[{"id":9466,"date":"2026-07-02T09:09:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9466"},"modified":"2026-07-02T09:09:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:09:23","slug":"christin-hill-dissertation-defense-saturday-july-11-2026-400-pm-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/christin-hill-dissertation-defense-saturday-july-11-2026-400-pm-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Christin Hill Dissertation Defense, Saturday, July 11, 2026 @ 4:00 pm Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Robert Zinko<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: DEEP CONDITIONED: UNPACKING HAIR BIAS IN PERCEIVED PROFESSIONALISM AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR HIRING OF BLACK WOMEN<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT: <\/strong>This study examines the relationship between Black women\u2019s hairstyles, perceived professionalism, and hiring willingness. Using a two-study design, the research investigates whether hairstyle influences workplace evaluations and whether these perceptions change when additional applicant and evaluator characteristics are considered. Study 1 assessed perceptions of professionalism across four hairstyles: straight hair, an Afrocentric style, an afro, and locs. The results revealed a statistically significant difference between straight hair and the afro, with straight hair rated as more professional. These findings suggest that hairstyle can influence professional judgments, particularly when styles are more closely associated with Black cultural identity. Study 2 extended this analysis by examining whether applicant human capital, the industry of the position, and evaluator characteristics affected perceptions of professionalism and hiring willingness. Specifically, the study considered whether qualifications, job context, evaluator age, and exposure to Black culture reduced or explained differences in evaluation. The findings indicated that differences in professionalism ratings and hiring evaluations diminished after accounting for these factors. This suggests that hair bias may not operate in isolation, but instead interacts with broader assumptions about qualifications, workplace fit, industry expectations, and cultural familiarity.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Hair bias, employment, discrimination, hiring biases<\/p>\n

Location Online:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zoom Link<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/pvpanther.zoom.us\/j\/98672180616?pwd=T7iaZD1Ov1NH3HkM2dTZmUXMzym729.1<\/a><\/p>\n

Meeting ID<\/strong>: 86 7218 0616<\/p>\n

Passcode<\/strong>: 001<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9410,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9466","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9467,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9466\/revisions\/9467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9466"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9463,"date":"2026-07-01T13:39:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9463"},"modified":"2026-07-01T13:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:40:08","slug":"melanie-nash-dissertation-proposal-defense-saturday-july-11-2026-130-pm-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/melanie-nash-dissertation-proposal-defense-saturday-july-11-2026-130-pm-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Melanie Nash Dissertation Proposal Defense, Saturday, July 11, 2026 @ 1:30 pm Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Erick Kitenge<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: BILATERAL DETERMINANTS OF PRICE CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE ACROSS U.S. METROPOLITAN AREAS<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT:<\/strong> This dissertation will examine the bilateral determinants of price convergence and divergence across U.S. metropolitan areas, with a particular focus on how location-pair characteristics shape the speed and persistence of price adjustments over time. While prior studies on market integration have primarily emphasized systemic shocks, such as recessions and monetary policy changes, or product-specific characteristics such as tradability and perishability, they have largely treated location-specific heterogeneity as a nuisance through the use of fixed effects. This dissertation departs from that approach by explicitly examining bilateral factors linking metropolitan areas, including geographic distance, shared state boundaries, income differentials, and interstate highway connectivity, as substantive determinants of price convergence. Using quarterly data from the Cost of Living Index (COLI) covering approximately 200\u2013270 U.S. metropolitan areas, the study will construct bilateral metro pairs and analyze absolute price gaps across major expenditure categories, including housing, groceries, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods and services. The analysis will employ dyadic panel econometric models with time fixed effects to estimate how bilateral characteristics influence both the degree and speed of convergence. Robustness checks, including alternative convergence specifications and Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood estimation, will further strengthen the empirical analysis. Beyond the conventional interpretation of convergence as evidence of efficient market integration, this dissertation will also examine persistent or widening price gaps as economically meaningful structural outcomes. Rather than viewing divergence solely as market failure, the study will investigate conditions under which persistent price differentials create opportunities for geographic arbitrage, regional pricing strategies, and market positioning. Expected findings suggest that same-state status and stronger transportation connectivity will accelerate convergence by reducing regulatory and logistical frictions, whereas larger income differentials may sustain persistent price gaps, particularly in housing markets. By reframing bilateral location characteristics as central objects of inquiry, this dissertation will contribute to the literature on domestic market integration while offering practical insights for policymakers and businesses seeking to understand regional pricing dynamics and strategic market opportunities.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Price Convergence, Market Integration, Spatial Economics,\u00a0 Regional Pricing Strategy, Geographic Arbitrage<\/p>\n

