CPH research

Five ways future health care leaders can tackle burnout in the workforce

Taylor Thomas — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 16:17:15 +0000

Five ways future health care leaders can tackle burnout in the workforce Taylor Thomas Mon, 03/23/2026 - 12:17

Photo by Vladimir Fedotov via Unsplash.

The fight against widespread burnout in the health care workforce should begin with the training of future health care administrators, according to a new paper from the 911�� College of Public Health.

Published in the Journal of Health Administration Education, the paper examines how health administration programs can better prepare future leaders to address burnout by focusing on workplace factors, such as working conditions, leadership support, job design and workload, social connections, and opportunities for advancement. More than three-quarters of health care workers report feeling stressed or stretched thin, with burnout contributing to problems like higher turnover and staffing shortages that can affect patient care.

Drawing from existing research and national frameworks on workforce well-being, the principal investigator Debora Goetz Goldberg outlines several leadership strategies that can help counteract burnout, including:

Build workplaces where staff can speak up

Health care leaders must create environments where employees can report mistakes, raise concerns, and discuss safety issues without fear of punishment. Clear reporting policies, open communication, and a culture of trust are key for psychological safety.

Redesign jobs to reduce overload

Many health care roles involve long hours, heavy documentation, and clunky technology that add to daily stress. Leaders make decisions about staffing, scheduling, and tools that can either ease those pressures or make them worse.

Prevent violence and protect staff safety

Health care workers face some of the highest rates of workplace violence of any profession. Leaders can help reduce risks by establishing zero-tolerance policies, training staff to de-escalate tense situations, and putting safety measures in place before incidents occur.

Involve frontline staff in decisions

The people delivering care often know exactly where problems arise. When leaders directly involve nurses, physicians, and other staff in decisions about schedules, policies, and daily operations, the changes are more likely to succeed.

Measure and improve workforce well-being

Health care organizations routinely track patient outcomes and financial performance. Workforce well-being deserves the same attention. Leaders can measure burnout, engagement, and working conditions and use that data to steer improvements.

John Cantiello, also from 911��'s College of Public Health, and Riva Kamat from Lotus Clinician WellBeing, Inc., co-authored the paper.

In This Story

Debora Goetz Goldberg, PhD, MHA, MBA

This initiative supports the Improving human health, well-being, and preparedness solution of 911��'s Grand Challenge Initiative

Key Takeaways:

Burnout affects a majority of health care workers and contributes to turnover, staffing shortages, and risks to patient care.
A new paper from 911�� argues that health care administration programs should train future leaders to address burnout through organizational decisions and workplace design.
Leaders can help counter burnout with strategies like creating psychologically safe environments, preventing workplace violence, and involving frontline staff in decisions.

Topics

burnout

public health workforce

HAP Research

CPH research

Health Administration

Well-Being

Research

GCI-Health

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

Paid sick leave as disease prevention

Taylor Thomas — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 17:18:24 +0000

Paid sick leave as disease prevention Taylor Thomas Tue, 02/03/2026 - 12:18

In This Story

Suyoung Kwon

Key Takeaways:

New research from the 911�� College of Public Health suggests paid sick leave should be understood not only as an employee benefit, but as a preventive public health intervention.
Among home service workers who regularly enter private homes, such as home nurses and aides and appliance repair technicians, researchers found that stress and perceived infection risk rise before a confirmed diagnosis, when workers must decide whether to stay home sick or risk losing income.
When paid sick leave is unavailable, those pressures compound. The 911�� study links lack of paid sick leave to higher job stress and lower job satisfaction, effects that ripple beyond individual workers into public health.

Photo via Freepik.

Home service workers—those who provide care, inspections, or repairs inside private homes—can often lack paid sick leave, making illness a direct financial risk. New research from 911�� College of Public Health suggests paid sick leave should be understood not only as an employee benefit, but as a preventive health intervention.

