Experiences in Continuing Innovative Biomedical Research Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic
Keywords:
Research experiences, virtual educationAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for the world in every field. The academic sector has faced new challenges during this pandemic and the response of researchers, administrative workers and the student body has been remarkable, allowing education to remain an unstoppable journey and universities to continue as the birthplace of innovative science. At the University of Oklahoma, research and education have remained active by establishing strict, detailed protocols that aim to keep researchers and students safe while maintaining the academic momentum. In this paper, we present our experience at the Biomechanics and Biomaterials Design Laboratory (BBDL) under the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In our research group, productivity and student mentoring remained strong and eager despite university shutdowns and local regulations. By establishing in-lab protocols regulations to control the spread of the virus and by promoting contactless communications and scientific discussion, the BBDL has been able to continue to execute research projects in cardiovascular biomechanics, aneurysm therapeutic device design, and vascular tissue engineering. From literature reviews to virtual conference presentations, journal publications and biomedical device development, the BBDL has been able to produce research results and promote undergraduate professional development during these difficult times. In hopes of promoting a collaborative environment both locally and internationally, we present the lessons we have learned during the COVID-19 outbreak, outcomes of our experience and the current and future challenges for research and education.
Downloads
References
Almond, D. (2020). Everyday Characteristics of American College Towns: Identification and Discussion. Innovative Higher Education, 45(4), 267-284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-020-09504-y
Babore, A., Lombardi, L., Viceconti, M. L., Pignataro, S., Marino, V., Crudele, M., Candelori, C., Bramanti, S. M., & Trumello, C. (2020). Psychological effects of the COVID-2019 pandemic: Perceived stress and coping strategies among healthcare professionals. Psychiatry Research, 293, 113366. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113366
Cullen, W., Gulati, G., & Kelly, B. D. (2020). Mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic. QJM, 113(5), 311-312. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa110
Czeisler, M. É., Lane, R. I., Petrosky, E., Wiley, J. F., Christensen, A., Njai, R., Weaver, M. D., Robbins, R., Facer-Childs, E. R., Barger, L. K., Czeisler, C. A., Howard, M. E., & Rajaratnam, S. M. W. (2020). Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, June 24-30, 2020. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 69(32), 1049-1057. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6932a1
Harcourt, J., Tamin, A., Lu, X., Kamili, S., Sakthivel, S. K., Murray, J., Queen, K., Tao, Y., Paden, C. R., Zhang, J., Li, Y., Uehara, A., Wang, H., Goldsmith, C., Bullock, H. A., Wang, L., Whitaker, B., Lynch, B., Gautam, R., Schindewolf, C., Lokugamage, K. G., Scharton, D., Plante, J. A., Mirchandani, D., Widen, S. G., Narayanan, K., Makino, S., Ksiazek, T. G., Plante, K. S., Weaver, S. C., Lindstrom, S., Tong, S., Menachery, V. D., & Thornburg, N. J. (2020). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 from Patient with Coronavirus Disease, United States. Emerg Infect Dis, 26(6), 1266-1273. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2606.200516
Hwang, T. J., Rabheru, K., Peisah, C., Reichman, W., & Ikeda, M. (2020). Loneliness and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int Psychogeriatr, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610220000988
Jett, S., Laurence, D., Kunkel, R., Babu, A. R., Kramer, K., Baumwart, R., Towner, R., Wu, Y., & Lee, C. H. (2018). An investigation of the anisotropic mechanical properties and anatomical structure of porcine atrioventricular heart valves. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 87, 155-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2018.07.024
Kemp, A. (2020). First case of coronavirus in Oklahoma confirmed. The Oklahoman. https://oklahoman.com/article/5656803/first-case-of-coronavirus-in-oklahoma-confirmed
Kramer, K. E., Ross, C. J., Laurence, D. W., Babu, A. R., Wu, Y., Towner, R. A., Mir, A., Burkhart, H. M., Holzapfel, G. A., & Lee, C. H. (2019). An investigation of layer-specific tissue biomechanics of porcine atrioventricular valve anterior leaflets. Acta Biomater, 96, 368-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2019.06.049
Kunkel, R., Laurence, D., Wang, J., Robinson, D., Scherrer, J., Wu, Y., Bohnstedt, B., Chien, A., Liu, Y., & Lee, C. H. (2018). Synthesis and characterization of bio-compatible shape memory polymers with potential applications to endovascular embolization of intracranial aneurysms. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 88, 422-430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2018.08.037
Laurence, D., Ross, C., Jett, S., Johns, C., Echols, A., Baumwart, R., Towner, R., Liao, J., Bajona, P., Wu, Y., & Lee, C. H. (2019). An investigation of regional variations in the biaxial mechanical properties and stress relaxation behaviors of porcine atrioventricular heart valve leaflets. J Biomech, 83, 16-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2018.11.015
Lee, C.-H., Liu, Y., Moore, M., Ge, X., & Siddique, Z. (2020). Enhancement of Stay-at-Home Learning for the Biomechanics Laboratory Course During COVID-19 Pandemic. Biomedical Engineering Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-020-00025-w
Mazza, C. R., Eleonora;Biondi, Silvia;Colasanti, Marco;;Ferracuti, Stefano;Napoli, Christian;Roma, Paolo. (2020). A Nationwide Survey of Psychological Distress among Italian People during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors. 17, 3165. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093165
Ross, C. J., Laurence, D. W., Richardson, J., Babu, A. R., Evans, L. E., Beyer, E. G., Childers, R. C., Wu, Y., Towner, R. A., Fung, K. M., Mir, A., Burkhart, H. M., Holzapfel, G. A., & Lee, C. H. (2019). An investigation of the glycosaminoglycan contribution to biaxial mechanical behaviours of porcine atrioventricular heart valve leaflets. J R Soc Interface, 16(156), 20190069. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2019.0069
Scudellari, M. (2020). How the pandemic might play out in 2021 and beyond. Nature, 584(7819), 22-25. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02278-5
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., Ho, C. S., & Ho, R. C. (2020). Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051729
Wang, J., Kunkel, R., Luo, J., Li, Y., Liu, H., Bohnstedt, B. N., Liu, Y., & Lee, C. H. (2019). Shape Memory Polyurethane with Porous Architectures for Potential Applications in Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment. Polymers (Basel), 11(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11040631
Wang, J., Luo, J., Kunkel, R., Saha, M., Bohnstedt, B. N., Lee, C. H., & Liu, Y. (2019). Development of shape memory polymer nanocomposite foam for treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Materials Letters. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2019.04.112
WHO. (2020). WHO Director-General's statement on IHR Emergency Committee on Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). WHO. Retrieved October 10 from https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-statement-on-ihr-emergency-committee-on-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)
Downloads
Published
-
Abstract159
-
PDF (Español)65
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Portal de Ciencia Abierta