Penn State Scranton nursing student earns first place at research symposium

DUNMORE, Pa. — Braedon Joyce, a fourth-year bachelor of science in nursing student in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at Penn State Scranton, earned first place in the student poster competition at the ninth annual Translating Research into Innovations in Practice Symposium, standing out as the only undergraduate student presenting at the event.

Joyce’s project, "Recognition and Management of Early Mild Cognitive Impairment in Younger Adults," examined a case study involving a 44-year-old patient who developed symptoms of mild cognitive impairment. The research team explored how those symptoms were identified, managed and treated.

“We chose this topic because it was something that people in our research group had seen and experienced in practice and wanted to better understand the topic and bring awareness to it,” Joyce said. “Our research group also has a wide variety of interests and expertise, so we wanted to choose a topic that touched on all of that interest and knowledge.”

Joyce said he was stunned when he learned his poster earned the top student award.

“I was very surprised, many of the people in the student poster presentation group were doctoral students and I wasn’t really expecting that I would win something, so when I heard I got first place, I was shocked,” he said.

This symposium also marked Joyce’s first professional conference experience. He described the event as energizing and educational.

“It was great, I got to hear a lot of great presentations and pieces of research which taught me a lot,” he said. “I also got to meet a lot of great people and get some great advice.”

Preparing the poster and presenting it to attendees proved especially meaningful, he said.

“I think the most rewarding part was learning about the topic myself and being able to share that knowledge,” Joyce said. “I always love learning new things and when I can share that knowledge with others it makes it even more special.”

Joyce said participating in research has shaped his goals as he prepares to enter the nursing profession.

He credited his co-authors and mentors for their support throughout the project.

“I’d like to thank all of my co-authors on this research project for their hard work and help in writing and designing my abstract and poster: Natalie Faybisovich, Megan Lucey, Kaléi Crimi, Kiernan Riley, and Charles Robinson,” Joyce said. “As well as Dr. Mike Evans, who was also a co-author and my mentor for this project, and Griff Lewis (instructional designer) who helped me with poster design and printing.”

Joyce also expressed appreciation for the institutional support that made his participation possible.

“I’d also like to thank the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses, The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and Penn State Scranton for funding the printing of my poster and the cost of attending the conference,” he said.

Above all, Joyce said he remains grateful for the experience and the people who helped him achieve it.

“Just that I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who helped me on this project and made this whole thing possible,” he said.

Assistant Teaching Professor of Nursing Khalid Almasloukh also presented at the conference

Almasloukh also presented his research, which focuses on equine-assisted psychotherapy for emotionally traumatized children.

He described equine-assisted psychotherapy as a collaborative therapeutic approach involving horses, a licensed mental health therapist and an equine specialist.

“Equine-assisted psychotherapy involves working with horses as part of a therapeutic process, guided by a licensed mental health therapist and an equine specialist,” he said. “I was first introduced to this approach while studying for my master’s degree, when I decided to learn how to ride horses as a hobby.”

He said that early volunteer experiences helped him recognize the powerful therapeutic value of equine-assisted services.

“During my first volunteer experience, I observed the powerful therapeutic impact this work can have through moments of joy and connection,” he said. “Children tend to be more engaged in equine-assisted therapy settings than in traditional clinical or hospital environments.”

His interest in the topic led him to connect with Marley’s Mission, a well-known Lackawanna County-based program that provides free equine-assisted therapy to children who have experienced emotional trauma ranging from abuse and neglect to profound grief.

“After meeting with the program founder (April Kemp) and clinical director (Kimberly Portanova-Feibus), we decided to analyze de-identified, routinely collected program data,” he said. “The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board as a secondary data analysis after all participant identifiers were removed.”

Almasloukh previously presented preliminary findings at other conferences, but this symposium marked his first podium presentation on the most updated data.

"Although I previously presented preliminary findings as a poster, this was my first podium presentation using our most up-to-date data,” he said. “It was very meaningful to see that a nursing conference with more than 180 professional attendees found this topic relevant, interesting and valuable enough for a podium presentation, especially that I was expecting it to be selected as a poster presentation. I submitted the abstract as a poster or a podium.”

His presentation focused on the program’s impact on emotionally traumatized children.

“Our findings suggest that equine-assisted psychotherapy can significantly help emotionally traumatized children by reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” he said.

One conversation from the event stood out to him.

“One particularly memorable interaction was with a psychiatric nurse practitioner who complimented the presentation publicly during the Q&A time and shared her firsthand experiences of seeing positive outcomes in patients who received equine-assisted psychotherapy,” Almasloukh said.

His long-term research interests continue to center on equine-based interventions.

“Since first learning about equine-assisted therapy in 2015, I have remained deeply interested in this approach,” he said. “I am grateful that my nursing dissertation focused on equine-assisted activities and therapies, and even after completing my dissertation, this area continues to be an important and meaningful focus of my scholarly interests.”

Looking ahead, Almasloukh hopes to expand his research to new populations.

He also emphasized the importance of safe, coordinated care when it comes to this form of therapy.

“It is important to note that equine-assisted psychotherapy is a complementary, integrative approach and should be approved by a healthcare provider,” Almasloukh said. “Clients should continue with their existing treatment plans and therapies while participating in equine-assisted services.”