In the study led by assistant nursing professor Suyoung Kwon, paid sick leave was linked to lower perceived infection risk, reduced job stress, and higher job satisfaction. During the early months of COVID-19, the research team surveyed more than 1,600 home service workers in South Korea, including home nurses, childcare workers, appliance repair technicians, and gas meter inspectors.

Notably, workers reported that their highest level of stress was not after a confirmed diagnosis of COVID, but during the window when workers are deciding whether to show up sick or stay home.

“Paid sick leave can function much like personal protective equipment or vaccination for workers in high-contact roles,” said Kwon. “It reduces exposure before harm occurs.”

The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Study findings

Workers with paid sick leave reported significantly lower perceived risk of COVID-19 exposure than those with unpaid leave or no leave at all.
Higher perceived risk of infection was associated with greater job stress, which in turn predicted lower job satisfaction. Paid sick leave interrupted that chain.
Workers with no access to sick leave experienced both direct and indirect drops in job satisfaction, suggesting compounded harms when workers lack any safety net.

Why it matters

Many home service workers enter multiple private homes each day. When paid sick leave is available only after a documented diagnosis (like a positive test for COVID-19), workers face a high-stakes choice during their most contagious period: lose income or risk exposing others.

The researchers contend that paid sick leave should be treated as a preventive mechanism that allows workers to stay home when symptoms first appear—before diagnosis or transmission. As policymakers revisit pandemic lessons and prepare for future public health emergencies, this study suggests that expanding paid sick leave is not only a worker protection, but a population-level prevention strategy.

Topics

Walkability initiative is a win-win partnership for Alexandria City residents and 911�� researchers

Taylor Thomas — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:30:46 +0000

Walkability initiative is a win-win partnership for Alexandria City residents and 911�� researchers Taylor Thomas Mon, 01/26/2026 - 09:30

In This Story

Iulia Fratila, PhD

“Imagine living in a place where you can comfortably send your child and their friends on a safe route to your local library on foot or by bike. How about being able to engage in physical activity by simply accessing an expansive network of trails that might connect parks to local suburbs? This is what walkability looks like—and walkability is public health,” said social science researcher Iulia Fratila, an assistant professor in the Department of Global and Community Health at 911��.

Fratlia participated as a cohort member of the 2025 Virginia Walkability Action Institute (VWAI) and was awarded $9,000 in funding to enhance a local park in Alexandria, Virginia. In partnership with the City of Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA), Fratila and third-year undergraduate social work student Bryce Neuman devised the plan for the Alexandria City Ben Brenman Park project, which aims to encourage walkability, promote physical activity among community members, and improve access to fitness.

Fratlia emphasizes the role of partnerships in bringing sustainable change to fruition. “A partnership like this is a win for everyone involved," she said. "Academic researchers bring knowledge and expertise on the science that shapes health outcomes and the potential prevention efforts and the governmental agencies can bring resources and design structures that support health-promoting landscapes and decision-making.”

Assistant Professor in the College of Public Health Iulia Fratila (left) and Senior Transportation Planner at Equitable Cities Reba Oduro (right) standing in Ben Brenman Park currently, before enhancement. Photo provided.

The goal of the Ben Brenman Park project is to upgrade a trail segment in the south side of the park that has been underdeveloped and underutilized. The anticipated result is more walking and community engagement, healthier residents in the city of Alexandria and surrounding areas, and addressing health and recreation access gaps.

“We need to make sure we are creating and enhancing built environments and infrastructure that make healthier habits like walking and biking a possibility for all,” said Fratlia.

Neuman joined the Ben Brenman Park project to explore her interest in the built and natural environment as an important factor of public health as well as connections to macro-level social work dimensions. Together, Fratlia and Neuman developed the project’s action plan and strategic goals that guided them through the project proposal and implementation process.

Fratlia attended the farmers' market held at the park to distribute QR codes linking to the survey, and the RPCA emailed the survey to the city residents via their newsletter. These data collection methods garnered more than 400 responses. Based on the survey responses, the community identified priorities, including planting native trees and plants and installing adult fitness equipment in the park. Subsequently, the RPCA Urban Planning team created a plan outlining the proposed layout for exercise equipment and tree plantings.

