Gender, race-ethnicity and postdoctoral hiring in STEMM fields.

As postdoctoral training has become a requirement in many STEMM fields the influence of postdoc hiring on STEMM labor force inclusion and diversity has increased, yet postdoc hiring processes have received only limited attention from researchers. Drawing on status theory and data for 769 postdoctoral recruitments, we systematically analyze the relationship between gender, race-ethnicity, and postdoctoral hiring. The findings show: (1) differences by gender and race-ethnicity in application rates, and in whether an applicant is seriously considered, interviewed, and offered the postdoc position; (2) hiring disparities correlate with between-group differences in applicants' network connections, referrer prestige, and academic human capital; (3) between-group differences in network connections have the greatest power to account for hiring disparities; and (4) hiring processes may differ by applicant gender or race-ethnicity, the female representation in the STEMM field and the race of the search committee chair. We discuss competing interpretations of the results and highlight directions for future research.

Impact of Screening and Co-located Parent Coaching Within Pediatric Primary Care on Child Health Care Use: A Stepped Wedge Design.

Childhood adversity and toxic stress have been associated with poor mental and physical health. This study examined if Parent Connext, a program that integrates adversity screening and parent coaching by co-located specialists within pediatric primary care, had an impact on health care utilization. This stepped wedge cluster randomized controlled trial evaluated Parent Connext across six pediatric primary care practices. All practices (clusters) were in the control period during year 1. Three practices were randomized to begin the Parent Connext intervention in year 2, and three practices were randomized to begin in year 3. Medical records of all patients under age 8 treated at these practices during these 3 years were queried retrospectively for participant-level primary outcomes (sick visits, emergency department visits, hospitalizations) and secondary outcomes (well-child and immunization adherence, referrals). The study sample included 27,419 patients followed for an average 1.39 (SD = 0.66) years in the control period and 1.07 (SD = 0.60) years in the intervention period. During the intervention period, patients had significantly fewer sick visits (IRR = 0.91, p < 0.001) which aligned with our hypothesis, decreased odds of well-child visit adherence (OR = 0.88, p < 0.001) which was unexpected, and increased odds of receiving a referral (OR = 1.45, p < 0.001). The odds of an emergency department visit, hospitalization, and 2-year immunization adherence did not differ between periods. Parent Connext resulted in a significant reduction in child sick visits, highlighting the potential benefit of two-generation approaches to pediatric care for child health.

Co-located Parent Coaching Services Within Pediatric Primary Care: Feasibility and Acceptability.

INTRODUCTION: This project assessed the feasibility and acceptability of Parent Connext, a positive parenting program that integrates screening and co-located parent coaching within pediatric primary care. METHOD: Eleven practices implemented Parent Connext in phases between November 1, 2016, and July 31, 2019. Screening and surveillance for parenting and family psychosocial concerns were performed during patient visits. Providers responded with brief motivational interviewing and referral. Parenting Specialists provided individualized parent coaching to referred caregivers. RESULTS: Screens were completed at 13,346 (65%) targeted visits, with 26% positive for concerns. Parent coaching was provided to 1,301 of 2,711 (48%) referred families (average 2.2 sessions per family). Providers and staff felt significantly more supported, confident, and knowledgeable about addressing parenting and family psychosocial concerns after implementing Parent Connext and felt the program improved their relationships with families and quality of care. DISCUSSION: Co-located parent coaching was found to be a feasible and worthwhile addition to pediatric primary care.

A Convenient Method for Evaluating Epithelial Cell Proliferation in the Whole Mammary Glands of Female Mice.

The mammary glands (MG) undergo rapid expansion of the ductal network during puberty in response to endocrine cues including the potent mitogenic effects of estrogen. The proliferation of mammary epithelial cells occurs in a spatially distinctive manner, where terminal end buds located at the ductal termini are the primary site of cell division. Here, we present a relatively high throughput approach to spatially assess epithelial cell proliferation in whole mouse MG using histochemical detection of 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine in conjunction with a standard curve-based data deconvolution technique to semiquantitatively measure proliferation via wide-field epifluorescent microscopy. This approach was validated against the "gold standard" of counting labeled nuclei from confocal images utilizing computer-assisted image analysis. Our method proved sensitive enough to describe the significant and spatially variable proliferative response to low-dose estrogen after 108 hours. This flexible method presents a timely and economical approach to obtaining spatial information regarding epithelial cell proliferation in the mouse MG.