Dissertation Defense Announcements

Candidate Name: Camelia R. Taheri Protzel
Title: Evolving to a New Genomics Segmentation Base
 March 26, 2024  10:00 AM
Location: Zoom link: https://charlotte-edu.zoom.us/j/98862945784
Abstract:

Advances in behavioral genetics provide a game-changing paradigm shift in the development of an accurate framework for a more precise marketing segmentation strategy. Genetics can explain most of the systematic variation between individuals, continuity of behavioral and personality traits, as well as 50% of the variance in human traits. Leveraging that all human behaviors are influenced in some way by the individual’s genetic constitution, a theoretical framework is presented for the definition of a new segmentation base called “Genomics Segmentation”. Moreover, we empirically showed the applicability of the new Genomics Segmentation through a K-mean clustering analysis of the alcohol consumption market using 7 different polygenic scores related to personality and cognitive traits. This study increases the predictive power of consumer behavior and marketing segmentation leveraging molecular genetics and 150 years of behavioral genetics replicable findings. It presents for the first time fundamental principles from behavioral genetics to lay the ground for genomics marketing and the transformation of segmentation strategies. It proposes the segmentation of markets through the genetic propensity of consumers. It not only highlights embryonic research in genomics marketing but also shows the practical application of genomics segmentation through the usage of molecular genetics to create clusters and understand consumption patterns of each subset.



Candidate Name: Corey M. Shores
Title: DESTRUCTIVE LEADER EVALUATIONS AND THEIR NOMOLOGICAL NETWORK: A SECOND ORDER META-ANALYTIC REVIEW
 March 26, 2024  9:00 AM
Location: Friday Building - Room 222
Abstract:

Recent scholarly attention has turned towards evaluations of harmful or “dark” leadership traits and behaviors. However, prevailing literature on destructive leaders primarily delves into leader-centric evaluations of traits, antecedents, and consequences, leaving a significant gap in understanding follower-driven perspectives on evaluations of destructive leaders. This study advocates for a second-order meta-analysis (SOMA) to scrutinize the interplay between evaluations of destructive leaders, the nomological network of concepts surrounding such evaluations, and the relative importance of potential predictors of such evaluations. While primary meta-analytic inquiries abound in the field, their findings sometimes present conflicting results, necessitating a secondary meta-analytic exploration encompassing diverse variables, including follower traits and various manifestations of destructive leadership. This dissertation takes stock of the limitations and opportunities in the extant literature. It presents a roadmap for a cleaned-up concept space, which will allow more robust future research by systematically searching through 256 articles and retaining 30 articles for the initial inclusion before additional searches to fill the remaining SOMA effect size estimates in the correlates in matrices for follower and leader individual differences, leadership construct correlates, and potential outcomes of DLB. Although I successfully coded over 37 follower differences, 68 DLB outcomes, and five destructive leadership constructs as correlates, many missing correlates were primarily tied to outcome relationships, demographics, and personality measures. These missing correlates were initially substantial, with over 70% of the meta-analytic correlation matrices bank. Moreover, the selection process prioritized meta-analytic estimates with the largest sample sizes to mitigate random sampling errors, resulting in comprehensive matrices comprising 182 meta-analytic estimates (total k = 10,818 & total sample size (n) = 2,384,935) not including any Metabus.org derived meta-analytic estimates. Some key statistically significant results include a robust model using eleven follower individual differences (i.e., gender, age, race, five-factor personality traits, positive affect, narcissism, trait anger) with R2 = 0.239 and all incremental correlate additions measured by Change in R Squared with p < 0.05 for all predictor additions excluding age and gender variables. Also, the relative weights and regression coefficients supported these findings. Emotional Stability emerged as a dominant predictor across the personality and demographic traits for followers at RW% = 0.46 with a coefficient β = - 0.652, p < 0.001. Additionally, Trait Anger yielded RW% = 0.23 with a coefficient β = - 0.514, p < 0.001. Additionally, this study suggests the most robust leadership construct relationships to destructive leadership, ethical leadership with ρ = - 0.63 (k = 2; n = 8,186), and unethical leadership ρ = 0.58 (k = 3, n = 2,702).



Candidate Name: Lane K. Griffith
Title: Factors Related to Infusion of Trauma Education Among Counselor Educators at CACREP-Accredited Programs
 March 25, 2024  2:00 PM
Location: COED 246
Abstract:

Research has demonstrated the prevalence and cumulative nature of trauma and its lifelong adverse effects on physical, cognitive, emotional, and social wellness (Felitti et al., 1998; Merrick et al., 2019). Thus, counselor educators must prepare their students to work with clients with trauma effectively and ethically. A single study investigated trauma education and found that not all programs offer a trauma course (Montague et al., 2020). Thus, the CACREP (2015) trauma standards may be infused into other courses. The purpose of this study was to explore how trauma history, attitudes related to trauma-informed care, and prior trauma training were related to the infusion of trauma education into non-trauma-specific core courses by counselor educators working full-time for CACREP-accredited programs. It also investigated to what degree the trauma standards were infused. Multiple regression was used to analyze the data collected from 261 participants. Results indicated that moderate and substantial training were positive significant predictors of the degree of infusion (p <.001). The variables accounted for 14.1% of the variance. Although most counselor educators (91%) reported infusing the trauma standards into core courses, the standards were not infused equally. Results highlighted a high incidence of ACEs among counselor educators, with 62% reporting two or more and 33% four or more. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.



