-sectional study will utilize 2022 Synar Retailer Violation Rates (RVR) via the counter tools mapping online database to assess compliance throughout Virginia. Associations between regional Synar retailer violation rates (RVR's), retailer density, and adolescent vaping behaviors will be analyzed using multivariable linear regression models adjusted for urban/rural composition and demographic characteristics. Phase 1 analyses focused on descriptive statistics and geographic mapping of Synar compliance across counties. Planned Phase 2 analyses will integrate compliance and youth vaping datasets to examine geographic associations between retailer compliance and adolescent vaping behaviors.​ Results: In 2022, approximately 60 counties reported at least one sale of vaping products to an individual less than 21 years old during Synar compliance checks, with a mean county-level violation rate of 51%. Among the top 10 counties, failure rates ranged from 50% to 100%, with five counties demonstrating 100% failure despite limited numbers of retailers and inspections. Petersburg City recorded the highest number of sales to minors (n=6) and compliance checks (n=11). Counties with high retailer density but fewer compliance checks also exhibited elevated failure rates.

Conclusion: Synar violation rates varied substantially across counties and were not consistently associated with population size, retailer density, or inspection frequency. High failure rates in both rural counties with few inspections and urban jurisdictions with more extensive monitoring suggest systemic gaps in enforcement and retailer compliance, contributing to ongoing youth access to vaping products. Widespread retailer noncompliance represents a significant public health concern and may undermine efforts to reduce youth vaping. More consistent, targeted compliance strategies—combined with clinician screening, counseling, and advocacy—are needed to limit youth access to nicotine products. Future analyses will merge compliance data with youth vaping datasets to examine geographic associations with adolescent vaping behaviors. IRB Statement: This study relies exclusively on de identified, publicly available data and qualifies for institutional review board exemption.

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Medical Student Research Public Health

07 PROMOTING WHOLE-PERSON HEALTH: A DO STUDENT-LED INITIATIVE TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF HOUSING NEEDS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, SOUTHWEST VA

Shahad Musa, OMS-II, Seyed Hamrahian, OMS-II, Hannah Smith, OMS-II, Bernard Kadio, MD, MPH, PhD Corresponding author: hsmith01@vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

National Housing Survey Questionnaire developed by NORC at the University of Chicago's AmeriSpeak Panel. The survey captured socio-demographics, perceptions of housing access, and attitudes toward local housing challenges as outlined in the study protocol. Findings were used to create an educational flyer distributed during the event to promote community awareness. Descriptive statistics summarize participant characteristics and perspectives. Results: A total of 40 participants were present at the 5K, and throughout this initiative, a total of $1,440 was raised for the New River Valley Community Action. Survey results revealed that the majority of younger respondents (ages 18 -34) reported high rent and home prices as a significant barrier, with the proportion declining in older age groups. This suggests that housing affordability challenges are most acute among younger adults. Employment status also influenced reported barriers: individuals employed full-time most frequently cited a lack of housing availability, while those not currently in a paying job reported this barrier at much lower rates. These findings highlight that both age and employment status are key factors shaping perceptions of housing insecurity in Southwest Virginia.

Context: Housing instability is a major social determinant of health, contributing to chronic disease, mental health burdens, and reduced access to preventive care, yet it remains an underrecognized issue in many communities. In the new river valley, rising housing costs, limited affordable units, and growing insecurity disproportionately affect low-income and rural residents, worsening health disparities. This project aims to increase awareness of local housing challenges and highlight the critical role of housing stability in promoting whole-person health. Objective and/or Hypothesis: To what extent does participation in a DO student-led housing awareness project improve medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competence in addressing housing related health issues? Methods: This cross-sectional project was conducted during Strides for Shelter, a student-led 5K developed in partnership with the New River Community Action to highlight housing needs and raise funds supporting local housing initiatives. All adult participants completed a brief, anonymous pre event survey assessing baseline knowledge, attitudes, perceived competence, and barriers related to housing insecurity. Survey items were adapted from the

Conclusion(s): This project demonstrates that a student-led awareness event can meaningfully engage both medical trainees and community members in understanding housing insecurity as a key determinant of health in Southwest Virginia. By engaging DO students directly with the community, the initiative fosters empathy, civic responsibility, and the real-world application of whole-person care principles central to osteopathic practice. The survey findings highlight important differences in how housing challenges are perceived across age and employment groups, underscoring the need for targeted education and advocacy efforts. Building on the success of Strides for Shelter, future efforts will continue to expand this annual 5K event, strengthen collaboration with New River Community Action, and further integrate housing awareness into osteopathic medical training and community health initiatives. IRB Statement: This study was approved by the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Institutional Review Board, protocol number 2316777-2.

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2026 Research Recognition Day