Marie Barnard

Research on interdisciplinarity and interdisciplinary education, including at the graduate level, has been increasing over the past few decades. Interdisciplinary research and collaboration have been discussed in the current literature as having the potential to aid in solving complex contemporary problems or issues by accounting for their intricacies through the inclusion of multiple disciplinary perspectives. Despite efforts to increase interdisciplinary opportunities in graduate education, a need remains to better understand the experiences and viewpoints of graduate students and graduate faculty members, to better inform current and future directions in improving the practice of interdisciplinary research and the pedagogies around interdisciplinary education. Gleaning a better understanding of graduate student expectations, experiences, opinions and beliefs related to teaching and learning can be used to facilitate improvements in interdisciplinary education. This project utilized qualitative methods employing semi‐structured interviews with inductive coding to understand the expectations, perspectives and beliefs held by graduate students and graduate faculty based in the social sciences, while also inquiring about their histories, expectations, and interests around interdisciplinary education and research. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify repeating topics and themes from participant interviews. Interest in and beliefs about the importance of interdisciplinary education and research were noted during interviews of both graduate students and graduate faculty members. Graduate students were interested in and willing to take interdisciplinary courses and work on interdisciplinary research teams; and they may expect these experiences. Graduate faculty members expressed confidence in their ability to instruct interdisciplinary courses and were already engaged in interdisciplinary research. Participants identified benefits and barriers to the practice of interdisciplinarity and its associated opportunities and challenges in graduate education and training. There was a common positive perception of the importance and value of interdisciplinary graduate education and interdisciplinary research. Participant experiences and perspectives may help to initiate or further develop interdisciplinary graduate education programs. Furthermore, understanding information from our interviewees may help to develop existing or future graduate interdisciplinary education programs with aims of improving graduate student learning, comprehension, and interdisciplinary professional development. Although this study identified a common interest and perceived importance in interdisciplinarity within the social sciences, further research is needed to better understand the beliefs and experiences of graduate students and graduate faculty members to help inform the creation, development, implementation, assessment, and continued success of graduate‐level interdisciplinary education programs. This study directly explored the expectations, beliefs, and experiences of graduate students and graduate faculty members focusing on interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Graduate students described how their exposure to interdisciplinary interactions and environments bolstered their own skillsets and knowledge, while enabling them to have lower‐stakes introductions to interdisciplinary research. Faculty experiences provided valuable insight regarding potential routes to improve interdisciplinary educational settings, while navigating the difficulties faced when traversing between scholarly disciplines. These experiences, perceptions, and beliefs could be utilized to improve the quality of existing graduate education programs or in supporting the creation of new or additional opportunities to educate and train graduate students in interdisciplinarity.

Project SCORE (Student-Centered Outcomes Research Experiences) is a community-engaged after school science education program designed to address persistent inequities in health, education, and biomedical career access among Mississippi youth. Grounded in youth participatory action research and leveraging near-peer mentoring (NPM), the program engages teens in public health education, research skill development, and mentored inquiry led by undergraduate and graduate health sciences students. Program components include weekly workshops during the academic year and a one-week residential summer campus experience focused on health literacy, scientific thinking, research communication, and college-readiness. An evaluation assessed implementation and short-term outcomes. Pre/post survey data indicate increases in STEM self-efficacy, career interest in STEM careers, and public health communication skills. Students reported strong engagement, belonging, and program satisfaction, and summer participants described an enhanced interest in college and health science careers. The lessons learned highlight the importance of robust NPM support, flexible program adaptation, and strong community partnerships. Early findings demonstrate that Project SCORE is a feasible, acceptable, and replicable model for engaging historically excluded youth in STEM and public health through community-based, student-centered research experiences.

