Empowering faculty to initiate STEM education transformation: Efficacy of a systems thinking approach.

Just a decade ago Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action was released, catalyzing several initiatives to transform undergraduate life sciences education. Among these was the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE), a national organization commissioned to increase the adoption of Vision and Change recommendations within academic life sciences departments. PULSE activities have been designed based on the recognition that life sciences departments and faculty are embedded within institutions of higher education which, similar to other large organizations, are complex systems composed of multiple, interconnected subsystems.

Phylogenetics and genetic variation of in Western pocket gophers ( spp.).

The host specificities and systematics of North American species remain particularly uncertain. The primary aim of this study was to verify that a species described previously based only on morphology, , from pocket gopher (Rodentia: Geomyidae) hosts in Oregon represented a monophyletic lineage. In order to address this aspect, as well as to further understand relationships and geographic patterns, we carried out phylogenetic, genetic diversity, and population dynamic analyses using partial 18S rRNA and COI mtDNA sequences of specimens.

Black women's experiences with professional accompaniment at prenatal appointments.

Unlabelled: U.S. public health statistics report dismal Black infant and maternal mortality rates.

Experiences of Black women during pregnancy: The meaning of perinatal support.

This study describes findings of a phenomenological study of Black women's experiences with a community-based perinatal support organization based in Cleveland, Ohio. Twenty-five women participated in interviews after their babies were born about how the organization in general, and perinatal support professionals (PSPs) in particular supported them during their pregnancies and the meaning of that support. The overall meaning of perinatal support was described as easing participants' transitions into motherhood through reducing uncertainty, social isolation, and stress.

"I felt like it would've been perfect, if they hadn't been rushing": Black women's childbirth experiences with medical providers when accompanied by perinatal support professionals.

Aims: This study examined the nature and characteristics of Black women's interactions with medical providers during childbirth when accompanied by a perinatal support professional (PSP; similar to a doula).

Design: The design was qualitative, and a phenomenological approach was employed to examine the meaning of women's experiences.

Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 Black women enrolled in a perinatal support program in Cleveland, Ohio, in late 2017 and early 2018, exploring their interactions with medical providers, the meaning of their experiences, and the roles their PSPs played.