“I am looking forward to being able to see the final product implemented at the park and see that positive change. I’m particularly excited about the addition of native wildlife around the park, and I hope the people who live near and visit the park also appreciate the changes,” said Neuman.

In addition to the pitch and execution of the Ben Brenman Park project, the VWAI program, in partnership with Equitable Cities LLC, involved attending distance learning modules and in-person workshopsfocused on topics such as Placemaking and Tactical Urbanism, the Economic Impact and Sustainability of Active Transportation Investment, Inclusive Community Engagement, Safe Routes programming, and Complete Streets initiatives. This experience allowed Fratila and Neuman to apply public health principles to a real-world built environment project while engaging directly with community members to address their needs and priorities.

The park enhancement project, which has officially been named a case study by the VWAI, is scheduled to be completed in early 2026 and will be installed by the City of Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. The VWAI is a program of the Virginia Department of Health and is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Key Takeaways

911�� College of Public Health researchers are partnering with the City of Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities and the Virginia Walkability Action Institute to study and improve neighborhood walkability at Alexandria City's Ben Brenman Park, ensuring research is grounded in community-identified needs rather than academic theory alone.
The initiative provides hands-on, real-world research experience for College of Public Health students, integrating applied public health training with community-based data collection and analysis to inform local planning decisions.
911��’s involvement helps translate walkability research into practical policy insights, supporting Alexandria’s goals around healthier, safer, and more equitable streets while positioning the university as a long-term community partner.

Topics

College of Public Health

GCH Research

CPH research

In the George

911�� faculty and students host inaugural Qualitative Research Day

Shayla Brown — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:46:15 +0000

911�� faculty and students host inaugural Qualitative Research Day  Shayla Brown Wed, 01/21/2026 - 09:46

In This Story

Supriya Baily

Erin D. Maughan, PhD

911�� recently held its first-ever Qualitative Research Day, an event for PhD students of all disciplines to engage in hands-on and interactive opportunities with the goal of learning new qualitative research techniques and methodologies. The inaugural event is the latest innovation in 911��'s ongoing efforts to find new ways to support its PhD students.

The event was a collaboration between faculty and students from the College of Public Health, the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), and the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, including Supriya Baily from Carter School, Erin Maughan from the School of Nursing, Bethany Letiecq from CEHD, PhD students Karthik Ramanujam and Tara Altay, and Fenwick Library team members, including Debby Kermer and Ramanujam.

The team received funding from each of the colleges as well as the Graduate Nursing Organization and the Graduate Division.

Baily, who served as president of the Comparative and International Education Society, an academic association comprising more than 3,500 researchers, analysts, practitioners, and students, used her connections to bring national research experts to the event to deliver keynotes, lead workshops, and guide students through data analysis activities. Students were able to refine their qualitative research skills and network with professional qualitative researchers from across the globe.

Keynote speakers Kevin Roy (left) and Colleen Vesely at Qualitative Research Day. Photo by Shayla Brown/Office of University Branding.

"We did this purely because we thought the students needed it. We were determined that this was going to be a hands-on and interactive event to ensure that the students left having learned something new," said Baily, who was previously co-director of the Center for International Education.

"I was very grateful they were willing to come here and share their expertise with the students," Baily said of the guest speakers.

"PhD students need to enhance their skills in this area—be more rigorous, professional, figure out how it's valued—and look at the new methodologies of doing it," she said.

Maughan teaches NURS 920 Qualitative Research in Nursing and Health Care in the School of Nursing where she met students who were passionate about qualitative research, including Altay, her advisee and doctoral nursing student.

"I was helping Tara navigate the resources on campus, and that's when we realized that there's actually a bit of a gap in resources for qualitative research compared to that for quantitative research, which tends to be the more traditional research for many [PhD candidates]," said Maughan.