This study aims to describe oral contraceptive knowledge among adolescents and young women, and to examine individuals’ characteristics associated with oral contraceptive knowledge. A cross-sectional survey was administered using an online panel. Females aged 16 to 24 were recruited. Oral contraceptive knowledge was measured using nine items with six domains, including oral contraceptive use, efficacy, indication, mechanism of action, risks, and side effects. A summated score was created, with a score of 9 indicating highest level of knowledge. Multivariable regression was used to examine significant socio-demographics and clinical characteristics. Among the 700 included responses, largest proportion of respondents were White (45.43%) and were covered by public insurance (43.14%). A total of 446 (63.71%) respondents expressed at least slight interest in using over-the-counter oral contraceptives. Overall, the mean score of knowledge was 4.08 out of 9. Most did not correctly answer questions about side effects, the mechanism of action and appropriate use. Similar patterns were observed among those who were interested in over-the-counter oral contraceptives (mean = 4.11). Adolescents and young women had a low level of oral contraceptive knowledge. With a high proportion of individuals interested in over-the-counter oral contraceptives, additional information support is needed to support informed contraception choice and use.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a training program that prepares adults to recognize and respond to adolescents’ mental health concerns. Although widely used in schools and community organizations internationally, there has been no recent synthesis focused on post-2019 implementation and effectiveness evidence in youth-serving settings. This scoping review examined the extent, range, and characteristics of the predominantly U.S.-based evidence on YMHFA in youth-serving settings. We conducted a comprehensive scoping search of six bibliographic databases and relevant gray literature sources through February 2025. Thirty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. YMHFA was delivered in schools, libraries, youth nonprofits, and family networks through in-person, blended in-person, and virtual formats. Most studies reported short-term gains in adult participants’ mental health literacy, confidence, and stigma reduction. Barriers included scheduling conflicts, stigma-related reluctance, staff turnover, and limited mental health infrastructure. Facilitators included strong organizational leadership, funding, culturally tailored adaptations, and community partnerships. Few studies assessed long-term outcomes, implementation fidelity, or adolescent-level effects. Findings underscore the need for evaluations that address sustainability, equity, and the direct impact of YMHFA on youth.

The study aimed to examine the association between self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and delayed and/or forgone care (DFC) among older adults in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess how SPA and DFC are associated with change in self-rated health status. A cross-sectional study of community-dwelling US adults (≥50 years) was conducted using the 2020 Health and Retirement Study data. Two separate multivariable logistic regression models were conducted to assess the study objectives. The final unweighted sample was 4079. Negative SPA were associated with DFC (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.04). DFC and negative SPA were associated with worsened health status compared to respondent’s previous interview wave (aOR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.10–1.87 and aOR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04–1.08, respectively). Health promotion efforts should be implemented to foster positive SPA among older adults in the US to encourage timely use of healthcare.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and are at an elevated risk of HIV acquisition. Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective preventative measure against HIV. However, its adoption and consistent use among MSM, especially those experiencing IPV, is low. This scoping review summarizes literature relevant to HIV PrEP, focusing on MSM who experience IPV. Of the 110 studies identified, eight eligible studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most of these were conducted in the United States, focusing exclusively on adult MSM. Most studies evaluated daily oral PrEP. The studies assessed the impact of IPV on respondent's knowledge, willingness, preference, and PrEP use and revealed varying levels of association between IPV and PrEP. Future research is essential to develop practice guidelines and policy to enhance PrEP uptake in this vulnerable population.

This study aimed to measure the pooled estimate of willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) (WTUP) among PrEP-naïve United States (U.S.)-based men who have sex with men (MSM). PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched. The search strategy contained the keyword willingness and interest and the MeSH terms for HIV and PrEP. Articles were included if they were published between January 2005 and May 2022, reported quantitative data on WTUP among PrEP-naïve US-based MSM, and were available as full text in English. Meta-analysis was conducted to assess the pooled effect size of WTUP prevalence using a random-effects model, heterogeneity in the pooled estimate was assessed, and subgroup analyzes were conducted. Fifteen studies were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis revealed a pooled prevalence proportion for WTUP of 0.58 (95% CI 0.54-0.61) (or 58 out of 100) among PrEP-naïve MSM. High inter-study heterogeneity (Q = 548.10, df = 19, p < 0.01, I²= 96.53, τ²= 0.09) was observed. Age of the study sample and region where the data were collected significantly moderated the pooled WTUP estimate. Age-appropriate PrEP related messaging and a focus on HIV priority areas of the U.S. would be important strategies to improve WTUP among MSM in the U.S. moving forward.