Zoom Link<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/pvpanther.zoom.us\/j\/94370460503?pwd=eWtiMDlNTDRmbVBLZlNVa0JzOE4wUT09<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9410,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9463","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9465,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9463\/revisions\/9465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9463"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9460,"date":"2026-07-01T10:57:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9460"},"modified":"2026-07-01T10:57:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:57:32","slug":"jasmine-rice-dissertation-defense-saturday-july-11-2026-110-am-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/jasmine-rice-dissertation-defense-saturday-july-11-2026-110-am-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Jasmine Rice Dissertation Defense, Saturday, July 11, 2026 @ 11:0 am Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Reginald Bell<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: FROM INFLUENCE TO EXHAUSTION: HOW LEADERSHIP STYLES PREDICT BURNOUT IN HEALTHCARE LEADERS<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT: <\/strong>Burnout among healthcare leaders has become an increase issue due to its potential influence on organizational performance, employee well-being, and quality of patient care. Although previous studies have extensively examined the relationship between leadership styles and employee burnout, limited research has investigated how leaders\u2019 own leadership styles connect to their self-reported burnout. Guided by the Full Range Leadership Theory and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, this quantitative correlational study examined the relationships between transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, and e-leadership styles and burnout among healthcare leaders, as measured by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Primary data were collected through an online survey administered to healthcare leaders using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordered logistic regression to evaluate the relationships between leadership styles and burnout while controlling for demographics characteristics. Moderation analyses were conducted to determine whether organizational culture influenced these relationships. The results indicated that transformational leadership was positively associated with professional burnout, whereas transactional leadership was negatively associated with professional burnout. Leadership styles were not significant predictors of reduced personal accomplishment, and organizational culture demonstrated limited moderating effects, with only a sense of community partially moderating the relationship between transformational leadership and emotional exhaustion. These findings contribute to the leadership literature by shifting the focus from follower burnout to leader burnout and provide practical implications for healthcare organizations seeking to develop leadership strategies that promote leader well-being and organizational effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Financial risk aversion, financial sustainability, organizational growth, Black-led nonprofit organizations, nonprofit leadership, Prospect Theory, Resource Dependence Theory, Leadership Identity Theory<\/p>\n

