Cross-sectional Ct distributions from qPCR tests can provide an early warning signal for the spread of COVID-19 in communities.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing data has been widely used for COVID-19 surveillance. Existing COVID-19 forecasting models mainly rely on case counts obtained from qPCR results, even though the binary PCR results provide a limited picture of the pandemic trajectory. Most forecasting models have failed to accurately predict the COVID-19 waves before they occur.

Sleep behavior of New York City taxi drivers compared to the general US population.

Introduction: Taxi drivers are a low income population with long work hours, a high-stress sedentary occupation, and varied work shifts, augmenting their risk for sleep disorders. We evaluated sleep quality among New York City (NYC) taxi drivers, a predominantly immigrant/minority population, for associations with sleep outcomes and examined intervention development and policy implications.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at driver-frequented locations with 211 consenting NYC taxi drivers and included the 12-item Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale-10.

Impact of an LGBTQ Cultural Competence Training Program for Providers on Knowledge, Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, and Intensions.

This paper describes the development and implementation of a robust lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) cultural competence curriculum for training health and human service providers across New York State. Between 2013-2018, The National LGBT Cancer Network developed and published Best Practices in Creating and Delivering LGBTQ Cultural Competency Trainings for Health and Social Service Agencies and designed a training curriculum. They also conducted Train the Trainer sessions, and evaluated pre- and post- curriculum knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and intentions of individuals who attended educational sessions conducted by the certified trainers.

Supply and Demand: Association Between Non-English Language-Speaking First Year Resident Physicians and Areas of Need in the USA.

Background: Over 25 million US inhabitants are limited English proficient (LEP). It is unknown whether physicians fluent in non-English languages are training in geographic areas with the highest proportion of LEP people. Diversity of language ability in the physician workforce is an important complement to language assistance services for providing quality care to LEP patients.

Factors Associated With Accuracy of Self-Assessment Compared With Tested Non-English Language Proficiency Among Primary Care Providers.

Background: There are no accepted best practices for clinicians to report their non-English language (NEL) fluencies. Language discordance between patients with limited English proficiency and their clinicians may contribute to suboptimal quality of care.

Objectives: To compare self-assessed clinician NEL proficiency with a validated oral language proficiency test.

Smoking Among Chinese Livery Drivers.

We aimed to assess a key risk factor for lung cancer, smoking, in a vulnerable group, Chinese livery drivers in New York City (NYC). This is a nested cohort study conducted in the summer/fall of 2014 within a larger NIMHD-funded R24 program, the Taxi Network. The Taxi Network Needs Assessment (TNNA) survey was administered to a broad demographic of drivers.

Preoperative consent for patients with limited English proficiency.

Background: Informed consent is important for limited English proficient (LEP) patients undergoing surgery, as many surgical procedures are complicated, making patient comprehension difficult even without language barriers. The study objectives were to (1) understand surgeons' preoperative consenting process with LEP patients, (2) examine how surgeons self assess their non-English language proficiency levels using a standardized scale, and (3) identify the relationship between self assessed non-English language proficiency and surgeons' self-reported use of interpreters during preoperative informed consent.

Materials And Methods: A thirty-two item survey assessing surgeons' reported preoperative informed consent process, with questions related to demographics, level of medical training, non-English language skills and their clinical use, language learning experiences, and hypothetical scenarios with LEP patients.

Increasing influenza vaccination in New York City taxi drivers: A community driven approach.

The Healthy People 2020 influenza immunization goal is 80% for non-institutionalized adults 18-64. However, vaccination rates remain stubbornly low. Culturally tailored approaches to communities with poor vaccine uptake are necessary.

"Their Stories Have Changed My Life": Clinicians' Reflections on Their Experience with and Their Motivation to Conduct Asylum Evaluations.

Many clinicians perform asylum evaluations yet no studies describe the motivation to perform them or their perceived rewards. The number of asylum seekers in the US is increasing and more clinicians are needed as evaluators. A survey to an asylum evaluators' network asked participants to qualitatively reflect on their experience and motivation.

A 12-year comparison of students' perspectives on diversity at a Jesuit Medical School.

Background: Many studies have assessed perspectives of medical students toward institutional diversity, but few of them have attempted to map changes in diversity climate over time.

Objective: This study aims to investigate changes in diversity climate at a Jesuit medical institution over a 12-year period.

Methods: In 1999, 334 medical students completed an anonymous self-administered online survey, and 12 years later, 406 students completed a comparable survey in 2011.

Self-reported vicarious trauma in asylum evaluators: a preliminary survey.

Hundreds of clinicians in the US conduct asylum evaluations, to document evidence of torture and persecution of people fleeing their home countries. Participating in these encounters puts clinicians at risk for vicarious trauma (VT). Little research addressed VT in physicians.