The team made sure the events really resonated with the students by identifying where they wanted more information. The biggest area of interest for PhD students focusing on qualitative research was analysis.

Qualitative Research Day presentation. Photo by Shayla Brown/Office of University Branding.

Guest speaker Jeffrey Lee, former professor of education at University of Massachusetts Global, guided students through best practices in data coding, data analysis, and theme development. His workshop helped students build expertise by framing the complexity of data analysis in an accessible and scaffolded approach.

Lee also categorized reviews from the recent Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere to demonstrate the process for qualitative analysis of audience reception.

Altay, who is working on a PhD in nursing and earned a Qualitative Research Certificate, worked with Maughan and Baily to help make Qualitative Research Day happen.

"To my knowledge, it's rare for students in the School of Nursing to do a full qualitative dissertation, but the nursing faculty have been super supportive of my doing a full qualitative dissertation, which is such a huge thing," said Altay, whose research focuses on the stigma sex workers face with health care providers.

"It's all about students' professional development so they can be the best versions of themselves when they go off and get jobs as researchers and scholars," said Baily. "As the next generation of academics, they'll be able to say '911�� trained me well.'"

Topics

College of Education and Human Development

College of Public Health

Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

911�� leads phase 2 clinical trial for pill to help maintain weight loss after GLP-1s

Taylor Thomas — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:52:49 +0000

911�� leads phase 2 clinical trial for pill to help maintain weight loss after GLP-1s Taylor Thomas Fri, 01/09/2026 - 10:52

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have transformed obesity treatment, but maintaining weight loss after the medications stop remains a challenge. 911�� is leading a new clinical trial that may help people sustain their results.

The university is one of six research sites across the United States administering a Phase 2 clinical trial of ARD-201, a novel weight-maintenance drug developed by Aardvark Therapeutics that works differently from existing obesity medications. Unlike injectable medications that drive significant short-term weight loss, ARD-201 is being studied for its potential role in appetite regulation and weight maintenance after injectable therapy ends. The oral medication works by activating the bitter taste receptors in the gut and brain without creating an actual bitter taste, signaling the body to eat less.

Lawrence Cheskin. Photo by Emma Anderson.

“It’s almost a survival instinct,” said Lawrence Cheskin, obesity researcher, professor, and past chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, which is leading the 911�� research site for the trial. “When something tastes bitter, the body assumes there may be a toxin, so you back off.”

By subtly triggering that signal, the drug appears to reduce appetite without the dramatic effects associated with injectable medications. “This isn’t going to cause large weight loss on its own,” Cheskin said. “The question is whether it can help people keep weight off.”

The trial will enroll adults who previously lost weight using injectable medications and have since stopped them. Researchers will track how much weight participants regain over time and compare outcomes with published data showing typical patterns of weight regain after injectables are ceased. The study is an open-label Phase 2 trial, meaning participants know they are receiving the drug, and there is no placebo comparison group.

Earlier research helped lay the groundwork for the current study. A closely related compound, ARD-101, was previously tested for treating Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic condition marked by extreme, chronic hunger. ARD-201 is now under investigation as an oral therapy for broader obesity and weight-management use.

911�� was selected as a trial site based on its longstanding expertise in obesity research and clinical weight management, according to Cheskin. If results from this Phase 2 study are promising, they could inform larger, randomized trials to more rigorously test the drug’s effectiveness for long-term weight maintenance.

Thumbnail photo by David Trinks via Unsplash.

Learn more about 911��'s Grand Challenge Initiative

Learn more about Research at 911��

In This Story

Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD

Topics

Weight Control

Obesity

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

Clinical Trials

College of Public Health

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

How you eat may be connected to how you sleep

Taylor Thomas — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:22:19 +0000

How you eat may be connected to how you sleep Taylor Thomas Thu, 12/11/2025 - 09:22

In This Story

Raedeh Basiri, PhD, RDN

The average adult should get a minimum of seven hours of sleep daily, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans are diagnosed with a sleep disorder (ex., sleep apnea, insomnia) that prevents optimal sleep outcomes, and what we eat may play a role.

