HHASS Health Practicum

Health Practicum


The Health, Humanism, and Society Scholars program (HHASS) provides Rice undergraduates the opportunity to assist in research at various institutions within the Texas Medical Center, giving them valuable experience in a variety of medical and public health settings, research institutes and centers. The program identifies faculty and researchers in the Texas Medical Center who are interested in mentoring undergraduates and are currently researching topics of social science, education, and/or medical humanities. Students are matched with projects then spend a full academic year assisting with research. Students will earn 6 credits for the academic year (MDHM 402 & MDHM 403). This practicum counts toward the Medical Humanities minor.

See a listing of previous projects >


Deadline: New projected added. Deadline extended to Thursday, March 28, by 11:59 pm

All students taking MDHM 402 will be required to participate in an hour-long weekly meeting with Dr. Mitchell on Wednesdays, 5-6:00 PM.

Once you have been matched with a project, Dr. Mitchell will be in touch to submit the registration override so that you may register for MDHM 402.

SPONSOR PROJECT APPLICATIONSTUDENT APPLICATION FORM


2024-25 Project Descriptions


Patient Priorities Care: Improving Clinical Outcomes in Primary Care CLOSED

Project Title: Patient Priorities Care: Improving Clinical Outcomes in Primary Care

Project Sponsor: Aanand Naik, MD, Professor of Medicine and Public Health, UTHealth Houston

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine/Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; Center for Innovation, Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt) – 2450 Holcombe Blvd., Suite 01Y, Houston, TX 77021

Project Description: Patient Priorities Care (PPC) is a novel approach to caring for older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Heralded in 2018 as a “revolutionary change in health care delivery” by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2018), Patient Priorities Care has become a standard of age-friendly care over the last several years in geriatric care settings. PPC deftly addresses the inherent complexity of patients with multiple chronic conditions without sacrificing quality of care. Publications over the last few years have demonstrated feasibility of implementation of the PPC approach.

The current research study is a randomized clinical trial evaluating the adaptation of the Patient Priorities Care approach to primary care settings. Students will participate as part of an interprofessional research team on various aspects of the clinical trial for the Patient Priorities Care approach in 2 VA primary care sites (Houston and West Haven, Connecticut).

Possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Patient recruitment
  • Communication with primary care stakeholders and participants
  • Coordination of in-clinic research encounters (PCP recordings)
  • Quantitative data collection interviews (follow up data collection)
  • Qualitative coding and analysis of research transcripts (PCP recordings, summative implementation evaluations)

Prerequisite skill or training: Students with the following interests/experience might consider this project, although anyone interested in chronic disease and biopsychosocial model of medical care would be a reasonable fit: psychology or social science majors (sociology), communication (health communication), or philosophy (applied). Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible and adaptable, and have excellent communication skills.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: Insight into how interprofessional research teams function, how healthcare research is developed, the day to day work of recruiting and implementing research trials into clinical workflows, stakeholder communication, branding and marketing of novel ideas, working with relational databases, knowledge of the evolution toward patient-centered care specifically in geriatrics/primary care disciplines, including pharmacy, social work, nursing, medicine, and community-based service, networking opportunities.

Mentorship: Students will have the opportunity for hands-on experience as part of this dynamic interprofessional research team, which includes geriatric and internal medicine providers, psychologists, health communication experts, quantitative and qualitative methodologists, and public health professionals.

Students will receive direct supervision in data collection and management. Students will attend weekly team meetings with project investigators, where they will have opportunities to present the progress of their work and participate in team discussions.

Opportunities to work directly with the study investigators to evaluate and publish on the impact of Patient Priorities Care in a primary care setting will be a feature of the student’s time.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

  • A list of steps the student(s) will need to complete by August 19 to begin work:
  • Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA) Without Compensation (WOC) badge application
  • CITI - VA Human Subjects Protection
  • TMS - VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior (TMS# 10176)
  • TMS - Privacy and HIPAA Training (TMS# 10203)
  • TMS - HOU- Annual Review Training (TMS #3807162)
  • TMS – Government Ethics – The Essentials (TMS # 3812493)

CITI - https://www.citiprogram.org You may be required to self-register for a user ID and password. If you already have an account with CITI, please affiliate with the VA by choosing >Click here to affiliate with another institution (second drop down on Main Menu…middle of the page). Type in “Houston, TX-580” and follow the instructions to complete your affiliation.

TMS - VA TMS 2.0 You may need to create a user name and password. Please follow the instructions provided to self-register.

A Review of Parental and Provider Perspectives on Chronically Ill, Medically Complex Pediatric Patients Using Storytelling CLOSED

Project Title: A review of parental and provider perspectives on chronically ill, medically complex pediatric patients using Storytelling

Project Sponsors: Dan Mahoney, Amanda Ruth, Nathan Serazin

Institution and Location: Texas Children’s Hospital, Technologically Dependent ICU

Project Description: The project has two large aims. One is to collect data on the perspectives of bedside providers on the experience of caring for chronically ill, medically complex patients. This has been identified as a challenging patient population to care for in literature. The other aim is to collect families’ and caregivers’ perspectives on the care received by their children. We will then ask caregivers to tell us about the patient in their own words and transcribe it into a story. This story will in turn be told to the bedside provider, and the bedside provider re-interviewed to see if knowing the patient’s story as told by the parents changes their perspective on caring for the child.

Possible tasks the student would be expected to perform:

  • The student will be expected to do background research on this project and the possible impact of storytelling on patient care.
  • Student will also be doing some interviews with bedside providers as well as caregivers and parents.
  • Student will be involved in identifying themes as they emerge in the interviews.

Prerequisite skills or training: The student should be able to search for and read academic papers, and have persuasive writing abilities.

Knowledge and skills the student can expect to gain:

  • Skills to do a focused literature review
  • Introduction to qualitative research methods
  • Introduction to clinical applications of medical humanities
  • Expect to have one short project ready for submission, whether for a short poster/publication submission.

Mentorship: The student will meet weekly with the PIs. Student will receive guidance on how to approach a medical humanities study, as well as guidance in structuring a research project and writing a paper. All the PIs will provide direct mentorship.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

A list of steps the student will need to complete by August 19 to begin work:

  • Badging
  • HIPAA and CITI training
  • Background check

Ethics and Decision Making CLOSED

Project Title: Ethics and Decision Making

Project Sponsor(s): Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby PhD, MA

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Project Description: Dr. Blumenthal-Barby is working on several projects related to medical decision making and ethics. The student selected to work on this research team may participate in helping with any one or several of these projects depending on need and timing.

One project involves studying the use of a “decision aid” (DA) to help improve decision making about placement of a ventricular assist device (“LVAD”) among end stage heart failure patients. We developed a DA (www.lvaddecisionaid.com) and conducted a randomized trial of the DA vs. standard education and found that the DA improved patient knowledge and that both patients and clinicians viewed the DA favorably and we then worked with 10 sites to integrate it into their regular clinical flow. For the current project, we are studying the integration of a web-based “personalized risk calculator” (the HeartMate 3 Risk Score) that aims to utilize artificial intelligence/machine learning to predict individual patient outcomes. The student could assist with various aspects of this project, which may include literature reviews and summaries, assistance in data presentation (e.g., tables, figures), assistance with tracking activities, assistance with coding and analyzing interviews, collaborative paper writing, and development of web-based resources and activities. The student would attend weekly research team meetings.

A second project that will soon launch involves studying ethics and decision-making related to deep brain stimulation for early and mid-stage Parkinson’s disease. We will interview stakeholders (patients, clinicians) in the process of developing a decision aid to guide this difficult decision. The student could assist in various related research tasks such as literature reviews and summaries, coding interviews, collaborative paper writing, and assisting in decision aid development. There is also the opportunity for exploration of a related topic: the ethics of first-in human neuro-device trials. The student would also attend weekly research team meetings.

Finally, Dr. Blumemthal-Barby has developed a “Philosophical Bioethics Network/Hub,” (www.philosophicalbioethics.com) which is an active web platform for resources and content in philosophical bioethics. This is a collaborative effort with other leading Centers in philosophical bioethics. There may be opportunity for student involvement here to help update and promote the site.

