Past and Current MD Theses > Medical Humanities & the Arts

This selection of Yale M.D. theses submitted between 1994 and 2009 is intended to convey a sense of the range of research topics on medicine, culture, and society that students have pursued in recent years. The theses represent research in such fields as biomedical ethics, medical history, ethnography, medicine, and the arts, and medicine and literature, as well as some but not all topics relating to the psycho-social dimensions of health and the qualitative social sciences. Rather than making any sharp, too-often unhelpful division between the humanities and the social sciences, the aim here is to capture a sense of the rich array of original research projects that Yale medical students have undertaken.

2010 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
MacIntosh	Tracy	Internal Medicine	Nunez-Smith, Marcella	Socially-Perceived Race, Perceived Healthcare Discrimination and Preventive Health Service Utilization	2010
Mix	Monica	History of Medicine	Espinosa, Mariola	Victims and Villains: A History of Women-Protective Claims in the Anti-Abortion Movement	2010
Provenzano	Audrey	History of Medicine	Warner, John H.	'This Open Sore of the World' The Legacy of Dr. David Livingstone, the First Physician Missionary: Hero and Adventurer	2010
Rakowski	Sonja	Internal Medicine	Duffy, Thomas P.	Ethical Considerations in Access to Experimental Drugs for Treatment Use	2010
Sarkar	Sudipa	History of Medicine	Espinosa, Mariola	Medical Students in the Mountains: The Appalachian Summer Projects of the Student Health Coalition (SHC) and the Student American Medical Association (SAMA)	2010

2009 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Engel	Caroline	History of Medicine	Warner, John H.	The Greek God of Healing Asclepius & Goddess of Health Hygeia: A Double-Gendered Double-Deity Model	2009
Evans	Merritt	Internal Medicine	Rosenbaum, Julie R.	Becoming the Doctor I Want to Be: The Professional Development of Internal Medicine Residents	2009
Griffith	Veronique	Psychiatry	Rowe, Michael	Personal Accounts of Endometriosis: Online Narratives of Lives Shaped by Pain	2009
Jimenez	Luz	Psychiatry	Sledge, William H.	Barriers to Interpreter Use in the Medical Clinical Encounter	2009
Meier-Abt	Fabienne	History of Medicine	Strasser, Bruno J.	Balancing Safety and Availability: A Historical Perspective on the Pace of Drug Approval, 1950s-2009	2009
Merritt	Anne	History of Medicine	Warner, John H.	The Rise of Emergency Medicine in the Sixties: Paving a New Entrance to the House of Medicine	2009
Oduyebo	Titilope	Epidemiology and Public Health	Kaveh, Khoshnood	HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Sexual Practices of Medical and Nursing Students in Sierra Leone and Their Willingness to Treat HIV/AIDS Patients	2009
Voorhees	Jennifer	Internal Medicine	Drickamer, Margaret A.	Discussing Physician-Assisted Dying: A Qualitative Study of Doctors' Experiences in the U.S. & Netherlands	2009

2008 Thesis

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Arwady	Allison	History of Medicine	Warner, John H.	The Uses of Rickets: Race, Technology, and the Politics of Preventive Medicine in the Early Twentieth Century	2008
Arzubi	Eric R.	Child Study Center	Martin, Andres	Recruitment in Child Psychiatry: The Impact of a Voluntary Fellowship Program on Medical Students’ Career Decisions	2008
Ayres	Soledad Tarka.	History of Medicine	Rogers, Naomi	Providing Providers: Abortion Training for Physicians in the United States, 1920-2007	2008
Caminis	Argyro P.	Child Study Center	Martin, Andres	Early to Bed: Psychosocial Predictors of Sexual Initiation and High-Risk Sexual Behaviors in Early Adolescence	2008
Correll	Cynthia M.	Neurology	Spencer, Susan S.	Seizure Awareness Among Epilepsy Patients	2008
Feldman	Candace H.	Pediatrics	Cappello, Michael	Understanding the Relationship between Women’s Participation and Health in Uttar Pradesh, India	2008
Houle	Elizabeth	Pediatrics	Forsyth, Brian	Reproductive Desires and Intentions among HIV-Infected Individuals in Chennai, India	2008
Jayasekera	Rasika P.	History of Medicine	Warner, John H.	Condoms Behind Bars: Barriers to Barrier Protection	2008
Laff	Rachel E.	Psychiatry	Southwick, Steven M.	Depression and Resilience during the First Six-Months of Internship	2008
Levine	Kiera S.	Internal Medicine	Duffy, Thomas P.	Beyond Patient Satisfaction: Physician Ambivalence, Authenticity, and the Challenges to Patient-Centered Medicine	2008
Ma	Kurtland	Internal Medicine	Barry, Michele	The Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Its Possible Relationship with Adherence to Highly-Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy in Patients with HIV/AIDS in Hong Kong	2008
McDonald	Lisa E.	History of Medicine	Warner, John H.	A Historical Analysis of Physician Dissatisfaction	2008
McGuire	Lindsay K.	Pediatrics	Leventhal, John M.	Pediatric Consultations to Child Protective Services: The Role of Expert Opinions	2008
Rainof	Mila N.	Internal Medicine	Drickamer, Margaret A.	Do Caregivers Accurately Assess the Decision-Making Ability of Their Cognitively-Impaired Relatives?	2008
Spoozak	Lori A.	Psychiatry	Yonkers, Kimberly A.	Evaluation of a Social Support Measure That May Indicate Risk of Depression During Pregnancy	2008
Wilkinson	Indy M.	Diagnostic Radiology	Forman, Howard, P.	The Changing Picture of Medical Diplomacy as Seen Through Scholarly Reports	2008

