The purpose of this project was to examine how trauma can be manifested during birth, as well as the tools non-clinical labor support professionals called doulas can provide. I aimed to analyze the first-hand experiences of two mothers with a history of trauma, taking note of the perceived benefits of...
Midwives in the Unites States frequently prescribe herbs and other complementary and alternative therapies for the common complaints of pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period. Although many studies have reported quantitative data on midwives utilization of herbs, this research aims to convey ethnographic information on midwives use, beliefs, and perceptions...
In his work, The Soul of Medicine: Tales from the Bedside, Dr. Sherwin Nuland utilized narratives from his colleagues detailing their encounters with their most remarkable patients in order to characterize what he refers to as “the soul of medicine”. However, the stories contributed focused on the practice of medicine...
In August of 2011, Jenny Minten came across an old coffin, complete with a skeleton, in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Scio lodge. After it was determined that the skeleton did not represent a modern forensic case, the remains were donated to the Oregon State University Anthropology Department....
The periviable period is defined as birth between 20 and 26 weeks gestation—the limit of viability or the earliest age at which a premature neonate may be expected to live—during which clinical outcomes vary widely. The medical uncertainty with this pregnancy complication can cause a significant amount of physical and...
There is a critical need to understand the impact rural community health coalitions can have on their communities when there is a willingness and drive from community members to share resources and provide supports. This oral history will provide the Live Longer Lebanon Community Health Coalition with a document that...
The purpose of this project is to write a children’s book that promotes breastfeeding to
acculturating Latin@s. María’s Mamá’s Milk or La leche de la mamá de María is about a little
girl named María whose mother is about to give birth. María wonders what the new baby will
eat,...
The purpose of this study was to examine pregnant Puerto Rican women’s perspectives on the Zika virus threat. Using data collected from open-ended, semi-structured interviews and observational field notes, we aimed to understand the degree to which Zika contributes to maternal stress. How concerned are pregnant women in Puerto Rico...
There is great value in understanding the impact that a doctor’s approach to care may have on the experience of the patient. This oral history adds to the body of knowledge that we have about osteopathic medicine and its providers- DOs. It captures real, lived narratives of DOs in Oregon,...
The emergence of the 2019 coronavirus disease drove the rapid implementation of telehealth in maternal healthcare services in the United States (US) and globally. To protect providers and patients, states across the US incorporated telecommunications technology to substitute traditional in-person care for many aspects of perinatal care, for low- and...
Student parents are a growing population within college and university campuses. Though their numbers continue to grow, there is no proportionate growth in resources from the universities that are available to them. Issues like this and others that student parents face due to their unique identity were amplified in the...
Gluten intolerance is a condition that affects a significant portion of the world’s
population. While awareness about the condition has recently increased, the condition
remains poorly understood and therefore commonly mis- and underdiagnosed. In this
paper, I examine the challenges in obtaining a gluten intolerant diagnosis and attempt to
capture...
Beginning in 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic contributed to an increase in housing insecurity among college students. As awareness around homelessness has increased, so has research aimed at better understanding the causes of homelessness and housing insecurity among college students, as well as opportunities to better support economic access to higher...
College students today have a lot to contend with in their journey as young adults. The college years are often a transitional time for students, and as such there is a vulnerability to mental health declines. Financial, academic, and social strain are some of the factors that can contribute to...
Females do not seek out pelvic exams routinely, which can lead to an increase in undetected pelvic cancers. While there are studies depicting women’s perspectives during gynecological exams, there are not many compilations of negative experiences during pelvic exams with individuals of other identities and recommendations for providers. This scoping...