Possible tasks the student would be expected to perform: In addition to the tasks described in the project descriptions above, the student must devote 8 hours per week to the project and will develop a timeline of activities in collaboration with supervisor(s). The student will meet at least monthly (probably bi-weekly) with the faculty supervisor(s) to evaluate progress. The student will attend relevant research team meetings as requested (may occur weekly depending on project).

Prerequisite training: Interests and/or coursework related to the above topics will be prioritized. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible and adaptable (some research tasks are more fun than others, and these projects involves a mix of research streams), and have excellent writing skills.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: Insight into how research teams function, how research ideas are generated and executed, the day to day work of research and translation of research results into practice, searching and summarizing literature, knowledge about medical decision making/psychology/ethics, potentially experience analyzing and coding qualitative data, networking opportunities.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

Cost of Illness and Financial Toxicity in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis OPEN

Project Title: Cost of Illness and Financial Toxicity in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Project Sponsor: Astrid Grouls, MD

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.

Project Description:

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with an estimated prognosis of 2 years after diagnosis. Patients experience progressive weakness and therefore face a series of generally predictable medical decisions, such as a feeding tube placement, use of assistive communication devices and various modes of respiratory support. Patients with ALS (pALS) make such complex medical decisions in the setting of the highest cost of illness of all neurologic conditions. How this high cost of illness translates into a sense of “financial toxicity” for pALS and how this impacts their medical decision making and decisional regret is not currently known. Multiple aspects of this project are underway or prepared to begin, including literature review of decision aids used by pALS, retrospective chart review analyzing discussion of financial burden in an ALS multidisciplinary clinic, and direct interviews with pALS and their caregivers about the financial burden of ALS. Students would have the opportunity to participate in literature review, chart review for data capture, and possibly assist with transcription of patient interviews.

Possible tasks the student would be expected to perform: Students may engage in comprehensive literature review on the topic of cost of illness in ALS, perform retrospective chart review of pALS in the ALS multidisciplinary clinic to screen for cost of illness concerns, and assist with transcription of patient interviews.

Prerequisite skills or training: Students should be adept or willing to train on the basics of research database searches, and in EPIC EMR use. Students should be organized with a keen understanding of data management, such as via Excel.

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain: Students can expect to become proficient in literature review and retrospective chart review. There will be opportunities to submit this work to conferences in the 2025-2026 cycle, and there is a plan to publish this work. The student will participate in the literature review and assist with manuscript development for publication, allowing introduction to research style writing, manuscript development and the process of transitioning research into a form to be disseminated. It is expected that retrospective chart review be completed within the prescribed time frame, such that students will assist with data analysis and associated manuscript development. Students will have authorship opportunities on both publications.

Mentorship: Astrid Grouls, MD will provide direct mentorship to students: “I will meet at least every two weeks with students during their active academic time to review progress, address concerns and align goals. I will strive to provide a space where students feel comfortable asking questions, bringing forward concerns, and identifying areas in which they strive to grow. This will be supplemented with meetings with my own mentors where appropriate.”

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

A list of steps the student(s) will need to complete by August 19 to begin work:

  • Badging
  • HIPAA training
  • EMR training

Mental Health Research and Education CLOSED

Project Title: Mental Health Research and Education

Project Sponsors: Ali Asghar-Ali, M.D., Jennifer Bryan Ph.D.

Institution and Location: Houston Center for Innovations in Quality, Safety, and Effectiveness (IQuEST), 2450 Holcombe Blvd

Project Description:

The Veterans Administration (VA) has a strong commitment to improving Veterans’ mental health while supporting mental health clinicians. The South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (SC MIRECC) focuses on promoting equity in engagement, access, and quality of mental health care for Veterans facing barriers to care, especially rural and underserved Veterans. The SC MIRECC’s mission works synergistically with the VA’s commitment to improve mental health care by developing and disseminating evidence based educational material, tools and interventions that focus on improving mental health care.

This research opportunity is specifically with the education core of the SC MIRECC. Examples of recent projects with undergraduate interns include: creation of the Veterans Wellness Guide, A Veteran's Guide to Discussing STORES: Secure Storage to Reduce Suicide Risk and development of a cultural humility geriatric education module. The interprofessional education team has members from: Psychiatry, Social Psychology, and Clinical Psychology. The student would be involved in the development of educational materials along with their dissemination and evaluation. There are ample opportunities for students to write mentored manuscripts and poster presentations. Students can learn more about the educational efforts of the SC MIRECC by visiting the site, http://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn16/education.asp

Additional information: There is not one specific project. Students will be presented with current SCMIRECC education projects and can select which projects they would like to contribute to or lead their own project, like a review paper that aligns with current SCMIRECC projects.

Possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Conduct literature review
  • Create educational content
  • Write manuscript Create poster presentation:

Prerequisite skills or training: There are no formal prerequisites. Preference will be given to students who have an interest in mental health, education, evaluation, and dissemination; are team and detail oriented; and write well. Health science, education, psychology, and communication students are especially encouraged to apply.

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain: This project presents an opportunity to advance the student’s skills with creation of educational materials, dissemination, evaluation, and scholarly writing. Students will also be exposed to the current mental health research. Students will have opportunities for manuscript writing and presentations.

Mentorship: Student will meet weekly with Dr. Jennifer Bryan and/or Dr. Ali Abbas Asghar-Ali

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 19 to begin work:

  • Badging
  • HIPPA training
  • Background check

Engaging Community Members to Plan for Dissemination Of Wastewater Epidemiology Results (EMPOWER) OPEN

Project Title: Engaging community Members to Plan for Dissemination Of Wastewater Epidemiology Results (EMPOWER)

Project Sponsor: Amy McGuire, JD, PhD

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine

Project Description:

Wastewater research and surveillance can provide early warning of the spread of known diseases of public health importance and inform public health responses. It can also provide highly sensitive and potentially stigmatizing information, raising ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI). ELSI considerations include how to manage return of results in a way that maximizes the benefits of wastewater research and public health surveillance and builds public trust while protecting privacy and avoiding the exacerbation of health inequities. Our overarching goal is to develop ethical guidelines for the dissemination of results from wastewater research and surveillance programs. The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine will be collaborating with the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI) Wastewater Consortium (TWC) on this project. As part of this project, we will be conducting a literature review to inform the development of study materials, including an interview guide that will be used to interview key stakeholders about perceived and anticipated ELSI issues and barriers and facilitators to disclosing the results of wastewater surveillance to the public, a community engagement session discussion guide, and a state-wide public survey.

Possible tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Conduct literature review with annotated bibliography and memo summarizing and interpreting findings
  • Online data collection and analysis
  • Document review and analysis
  • Participate in analysis of qualitative interviews and engagement studios

Prerequisite skills or training:

  • Be organized
  • Experience conducting literature reviews
  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Good analytic skills
  • Good written and verbal communication skills

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain: Qualitative research methods (including interview guide development and data analysis); data collection and management; presentation of findings in the form of a poster and oral power point presentation; networking with other bioethicists and diverse stakeholders involved in wastewater surveillance and research; possibility of participating as a co-author in a publication.

Mentorship: The student will be mentored by the PI and a postdoctoral associate in our research group. They will have weekly meetings with the postdoctoral associate and monthly meetings with the PI. The student will also participate in regular (weekly) project meetings with the entire project team.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

A list of steps the student(s) will need to complete by August 19 to begin working:

  • Orientation
  • Badging
  • CITI training

Ethical Legal Implications of Psychedelics in Society CLOSED

Project Title: Ethical Legal Implications of Psychedelics in Society

Project Sponsor: Amy McGuire, JD, PhD

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Project Description:

Psychedelic medicines could profoundly and positively transform healthcare by providing breakthrough therapies to meet the growing mental health and suicide crisis among Veterans and civilians alike. Studies have found that psychedelic therapy improves the debilitating effects of various psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder). In 2017 and 2019, the U.S. FDA designated psilocybin and MDMA “breakthrough therapies” for depression and PTSD, respectively, and Lykos Therapeutics just filed the first New Drug Application for MDMA with the FDA. Meanwhile, States are getting involved. From 2019-2022, 25 states considered 74 bills to either reform existing laws and/or conduct further research on psychedelics. Many believe we are in the midst of a psychedelic renaissance, and there is an urgent need to address ethical and legal issues related to psychedelic research and use.