Room Location: <\/strong>Northwest Campus, Room 204<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9410,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9460","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9462,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9460\/revisions\/9462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9460"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9458,"date":"2026-07-01T10:49:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9458"},"modified":"2026-07-01T10:49:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:49:27","slug":"joulvous-drake-doctoral-project-defense-thursday-july-16-2026-1100-am-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/joulvous-drake-doctoral-project-defense-thursday-july-16-2026-1100-am-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Joulvous Drake Doctoral Project Defense, Thursday, July 16, 2026 @ 11:00 am Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Chloe Gaines<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: UTILIZATION OF AN ON-SITE PRIMARY CARE CLINIC – AN EVALUATION<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT: <\/strong>Employers are increasingly incorporating on-site primary care clinics into their workplace health strategies to improve access to timely care, reduce absenteeism, support chronic disease management, and lower healthcare-related costs. Yet, despite the demonstrated organizational and health benefits, many worksite clinics experience lower-than-expected utilization. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to identify behavioral and structural factors that influence employee utilization of a corporate on-site primary care clinic which was experiencing significantly below organizational utilization targets. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used to evaluate factors or barriers contributing to employee\u2019s low utilization of the onsite primary care clinic. Approximately 1,000 eligible full-time employees at a large corporate campus in the northeastern United States were invited to complete the Worksite Clinic Utilization Questionnaire (WCUQ), a tool developed specifically for this project and structured around the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation Behavior (COM-B) model constructs. The WCUQ measured awareness, accessibility, confidentiality, convenience, and motivational influences on clinic use. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, reliability testing, and non-parametric comparisons. Open-ended items captured additional behavioral insights. Findings: A total of 251 employee surveys were completed the survey. Results demonstrated generally favorable perceptions across all three COM-B domains. Capability findings indicated high levels of awareness of clinic services, understanding of clinic benefits, confidence in communicating with providers, and adequate health literacy. Opportunity findings reflected strong perceptions of accessibility, convenient clinic hours, supervisor support, and availability of time during the workday to access services. Motivation findings were generally positive; however, greater variability was observed in employees\u2019 preferences for the on-site clinic versus external healthcare providers. Overall, the findings suggest that knowledge and access barriers are relatively limited within the organization, while motivational factors and personal healthcare preferences may play a larger role in influencing clinic utilization. Conclusion: This evaluation contributed to the broader application of behavioral science in workplace health evaluations by using the COM-B model to identify multi-level determinants of clinic utilization. Understanding these determinants is crucial for designing targeted interventions that enhance access, promote preventive care, foster employee trust, and align organizational goals to improve workforce health outcomes.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: On-site clinic, utilization, COM-B model, workplace health, process evaluation, primary care<\/p>\n

Location Online:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zoom Link<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Meeting<\/strong> https:\/\/pvpanther.zoom.us\/j\/91024320118?pwd=1HA6KE47eMcL81OjZb73mnFH8QaKPE.1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Meeting ID<\/strong>: 910 2432 0118<\/p>\n

Passcode<\/strong>: 738872<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9413,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9458","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9459,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9458\/revisions\/9459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9458"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9429,"date":"2026-06-29T16:26:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9429"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:27:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:27:04","slug":"natasha-abney-doctoral-project-defense-tuesday-july-7-2026-1100-am-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/natasha-abney-doctoral-project-defense-tuesday-july-7-2026-1100-am-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Natasha Abney Doctoral Project Defense, Tuesday, July 7, 2026 @ 11:00 am Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Abida Solomon<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: IMPROVING PROTOCOL ADHERENCE THROUGH STAFF EDUCATION: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE TO STANDARDIZE CHLORHEXIDINE GLUCONATE USE IN AN AMBULATORY OBSTETRIC CLINIC<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT: <\/strong>Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) following cesarean delivery remain a significant challenge in obstetric care, contributing to increased maternal morbidity, prolonged hospital stays, and higher healthcare costs. However, chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is recognized as an effective antiseptic agent for preoperative skin preparation; yet inconsistent nursing education and the lack of standardized protocols have contributed to suboptimal adherence and variable clinical outcomes. Purpose: This quality improvement project sought to implement and evaluate a structured preoperative skin care education protocol for obstetric (OB) nursing staff at a hospital-affiliated outpatient clinic in Texas. The overall aim was to determine whether implementing a structured education protocol could improve nursing knowledge and adherence to evidence-based SSI prevention practices compared with baseline practice. Method: The project was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. A single-group pretest-posttest quality improvement design was conducted to evaluate the impact of an educational protocol on nursing staff adherence to preoperative skin care procedures. The intervention involved structured, in-person educational sessions that incorporated evidence-based best practices for preoperative skin cleansing and the consistent application of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) antiseptic for patients scheduled for cesarean delivery. Educational content was delivered to all obstetric nursing staff (RNs and LVNs) in the clinic setting using standardized materials and included the implementation of a new Epic SmartPhrase to guide documentation. Outcomes were measured as improvements in nurse knowledge scores and adherence to preoperative CHG skin preparation protocols, as documented through electronic health record (EHR) audits. The primary outcome, change in knowledge, was assessed using the Surgical Site Infection Prevention Knowledge Assessment (SSI-PKA) survey, a validated instrument aligned with CDC and AORN guidelines. The secondary outcome, change in adherence, was evaluated through pre- and post-intervention EHR audits. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographic variables, and adherence rates were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test to compare pre- and post-intervention adherence rates. Changes in knowledge scores were assessed using paired t-tests. Results: Twenty-nine nursing staff completed the project and were included in the final analysis. Mean knowledge scores on the Surgical Site Infection Prevention Knowledge Assessment (SSI-PKA) increased from 6.1 (SD = 1.2) pre-intervention to 9.0 (SD = 0.8) post-intervention, representing a statistically significant improvement, t(28) = 12.45, p < .001. Retrospective baseline EHR audits demonstrated documentation adherence rates of 48.9% in August 2024 and 51.3% in January 2025. Following implementation of the educational intervention and Epic SmartPhrase documentation tool, adherence increased to 98.9%, with 287 of 290 audited charts demonstrating full compliance with required documentation elements. Conclusions: Findings suggest that a structured CHG educational intervention, combined with standardized EHR documentation tools, can significantly improve nursing knowledge and adherence to evidence-based SSI prevention practices. Integration of the Epic SmartPhrase supported workflow standardization and enhanced documentation consistency. Continued monitoring of SSI rates and long-term adherence is recommended to evaluate sustainability and the potential impact on patient outcomes.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Antiseptics, cesarean section, chlorhexidine, infections, maternal morbidity, obstetric care, post-intervention, pre-intervention, preoperative skin care, povidone-iodine, surgical site infections<\/p>\n

