Human Trafficking Victim Identification, Assessment, and Intervention Strategies in South Texas Emergency Departments.

Introduction: Human-trafficking victims seek assistance for health issues in emergency departments. This point of contact provides an opportunity for screening and identification of the victim's situation, enabling intervention.

Methods: This descriptive research study was designed to identify whether a standard protocol is currently used to identify, assess, and intervene for human-trafficking victims in 47 south Texas counties.

One thousand words: evaluating an interdisciplinary art education program.

Background: Art Rounds, an innovative interdisciplinary program, began as a pilot project to determine if use of fine arts instructional strategies would be of benefit in health professional education. Specifically, students were exposed to fine art and taught to use visual thinking strategies (VTS). The initial evaluation of the pilot program revealed improved physical observation skills, increased tolerance for ambiguity, and increased interest in communication skills.

Cultural barriers to African American participation in anxiety disorders research.

Anxiety disorders are understudied, underdiagnosed, and undertreated in African Americans. Research focused on the phenomenology, etiology, and treatment of anxiety in African Americans has been hampered by lack of inclusion of this population in clinical research studies. The reason for exclusion is not well understood, although cultural mistrust has been hypothesized as a major barrier to research participation.

Art Rounds: teaching interprofessional students visual thinking strategies at one school.

Purpose: The Art Rounds program uses visual thinking strategies (VTS) to teach visual observation skills to medical and nursing students at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. This study's goal was to evaluate whether students' exposure to VTS would improve their physical observation skills, increase tolerance for ambiguity, and increase interest in learning communication skills.

Method: In January 2010, 32 students attended three, 90-minute sessions at which they observed and commented on three pieces of art in small groups led by museum educators.