The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine has developed a new research program on Ethical Legal Implications of PSychedelics in Society (ELIPSIS). As part of this program, we will be conducting interviews with psychedelic clinical trialists (1) to understand their experiences interacting with their institutional review boards (IRBs) and (2) to explore their perspectives about the appropriate role of healthcare gatekeeping and physician readiness for FDA approval of psychedelic medicines.

Possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Conduct literature review with annotated bibliography and memo summarizing and interpreting findings
  • Online data collection and analysis
  • Document review and analysis
  • Participate in analysis of qualitative interviews

Prerequisite skills or training:

  • Be organized
  • Experience conducting literature reviews
  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Good analytic skills
  • Good written and verbal communication skills

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain: Qualitative research methods (including interview guide development and data analysis); data collection and management; presentation of findings in the form of a poster and oral power point presentation; networking with other bioethicists and diverse stakeholders involved in psychedelic research; possibility of participating as a co-author in a publication.

Mentorship: The student will be mentored by the PI and a postdoctoral associate in our research group. They will have weekly meetings with the postdoctoral associate and monthly meetings with the PI. The student will also participate in regular (weekly) project meetings with the entire project team.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

A list of steps the student(s) will need to complete by August 19 to begin work:

  • Orientation
  • Badging
  • CITI training

Alleviating Burden? Effects of Behavioral Health Consultants on Primary Care Team Burden and Dissatisfaction CLOSED

Project Title: Alleviating Burden? Effects of Behavioral Health Consultants on Primary Care Team Burden and Dissatisfaction

Project Sponsor(s): Mario Venegas, PhD and Sylvia J. Hysong, PhD

Institution and Location: Center for Innovations in Quality Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt), Baylor College of Medicine. 2450 Holcombe Blvd. Ste.01Y Houston

Project Description:
The research question: The objective of this systematic review project is to examine the effects of mental health providers in reducing burden and job dissatisfaction among primary care workers. Burnout, dissatisfaction, and overburden among primary staff is a common issue in healthcare that can lead to turnover, which in turn is costly for healthcare facilities. An understaffed team and an overburdened staff lead to poor quality of care and to higher costs due to having to replace staff who leave. In primary care, one attempt to address burden and dissatisfaction is by integrating mental health providers into primary care teams. These providers, or Behavioral Health Consultants (BHCs), work with primary care staff to handle patients with mental health issues, which would reduce burden and by consequence turnover among physicians, who are some of the most expensive team members to replace.

Why a systematic review? This systematic review will examine the effects of BHCs on primary care teams across two key outcomes: staff burden and job dissatisfaction. It has been argued that BHCs can help reduce turnover, but studies are needed to show why this is the case. In systematically reviewing studies, we expect that BHCs can reduce job dissatisfaction by reducing the burden levels across physicians and primary care staff. By screening and reviewing studies, we will assess the efficacy and effectiveness of integrating behavioral health. Thus, we can inform primary care leadership in deciding to continue efforts to integrate behavioral health in the provision of primary care.

What can you expect to learn? Studying burnout and job dissatisfaction shines light into the social and human dimensions of healthcare work. Screening and reviewing studies on the role of mental health workers in primary care will introduce students to the work conditions, demands, and resources that make healthcare work possible. Students will also get an exposure to the interventions to address burnout and dissatisfaction, the latter of which have human consequences such as loss of relationships and low morale for the workforce. Finally, students will develop the skills in parsing literature across disciplines such as social work, psychology, and sociology on a topic that has a long lineage of research across social sciences and whose perspective informs the healthcare workforce.

Possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform: Using the software Covidence (for systematic review abstraction), undergraduate assistants will assist in searching for, identifying, and screening over 400 studies by title and abstract according to inclusion and exclusion criteria set forth by the investigator. Tasks include:

  • Meet with the investigator to discuss screening decisions and reach consensus on studies to include for further analysis.
  • Screen titles and abstracts of studies to include for data extraction.
  • Conduct full text reviews of selected studies to include for data extraction.
  • Search for studies using pre-specified search terms across various databases.
  • Import studies into Covidence for inclusion and exclusion screening.

Prerequisite skills or training:

  • Excellent oral/written communication skills
  • Ability to follow specific instructions as described in the study protocol
  • Attention to detail
  • Dedicated time during regular business hours to attend meetings as needed.
  • Mentorship: Students will meet weekly with the project team (including the PI), and receive hands on mentoring by a post-doctoral fellow.

Project timeframe: 1-2 semesters, depending on speed of abstraction.

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 15 to begin work:

  • Complete CITI Human Subjects Training certification. Students at Rice can do the training under Rice affiliation.
  • Obtain a WOC (without compensation) appointment via the VA in May, June at the latest.
  • Complete 4 required TMS trainings as part of the WOC packet.
  • Complete Scope of Practice form in WOC packet.
  • Obtain VA access badge to begin work in August.
Health Professions Education Evaluation and Research OPEN

Project Sponsor(s): Audrey Mendez, PhD; Travis Croom, MPH

Project Title: Health Professions Education Evaluation and Research (HPEER)

Institution and Location: Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety (IQuESt) in the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (2450 Holcombe Blvd Suite 01Y, Houston, TX 77021)

Project Description that addresses the larger research project as well as any portion on which the student(s) would focus. Please indicate how the student’s work would engage with the humanities or interpretive social sciences. If this engagement is not evident, the project may not be eligible for this program.

HPEER is a national advanced fellowship funded by the Office of Academic Affiliations and the Department of Veterans Affairs to train leaders and educators in health professions education. HPEER seeks to develop experts who will lead the advancement of healthcare education. Located at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas, the HPEER Coordinating Center (CC) was recently instituted and is comprised of program directors, local and site core faculty, staff, and postdoctoral fellows. As a newly initiated program, a HHASS student will have the opportunity to make a significant and lasting contribution to the education and training of health professionals, like physicians,
nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists, throughout the United States.

HPEER is in the first year of implementing the newly developed national curriculum and infrastructure for national coordination of the HPEER program. The CC is also responsible for process evaluation and the communication of developmental outcomes to relevant stakeholders. Future evaluative efforts will include program evaluation using quantitative (e.g. self-reported surveys/questionnaires) and qualitative methods (self-reported descriptive data) to measure needs assessment, end of year, and productivity surveys among all fellows. Groundwork is being laid to enable a robust and timely evaluation of the HPEER program in order to allow CC faculty and staff to make continuous and ongoing improvements throughout the life of the program. A HHASS student will not only learn about this health professions education program as it is being built but also be able to leave their stamp on its foundation.

In conjunction with the HHASS program, we aim to develop program deliverables including a process evaluation database, website design, operational support surveys, process manuscripts, as well as reports on all surveys and process tools. Trainees can work on special projects and scholarship opportunities as applicable. Over the course of the program, trainees will learn more about the day to day operations of running a large, national health professions training program and interacting with an engaging, dynamic, and interprofessional team.

Trainees can expect to gain insight into an arm of medical research they may not be readily aware of and various ways health professionals can round out their careers with research, evaluation, or quality improvement.

Trainees are invited to attend key all-staff and department specific meetings and encouraged to take advantage of any opportunities, to ask questions, and learn more about areas of health professions education, curriculum development, program evaluation, interprofessional health science practices, marketing and operations that are of particular interest to them.

A list of possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform.

Program evaluation, qualitative and quantitative analysis, development reports, contribute to the development of scholarly products such as abstracts and publications.

A list of specific skills or training the student(s) should have before beginning the project. Students with the following interests/experience in Health Education Curriculum, Program Evaluation, Program Operations, Communication and Marketing, Data Collection and Analysis and generating reports, might consider this project. Some basic familiarity with qualitative and quantitative methods would be helpful but is not required. Familiarity with databases (e.g., Excel, REDCap) is also a plus. Methodological training (e.g. data entry, analyzing limited qualitative data) will be provided. Experience in preparing abstracts, posters, and manuscripts is ideal. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible, adaptable, and have excellent communication skills.

A short statement of what mentorship the student will receive, including frequency of meetings with PIs. Please indicate the individual(s) who will provide direct mentorship.

Students will meet with the projects sponsors a minimum of 1hour each week to discuss projects and progress. Students are encouraged to attend any other relevant meetings as part of the educational process.