A study by 911�� registered dietitian and clinical nutrition researcher Raedeh Basiri showed that blood sugar levels—whether in individuals with or without diabetes—are linked to sleep quality. The research found that blood glucose patterns, diabetes management, and the types of foods people eat all were associated with how well they sleep:

Individuals with diabetes were more likely to have trouble sleeping, be diagnosed with sleep disorders, and have abnormal sleep duration compared to individuals without diabetes. Those with prediabetes showed similar patterns, but not as strongly.
Strict dietary management and diabetes control were associated with more sleep difficulties, suggesting that blood-sugar status and the types of foods you eat may play important roles in how well you sleep.
Low-protein diets, especially when combined with high-fat intake, were most consistently linked to poor sleep across the board. On the other hand, low-carb, high-fat diets were associated with a lower likelihood of short sleep duration in both people with diabetes and those with normal blood sugar.

Basiri’s research highlights the importance of considering both dietary patterns and blood sugar status when developing strategies to improve sleep.

Glycemic status and macronutrient intake as predictors of sleep outcomes: an analysis of NHANES 2007–2020 data was published in October 2025, in Frontiers.

About the researcher

Raedeh Basiri is a registered dietitian and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at 911��’s College of Public Health. Basiri is a clinical nutrition researcher specializing in personalized nutrition therapy and the use of emerging technologies, such as continuous glucose monitoring, to improve outcomes in individuals with prediabetes, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Her work combines randomized controlled trials and large-scale data analysis to investigate how whole foods and dietary patterns impact insulin resistance, glycemic control, sleep, and both mental and gut health. Basiri takes a rigorous, interdisciplinary approach and is deeply committed to chronic disease prevention, collaborative research, and mentoring future professionals.

Thumbnail photo by Slaapwijsheid.nl via Unsplash.

Topics

blood glucose control

Research

CPH research

$3 million National Institute on Aging grant will provide much-needed support to underserved dementia caregivers

Taylor Thomas — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:11:07 +0000

$3 million National Institute on Aging grant will provide much-needed support to underserved dementia caregivers Taylor Thomas Wed, 10/15/2025 - 09:11

More than 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), supported by 12 million unpaid family caregivers whose contributions are valued at $413 billion annually. As the U.S. population continues to age, the number of people with dementia and their caregivers will nearly triple by 2050. Innovative solutions to support family caregivers are urgently needed.

Y. Alicia Hong. Photo provided.

Now, with a $3 million R01 grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), 911�� digital health intervention researcher Y. Alicia Hong is poised to change that. Hong led an interdisciplinary team to develop the Wellness Enhancement for Caregivers (WECARE) as a culturally tailored, digital health intervention to enhance caregiving skills and improve the well-being of dementia caregivers. The new grant will allow her team to further refine WECARE using artificial intelligence (AI) and evaluate it with a randomized controlled trial.

“WECARE is one of the first personalized digital interventions for dementia caregivers,” said Hong, a professor in the College of Public Health's Department of Health Administration and Policy. "Though it is designed for Chinese American dementia caregivers, it can be adapted for other groups and serve the growing demand for digital support for dementia caregivers in an aging society

The seven-week program will provide participants with informational ADRD multimedia content, quiz games, social networking with other caregivers, personalized feedback, and additional individualized resources. WECARE’s success will be evaluated by measuring the depressive symptoms reported by participants. The project also intends to identify barriers to and facilitators of WECARE’s adoption and long-term use.

This resource comes at a critical time as the aging population grows, and more people with ADRD require caregivers. Additionally, most family caregivers have chronic conditions due to prolonged and intensive dementia caregiving, causing an increased need for resources that sustain the health of family caregivers.

Hong’s grant titled “WECARE: A Personalized Intervention for Underserved Chinese American Dementia Caregivers” will take place from September 2025 to August 2030, for a total of $3,088,427. WECARE is directly responsive to NIA’s priority of effective interventions for ADRD-affected populations.