Location Online:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zoom Link<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/pvpanther.zoom.us\/j\/92300477924?pwd=oRKjHJFPAAUqIf2RHG1kbsIVpkLv9H.1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9430,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9429","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9432,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9429\/revisions\/9432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9429"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9424,"date":"2026-06-29T16:20:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:20:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9424"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:20:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:20:49","slug":"latonya-d-holman-doctoral-project-defense-tuesday-july-7-2026-1000-am-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/latonya-d-holman-doctoral-project-defense-tuesday-july-7-2026-1000-am-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Latonya D. Holman Doctoral Project Defense, Tuesday, July 7, 2026 @ 10:00 am Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Abida Solomon<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: EVALUATION OF A BREAST CANCER SCREENING PROGRAM FOR FEMALE VETERANS WITHIN PATIENT CARE ALIGNMENT TEAMS AT VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT: <\/strong>Breast cancer remains a significant health concern among women veterans and is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Early detection through routine screening mammography is associated with improved outcomes; however, adherence to recommended screening guidelines remains a challenge within some healthcare settings. This variability underscores the need for ongoing evaluation of breast cancer screening programs to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement in preventive care delivery. This quantitative descriptive program evaluation assessed breast cancer screening adherence and patient-reported screening experiences among women veterans receiving care within Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTs) at a large, urban Veterans Affairs healthcare system. Guided by the Logic Model Framework, the evaluation examined whether the breast cancer screening program achieved the organizational benchmark of 75% screening adherence among eligible women veterans aged 40 to 74 years and assessed patient-reported experiences using the Breast Cancer Screening Experience Questionnaire. Data were obtained from Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) breast cancer screening reports, electronic health record (EHR) data, and questionnaire responses collected during the evaluation period. Monthly breast cancer screening adherence rates remained relatively stable throughout the evaluation period, ranging from 72.34% to 73.62%, and remained below the organizational benchmark of 75%. Patient experience was assessed using questionnaire responses from 132 women veterans. Findings indicated highly favorable perceptions of the breast cancer screening process, with mean scores ranging from 4.52 to 4.82 on a 5-point Likert scale. The highest ratings were observed for privacy, facility cleanliness and comfort, staff respect, and overall satisfaction. Comparatively lower ratings were observed for provider explanation of the importance of breast cancer screening, communication with the healthcare team, and provider responsiveness to questions, although these ratings remained favorable overall. The evaluation found that breast cancer screening adherence remained below the organizational benchmark throughout the evaluation period, indicating opportunities for continued improvement in screening participation. Conversely, patient-reported experience findings demonstrated successful achievement of the program objective related to positive screening experiences. Findings support the importance of access, patient engagement, communication, and care coordination in promoting participation in preventive screening services. These results provide evidence to inform quality improvement initiatives aimed at increasing breast cancer screening participation and enhancing patient-centered care among women veterans.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Breast cancer screening, Patient Aligned Care Teams, patient experience, program evaluation, screening adherence, Veterans Affairs, women veterans<\/p>\n