Project timeframe (2 semesters is standard): Two semesters starting the Fall of 2024

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain, including any opportunities for presentations, publication, networking, etc.:

Students can gain insight into working on a national fellowship program including the buildout of a national program, website design, developing conceptual models, data reports, summaries and analysis, developing marketing materials and dissemination, literature reviews, developing posters for national conferences, and manuscript preparation. Students will gain and/or build upon skills in curriculum design, website design, administrative support, evaluation methods and frameworks as well as working with an interprofessional team. Skills in quantitative data collection include administering surveys, data entry and management and report development. Students will also assist the HPEER team in preparing abstracts, presentations and/or manuscripts based on the data collected and analyzed.

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 19 to begin work (i.e. badging, HIPAA training, background check, etc.):

As part of your pending Rice HPEER Internship, you are required to have a WOC (without compensation) appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs. We connect trainees with Ed Pomer to start the onboarding process which includes:

Two forms:

  • Demographic Form
  • Optional Federal Employee

Three training certificates:

  • CITI - VA Human Subjects Protection
  • TMS - VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior (TMS# 10176)
  • TMS - Privacy and HIPAA Training (TMS# 10203)

2023-24 Project Descriptions


Assessment & Development of Aging Resources for Older Adults CLOSED

Project Sponsor(s): University of Texas Health Science Center- Houston, Consortium on Aging

Project Title: Assessment & Development of Aging Resources for Older Adults

Institution and Location: University of Texas Health Science Center- Houston, Consortium on Aging. 7000 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030. 26th Floor.

Project Description that addresses the larger research project as well as any portion on which the student(s) would focus. Please indicate how the student’s work would engage with the humanities or interpretive social sciences.

The Consortium on Aging (COA) and Southeast Texas Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (SETxGWEP) is seeking a student to assist with a systematic literature review and comprehensive needs assessment for resources to support aging in place. The student will work with expert geriatricians, gerontologists and support staff to conduct a literature review and develop a comprehensive needs assessment plan to determine the needs of older adults in Southeast Texas. The student will work with an advisory panel of older adults to review current resources and participate in qualitative data collection methods to develop an aging in place guide. The student will assist with dissemination of findings, including the marketing of the aging in place guide.

A list of possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Conduct a systematic literature review.
  • Assist with the completion of a comprehensive needs assessment.
  • Participate in qualitative data collection methods; including interviews and focus groups.
  • Assist with qualitative data analysis.
  • Participate in scholarly writing activities. This includes drafting and submitting abstract(s), presentation(s), and/or poster(s) for distribution at UTHealth Houston and/or professional organization(s).
  • Participate in technical writing activities. This includes drafting an aging in place guide and peer-reviewed publications summarizing the literature review.
  • Attend events associated with UTHealth School of Public Health, COA and/or the SETxGWEP.

A list of specific skills or training the student(s) should have before beginning the project.

  • Excellent oral and written communication.
    • Face-to-face conversation
    • Telephone conversation
    • Public speaking
    • Scholarly writing

Training: NA

A short statement of what mentorship the student will receive, including frequency of meetings with PIs:

  • The student will be guided and supported by the SETxGWEP program manager on a regular basis.
  • The student will attend team meetings, as well as one-on-one meetings with the program manager at least once a week.
  • The student will meet with the PI and associated faculty on a biweekly basis, or more frequently, if necessary.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters.

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain, including any opportunities for presentations, publication, networking, etc.:

The student can expect to:

  • Engage with geriatricians and gerontologists at UTHealth Houston and across the Texas Medical Center.
  • Engage with leaders and staff from community-based organizations that serve older adults in the Houston area.
  • Increase their knowledge and develop skills related to the implementation of a comprehensive needs assessment.
  • Increase their knowledge and develop skills in qualitative data collection methods and qualitative data analysis.
  • Increase their knowledge and develop skills in scholarly writing. This includes drafting and submitting abstract(s), presentation(s), and/or poster(s) for distribution at UTHealth Houston and/or professional organization(s).
  • Increase their knowledge and develops skills in technical writing. This includes drafting report(s), an aging in place guide and peer-reviewed publications summarizing the literature review.
  • Increase their knowledge related to the needs of the aging population and available aging resources at local, state and national level.
  • Attend events associated with UTHealth School of Public Health, UTHealth Houston Consortium on Aging, and/or the SETxGWEP.

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 15 to begin work (i.e. badging, HIPAA training, background check, etc.)

  • Complete UTHealth Houston Visiting Scholars Program Application.
  • Upon completion of the UTHealth Visiting Scholars Program Application, student will complete:
    • Background check
  • Health Questionnaire
    • This includes documentation of immunizations.
  • Obtain badge.
    • Obtain parking permit, if applicable. UTHealth Houston does not offer complementary parking.
    • NOTE: International student must submit documentation from their “home institution” (Rice University), which outlines permission for student to seek an educational experience from faculty and staff at the “visiting institution” (UTHealth Houston).

Ethical Legal Implications of Psychedelics in Society

Project Title: Ethical Legal Implications of Psychedelics in Society

Project Sponsor: Amy McGuire, JD, PhD

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Project Description:

Psychedelic medicines could profoundly and positively transform healthcare by providing breakthrough therapies to meet the growing mental health and suicide crisis among Veterans and civilians alike. Studies have found that psychedelic therapy improves the debilitating effects of various psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder). In 2017 and 2019, the U.S. FDA designated psilocybin and MDMA “breakthrough therapies” for depression and PTSD, respectively, and Lykos Therapeutics just filed the first New Drug Application for MDMA with the FDA. Meanwhile, States are getting involved. From 2019-2022, 25 states considered 74 bills to either reform existing laws and/or conduct further research on psychedelics. Many believe we are in the midst of a psychedelic renaissance, and there is an urgent need to address ethical and legal issues related to psychedelic research and use.

The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine has developed a new research program on Ethical Legal Implications of PSychedelics in Society (ELIPSIS). As part of this program, we will be conducting interviews with psychedelic clinical trialists (1) to understand their experiences interacting with their institutional review boards (IRBs) and (2) to explore their perspectives about the appropriate role of healthcare gatekeeping and physician readiness for FDA approval of psychedelic medicines.

Possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Conduct literature review with annotated bibliography and memo summarizing and interpreting findings
  • Online data collection and analysis
  • Document review and analysis
  • Participate in analysis of qualitative interviews

Prerequisite skills or training:

Organized

  • Experience conducting literature reviews
  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Good analytic skills
  • Good written and verbal communication skills

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain: Qualitative research methods (including interview guide development and data analysis); data collection and management; presentation of findings in the form of a poster and oral power point presentation; networking with other bioethicists and diverse stakeholders involved in psychedelic research; possibility of participating as a co-author in a publication.

Mentorship: The student will be mentored by the PI and a postdoctoral associate in our research group. They will have weekly meetings with the postdoctoral associate and monthly meetings with the PI. The student will also participate in regular (weekly) project meetings with the entire project team.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

A list of steps the student(s) will need to complete by August 19 to begin work:

  • Orientation
  • Badging
  • CITI training

Patient Priorities Care: Improving Clinical Outcomes in Primary Care CLOSED

Project Sponsor(s): Aanand Naik, MD, Professor of Medicine and Public Health, UTHealth Houston Project

Title: Patient Priorities Care: Improving Clinical Outcomes in Primary Care

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine/Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center- Center for Innovation, Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt) – 2450 Holcombe Blvd., Suite 01Y, Houston, TX 77021

Project Description that addresses the larger research project as well as any portion on which the student(s) would focus. Please indicate how the student’s work would engage with the humanities or interpretive social sciences.

Patient Priorities Care (PPC) is a novel approach to caring for older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Heralded in 2018 as a “revolutionary change in health care delivery” by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2018), Patient Priorities Care has become a standard of age-friendly care over the last several years in geriatric care settings. PPC deftly addresses the inherent complexity of patients with multiple chronic conditions without sacrificing quality of care. Publications over the last few years have demonstrated feasibility of implementation of the PPC approach.

The current research study is a randomized clinical trial evaluating the adaptation of the Patient Priorities Care approach to primary care settings. Students will participate as part of an interprofessional research team on various aspects of the clinical trial for the Patient Priorities Care approach in 2 VA primary care sites (Houston and West Haven, Connecticut).