Hong studies the intersection of health services delivery and consumer informatics. Her work explores chronic care and self-care solutions through innovative digital technologies to improve patient-centered outcomes and enhance health care accessibility. Hong’s research focuses on implementation and dissemination science and leveraging digital technologies to enhance health services delivery.

In This Story

Y. Alicia Hong, PhD

Grand Challenge Initiative

Learn more

Topics

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

Artificial Intelligence

Can a mango a day keep diabetes away: A pioneering study shows the benefits of foods with natural sugars versus added sugars

Taylor Thomas — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 17:31:40 +0000

Can a mango a day keep diabetes away: A pioneering study shows the benefits of foods with natural sugars versus added sugars Taylor Thomas Wed, 09/24/2025 - 13:31

If presented with two snacks, one containing seven grams of sugar and another with more than 30 grams of sugar, choosing the healthier option should be a no-brainer, correct? Well, maybe not. Less sugar is not automatically healthier.

Photo by Luhai Feng/pixababy

For the nearly 100 million adults in the United States who are currently living with prediabetes, a tropical fruit that can reduce the risk of diabetes sounds too good to be true. Tropical fruits contain anywhere between 10 to 50 grams of sugar, with mangos on the high end of the spectrum, making them seem a poor snack choice based on that alone. But research by clinical nutrition researcher Raedeh Basiri indicates that mangos, despite having more sugar than many low-sugar snacks, may offer protective factors for adults with prediabetes.

“It is not just the sugar content that matters, but the overall food context that matters,” said Basiri, assistant professor in 911��’s Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. This study is the first long-term clinical trial to demonstrate both metabolic and body composition benefits of mangoes in prediabetes.

Simply put, it’s more than the sugar in the food; it’s about the whole food. The sugars naturally found in mangos, and other fruits, are complemented by fiber and other vitamins and nutrients that offer additional health benefits. Food with added sugar, such as breakfast cereals, and even low-sugar snack options, may not have the same nutritional value and can even increase diabetes risk.

“The goal is to encourage people to include whole fruits, like mango, as part of healthy eating behaviors and practical dietary strategies for diabetes prevention,” said Basiri. “Individuals at high risk of diabetes should not only focus on the sugar content of foods, but on how sugars are delivered.”

Basiri and her team split study participants into two groups; one group received a fresh mango daily, while the other group was given a low-sugar granola bar each day. Over six months, researchers measured participants’ blood glucose levels, bodily responses to insulin, and body fat.

At the conclusion of the study, findings revealed that the high-sugar mango (32 grams of sugar) proved more beneficial than a low-sugar granola bar (11 grams of sugar). The group that consumed the daily mango showed improved blood glucose control, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and reduced body fat.

Daily Mango Intake Improves Glycemic and Body Composition Outcomes in Adults with Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Study was published in Foods in August 2025.

This study was funded by the National Mango Board. The authors declare no other potential conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analysis, interpretation of data, or the decision to publish results.

About the researcher

Explore Research at 911��

Topics

Virtual reality adds empathy to dementia care

Mary Cunningham — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 14:52:46 +0000

Virtual reality adds empathy to dementia care Mary Cunningham Fri, 06/06/2025 - 10:52

At a conference on aging two years ago, Li-Mei Chen slipped on a pair of virtual reality (VR) goggles and found herself inside the mind of a person with dementia.

The simulation cast her as an older adult in the grips of delusion: frozen in fear at the end of a hallway, watching the floor disappear beneath rising water. “There was no actual flooding,” Chen recalled, “but I could feel the panic.”

Assistant Professor Li-Mei Chen partnered with fellow social work professor Megumi Inoue to launch a pilot to train certified nursing assistants through virtual reality. Photo provided.

Chen, an assistant professor of social work in the College of Public Health at 911��, specializes in aging and dementia and immediately recognized the technology’s potential for nursing home staff. She imagined caregivers seeing what she saw and walking away with a new kind of understanding and empathy for their dementia patients.

