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My Work
My Featured Work
COVID-19 and Nurse Family Partnership
Kelly Ackerly & Mary Jordan: Informative Brochure on COVID-19 and Nurse Family Partnership
The final major project for our Adverse Childhood Experiences course was to design a creative tool for our chosen research topic. We focused on a non-profit organization, Nurse Family Partnership, which provides home visits from registered nurses to low-income first-time mothers. The visits begin during pregnancy and continue for two years following birth. This semester-long project included analyzing and reviewing evidence-based research, a class presentation on our topic (see below), psychological research focusing on specific demographic parameters, delivering timely information to first-time mothers living in poverty, generating a brochure to facilitate and educate all healthcare team members and participants during the COVID-19 global pandemic, communication with expert sources, and collaboration to initiate best practices to achieve organizational goals.
In order to complete this task in a timely fashion, we divided the broad assignments into smaller parts each of which was completed by an assigned group member. We chose to design a brochure for easy distribution, cost effectiveness, the ability to compact a lot of information into a small area, and to add a creative, yet effective, personal touch. As a result, we were able to have our assignment done a week prior to the deadline thus providing us extra time to review and polish our evaluation plan prior to submission to ensure to utmost quality. This experience allowed me to put my knowledge of a non-profit organization into practice and understand some of the unanticipated challenges that can arise during the current COVID-19 pandemic. I also gained experience working as part of a team to reach a common goal. These skills will allow me to plan and conduct program evaluations in the future to improve the quality and effectiveness of public health programs.
Psychedelic Drugs and Addiction Treatment
Research Paper on Psychedelic Drugs and Addiction Treatment
The final major product for my Psychology of Substance Abuse course was to create an academic research paper on an evidence-based argument. This included collaborating with expert sources and professors to identify relevant questions and determine best methods of collection, gathering and organizing clinical expertise and reasoning, client preferences, and scientific literature for research purposes, and reviewing over sixty evidence-based research studies.
Accumulated research to date suggests psychedelic drug assisted psychotherapy may emerge as a potential breakthrough treatment for several types of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction that are refractory to current evidenced based therapies. This research equally shows promise in advancing the understanding of the brain, brain related functioning, and the consequential effects of untreated brain related diseases that have been implicated in causing and/or exacerbating numerous physical disease state conditions.
This experience allowed me to put my knowledge of mental health into practice and understand some of the unanticipated effects that can arise when conducting these drug trials. I believe in the importance of staying up to speed with current events. As we navigate this process called “adulting,” we must do our best to be informed citizens and to make educated decisions.
How Media Coverage Affects the Lives of Politicians' Family Members
News Article: How Media Coverage Affects the Lives of Politicians' Family Members
The final major project for my Reporting in the Age of Fake News communications course was to write a news article on a topic relevant today. This included a series of smaller assignments, such as conducting research on the topic, interviewing multiple anecdotal and expert sources, fact-checking, and drafting. My chosen topic was how media coverage affects the lives of politicians' family members. I interviewed Luke Rankin Jr., the son of a State Senator, representing South Carolina’s 33rd District; Kristine Zilonka, the daughter of Brenda Bethune, who was elected Myrtle Beach Mayor in 2018; and Erik Calonius, a former London correspondent at the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek Miami bureau chief, and Fortune reporter and editor.
Two of the major challenges I faced with this project were the processes of becoming familiar with journalistic writing and conducting virtual interviews. I gained new skills from this experience, such as adapting and implementing an entirely new style of writing, communicating in a timely manner, leading conversations with the use of pre-written questions, and remaining unbiased despite my opinions on the topic. In fact, I approached this project with the assumption that my anecdotal sources would feel negatively about media coverage on his or her parent and family. However, this was not the case and, by maintaining an open-mind, I understood how media is not all that bad for a politician and their family. The sources I interviewed have had negative experiences but strongly believe in living life with a positive mindset.
I gained a great deal of knowledge while working on this project and feel that it provided me with skills that will add value to my work performance: the significance of good communication; the ability to adapt to an unfamiliar concept through a strong work ethic; and constantly proof-reading my work by fact-checking with research. I will carry these qualities with me as they hold a great value in not only the workplace, but in my daily life as well.
Informative Posters on Prostate Cancer
and Saw Palmetto
Discover informative posters on saw palmetto and prostate cancer. Explore my urology expertise that I applied to create informative posters for the general public.
Creative assignments were supplemental to the education in my Pharmacology II course at Francis Marion University.
