Identifying System-Level Strategies to Engage in HPV Prevention Across Oral Health and Primary Care Settings.

Introduction: HPV vaccination prevents most HPV-related cancers, yet uptake remains low. HPV is linked to an estimated 70% of oropharyngeal cancers (OPCs) in the US and outnumber cases of HPV-related cervical cancers. Not all OPCs can be detected through routine screening, making HPV vaccination a more effective primary prevention strategy.

Mining for Gold: A Mixed-Methods Study on Personal Statements in General Surgery Residency Applications.

Introduction: As numeric data are becoming increasingly scarce in general surgery residency applications, the personal statement (PS) may be key to identifying candidates to interview. This study sought to determine if PSs of candidates invited for interview at our residency program had different qualities when compared to those not invited.

Materials And Methods: This single-institution study retrospectively reviewed the PSs of applications for a categorical general surgery position (2022).

Messaging Preferences about the COVID-19 Vaccine among Adults in Eastern North Carolina.

Racially and ethnically diverse populations and individuals residing in rural areas were disproportionally impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and Eastern North Carolina (ENC) is one region where such impacts were apparent. To understand at-risk individuals' perceptions and hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccines and the preferred means of receiving vaccination-related messages, we conducted four qualitative focus groups (N = 40) with diverse rural ENC residents. The analysis of the focus group transcripts revealed five themes: (1) reasons people trusted the COVID-19 vaccines, (2) reasons people mistrusted the COVID-19 vaccines, (3) the best means to deliver messages regarding COVID-19 vaccination, (4) the individuals trusted most to deliver such messages, and (5) the decisions people made regarding whether to get vaccinated and how that was connected to God.

Perceptions of disposal options for unused opioid analgesics among people who have been prescribed an opioid analgesic in North Carolina.

Medication disposal programs have been promoted as one solution to the opioid crisis, but uptake by community members has been minimal. To clarify perceptions of medication disposal options among people who have been prescribed an opioid analgesic in North Carolina to inform interventions that can facilitate the disposal of unused opioids. In 2022, we conducted focus groups with participants who received an opioid medication in the past year to gain information to develop an intervention related to the disposal of unused opioid medication (12 focus group discussions (FGDs); total  = 37; 30 identified as female, 6 as male, and 1 as another gender).