Working with Japanese company Jolly Good Inc. to adapt their VR technology, Chen launched a pilot this spring to train certified nursing assistants (CNAs) at a Northern Virginia nursing home. The three-part program combined immersive VR scenarios with online lessons and group discussions.

Wearing headsets, participants stepped into the disoriented minds of dementia patients—experiencing the confusion, fear, and memory lapses firsthand. In one scene, a woman lies in bed, panicked. She recognizes her pajamas but not the room surrounding her, and wonders aloud, “Where is my husband?”

Chen partnered with fellow social work professor Megumi Inoue to design the educational framework. The VR footage, originally produced in Japan, was updated for English-speaking users through artificial intelligence (AI)-generated voiceovers.

Support for an unsung profession

Beyond improving patient care, the project aims to support caregivers working in a field plagued by high turnover, low wages, and minimal if any formal training. In the United States, nursing homes face an estimated 53% annual turnover rate and ongoing recruitment struggles, even as demand for direct care remains high.

Though they perform some of the toughest jobs in health care, Chen said, nursing home staff are often treated as disposable. “There’s little investment in CNAs, because it’s assumed they’ll just leave—but if nursing homes invested, that would change.”

Eventually, Chen hopes to help create new VR scenes set in American care settings and filmed in English. But even with cultural differences, CNAs in the Northern Virginia pilot—many of whom spoke English as a second language—found the material relatable.

Wearing headsets, participants stepped into the disoriented minds of dementia patients—experiencing the confusion, fear, and memory lapses of dementia firsthand. Photo provided.

“They said, ‘We have seen this. We’ve experienced this scenario in here,’” said Zeynep Senturk Mannix, a 911�� Master of Social Work student who helped Chen facilitate the sessions. “They didn’t even register that the actors were Japanese.”

For many of the CNAs in the program, the experience marked their first exposure to any dementia-specific training. Mannix suggested that the sessions provided a sense of validation. “Their ideas were valuable, and they were able to help shape the future of this study.”

Chen and her team are now analyzing feedback, with plans to present their findings at the American Public Health Association conference in November. They’re also working to refine the VR content and training materials, in hopes of expanding the program in the future to additional care facilities.

Chen sees VR not as a silver bullet, but one tool to support more thoughtful training. Her framework rests upon relationship-centered care, which prioritizes empathy, trust, and human connection.

“It’s about understanding the person, and building a connection that’s beyond client and provider,” she said.

Chen’s project is supported by two grants:

• 911�� College of Public Health Pilot Award (2025-2026): Relationship-Centered Care for Formal and Informal Caregivers of Persons Living with Dementia: VR and Multi-modal Approaches.

• Geriatric Training and Education (GTE) Initiative at the Virginia Center of Aging (2024-2025): Immersive Training: Enhancing Relationship-Centered Care in Nursing Homes through VR

Learn about more research at 911��

In This Story

Li-Mei Chen, PhD

Megumi Inoue, PhD

Groundbreaking mobile app captures and documents bruises to help survivors of interpersonal violence

mthomp7 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:47:09 +0000

Groundbreaking mobile app captures and documents bruises to help survivors of interpersonal violence mthomp7 Thu, 06/05/2025 - 12:47

Anonymous donor commits additional $5.3 million to advance research

An interdisciplinary 911�� research team is breaking new ground in using artificial intelligence to support victims of interpersonal violence. Led by Kat Scafide and Janusz Wojtusiak of the College of Public Health and David Lattanzi of the College of Engineering and Computing, the Evidence-based AI Software for Injury Detection (EAS-ID) project has successfully completed Phase 1: development of a working prototype of a mobile app designed to accurately capture and document bruises.

The tool has the potential to transform how clinicians and frontline professionals identify, record, and communicate evidence of injury, particularly in cases of interpersonal violence.