A list of possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform with the appropriate training and supervision:

  • Patient recruitment
  • Communication with primary care stakeholders and participants
  • Coordination of in-clinic research encounters (PCP recordings)
  • Quantitative data collection interviews (follow up data collection)
  • Qualitative coding and analysis of research transcripts (PCP recordings, summative implementation evaluations)

A list of specific skills or training the student(s) should have before beginning the project.

  • Students with the following interests/experience might consider this project, although anyone interested in chronic disease and biopsychosocial model of medical care would be a reasonable fit: psychology or social science majors (sociology), communication (health communication), or philosophy (applied).
  • Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible and adaptable, and have excellent communication skills.

A short statement of what mentorship the student will receive, including frequency of meetings with PIs.

  • Students will have the opportunity for hands-on experience as part of this dynamic interprofessional research team, which includes geriatric and internal medicine providers, psychologists, health communication experts, quantitative and qualitative methodologists, and public health professionals.
  • Students will receive direct supervision in data collection and management.
  • Students will attend weekly team meetings with project investigators, where they will have opportunities to present the progress of their work and participate in team discussions.
  • Opportunities to work directly with the study investigators to evaluate and publish on the impact of Patient Priorities Care in a primary care setting will be a feature of the student’s time.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain, including any opportunities for presentations, publication, networking, etc.:

Insight into how interprofessional research teams function, how healthcare research is developed, the day to day work of recruiting and implementing research trials into clinical workflows, stakeholder communication, branding and marketing of novel ideas, working with relational databases, knowledge of the evolution toward patient-centered care specifically in geriatrics/primary care disciplines, including pharmacy, social work, nursing, medicine, and community-based service, networking opportunities.

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 15 to begin work (i.e. badging, HIPAA training, background check, etc.):

  • CITI - VA Human Subjects Protection
  • TMS - VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior (TMS# 10176)
  • TMS - Privacy and HIPAA Training (TMS# 10203)
  • TMS - HOU- Annual Review Training (TMS #3807162)
  • TMS – Government Ethics – The Essentials (TMS # 3812493)

CITI - https://www.citiprogram.org You may be required to self-register for a user ID and password. If you already have an account with CITI, please affiliate with the VA by choosing >Click here to affiliate with another institution (second drop down on Main Menu…middle of the page). Type in “Houston, TX-580” and follow the instructions to complete your affiliation.

TMS - VA TMS 2.0 You may need to create a user name and password. Please follow the instructions provided to self-register.

Health Professions Education Evaluation Research Fellowship Program (HPEER) CLOSED

Project Sponsor(s): Audrey Mendez, PhD, Travis Croom

Project Title: Health Professions Education Evaluation Research Fellowship Program (HPEER)

Institution and Location: Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuEST). Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2450 Holcombe Blvd., Suite 01Y Houston, Texas 77021

Project Description that addresses the larger research project as well as any portion on which the student(s) would focus. Please indicate how the student’s work would engage with the humanities or interpretive social sciences:

HPEER is a national advanced fellowship funded by the Office of Academic Affiliations and the Department of Veterans Affairs to train leaders and educators in health professions education. HPEER seeks to develop experts who will lead the advancement of healthcare education. Located at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas, the HPEER Coordinating Center (CC) was recently instituted and is comprised of program directors, local and site core faculty, staff, and postdoctoral fellows. As a newly initiated program, a HHASS student will have the opportunity to make a significant and lasting contribution to the education and training of health professionals, like physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists, throughout the United States.

HPEER is in the first year of implementing the newly developed national curriculum and infrastructure for national coordination of the HPEER program. The CC is also responsible for process evaluation and the communication of developmental outcomes to relevant stakeholders. Future evaluative efforts will include program evaluation using quantitative (e.g. self-reported surveys/questionnaires) and qualitative methods (self-reported descriptive data) to measure needs assessment, end of year, and productivity surveys among all fellows. Groundwork is being laid to enable a robust and timely evaluation of the HPEER program in order to allow CC faculty and staff to make continuous and ongoing improvements throughout the life of the program. A HHASS student will not only learn about this health professions education program as it is being built but also be able to leave their stamp on its foundation.

In conjunction with the HHASS program, we aim to develop program deliverables including a process evaluation database, website design, operational support surveys, process manuscripts, as well as reports on all surveys and process tools. Trainees can work on special projects and scholarship opportunities as applicable. Over the course of the program, trainees will learn more about the day to day operations of running a large, national health professions training program and interacting with an engaging, dynamic, and interprofessional team. Trainees can expect to gain insight into an arm of medical research they may not be readily aware of and various ways health professionals can round out their careers with research, evaluation, or quality improvement.

For the 2023 – 2024 academic year, the selected HHASS student will be heavily involved in the formative evaluation of the new HPEER National Curriculum. Administered in three-weeks long modules, learners will be asked to complete evaluation surveys of each module rating and provide feedback on the content and presenters of said module. Alongside program staff, the HHASS student will be tasked with analyzing and formatting resultant data from module surveys so that it can be communicated to program faculty for review and inclusion in improvement efforts. This process will occur and repeat on a monthly basis. The selected HHASS student will more than likely be able to turn this work into a manuscript for possible publication.

A list of possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Program evaluation
  • Qualitative and quantitative analysis,
  • Development reports
  • Contribute to the development of scholarly products such as abstracts and publications

A list of specific skills or training the student(s) should have before beginning the project:

Students with the following interests/experience in Health Education Curriculum, Program Evaluation, Program Operations, Communication and Marketing, Data Collection and Analysis and generating reports, might consider this project. Some basic familiarity with qualitative and quantitative methods would be helpful but is not required. Familiarity with databases (e.g., Excel, REDCap) is also a plus. Methodological training (e.g. data entry, analyzing limited qualitative data) will be provided. Experience in preparing abstracts, posters, and manuscripts is ideal. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible, adaptable, and have excellent communication skills.

A short statement of what mentorship the student will receive, including frequency of meetings with PIs;

Students will meet with the projects sponsors a minimum of 1hour each week to discuss projects and progress. Trainees are invited to attend key all-staff and department specific meetings and encouraged to take advantage of any opportunities, to ask questions, and learn more about areas of health professions education, curriculum development, program evaluation, interprofessional health science practices, marketing and operations that are of particular interest to them.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain, including any opportunities for presentations, publication, networking, etc.:

Students can gain insight into working on a national fellowship program including the build-out of a national program, website design, developing conceptual models, data reports, summaries and analysis, developing marketing materials and dissemination, literature reviews, developing posters for national conferences, and manuscript preparation. Students will gain and/or build upon skills in curriculum design, website design, administrative support, evaluation methods and frameworks as well as working with an interprofessional team. Skills in quantitative data collection include administering surveys, data entry and management and report development. Students will also assist the HPEER team in preparing abstracts, presentations and/or manuscripts based on the data collected and analyzed.

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 15 to begin work (i.e. badging, HIPAA training, background check, etc.):

As part of your pending Rice HPEER Internship, you are required to have a WOC (without compensation) appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs. We connect trainees with Ed Pomer to start the onboarding process which includes:

Two forms:

  • Demographic Form
  • Optional Federal Employee

Three training certificates:

  • CITI - VA Human Subjects Protection
  • TMS - VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior (TMS# 10176)
  • TMS - Privacy and HIPAA Training (TMS# 10203)

Application of Medical Humanities in a Clinical Pediatric Setting CLOSED

Project Sponsor(s): Daniel Mahoney, MD, and Amanda Ruth, MD

Project Title: Application of Medical Humanities in a Clinical Pediatric Setting

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital main campus

Project Description that addresses the larger research project as well as any portion on which the student(s) would focus. Please indicate how the student’s work would engage with the humanities or interpretive social sciences.

The student will be expected to pick a contained topic of interest within medical humanities, conduct independent (but guided) research and have a final product at the end of the curriculum (either submitted written piece or a presentation). Possible topics include, but are not limited to, incorporating humanities into an educational curriculum, ethical considerations in physician-patient interactions, the use of humanities in disseminating medical information.