Candidate Name: Tarya Bardwell
Title: Identifying a Construct Definition for Financial Stress
 March 25, 2024  1:00 PM
Location: Hybrid. Cone 109 and Zoom (https://charlotte-edu.zoom.us/j/97512763114)
Abstract:

Financial stress has received meager attention in organizational science research. So far, financial stress research uses inconsistent or nonexistent definitions, and an array of terms, to describe what appears to be the same overarching construct, which limits practical and theoretical applications of financial stress. I address this definitional ambiguity by reviewing existing work and using qualitative interview data to inductively study workers’ financial stress experiences. The findings allow me to develop a comprehensive definition of financial stress, shed light on how individuals come to experience and address financial stress, and describe to whom individuals compare themselves when evaluating their financial status. Findings include several applied and theoretical contributions, which are indicative of an array of future research opportunities.



Candidate Name: Christina Page
Title: The Effect of an Educational Intervention on Clinicians' Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Regarding Occupational Therapy for Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment
 March 25, 2024  1:00 PM
Location: CHHS 131
Abstract:

Millions of survivors are living following treatment of breast cancer. Survivors commonly experience cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), which is associated with decreased quality of life. Occupational therapists (OT) assess and treat CRCI, yet are under-utilized. A barrier to utilization may be related to clinicians’ lack of education related to OT for CRCI. This project compared clinicians’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding the use of OT for CRCI and the number of referrals to OT before and after an educational intervention.

A pre-test and post-test comparative exploratory design using a 17-item survey was used. Session content included interventions for CRCI focused on OT, and logistical information needed to support OT referrals. OT referral rates were extracted from the electronic medical record. The sample was a convenience sample of 9 clinicians from a suburban oncology clinic.

Significant differences were noted between pre- and post-survey scores in 7 of 8 slider scale items. Clinicians reported greater frequency in assessing for CRCI, comfort in assessing and suggesting interventions for CRCI and knowledge about OT following the educational intervention. More providers identified OT as an intervention for CRCI and fewer clinicians were unaware of available interventions for CRCI. The number of OT referrals for CRCI significantly increased in the post-intervention period.
This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of an educational intervention to improve knowledge, skills, and attitudes of clinicians who care for breast cancer survivors with CRCI. Increase in OT referrals suggests that education led to increased awareness and management of CRCI, which may improve quality of life among breast cancer survivors. This intervention has potential to be broadly replicated, positively impacting oncology clinicians and their patients experiencing CRCI.



Candidate Name: Pauline Wanjiku Karanja
Title: Impact of Material Deterioration on Tornadic Vulnerability in Built Infrastructure
 March 25, 2024  11:00 AM
Location: Smith Building, Room 347
Abstract:

Tornadoes are among the most destructive natural disasters, posing significant risks to communities and infrastructure, underlining the need for robust methodologies to assess building vulnerability and enhance structural resilience. This research addresses the gap in current tornado vulnerability studies by investigating the impact of material deterioration on building fragility, focusing on commercial buildings at the end of their useful life. The overarching goal is to comprehensively quantify the effects of material deterioration on tornado vulnerability, including its implications for EF-scale ranking and associated wind-speed thresholds for Degree of Damage (DOD) classifications.

The research develops predictive models to forecast deterioration trends for various building components. Focusing on deterioration rates for poorly maintained buildings at the end of their useful life and using probabilistic modeling approaches, the research develops time-dependent deterioration fragility curves to quantify the changing vulnerability of materials used in commercial buildings.

The results reveal decreased wind speed thresholds for EF-scale ranking, indicating notable changes in tornado-induced damage potential due to material deterioration. Additionally, changes in EF-scale ranking and DOD wind speed thresholds underscore the probable inadequacy of existing evaluation protocols that do not account for material deterioration. This research enhances resilience and promotes sustainable development in tornado-prone regions by illuminating the dynamic nature of tornado vulnerability.