2007 Theses

Author Name (Last) Author Name (First) Department Advisor Thesis Title Year Asafu-Agyei Nana Akua Pediatrics Forsyth, Brian Perceived by Persons with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Attending the Infectious Diseases Clinic of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire De Fann in Dakar, Senegal 2007 Jackson Brendan R. History of Medicine Warner, John H. "No observed adverse effects": developing neurons, organophosphate insections, and the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act 2007 Kershnar Rebecca Obstetrics & Gynecology Illuzzi, Jessica Adolescent Medicine: Attitudes, Training and Experience of Pediatric, Family Medicine and Obstetric-Gynecology Residents 2007 Kumar Sheila Internal Medicine Jamidar, Priya The Relationship between Direct to Consumer Marketing and the Self—Perception of GERD Symptoms in the Young Adult Population 2007 McDonald Lisa Pediatrics Miller, Geoffrey Futility Determinations: What is the Proper Role for Parents, Surrogates, Physicians, and the State? 2007 Meydani Ahou Obstetrics & Gynecology Illuzzi, Jessica Social Support and Reproductive Health in 15 to 24 Year Old Immigrant Latinas in the San Francisco Bay Area 2007 Morris Karen S. History of Medicine Lederer, Susan The Founding of the National Medical Association 2007 Wei Marlynn Psychiatry Zonana, Howard University Policy and Procedural Responses to Students at Risk of Suicide 2007

2006 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Al-Samarrai	Teeb	History of Medicine	Rogers, Naomi	Medicine in the Margins: Access, Resistance and Health Care Utilization among the Tuareg of Niger	2006
Arons	Dara	History of Medicine	Lederer, Susan	Shoot the Abortionist Twice: The Crisis in Abortion Training in the United States	2006
Fielder	Odicie	Internal Medicine	Altice, Frederick	Infection and non-injection drug users’ beliefs on mandatory newborn HIV testing laws in the State of Connecticut	2006
Greenwold	Jennifer	Internal Medicine	Angoff, Nancy	Telling Time: Doctor’s Memoirs from the Early AIDS Epidemic	2006
Gwira	Jane	Ophthalmology	Shields, M. Bruce	What Contributes to Lack of Glaucoma Awareness in an Urban Population?	2006
Hoschander	Jeffrey	Internal Medicine	Traube, Morris	The Effects of Tort Reform on medical malpractice litigation	2006
Knight	Jason	Surgery	Stewart, William	An Anatomy Based Health Education Curriculum Taught by Medical Students May Improve High School Students’ Health Knowledge	2006
Light	Rachel	Surgery	Degutis, Linda	Fourteen Years of Silence: An Exploration of Intimate Partner Violence in the Jewish Community	2006
Rajkumar	Rahul	Epidemiology & Public Health	Khoshnood, Kaveh	A Human Rights Approach to Routine Provider-Initiated HIV Testing	2006
Uybico	Stacy	Internal Medicine	Gross, Cary	Overcoming Barriers to Enrolling Minorities in Medical Research: What Does The Evidence Say?	2006
Waters	Jenli	Child Study Center	Mayes, Linda	Social Influences on Academic Motivation in Early Elementary School Students	2006