A list of possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Literature search
  • Produce a summary of relevant literature and citations
  • Submitting a finished product either to a journal or to a conference
  • Conducting surveys or administering questionnaires if they wish for a more in depth research project with more face to face interaction


A list of specific skills or training the student(s) should have before beginning the project:

  • Basic background research skills (know resources to use, which journals or reference material may be relevant)
  • Basic writing and organizational skills

A short statement of what mentorship the student will receive, including frequency of meetings with PIs:

Students can expect guidance on project conception, research, editing and polishing final product, including help with presentations should it be required. We meet weekly.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters.

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain, including any opportunities for presentations, publication, networking, etc.:

  • Literature review skills, background search
  • If desired, writing aimed towards an academic journal
  • Opportunities to work with pediatric subspecialties if desired
  • A publication or a conference presentation by the end of the yea

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 15 to begin work (i.e. badging, HIPAA training, background check, etc.):

  • HIPPAA training and badging only if the students has a specific project in mind that will involve patients or providers
VA Quality Scholars Fellowship Program (VAQS) OPEN

Project Sponsor(s): Audrey Mendez, PhD; Jacky Shahin

Project Title: VA Quality Scholars Fellowship Program (VAQS)

Institution and Location: Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuEST). Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2450 Holcombe Blvd., Suite 01Y Houston, Texas 77021

Project Description that addresses the larger research project as well as any portion on which the student(s) would focus. Please indicate how the student’s work would engage with the humanities or interpretive social sciences:

VA Quality Scholars Coordinating Center (CC) is located at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. The Coordinating Center is comprised of program directors, local and site core faculty, staff, and Health Professions Education Evaluation Research postdoctoral fellows. It is responsible for program implementation and assessment, developing and delivering a national, core curriculum, program operations and marketing, and fostering collaboration among the fellowship sites. VAQS fellowship program consists of 9 sites located around the United States and one site in Toronto. Potential trainees will have the opportunity to work in numerous components of the CC as described below.

Trainees can work on special projects and scholarship opportunities as applicable and based on interest. Over the course of the program, trainees will learn more about the day-to-day operations of running a national CC. Trainees are encouraged to take advantage of any opportunities, to ask questions, and learn more about areas of quality improvement, program evaluation, marketing and operations that are of particular interest to them.

VAQS conducts a rigorous program evaluation using quantitative (e.g. self-reported surveys/questionnaires and existing data) and qualitative methods (self-reported descriptive data) The trainee will have the opportunity to gain evaluation experience by collecting and analyzing critical data as well as developing and presenting reports on all surveys and assessment tools. This project will lead in the development of reports for key stakeholders and marketing purposes as well as potential publications.

Program operations includes developing marketing materials for the VAQS fellowship program, (i.e. monthly newsletter), as well as disseminating these materials to all fellows and faculty and key stakeholders. The trainee will work closely with key faculty and staff in developing innovative ways to market the VAQS program and enhance recruitment efforts among other marketing projects.

A list of possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

Quantitative and qualitative data analysis, creating and presenting reports, contributing to the development of abstracts and manuscripts for publication, co-editing the VAQS Newsletter, other tasks as desired.

A list of specific skills or training the student(s) should have before beginning the project:

Students with the following interests/experience in Program Evaluation, Program Operations, Communication and Marketing, Data Collection and Analysis and generating national reports, might consider this project. Some basic familiarity with qualitative and quantitative methods would be helpful but is not required. Familiarity with databases (e.g., Excel) is also a plus. Methodological training (e.g. data entry, analyzing limited qualitative data) will be provided. Experience in preparing abstracts, posters, and manuscripts is ideal. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible, adaptable, and have excellent communication skills.

A short statement of what mentorship the student will receive, including frequency of meetings with PIs:

Students will work directly with the project sponsor and other team members who are affiliated with the student’s project. Trainee will meet with sponsor for a minimum of 1 hour each week to discuss project(s) and progress. Trainees are also welcomed to join our Coordinating Center meetings where they can receive feedback on any works-in-progress if desired.

Trainees are encouraged to take advantage of any opportunities, to ask questions, and learn more about areas of quality improvement, curriculum development, program evaluation, implementation science, marketing and operations that are of particular interest to them. Trainees will also be able to network and meet with other faculty and staff as needed/ desired.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain, including any opportunities for presentations, publication, networking, etc.:

Depending on area of interest, students can gain insight into working on a National fellowship program including multiple components of a large scale program evaluation, developing conceptual models, data reports, summaries and analysis, national conference development and planning, developing marketing materials and dissemination, literature reviews, developing posters for national conferences, and manuscript preparation. Students will gain and/or build upon skills in qualitative and quantitative methods to assist the evaluation team in better understanding the potential benefits of the fellowship education on key stakeholders. Skills in quantitative data collection include administering surveys, data entry and management and report development. Students will also have the opportunity to assist the VAQS evaluation team in preparing abstracts, presentations and/or manuscripts based on the data collected and analyzed.

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 15 to begin work (i.e. badging, HIPAA training, background check, etc.):

As part of your pending Rice HPEER Internship, you are required to have a WOC (without compensation) appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs. We connect trainees with Ed Pomer to start the onboarding process which includes:

Two forms:

  • Demographic Form
  • Optional Federal Employee

Three training certificates:

  • CITI - VA Human Subjects Protection
  • TMS - VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior (TMS# 10176)
  • TMS - Privacy and HIPAA Training (TMS# 10203)
Community Assessment of Veteran Housing in Houston, Texas OPEN

Project Sponsor(s): Nipa Kamdar, PhD, RN, FNP-BC (primary); Laura Witte, DrPH, MPH (secondary)

Project Title: Community Assessment of Veteran Housing in Houston, Texas

Institution and Location: Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, a joint lab shared between Baylor College of Medicine and U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development

Project Description that addresses the larger research project as well as any portion on which the student(s) would focus. Please indicate how the student’s work would engage with the humanities or interpretive social sciences:

  • The purpose of this project is to gain an understanding of the environmental context of housing sites for veterans with a history of homelessness or housing instability in the Houston metropolitan area.
  • The student would contribute to multiple aspects of the project, including conducting a literature review about housing for veterans, identifying a convenience sample of veteran housing sites in Houston, recording observations using community assessment techniques like photography and windshield surveys, and using geographical information systems to display information about the communities in which the housing sites are located.
  • The student would engage with interpretive social sciences especially in using photography, windshield surveys, and other observational techniques to describe and understand the communities in which the veteran housing sites are embedded.

A list of possible types of tasks the student(s) would be expected to perform:

  • Reviewing literature, online information, and speaking with VA personnel to collect general background information on housing programs and sites
  • Visiting housing sites around the Houston metro area with members of the project team
  • Taking photographs of the environment and recording windshield survey observations
  • Mapping housing sites and neighborhood resources, e.g., grocery stores, urgent care clinics, public transportation routes and hubs

A list of specific skills or training the student(s) should have before beginning the project:

  • Ability to use public transportation and/or have access to own transportation

A short statement of what mentorship the student will receive, including frequency of meetings with PIs:

  • Mentorship will focus on learning research methodology in geographic information systems science and qualitative data collection, writing skills, and social determinants of health and how it related to health inequities
  • Student will meet weekly with Drs. Kamdar and Witte for a touch-base meeting (15-30 minutes virtually)
  • Student will meet with Drs. Kamdar and Witte at least every other week in-person for 1 hour to review progress, hurdles, and next steps.
  • Additional modes of communication will be phone / text / email as needed to support the student and the project.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

Knowledge and skills the student(s) can expect to gain, including any opportunities for presentations, publication, networking, etc.:

  • Familiarity with literature reviews
  • Experience with geographic information systems science (GIS) software and methods
  • Skills in community assessment methodology such as windshield surveys
  • Opportunity to contribute to presentations and publications
  • Opportunity to network with researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and VA

A list of steps the selected student(s) will need to complete by August 15 to begin work (i.e., badging, HIPAA training, background check, etc.):

Because we will be using publicly available data, the student will not need to receive VA Without Compensation status (WOC). This reduces a number of potential barriers. We will inform our Center of Innovation administrator that we have a student on our team, which has been sufficient in the past.

Additional information:

Dr. Kamdar has worked with undergraduate and graduate students in the past and has successfully helped build their publication profile while also sharing research insights that they can carry forward in their careers. She has been adjunct faculty at UT Health Science Center Cizik School of Nursing since 2015 and enjoys working with students.