The EAS-ID (Evidence-based AI Software for Injury Detection) project has successfully completed Phase 1: development of a working prototype of a mobile app designed to accurately capture and document bruises. An anonymous donor recently committed an additional $5.3 million to advance the technology. Photo by Mary Cunningham/College of Public Health

The EAS-ID app acts as a digital guidance system—similar to mobile check-deposit apps that help users capture clear, usable images. When a clinician uses the tablet-based tool, the app detects the presence of a bruise and provides real-time guidance to ensure the image meets clinical and legal standards. A rectangle tracks the injury area, much like facial recognition technology, ensuring the final image captures exactly what’s needed to document the bruise effectively.

The research team announced $4.85 million in initial funding from the same anonymous donor in March 2024.

“Initially, we were laser-focused on detection—how to identify whether a bruise was present,” said Scafide, a forensic nurse. “But Phase 1 taught us that detection is only a small part of the clinical and legal challenge. The real complexity lies in documentation.”

That documentation must be both clinically sound and legally reliable. Forensic nurses—the app’s initial target users—often assess injuries while juggling multiple tasks: shining a light, holding a camera, completing paperwork. The EAS-ID tool reduces that burden by enabling simultaneous photo capture and structured documentation.

The app’s workflow is tailored to the real-world conditions of forensic nursing. It walks users through a standardized documentation process built directly into the interface, making it possible to create accurate, consistent records that can hold up in court—even years later.

“The documentation that nurses create is reviewed by many others in the criminal justice system,” noted Lattanzi, a civil engineer. “It must be reliable—not a liability.”

To ensure the app meets forensic standards, the team conducted extensive focus groups with practicing forensic nurses. These sessions were crucial to understanding not just what needed to be documented, but how clinicians make decisions in real time under pressure. Their insights helped shape the app into a useful tool with intuitive guide rails and legal relevance.

Based on Phase 1 progress, the team is preparing to broaden its focus to include a wider range of users. “We’re exploring how to adapt the app for clinicians—and even non-clinicians—who don’t have a forensic background but still need to document injuries,” said Scafide.

Wojtusiak, a machine learning expert, added: “Think of it like TurboTax. You don’t need to be a CPA to file your taxes. We want to make it possible for someone who sees fewer IPV cases—or who isn’t an expert in injury documentation—to still collect reliable evidence.”

Behind the app, a powerful AI engine is being trained to distinguish bruises from other skin discolorations and guide users through appropriate documentation steps. To train the AI, the team is building a massive, diverse dataset. So far, they’ve partnered with Inova Health System and Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center to collect tens of thousands of images across different skin tones, body types, and medical conditions.

“Deep learning requires scale—and the team has set a goal of collecting one million images,” said Wojtusiak.

This summer, the team will launch a crowdsourcing initiative to expand the dataset beyond clinical settings. “All of our current data was collected in labs, under controlled conditions,” explained Scafide. “But real-world data is messier. We need to understand what the photos and data will look like when collected by the public, outside of protocols.”

The app’s architecture was designed with that in mind. Using machine learning, the app evolves over time—each new image improves its performance. This allows for continual refinement, even after the app is deployed.

The project has moved at an unusually fast pace for an academic endeavor, thanks in part to the support of students and research assistants whose contributions have accelerated development while gaining invaluable experience. Continued progress has been made possible by a second round of funding from the same anonymous donor.

With a patent pending on the app’s innovative integration of image capture and health assessment data, the EAS-ID team is now preparing to scale development, deepen partnerships, and explore commercialization pathways.

“Our goal is to get this technology into the hands of people who need it—quickly,” said Scafide. “The faster we can deploy, the faster we can support the professionals working to protect and care for victims.”

Grand Challenge Initiative

Explore 911��’s Grand Challenge Initiative addressing the greatest threats to humanity’s ability to live a peaceful, healthy, prosperous, and just existence.

“Think of it like TurboTax. You don’t need to be a CPA to file your taxes. We want to make it possible for someone who sees fewer IPV cases—or who isn’t an expert in injury documentation—to still collect reliable evidence.”