- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Katherine Quinn
Medical College of Wisconsin, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Department Member
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
While COVID-19 had a profound impact on healthcare, its effects on medical students are less clear. This study explored the effects of COVID-19 safety measures on medical students' specialty selection and career choices. It further... more
While COVID-19 had a profound impact on healthcare, its effects on medical students are less clear. This study explored the effects of COVID-19 safety measures on medical students' specialty selection and career choices. It further considers the potential differential effects of COVID by gender. Between June and November 2020 at a Midwestern medical university, medical students with an anticipated graduation in 2021 through 2023 participated in virtual focus group sessions, which explored students' transition to remote learning during COVID-19, perception of gender bias within medical education, and personal and professional goals. Nine focus groups were held, with two to six students per session (n = 22). Focus groups were video recorded, transcribed verbatim, and data were deidentified. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using consensual qualitative analysis to identify themes. Our analysis captured 3 themes: (1) Impact of Institutional Decision-Making due to COVID-19, (2) Impact of Unstructured Time on Professional and Personal Decision Making, and (3) Impact of Societal Pressures, Gender Bias, and Mentorship on Career Planning. COVID-19 disrupted important learning opportunities for medical students. Mentorship and shadowing are critical in helping students make career and specialty decisions, particularly for women. The loss of these opportunities may have lasting career impacts for all students.
Research Interests:
Despite its effectiveness at preventing HIV, uptake of PrEP has been slow. PrEP-related stigma is a potential barrier to uptake. Social support has been found to buffer against some PrEP stigma. Unfortunately, little research has... more
Despite its effectiveness at preventing HIV, uptake of PrEP has been slow. PrEP-related stigma is a potential barrier to uptake. Social support has been found to buffer against some PrEP stigma. Unfortunately, little research has investigated the relationship between social support and PrEP-related care. In 2018, we conducted 20 semistructured interviews with MSM who use PrEP (ages 22-70). Interview questions explored social support and PrEP-related stigma, and how these and other psychosocial factors affected PrEP use and continuation. Data were analyzed using grounded theory. Social support was important in PrEP-related care and promoted adaptive behavioral responses, such as adherence to PrEP-related medical care and enhancing resilience to stress. Participants described psychosocial benefits of PrEP, such as reduced HIV-related anxiety, but some also reported that PrEP-related stigma was an additional stressor. Findings suggest that social support has significant impacts within PrEP-related care and may help buffer against stigma.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
AIMS Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is designed to house people who experience chronic homelessness with one or more of the following: serious mental illness (SMI), substance use disorders (SUD) or human immunodeficiency virus. The... more
AIMS Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is designed to house people who experience chronic homelessness with one or more of the following: serious mental illness (SMI), substance use disorders (SUD) or human immunodeficiency virus. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has required major metropolitan areas to develop a coordinated entry system (CES) to prioritize access to PSH to those who need it the most. The aim of this paper is to determine whether PSH residents with SMI, SUD, or dual diagnosis were more likely to be housed after implementation of CES and were more likely to be housed in housing models with more intensive services provided. METHODS A cross-sectional survey with 855 residents of different PSH models. RESULTS Those with SMI, SUD, or dual diagnosis were not more likely to be housed using the CES but were more likely to be housed in higher intensity service programs. CONCLUSIONS Those with SMI are more likely to be housed in PSH with high-intensity services.
Research Interests:
Background Globally, two billion workers are employed informally but there is limited research on the relationship between informal work and health. Existing studies have focused on informality as an employment condition, with little... more
Background Globally, two billion workers are employed informally but there is limited research on the relationship between informal work and health. Existing studies have focused on informality as an employment condition, with little emphasis on the diversity of physical and social contexts in which informal work takes place. The study considers the diversity of informal workplaces and explores the ways in which this diversity might influence health and well-being of two informal occupational groups in Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar. Methods We conducted 21 field observations and 47 semi-structured interviews with street vendors and home-based garment workers based in Yangon, Myanmar. A constant comparative method was used to identify and compare how the physical characteristics of their informal workplaces affect their health for these two informal subgroups. Results Although both street vendors and home-based garment workers work informally, their exposure to occupational h...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Social support is associated with improved health outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH), including initiation and engagement in HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Yet, stigma may negatively affect the availability... more
Social support is associated with improved health outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH), including initiation and engagement in HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Yet, stigma may negatively affect the availability and utilization of social support networks, especially among African American PLWH, subsequently impacting HIV care and health out-comes. This qualitative study examines the relationship between stigma and social support relationships among African American PLWH. We conducted 23 interviews with Black men living with HIV who reported being out of care or non-adherent to ART. Thematic content analysis revealed three primary themes including variation in social support, experiences of stigma and discrimination, and coping mechanisms used to deal with stigma. Findings reveal that although social support may be protective for some men, many African American PLWH face challenges in harnessing and sustaining needed social support, partly due to stigma surro...