Dr. Kamdar is a researcher at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety. Her research in food insecurity and related social needs builds on her experiences as a family nurse practitioner serving communities with low resources.

Dr. Witte is a post-doctoral fellow with expertise in community-based participatory research, GIS data analysis, and homelessness/housing.

Ethics and Decision Making CLOSED

Project Sponsor(s): Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby PhD, MA

Project Title: Ethics and Decision Making

Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Project Description: Dr. Blumenthal-Barby is working on several projects related to medical decision making and ethics. The student(s) selected to work on this research team may participate in helping with any one or several of these projects depending on need and timing.

One project involves studying the use of a “decision aid” (DA) to help improve decision making about placement of a ventricular assist device (“LVAD”) among end stage heart failure patients. We developed a DA (www.lvaddecisionaid.com) and conducted a randomized trial of the DA vs. standard education and found that the DA improved patient knowledge and that both patients and clinicians viewed the DA favorably and we then worked with 10 sites to integrate it into their regular clinical flow. For the current project, we are studying the integration of a web-based “personalized risk calculator” that uses artificial intelligence/machine learning to predict individual patient outcomes, as well as the integration of a “personalized values clarification exercise.” The student could assist with various aspects of this project, which may include literature reviews and summaries, assistance in data presentation (e.g., tables, figures), assistance with tracking activities, assistance with coding and analyzing interviews, collaborative paper writing, and development of web-based resources and activities. The student would attend weekly research team meetings.

A second project involves a “Philosophical Bioethics Network/Hub,” which is an active web platform for resources and content in philosophical bioethics. This is a collaborative effort with other leading Centers in philosophical bioethics. There may be opportunity for student involvement here. www.philosophicalbioethics.com

A list of possible tasks the student would be expected to perform:

In addition to the tasks described in the project descriptions above, the student must devote 8 hours per week to the project and will develop a timeline of activities in collaboration with supervisor(s). The student will meet at least monthly (probably bi-weekly) with the faculty supervisor(s) to evaluate progress. The student will attend relevant research team meetings as requested (may occur weekly depending on project).

Prerequisite training:

Interests and/or coursework related to the above topics will be prioritized. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible and adaptable (some research tasks are more fun than others, and these projects involves a mix of research streams), and have excellent writing skills.

Project timeframe: 2 semesters

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain:

Insight into how research teams function, how research ideas are generated and executed, the day to day work of research and translation of research results into practice, searching and summarizing literature, knowledge about medical decision making/psychology/ethics, potentially experience analyzing and coding qualitative data, networking opportunities.


2022-23 Project Descriptions


Project Title: Religion, Spirituality, and Medicine: A Survey of Beliefs and Practices

Project Description:
Spirituality and medicine have a longstanding, and complex, history. In many ancient cultures, the distinctions between medicine, religion, and magic were blurred; today, there seems to be more clarity about how spiritual and secular understandings of health, illness, and death diverge. But even if clinical and research medicine have done away with Divine causes of illness and wellness, spirituality and religion still play a role in the decisions patients make. Approximately 80% of Americans identify themselves as belonging to a religious tradition. And, since patients often incorporate their spiritual values into their medical decisions, a good understanding of the beliefs and practices of religious traditions is becoming important for competent medical care, research, and policy. This project involves assisting the creations of an expansive analysis (in the form of a table) of the interactions between medicine and religion. This would include identifying and synthesizing relevant information, for example, a book chapter or article on the beliefs of Sunni Muslims about end-of-life care. The student would then subdivide the domain (“end of life beliefs and practices”) into a number of topics, such as, “perspectives on pain management,” “advance care planning documentation,” “determination of death” and other essential areas. The project has gone into detail on American Judaism and a bit on Sunni Islam and Catholic beliefs. The student will likely concentrate on a different religious tradition but can, likely, concentrate where they are most interested. At this time, the project may develop into a pamphlet, website, or mobile application depending on procuring funding and the Primary Investigator’s other projects. Depending on the speed of development, the HHAS Scholar may also assist with creating a grant proposal, but it is unlikely the project will develop into a finished project within the year of the Scholar’s involvement, so their involvement would be primarily on the research side with some writing compositions possible.
Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Project timeframe: 2 semesters
Prerequisite training: Students with college-level research skills and ability to analyze religious and theological texts would be able to perform the tasks. The Scholar should also have clear written communication skills. The Scholar should be organized, detail-oriented, self-starting, punctual, and flexible on their weekly tasks. Students with an interest in religion, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, communication, or medicine are likely to find the research especially rewarding, but any student interested in the interaction of religion and medicine with college-level research and reading skills would likely fit well.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: The Scholar will likely gain a great deal of knowledge about at least one religions tradition’s perspectives on numerous areas of medicine. The student is expected to have good research skills, but they will also improve these skills by identifying important texts, scholarly articles, and books, reading these resources, and then synthesizing their salient features for the project.

Project Title: A “Land Acknowledgement” for the Texas Medical Center: History and Ethics

Project Description:
An opening statement that recognizes the prior occupants of a place, especially Indigenous peoples, is increasingly common at events in bioethics and other fields. While the motivation behind “land acknowledgements” is often articulated as a show of respect, such acknowledgements have been criticized as empty virtue signaling and may reflect no more work than consulting an app. This project would explore the history and ethical considerations relevant to a land acknowledgement for the Texas Medical Center (including Baylor College of Medicine). What tribes resided here, and what happened to them? In the more recent history of this place, were any communities wrongfully displaced? What are the ethical implications of the history of the land for the present? In sum, can a careful historical and ethical analysis lead to a land acknowledgement that is meaningful and addresses the concerns of land acknowledgement critics? Outputs would include a land acknowledgment for use by individuals affiliated with Texas Medical Center institutions, a related submission to the annual meeting of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, and a manuscript describing the results of the research and analysis in the form of a commentary.

Institution and Location: Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine; also the McGovern Historical Center at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library (Sandra Yates, the head librarian at the McGovern Center, has agreed to help with the historical research).

Project timeframe (2 semesters is standard, 1 semester options also): 2 semesters

Prerequisite training: Some background in history/historical research methods would be valuable but not required.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: Historical research with primary sources, ethical analysis.

Project Title: Ethics and Decision Making

Project Description: Dr. Blumenthal-Barby is working on several projects related to medical decision making and ethics. The student(s) selected to work on this research team may participate in helping with any one or several of these projects depending on need and timing.

One project involves studying the use of a “decision aid” (DA) to help improve decision making about placement of a ventricular assist device (“LVAD”) among end stage heart failure patients. We developed a DA (www.lvaddecisionaid.com) and conducted a randomized trial of the DA vs. standard education and found that the DA improved patient knowledge and that both patients and clinicians viewed the DA favorably and we then worked with 10 sites to integrate it into their regular clinical flow. For the current project, we are studying the integration of a web-based “personalized risk calculator” that uses artificial intelligence/machine learning to predict individual patient outcomes, as well as the integration of a “personalized values clarification exercise.” The student could assist with various aspects of this project, which may include literature reviews and summaries, assistance in data presentation (e.g., tables, figures), assistance with tracking activities, assistance with coding and analyzing interviews, collaborative paper writing, and development of web-based resources and activities. The student would attend weekly research team meetings.

A second project involves studying ethics and decision-making related to pediatric deep brain stimulation for dystonia and OCD. We interviewed stakeholders (parents, clinicians) and are in the process of developing a decision aid to guide this difficult decision. The student could assist in various related research tasks such as literature reviews and summaries, coding interviews, collaborative paper writing, and assisting in decision aid development. There is also the opportunity for exploration of a related topic: the ethics of first-in human neuro-device trials. The student would also attend weekly research team meetings.

Finally, Dr. Blumemthal-Barby is developing a “Philosophical Bioethics Network/Hub,” which will be an active web platform for resources and content in philosophical bioethics. This is a collaborative effort with other leading Centers in philosophical bioethics. There may be opportunity for student involvement here.
Institution and Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Prerequisite training: Interests and/or coursework related to the above topics will be prioritized. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible and adaptable (some research tasks are more fun than others, and these projects involves a mix of research streams), and have excellent writing skills.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: Insight into how research teams function, how research ideas are generated and executed, the day to day work of research and translation of research results into practice, searching and summarizing literature, knowledge about medical decision making/psychology/ethics, potentially experience analyzing and coding qualitative data, networking opportunities.