Location Online:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zoom Link<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/pvpanther.zoom.us\/j\/95636880848?pwd=kHHBoGmvFyJJkOZeZdarCRwtDhu76j.1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9425,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9424","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9427,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9424\/revisions\/9427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9424"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9420,"date":"2026-06-29T16:08:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9420"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:08:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:08:52","slug":"renika-atkins-dissertation-defense-saturday-july-11-2026-1230-pm-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/renika-atkins-dissertation-defense-saturday-july-11-2026-1230-pm-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Renika Atkins Dissertation Defense, Saturday, July 11, 2026 @ 12:30 pm Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Louis Ngamassi Tchouakeu<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL RISK AVERSION IN SHAPING FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH AMONG BLACK LED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT: <\/strong>Black-led nonprofit organizations play a vital role in addressing social and economic inequities, yet many operate within funding environments characterized by persistent financial constraints and limited access to unrestricted resources. Although prior research has explored nonprofit financial management and organizational performance, limited empirical evidence exists regarding how financial risk aversion influences financial sustainability and organizational growth within Black-led nonprofit organizations. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between financial risk aversion, financial sustainability, and organizational growth among Black-led nonprofit organizations. Guided by Prospect Theory, Resource Dependence Theory, and Leadership Identity Theory, the study sought to better understand how leadership approaches to financial decision-making influence organizational outcomes in resource-constrained environments. The study addressed the following research questions: (1) What is the relationship between financial risk aversion and financial sustainability among Black-led nonprofit organizations? and (2) What is the relationship between financial risk aversion and organizational growth among Black-led nonprofit organizations? Data were collected through an online survey administered to nonprofit leaders with financial decision-making authority. Following data screening procedures, the final analytic sample consisted of 87 Black-led nonprofit organizations. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to evaluate the measurement model and test the hypothesized relationships among the study constructs. The measurement model demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity through assessments of internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Structural model results revealed statistically significant negative relationships between financial risk aversion and both financial sustainability and organizational growth. Organizations reporting higher levels of financial risk aversion also reported lower levels of financial sustainability and organizational growth. The findings suggest that excessive financial caution may limit an organization’s willingness to invest in infrastructure, revenue diversification, organizational capacity, and strategic opportunities that support long-term success. This study contributes to the nonprofit leadership and financial management literature by providing empirical evidence that leadership approaches to financial decision-making are associated with important organizational outcomes and offers practical insights for nonprofit leaders seeking to strengthen organizational resilience, sustainability, and growth.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Financial risk aversion, financial sustainability, organizational growth, Black-led nonprofit organizations, nonprofit leadership, Prospect Theory, Resource Dependence Theory, Leadership Identity Theory<\/p>\n