Candidate Name: Olivia Tusa Fichtner
Title: EXPLORING HOW SELF-EFFICACY, WORKLOAD, AND PARENT ENGAGEMENT INTERRELATE WITH BURNOUT AMONG CHILD THERAPISTS
 March 25, 2024  10:00 AM
Location: COED 110
Abstract:

The National Healthcare Quality and Disparities report in 2022 revealed that almost a quarter of children ages 3-17 in the United States have a mental health related disorder. Because of this, well-equipped child therapists are needed to carry out the responsibility of providing services to support this population. However, several systematic reviews have noted the prevalence of burnout among child therapists, possibly hindering quality care (Acker, 2010; Simionato & Simpson, 2018). Because of this, investigators have sought to understand burnout and its effect on child therapists. Many have noted the risks of professional burnout (Adams et al. 2006; Chen et al. 2019; Paris et al. 2010; Sanchez-Moreno et al., 2015), however there is limited research specific to burnout among child therapists. This study examined how self-efficacy, workload, and parent engagement interrelate with burnout among child therapists. A multiple regression analysis was employed to investigate the influence of self-efficacy, workload, and parent engagement as predictors of child therapist burnout (N=537). The findings indicated that the predictor variables significantly explained 63% of the overall variance. In addition, this study revealed that self-efficacy served as a moderator for parent engagement and workload; and parent engagement and burnout. Additionally, average or high self-efficacy moderated the connection between workload and burnout; and parent engagement, workload, and burnout. Lastly, considerations, implications, and recommendations for future research are reviewed.



Candidate Name: Christy L Foster
Title: An Analysis of the Small Business Administration's Impact on Job Creation
 March 22, 2024  9:00 AM
Location: Zoom https://charlotte-edu.zoom.us/j/95549796791?pwd=U0J1V01RYkJ2RTU1My9GSGtDenpLQT09
Abstract:

This research investigates the potential endogenous relationship between small business financing provided through the Small Business Administration (SBA) and state-level economic growth, specifically job creation and retention, as causality may be bidirectional. The hypothesized causal relationship was assessed by including an instrumental variable, Certified Development Corporations (CDC), suggesting the influence of the CDC on employment can only occur through SBA approval. Annual governmental data for all US states, including D.C., for the years 2020 – 2022 were used in the analysis. The results fail to show a statistically significant relationship between the SBA loan volume and job creation, which may be attributed to the utilization of limited data, particularly from anomalous years due to COVID. The inclusion of data from an atypical period likely introduced confounding factors that influenced overall findings. However, 2022 results did reach statistical significance at the 0.10 level and the CDC variable consistently returned statistically significant results. These findings serve as an empirical foundation for further research and provide practical relevance and value to the existing body of knowledge used by policymakers for insight into the dynamics of SBA program initiatives.



Candidate Name: Miranda Lanning
Title: Utilization of an Early Warning Score to Initiate Proactive Rounding by the Rapid Response Team
 March 21, 2024  9:00 AM
Location: CHHS 131
Abstract:

Millions of adverse events, including failure to rescue (FTR), occur around the world each year leading to increasing hospital length of stay, increasing mortality, and decreasing quality of life. FTR events happen when mortality occurs following a major medical complication. With the assistance of electronic early identification of clinical deterioration, interventions may be implemented to decrease FTR events.
This project was guided by the PICO question: In adult medical-surgical inpatients, does proactive rounding by the rapid response team with utilization of an automated early warning system, compared with no proactive rounding, improve recognition of clinical deterioration, and decrease transfers to critical care? A REDCap database was built and utilized to track proactive rounding along with Modified Early Warning Scores (MEWS) by the Critical Care Code Team at a tertiary medical center and compared to rapid response and code blue activations. The percentage of transfers to critical care from quarter four of 2022 to quarter four of 2023 was then compared using a paired T-Test to determine statistical significance.
A proactive rounding process was developed, and 664 rounds were entered. Of these, 114 were proactive rounds with the utilization of MEWS and 550 were non-proactive rounds. Rounding triggers were compared and analyzed which revealed that the primary reason for rounding was staff concerns, and that collaboration was important to improve patient outcomes. There was a decrease in transfers to critical care post rapid responses, however it was not statistically significant. Implementation of proactive rounding could be useful to decrease length of stay, decrease hospital mortality, and improve patient satisfaction.  



Candidate Name: Katherine Judge
Title: IMPROVING UTILIZATION OF ETCO2 DURING EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT ADULT RESUSCITATIONS
 March 20, 2024  1:00 PM
Location: CHHS 131
Abstract:

To impact survival rates by 30%, emergency department (ED) workers should follow the Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) guideline of relying on end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) monitoring to ensure cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is high-quality. In a large tertiary care hospital-based ED, ETCO2 monitoring was not consistently utilized, despite workers having ACLS training and access to ETCO2 monitoring devices. The purpose of this project was to determine if high-fidelity ACLS simulation and ETCO2 monitoring training affected ED staff’s resuscitation self-efficacy and ETCO2 device application during clinical resuscitations. Twenty-eight interprofessional ED healthcare workers participated in high-fidelity adult cardiac arrest simulation scenarios. Paired-samples t-test results showed a significant pre-post simulation survey total average resuscitation self-efficacy improvement from 3.99 to 4.52 (t= 6.83, p < .001). Ten ED adult cardiac arrest events prior to simulation and twenty events post simulation were retrospectively analyzed for device utilization. Two-tailed paired-samples t-test results showed a non-significant improvement in device utilization (t= -1.96, p= .081), however utilization more than doubled from 20% to 45%. Overall, results indicated high-fidelity simulation can have a significant improvement in resuscitative confidence of ED workers, which in future studies may translate to higher survival rates for adults in cardiac arrest.