Two of our research projects, SCIPPR-D and BrainGroove, use an app-based intervention that was created in partnership with the Therapeutic Games and Apps Lab (The GApp Lab). This week, a couple of our research assistants toured the lab to learn more about the work they are doing.
The GApp Lab is a collaboration between the Center for Medical Innovation, the School of Entertainment Arts and Engineering (EAE), and the Eccles Health Sciences Library where they are housed. They are a research lab with a goal to bring awareness to the unique solutions that can be achieved through software and gamification. As Project Manager Jesse Ferraro puts it, “One of our main missions is to disrupt current knowledge and push new science.” One of the projects we got to try out during our visit was the virtual trauma room. This is a virtual reality program that can give surgeons an opportunity to practice surgical procedures. A program like this can benefit surgeons in rural areas, allowing them to hone their skills in procedures they only occasionally encounter. Another virtual reality project we tried out was the virtual home visit. This project is being developed for the School of Social Work. Its aims is to help students develop the clinical reasoning they will use in the field when assessing the safety of children's homes. One of the more futuristic projects we learned about is the Drone Commander. This is a drone traffic simulation program that is being developed for UDOT’s Division of Aeronautics. The program runs simulations on three types of drones that will operate simultaneously: medical supply delivery, package delivery, and drone taxis. The program is working to see how many drones can be active, how many skyports are needed, and the logistics if all the drones need to be grounded. In the five years the lab has been running, they have developed over 60 apps, primarily in the areas of medicine and education. Their projects are designed for researchers, instructors, students, medical professionals, and patients. Depending on the project and its funding, the development time for a project ranges from a single semester to two or three years. Their team includes 25-30 graduate students from EAE each semester. If you are interested in learning more about The GApp Lab and their projects, visit https://library.med.utah.edu/publishing/collection/gapp-lab-wrap-kits/.
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Six of our dedicated Research Assistants graduated from the University of Utah earlier this month. Their many hours of work was crucial to moving our research forward.
Meghan Berry graduated with a Master of Occupational Therapy degree. She was a Research Assistant for 4 years. As part of the team, Meghan reports learning about the dedication, hard work, and planning it takes to make a research project come to life. She learned that research is a team effort and involves many man-hours to publish the articles and findings that are important for evidence-based practice. A memorable experience for Meghan was traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, with Dr. Terrill to present her project at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine international conference. Meghan has accepted a position as a traveling occupational therapist that she will begin this August. She is excited to bring the knowledge and experiences she had working as an RA to her future career endeavors. Artemis Sefandonakis earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in kinesiology and minor in psychology. She was a Research Assistant for 2 years. Doing weekly check-ins with participants was a memorable part of her RA experience. Artemis got to know one of the couples well and loved it when they sent her a cute photo of them from their vacation one week. It showed them savoring their trip despite illnesses and bad weather. It was inspiring and uplifting to Artemis to see the impact our study was having on them, and it showed her that there is always a positive in every situation. As an RA, Artemis learned how important mental health is to people’s well-being and the influence a person’s mood can have on their partner’s mood. She came to learn how much she loves working in research and with stroke survivors, and she hopes to continue working with them in her future career as an occupational therapist. Artemis will be attending the University of Illinois in Chicago this fall to earn a doctorate in occupational therapy. Gareth Loosle graduated with a Master of Occupational Therapy degree. He was a Research Assistant for 2 years. Gareth is moving to Kalispell, Montana, where he will work with both neurological and hand rehabilitation in an outpatient clinic. He will also be developing a concussion protocol for the clinic. Other RAs who graduated with their Master of Occupational Therapy degree are Kellen Lewis, Sarah Nichelle Card, and Jenna Euteneier. We thank all of our graduated RAs for their dedication and hard work and we wish you the best in your future endeavors. Dr. Terrill developed an early interest in mental health issues in medical populations after seeing both of her grandmothers and later her mother experience strokes. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Washington State University with an emphasis in behavioral medicine. She later specialized in rehabilitation during her clinical residency and research post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington. It was during this time that Dr. Terrill witnessed the vital role family plays in their loved one's recovery but the limited support available to family caregivers. This fueled her research interest in promoting wellbeing for individuals and families who are coping with chronic conditions by providing interventions they could easily access. In 2014, Dr. Terrill found an opportunity to pursue her research interests at the University of Utah, Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies, where she created a positive psychology-based intervention for couples coping with stroke. This intervention consisted of short and simple activities the couple could do at home, such as expressing gratitude, practicing acts of kindness, and working toward goals. Dr. Terrill is now the Principal Investigator in multiple studies designed to help individuals and their families foster resilience to promote healthier lives. Below, Dr. Terrill shares more about her professional and personal interests. How did your early findings influence the direction of your current research? I was really interested in why two people who have similar injuries or conditions could respond, or cope, very differently. Physically, for example, the stroke might be very similar, but psychologically and emotionally, the experience is very different from person to person. The family plays a huge role in recovery and rehabilitation and can be a major source of strength or detriment. Being able to harness strengths in relationships can be beneficial for both the stroke survivor and family member. I learn a lot from survivors and family caregivers; they teach me about their experience and what is meaningful to them. It is important to consider this when developing interventions. Is there something you have learned from your research that was surprising to you? How willing people – survivors, family caregivers, and clinicians – are to help us out and their enthusiasm for what we are trying to do. What do you find most challenging and most rewarding about the work you do? Sometimes it’s challenging to have patience because things move relatively slowly from initial development to when you can implement a new intervention. There are a lot of rewarding things – that’s why I do it. Knowing we are doing something that could be beneficial for people with disabilities and their family members is the big idea behind it all. More immediately, we are connecting with the community members and able to provide education and resources to them. You have now done research on couples dealing with stroke, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. Are there other conditions you would like to include in future studies? We are going to try to be more inclusive of all neurological conditions. Our next project will include people with multiple sclerosis. We are also planning to go beyond couples and include other types of informal caregivers, like parents, adult children, close friends. Switching gears a bit: You were born in Switzerland. Do you ever get back to visit? I try to go back at least once a year because my parents moved back for retirement. What is your top recommendation for tourists when they go to Switzerland? For more touristy things, go to Lucerne for historical sites. For the iconic, there's the Matterhorn and Zermatt. Or for something different head to the southeast for the Italian speaking part of Switzerland and palm trees. My heart is the eastern part of Switzerland, where my family is from, the Grisons area. Whatever you decide to go see, I highly recommend traveling by train. What are your hobbies and interests outside of work? I love the mountains, so I love trail running, hiking, skiing. I love my dog Koda, he’s my running buddy. I also like gardening and I enjoy spending time with my family. To learn more about Dr. Terrill’s journey, you can watch her Vitae 2018 talk here.
Welcome to our blog! We are the uSPRiNG research team at the University of Utah. This blog is a place for you to get to know a little about us and learn about the research we are doing. We look forward to sharing our journey with you.
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