Research Interests
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Health disparities and access to healthcare
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Gastroenterology
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Spanish linguistics
Access to Endoscopic Ultrasound in the State of Florida and Its Impact on Pancreatic Cancer Outcomes
University Scholars Program Project
PI Name
Research Focus
Dr. Aleksey Novikov, MD
Department
UF College of Medicine
The focus of this study is to evaluate the effect of lapsed time between the development of obstructive serologies or imaging suggestive of a mass and an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), as well as the time between an EUS and a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, on mortality from pancreatic cancer in North vs. South Florida. We are acquiring the dataset from the OneFlorida Research Consortium.
Timeline
July 2024- Present
My Responsibilities
My responsibilities on this project include applying to the OneFlorida Consortium to obtain access to the dataset, conducting a literature review to analyze existing research on the topic, evaluating a large dataset to identify primary, secondary, and tertiary outcomes (significant correlations between the time between needing and receiving an EUS, the time between the EUS and a diagnosis, and potential effects of socioeconomic factors)​, writing a research paper, and presenting the research. A similar study exists which used OneFlorida data to examine differences in pancreatic cancer survival outcomes between race, age, and income. Therefore, collaboration with other researchers is another important responsibility
Context
Diagnostic Rate of Fine Needle Biopsies for Pancreatic Lesions at UF Health Gainesville
PI Name
Research Focus
Dr. Aleksey Novikov, MD
Department
UF College of Medicine
The focus of this quality improvement study is to analyze patient records in order to determine the first pass diagnostic rate of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine needle biopsy (FNB) at UF Health in Gainesville. We also examine differences in the diagnostic yield between the different needle gauges, endoscopists, and number of passes were subsequently compared to identify potential factors contributing to a lower diagnostic yield.
Timeline
September 2023- Present
My Responsibilities
My responsibilities include using the healthcare software Epic to analyze patient records and determine factors such as their Charlson Comorbidity Index, EUS procedures, pathology, etc. I am also responsible for writing a research paper and presenting the research at various conferences.
Context
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and is projected to be the second leading cause by 2030. In addition, PDAC has a 10-year survival rate of less than 5%, partially due to particularly challenging early-stage detection. Early detection is key for better outcomes, as low survival rates associated with PDAC reflect the rapid progression and common advanced stage of tumors in most patients. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine needle biopsy (FNB) is often chosen as an effective method for diagnosing pancreatic malignant lesions. The state of Florida ranks second in the number of pancreatic cancer deaths and previous research has shown the presence of racial and ethnic disparities of PDAC in Florida. Despite this diagnostic urgency, no research has been done to analyze the diagnostic rate of EUS with FNB at UF Health.
Poster
Presented at the 2023 Fall UF Undergraduate Research Symposium and the UF Department of Medicine Celebration of Research
The influence of Community-specific code-switching norms on online comprehension in early Spanish-English bilinguals
PI Name
Research Focus
Hannah Treadway
Department
This project uses eye-tracking technology to investigate how early Spanish-English bilinguals in the South Florida region process certain switches from one language to another.
Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies
Timeline
My Responsibilities
My responsibilities include running experimental trials and collecting participant data by working with participants and using eye-tracking technology.
February 2023- Present
Context
Similar to how single languages have dialectical differences, bilingual communities develop regional distinctions.