Research Interests:
Young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) experience poorer antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication adherence relative to their white counterparts. However, few studies have longitudinally examined factors that may correlate with... more
Young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) experience poorer antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication adherence relative to their white counterparts. However, few studies have longitudinally examined factors that may correlate with various classifications of ART adherence among this population, which was the primary aim of this study. Project nGage was a randomized controlled trial conducted across five Chicago clinics from 2012 to 2015. Survey and medical records data were collected at baseline and 3- and 12-month periods to assess whether psychological distress, HIV stigma, substance use, family acceptance, social support, and self-efficacy predicted ART medication adherence among 92 YBMSM ages 16-29 years. Major results controlling for the potential effects of age, education level, employment, and intervention condition indicated that participants with high versus low medication adherence were less likely to report daily/weekly alcohol or marijuana use, had higher family accept...
Research Interests: Education, Medication Adherence, Adolescent Health, Adolescent, Medicine, and 15 moreComorbidity, Chicago, Self Efficacy, Humans, Male, African Americans, Family Relations, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, Bayes Theorem, Elsevier, Likelihood Functions, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences, and HIV infections
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In the USA, Black males are disproportionately affected by community violence and HIV. The aim of this study was to assess whether exposures to community violence are related to psychological distress, drug use, sexual risk behaviors, and... more
In the USA, Black males are disproportionately affected by community violence and HIV. The aim of this study was to assess whether exposures to community violence are related to psychological distress, drug use, sexual risk behaviors, and medication adherence among a sample of HIV-positive young Black men who had sex with men (YBMSM). Data are from 98 YBMSM ages 18-29 years recruited from Chicago who completed measures on demographics, exposures to community violence, psychological distress, drug use, condomless anal intercourse, and medication adherence. Rates of exposure to community violence were high and youth reported victimization and witnessing numerous types of violence in their lifetime. In adjusted logistic regression analyses, models indicate that YBMSM reporting higher levels of exposure to community violence had significantly higher rates of condomless anal intercourse in the previous 6 months (AOR: 5.33, 95%CI: 1.38-20.55). Additionally, exposure to community violence ...
Research Interests: Psychology, Medication Adherence, Risk Taking, Adolescent, Medicine, and 14 moreChicago, Exposure to Violence, Humans, Needs Assessment, Male, Crime Victims, African Americans, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Psychological Stress, Unsafe Sex, Substance-Related Disorders, AIDS care, and HIV infections
Research Interests:
Background/Objectives: Research indicates that as youth mental health risk factors accumulate, the probability of gang affiliation increases, yet the effect of gang membership on the mental health of adolescents and young adults has been... more
Background/Objectives: Research indicates that as youth mental health risk factors accumulate, the probability of gang affiliation increases, yet the effect of gang membership on the mental health of adolescents and young adults has been significantly under-studied. This study serves to further explore early childhood trauma among gang members and understand how such experiences effect decisions to join gangs and the consequences of not receiving mental health intervention. Methods: Data was collected from 43 in-depth interviews with adolescent gang members, ages 14 to 19, of four Milwaukee gangs. Male and female, African American and Latino participants were recruited directly through research staff or via referral of contacts by study participants. Interviews were coded for key themes and patterns using MAXQDA. Results: Results indicate that gang members experience a number of traumatic events in early life including exposure to violence and drug and alcohol abuse, family conflict...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Risk Taking, Social Stigma, Humans, Male, and 15 moreSexual Behavior, Incidence, Risk factors, African Americans, Prevalence, Middle Aged, Self Concept, Questionnaires, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Hiv seropositivity, Risk Factors, Sexual Partners, Cross Sectional Studies, and healthcare disparities
ABSTRACT Despite the well-documented benefits of stable housing, there are myriad barriers that preclude low-income and homeless individuals from accessing housing support. This article examines which individual characteristics predict... more
ABSTRACT Despite the well-documented benefits of stable housing, there are myriad barriers that preclude low-income and homeless individuals from accessing housing support. This article examines which individual characteristics predict greater or more limited access to supportive housing and rental subsidy programs in Hartford, Connecticut. Although individuals with HIV/AIDS are most likely to access housing, options are limited for other vulnerable populations, including those with substance use disorders and mental illness.
Research Interests:
PURPOSE There is a need to address suicide among farmers in the United States and understand what contributes to suicide among American farmers. The purpose of this qualitative study is to analyze narrative data to uncover circumstances... more
PURPOSE There is a need to address suicide among farmers in the United States and understand what contributes to suicide among American farmers. The purpose of this qualitative study is to analyze narrative data to uncover circumstances that were present in the lives of farmers who died by suicide. METHODS This study leverages data available in the National Violent Death Reporting System. For this study, we examined all suicides that occurred in Wisconsin between the years 2012 and 2016 and were extracted from the Wisconsin Violent Death Reporting System. Decedents were manually sorted by the "usual occupation" variable in order to identify farmers. FINDINGS During the study period, 73 farmers died, most of whom were White, non-Hispanic males. Four themes were identified in the thematic analysis: stymied by physical health issues, grief from loss of relationships, ready access to firearms in rural Wisconsin, and the burden of farming and the farm. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study demonstrate how unique contextual factors lead to suicide among farmers. This study has implications for suicide prevention among farmers. Primarily, there is a need to address the accessibility of firearms, as their availability in a time of crisis has lethal consequences. However, suicide prevention programming that addresses access to lethal means must take the sociocultural context of rural America into consideration. These findings should also be considered as applied to health care providers that serve rural communities. Suicide risk assessment and management should consider stressors unique to farmers.