2005 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Cantor	Julie	Psychiatry	Zonana, Howard	Of Pills and Needles: Involuntarily Medicating the Psychotic Inmate when Execution Looms	2005
Chen	Andrew	Ophthalmology	Shields, M. Bruce	On the Moral Development of Medical Professionals: Can Virtue be Taught?	2005
Gergen Barnett	Katherine	Internal Medicine	Fortin, Auguste	Spirituality and Medicine: A Historical Perspective & the Creation and Analysis of a Course at Yale	2005
Jones	Kohar	History of Medicine	Warner, John	Germs of Progress: Schistosomiasis in Senegal. The Ethics, Politics and Economics of International Health, Research and Development at the End of the 20th Century	2005
Lauder	Naudia	Internal Medicine	Lee, Forrester	At the Root of Health Disparities: An Examination of the Social Mediators of Minority Achievement	2005
Lester	Neil	Internal Medicine	Traube, Morris	Jewish Legal Aspects of Medical Tattooing	2005
Libaridian	Lorky	Pediatrics	Weitzman, Carol	Nonverbal Social-Communication in Institutionalized Children in Armenia	2005
Loerke	Catherine	History of Medicine	Rogers, Naomi	Mish-MASH: How the Health Care “Crisis” of 1970 resulted in Dichotomous Portrayals of Physicians in Films of the Era	2005
Mahony	Erin	Dermatology	Braverman, Irwin	Improving Medical Observational Skills: Analyzing Fine Art in a Gallery Setting Versus a Workbook Simulation	2005
Rushing	Susan	Pediatrics	Genel, Myron	The Crisis of Uninsured Children in America-Is Lack of Health Insurance Really the Problem?	2005
Soffer	Jocelyn	History of Medicine	Warner, John	Portrayals of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Personality and Self-Concept, 1987 to 1994.	2005
Yager	Jessica	History of Medicine	Warner, John	Re-Emerging Fear: The 1991 Outbreak of Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis in the New York Prison System	2005

2004 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Ayora	Paola	Epidemiology & Public Health	Groce, Nora	Barriers to Healthcare Access Among Disabled Children in Rural Ecuador: A Human Rights Approach	2004
Duru	Ugonna	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Williams, Keith	Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and Attitudes about Condom Use Among Nigerian University Students	2004
El-Fishawy	Paul	Internal Medicine	Katz, Jay	Can a Fundamental Constitutional Right to Genetically Enhanced Offspring Pre-Birth Be Derived from Current Substantive Due Process Jurisprudence?	2004
Gandhi	Rupali	Internal Medicine	Levine, Robert J.	Research Involving Children: Regulations, Review Boards and Reform	2004
Gustafson	Eric	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Richman, Susan	Provider HIV Counseling and Testing Practices of Sexually Active Young Women in a Gynecology Clinic	2004
Herndon	Christopher	Internal Medicine	Black, Francis	Ethnomedical Analysis of an Amazonian Forest Tribe: Insights into the Utilization of Botanical Diversity in Healing	2004
Jjingo	Caroline	History of Medicine	Lederer, Susan	Perception and Poverty: A Historical Look at The Persistence STDs in the African-American Community	2004
Kurvilla	Pramita	Internal Medicine	Farrell, Michael	Resident Physicians' Assessment of Patient Understanding in Complex Risk Communication	2004
Lambert	Emily	Epidemiology & Public Health	Brownell, Kelly	The Availability, Cost and Quality of Fruits and Vegetables in Neighborhoods of Different Socioeconomic Status	2004
Lisska	Elin	Internal Medicine	Fraenkel, Liana	Do Patients want to Participate in Medical Decision-Making? A Critical Review of the Literature.	2004
Reti	Alejandro	Diagnostic Radiology	Forman, Howard	Physicians’ Opinions toward Financial Incentives for Clinical Quality: A Survey and Analysis	2004
Vernee	Belcher	Internal Medicine	Tinetti, Mary	Attitudes and Beliefs Concerning Medication-Related Decision-Making among Older Patients	2004

2003 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Bekelman	Justin	Internal Medicine	Gross, Cary	The Scope and Impact of Financial Conflicts of Interest in Biomedical Research: A Systematic Review	2003
Geist	David	Internal Medicine	Bogardus, Sidney	When and Why Physicians Deceive: Interactions with Third-Party Payers	2003
Goldenberg	Matthew	Psychiatry	Morgan, Charles	Celluloid Psychosis: Descriptions of Schizophrenia in American Film, 1990-Present	2003
Lieberman	Ryan	Psychiatry	Morgan, Charles	Sexual Orientation in the Doctor/Patient Relationship: Attitudes and Opinions of the Yale Community	2003
Ribeiro	Lysiane	Psychiatry	Morgan, Charles	Aftermath: The Cinematic Presentation of Forensic Psychiatry in the Post-Hinckley Era	2003