Room Location: <\/strong>Northwest Campus, Room 205<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9421,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9420","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9423,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9420\/revisions\/9423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9420"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9416,"date":"2026-06-29T15:48:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9416"},"modified":"2026-06-29T15:48:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:48:30","slug":"chioma-ike-doctoral-project-defense-wednesday-july-8-2026-100-pm-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/chioma-ike-doctoral-project-defense-wednesday-july-8-2026-100-pm-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Chioma Ike Doctoral Project Defense, Wednesday, July 8, 2026 @ 1:00 pm Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Chloe Gaines
\nCOMMITTEE CO-CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Shannon Chopp<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: INCREASING HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) VACCINATION RATES AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN THE PRIMARY CARE SETTING: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT: <\/strong>BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It is the most common viral infection of the reproductive system, and it is responsible for most cervical cancer cases worldwide. Many HPV related cancer deaths can be prevented with the simplest intervention of vaccination which is most effective when administered before exposure to the virus. Despite the HPV vaccine’s proven safety and efficacy, its uptake remains suboptimal. PURPOSE: This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to train providers at a pediatric and family clinic in an effective communication strategy to increase HPV vaccination uptake among adolescents. It ensured that every adolescent\u2019s encounter delivers a unified, confident message about HPV vaccination. PICOT QUESTIONS: For providers in a primary care setting (P), does the training on the \u201cSame-Way Same-Day\u201d approach, with automated reminders and education for patients\/parents (I), compared to current practices with automated reminders and education for patients\/parents (C), increase the adolescents\u2019 HPV vaccination initiation rate (O) within three months (T)? METHOD: A single-group, pre- and post-intervention design was employed to assess changes in practice, measured by the number of HPV vaccines initiated in the medical records of adolescents in the three-month period post-intervention compared to the three-month period pre-intervention. The intervention involves training the providers on an effective communication strategy using the \u201cSame-Way Same-Day\u201d approach. The primary outcome was an increase in the HPV vaccination initiation rate, assessed using the chi-square test for independence. RESULTS: The post-intervention analysis demonstrated that provider training in effective communication, using the Same-Way Same-Day approach, increased adolescents’ initiation rates for HPV vaccination. In the pre-intervention period, 37% of adolescents received their initial HPV vaccine compared to 83% post-intervention. This amounts to a 46% increase in the number of HPV-vaccinated adolescents during the post-intervention period. IMPLICATIONS: This project reinforced the critical role of primary care providers in promoting preventive healthcare and reducing the long-term burden of HPV-related cancers. CONCLUSION: This DNP QI project validated that training providers in effective communication for HPV vaccination increased adolescents\u2019 initiation rates in a primary care setting.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Human papillomavirus, vaccination, HPV vaccine, pre-intervention, post-intervention, adolescents, providers, initiation rate, effective communication, primary care setting<\/p>\n

Location Online:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zoom Link<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/pvpanther.zoom.us\/j\/99720747436?pwd=maP4T401BEFSVHF4rbVitAsFpoMqel.1<\/a><\/p>\n

Meeting ID<\/strong>: 997 2074 7436<\/p>\n

Passcode<\/strong>: 234877<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9417,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9416","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9419,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9416\/revisions\/9419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9416"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9412,"date":"2026-06-29T15:35:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9412"},"modified":"2026-06-29T15:35:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:35:53","slug":"jasmine-major-dissertation-defense-tuesday-july-14-2026-1000-am-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/jasmine-major-dissertation-defense-tuesday-july-14-2026-1000-am-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Jasmine Major Dissertation Defense, Tuesday, July 14, 2026 @ 10:00 am Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Stacie Defreitas<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: DEVELOPING AND ASSESSING AN ADLERIAN PLAY THERAPY K-5TH MENTAL HEALTH CURRICULUM USING QUALITATIVE METHODS<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT: I<\/strong>n the United States, 33% of students exhibit internalizing or externalizing behaviors in academic settings. These behaviors can impact student engagement and performance by disrupting affected students\u2019 and their classmates\u2019 ability to tend to academic material. Because students spend a significant amount of time in school settings, schools have been identified as important sites for mental health prevention and intervention. One tool that can reduce students\u2019 use of externalizing and internalizing behaviors in classroom environments is Adlerian play therapy (AdPT). AdPT is an evidence-based practice that specializes in addressing youth\u2019s social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. This study seeks to increase the utilization of AdPT in schools by developing a school-based K-5th mental health curriculum that can be implemented in classes. Developing a structured curriculum for class use will increase student access to AdPT and may provide further evidence that AdPT reduces internalizing and externalizing behaviors while also improving socioemotional and behavioral outcomes. Research questions include: 1) According to subject matter experts certified in Adlerian play therapy, how well do the mental health curricular modules reflect Adlerian play therapy concepts and principles? 2) Based on information from credentialed play therapists who use Adlerian play therapy methods in K-5th settings, which aspects of the mental health curriculum do participants find most and least helpful to support the established learning objectives? 3) Based on information from credentialed play therapists who use Adlerian play therapy methods in K-5th settings, to what extent can the mental health curriculum be implemented as designed within a school setting with K-5th students? This[JM1.1][SD1.2] study utilized a qualitative cross-sectional research design. Qualitative data was gathered through an expert review panel comprised of certified Adlerian play therapists and through focus groups with credentialed play therapists who use Adlerian play therapy methods in K-5th settings. The researcher then conducted a thematic analysis using data from three 60-minute individual interviews with certified experts and five 90-minute focus groups with 12 participants. Findings from data analysis suggest that, while the preliminary mental health curriculum would likely have a positive impact on K-5th students, there are some barriers to feasible implementation in school settings.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Keywords<\/strong>: Adlerian play therapy, school-based mental health interventions for children, play therapy in education, externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors<\/p>\n