Project Title: Examining the Role of Narrative Medicine in the Care of Children with Complex Illness

Project Description:
Dr. Ruth and Dr. Mahoney are working on several educational initiatives with pediatric residency and fellowship trainees involving the use of narrative medicine. Narrative medicine practice confers a skill set to clinicians that strengthens their ability to recognize, absorb, interpret, and be moved by the stories of their patients. This skill set has been shown to improve clinician resiliency in the face of burnout, increase clinician empathy, and improve attention to nonverbal cues.

Ongoing projects include:
1. BCM Pediatrics residency Leadership, Advocacy and Development (LEAD) track narrative medicine curriculum for advocacy and resilience

2. BCM Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship narrative medicine curriculum for increasing empathy in clinical practice

3. BCM Pediatric Scientist Training and Development Program narrative medicine curriculum for professional identity formation

Students will be asked to contribute to a variety of tasks involved in translating educational activities into research projects. These may include literature reviews, contributing to drafting of IRB research proposals, participation in consenting and enrolling individuals in IRB-approved projects, and (when applicable based on training and expertise) contribute to qualitative data analysis.

Institution and Location:
Texas Children’s Hospital
6621 Fannin St, W1990
Houston, TX 77030

Prerequisite training: Students with a focus in medical humanities, pre-medical studies, adult education, or scientific writing/health communication would likely find this opportunity beneficial and interesting. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, self-motivated, adaptable, professional, and have strong writing skills.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: Students will learn about the practice of narrative medicine, the process of ongoing medical education, translation of educational activities into academic scholarship, searching and summarizing both peer-reviewed medical literature and humanities literature, and potentially experience analyzing and coding qualitative data.

Project Title: Health Professions Education Evaluation Research Fellowship Program (HPEER)

Project Description:
HPEER is a national advanced fellowship funded by the Office of Academic Affiliations and the Department of Veterans Affairs to train leaders and educators in health professions education. Located at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas, the HPEER Coordinating Center (CC) was recently instituted and is comprised of program directors, local and site core faculty, staff, and postdoctoral fellows. A HHASS student will have the opportunity to make a significant and lasting contribution to the education and training of health professionals, like physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists, throughout the United States.

In conjunction with the HHASS program, we aim to develop a process evaluation database, website design, operational support surveys, process manuscripts, as well as reports on all surveys and process tools. Students can work on special projects and scholarship opportunities as applicable. Over the course of the program, they will learn more about the day to day operations of running a large, national health professions training program and interacting with an engaging, dynamic, and interprofessional team. They are invited to attend key all-staff and department specific meetings and encouraged to take advantage of any opportunities, to ask questions, and learn more about areas of health professions education, curriculum development, program evaluation, interprofessional health science practices, marketing and operations that are of particular interest to them.

Institution and Location:
Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuEST)
Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2450 Holcombe Blvd., Suite 01Y Houston, Texas 77021

Prerequisite training: Students with the following interests/experience in Health Education Curriculum, Program Evaluation, Program Operations, Communication and Marketing, Data Collection and Analysis and generating reports, might consider this project. Some basic familiarity with qualitative and quantitative methods would be helpful but is not required. Familiarity with databases (e.g., Excel, REDCap) is also a plus. Methodological training (e.g. data entry, analyzing limited qualitative data) will be provided. Experience in preparing abstracts, posters, and manuscripts is ideal. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible, adaptable, and have excellent communication skills.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: Students can gain insight into working on a national fellowship program including the buildout of a national program, website design, developing conceptual models, data reports, summaries and analysis, developing marketing materials and dissemination, literature reviews, developing posters for national conferences, and manuscript preparation. Students will gain and/or build upon skills in curriculum design, website design, administrative support, evaluation methods and frameworks as well as working with an interprofessional team. Skills in quantitative data collection include administering surveys, data entry and management and report development. Students will also assist the HPEER team in preparing abstracts, presentations and/or manuscripts based on the data collected and analyzed.

Project Title: VA Quality Scholars Fellowship Program (VAQS)

Project Description:
VA Quality Scholars Coordinating Center (CC) is located at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. The Coordinating Center is responsible for program implementation and assessment, developing and delivering a national, core curriculum, program operations and marketing, and fostering collaboration among the fellowship sites.

Students can work on special projects and scholarship opportunities as applicable and based on interest. Over the course of the program, they will learn more about the day to day operations of running a national CC. They are encouraged to take advantage of any opportunities, to ask questions, and learn more about areas of quality improvement, program evaluation, marketing and operations that are of particular interest to them.

VAQS conducts a rigorous program evaluation using quantitative (e.g. self-reported surveys/questionnaires and existing data) and qualitative methods (self-reported descriptive data) Students will have the opportunity to gain evaluation experience by collecting and analyzing critical data as well as developing and presenting reports on all surveys and assessment tools. This project will lead in the development of reports for key stakeholders and marketing purposes as well as potential publications.

Institution and Location:
Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuEST)
Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2450 Holcombe Blvd., Suite 01Y Houston, Texas 77021

Prerequisite training: Students with the following interests/experience in Program Evaluation, Program Operations, Communication and Marketing, Data Collection and Analysis and generating national reports, might consider this project. Some basic familiarity with qualitative and quantitative methods would be helpful but is not required. Familiarity with databases (e.g., Excel) is also a plus. Methodological training (e.g. data entry, analyzing limited qualitative data) will be provided. Experience in preparing abstracts, posters, and manuscripts is ideal. Students should be enthusiastic, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, punctual, professional, willing to be flexible, adaptable, and have excellent communication skills.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: Depending on area of interest, students can gain insight into working on a national fellowship program including multiple components of a large scale program evaluation, developing conceptual models, data reports, summaries and analysis, national conference development and planning, developing marketing materials and dissemination, literature reviews, developing posters for national conferences, and manuscript preparation. Students will gain and/or build upon skills in qualitative and quantitative methods to assist the evaluation team in better understanding the potential benefits of the fellowship education on key stakeholders. Skills in quantitative data collection include administering surveys, data entry and management and report development. Students will also have the opportunity to assist the VAQS evaluation team in preparing abstracts, presentations and/or manuscripts based on the data collected and analyzed.

Project Title: Demographic Analysis of Pediatric End-of-Life Ethics Consults

Project Description:
We are looking at the demographic breakdown by race and ethnicity of consults to the Ethics Committee at Texas Children’s Hospital that are related to withholding life sustaining therapy, and comparing them to the overall demographics of admissions to TCH. The hypothesis is that non-white and Hispanic patients are referred to the ethics committee more frequently. This builds off of a prior study of all consults made to the committee.

Institution and Location:
Texas Children’s Hospital

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain: statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, introduction to ethics

Project Title: Mental Health Research and Education

The Veterans Administration (VA) has a strong commitment to improving Veterans’ mental health while supporting mental health clinicians. The South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (SC MIRECC) focuses on promoting equity in engagement, access, and quality of mental health care for Veterans facing barriers to care, especially rural and underserved Veterans. The SC MIRECC’s mission works synergistically with the VA’s commitment to improve mental health care by developing and disseminating evidence based educational material, tools and interventions that focus on improving mental health care.

The interprofessional education team has members from Psychiatry and Social Health Psychology. The student would be involved in the development of educational materials along with their dissemination and evaluation. There are ample opportunities for students to write mentored manuscripts and poster presentations. Students can learn more about the educational efforts of the SC MIRECC by visiting the site, http://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn16/education.asp

Institution and Location:
Houston Center for Innovations in Quality, Safety, and Effectiveness (IQuEST)
2450 Holcombe Blvd,
Houston, Texas 77021

Prerequisite training:
There are no formal prerequisites; this project is open to every Rice student beyond their first year of studies. Preference will be given to students who have an interest in mental health, education, evaluation, and dissemination, are team and detail oriented, and write well. Health science, education, psychology, and communication students are especially encouraged to apply.

Knowledge and skills student can expect to gain:
This project presents an opportunity to advance the student’s skills with creation of educational materials, dissemination, evaluation, and scholarly writing. Students will also be exposed to the current mental health research.