2002 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Badani	Rupal V.	Pediatrics	Schonfeld, David	Elementary Students’ Understanding of the Common Cold	2002
Bailey	Brooke C.	History of Medicine	Warner, John	The Forces That Shape a Medical Student into an Intern	2002
Bolton	Michael A.	Surgery	Persing, John	Measuring Psychological Outcomes in Aesthetic Surgery: Body Image and Quality-of-Life in Abdominoplasty Patients	2002
Boone	Jon L.	Pediatrics	Hostetter, Margaret	Demographic Characteristics of Adoptees Presenting to The Yale International Adoption Clinic and the Utility of Pre-Adoption Video Review	2002
Covey	Aaron S.	Child Study Center	Mayes, Linda	Analysis of Children's Drawings from a Kosovar Refugee Camp	2002
Davis	Marc A.	Internal Medicine	Bia, Frank	Survey of International Health Training Opportunities in Internal Medicine Residency Programs	2002
Jha	Amit K.	Pediatrics	Colson, Eve	Parental Perspectives on Neonatal Circumcision	2002
Jobarteh	Kebba M.	Epidemiology & Public Health	Khosnood, Kaveh	AIDS Revolution: The Power of Youth	2002
Krieger	Stephen C.	Psychiatry	Powsner, Seth	The Impact of the Internet on the Doctor/Patient Relationship	2002
Larson	David B.	Diagnostic Radiology	Forman, Howard	MD/MBA Programs in the United States: Evidence of a Change in Healthcare Leadership	2002
Park	Jacqueline J.	History of Medicine	Lederer, Susan	Pregnancy and Childbirth Practices and Popular Literature in Twentieth-Century America: Historical and Social Perspectives	2002
Prutkin	Jordan M.	Internal Medicine	Krumholz, Harlan	A History of Quality of Life Measurements	2002
Siegel	Nathan A.	Internal Medicine	Lee, Forrester	Attitudes Towards Cross-Cultural Medicine among Medical Students in the State of Connecticut	2002

2001 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Anderson	LaLisa A.	Psychiatry	Davidson, Larry	Crossin’ Ovah: A Phenomenological Study of Healing in African-Americans of the Southeastern United States	2001
Baum	Kenneth	Internal Medicine	Katz, Ruth	The Commodification of Human Reproduction: Defending Market Regulation of Oocyte Donation	2001
Chekijian	Sharon A.	Internal Medicine	Rastegar, Asghar	Legal, Professional, Public Policy Barriers to the development of Organ Donation and Transplantation in the Republic of Armenia	2001
David	Michael	History of Medicine	Warner, John	The White Plague in the Red Capital: The Control of Tuberculosis in Moscow, 1900-1940	2001
Dolev	Jacqueline C.	Dermatology	Braverman, Irwin	Framing the Patient: Refining Our Medical Observational Skills	2001
Gibson	Joshua C.	Epidemiology & Public Health	Khoshnood, Kaveh	The Next HIV Hotbed? A Survey of HIV-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior in Hunan, China	2001
Holt	Natalie F.	History of Medicine	Warner, John	Snake Oil and Truth Serum: American Medical Association v. Federal Trade Commission, 1975-1982	2001
Samet	Ron E.	Internal Medicine	Kernan, Walter	Patient Knowledge of Their Care Providers in a University Teaching Hospital	2001
Steren	Carmit	Internal Medicine	Friedland, Gerald	Spirituality and the Care of Patients with HIV: Beliefs and Practices of Medical Providers	2001
Woods	Brian D.	Internal Medicine	Levine, Robert J.	Placebos and the Medieval World View	2001

2000 Theses

Author Name (Last)	Author Name (First)	Department	Advisor	Thesis Title	Year
Andersson	Karin L.	Epidemiology & Public Health	Groce, Nora	Benzodiazepines in Chilean Primary Care: How Health Care Affects Use by Women in a Developing Country	2000
Babineau	Angela	Epidemiology & Public Health	Ortega, Alexander	Lesbian, Bisexual, and Gay Graduates of the Yale School of Medicine and Their Heterosexual Peers: Attitudes and Experiences, 1969-1998	2000
Bryan	Darcy N.	Pathology	Costa, Jose	Women Warriors: A History of Courage in the Battle against Reproductive Cancer	2000
Caplivski	Daniel S.	Internal Medicine	Garcia-Tsao, Guadalupe	Lost in Translation: Satisfaction Levels of Hispanic Patients at Yale-New Haven Hospital	2000
Cooperberg	Matthew R.	Internal Medicine	Katz, Ruth	Healthcare Antitrust and the Myth of the Medical Market	2000
Galbut	Brian H.	Internal Medicine	Traube, Morris	Models of Medical Malpractice in Jewish Law	2000
Levine	Elie	Surgery	Persing, John	Quality of Life and Facial Trauma: Psychological and Body Image Effects	2000
Nez	Patricia A.	Epidemiology & Public Health	Groce, Nora	Self Governance: A New Direction for Indian Health Care	2000
Salameh	Maya J.	Anatomy	Stewart, William	The Role of Internet-Based Instruction in the Teaching of Anatomy to First Year Medical Students	2000