Location Online:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zoom Link<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/us02web.zoom.us\/j\/84619257871?pwd=CrpRxoI6xHhbsAx4pxYlFbbFLDCua8.1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9413,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9412","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9415,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9412\/revisions\/9415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9412"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9409,"date":"2026-06-29T14:44:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=9409"},"modified":"2026-06-30T09:09:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:09:35","slug":"jacobie-backstrom-dissertation-proposal-defense-thursday-july-2-2026-1200-pm-central-time","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/event\/jacobie-backstrom-dissertation-proposal-defense-thursday-july-2-2026-1200-pm-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacobie Backstrom Dissertation Proposal Defense, Thursday, July 9, 2026 @ 12:00 pm Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMMITTEE CHAIR<\/strong>: Dr. Fred Bonner<\/p>\n

TITLE<\/strong>: MORE THAN BELONGING: HOW AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE VERTICAL TRANSFER STUDENTS USE COMMUNITY CULTURAL WEALTH TO NAVIGATE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS<\/p>\n

ABSTRACT:<\/strong> Vertical Transfer students who are Black Male, remain to face disproportionately low graduation rates at predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), even while community colleges have had a historical impact expanding opportunities and access into the field of higher education for minority students Center for Community College Student Engagement et al., 2025). Researchers McCall and Castles (2020), indicated through their observations of research that there is limited scholarship on Black Male transfer students at PWIs, including studies that analyze both populations altogether are particularly rare or how they utilize cultural assets impact their path to graduation. This qualitative \u2013 phenomenological study is defined through the lens of the Community Cultural Wealth Model (Yosso, 2005). This study aims to examine how Black Male vertical transfer employ familial, aspirational, linguistic, resistance, navigational, and social capital. This research engages 8 \u201312 African American\/ Black males transfer students who will participate in a semi-structured interviews conducted via Webex. Through content analysis, open coding, and reflexive theme analysis. This study explains how this specific population interprets their lived experiences, utilize their cultural assets, microaggressions, structural inequities, and react to racialized climates. Findings aim to uncover and deepen the depth of understanding of how Black male vertical transfer students formulate their identity development, sense of belonging, and institutional mobility, to ensure that higher education practitioners, administrators, policymakers, and board of regents are creating an educational environment that is culturally responsive and equity-centered for all students. In an effort to center the voices of Black male vertical transfer students, this study contributes to insights that are needed to strengthen programming and equity driven support systems, transfer pathways, to increase graduation rates amongst underserved communities of students.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Black, Male, Vertical, Transfer<\/p>\n

Room Location: <\/strong>Delco Building, Room 228<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":9410,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[1296],"class_list":["post-9409","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-main-events","cat_main-events"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9437,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/9409\/revisions\/9437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9409"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/graduateschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events_cat?post=9409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]