Students’ Research Published in Scientific Journal with Faculty Support

More than 100 years later after its launch in 1917, the Rhode Island Medical Journal is a renowned publication in which to be published for professionals in the field, let alone undergraduate students. However, for two Health Science students here at Johnson & Wales University, that honor has already been achieved.

“It definitely takes a lot of work and a lot of hands," Paige Sonido ’23 said.

Sonido is one-half of the published-student pair who researched young adult interest in — and use of — telehealth.

“Immediately, my hand shot up to be a part of it," Abby Tobin ’22 said about her enthusiasm to do the work.

_{FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: PROFESSORS ROSENTHAL, SAMMARTINO, AND NOEL MENTORED TWO JWU STUDENTS TO PRESTIGIOUS PUBLICATION IN MEDICAL JOURNAL.}

Sonido, Tobin and faculty members Samantha Rosenthal, Ph.D., Cara Sammartino, Ph.D., and Jonathan Noel, Ph.D., looked at data collected in the summer of 2020 — when many services were only available via telehealth — through a state survey that questioned young adults in Rhode Island between the ages of 18 and 25. They studied it through the lens of observing which young adults utilized telehealth for their behavioral health and how satisfied they were with that service in comparison to in-person care.

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“We found a lot of sexual and gender minorities and individuals with low socioeconomic status find [telehealth] to have the same quality or be a better fit for them," Sonido explained. This finding, she and the others say, highlights telehealth’s effectiveness at reaching disadvantaged young adults. “It makes it easier to access that care,“ she said. “You don’t have to travel or leave your job to get help."

Other parts of their research found those suffering from a substance abuse disorder were not more likely to use telehealth services. “It’s a missed opportunity for that population," Tobin added.

_{DATA SHOWED THAT TELEHEALTH COULD HELP BRING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES TO CERTAIN POPULATIONS. (PHOTO: BRUNO EMMANUELLE ON UNSPLASH)}

Their takeaway? Continued insurance coverage and use of telehealth for mental health and substance use services are essential in breaking down barriers to care for young adults in Rhode Island (and potentially, even beyond). But in addition to the scientific findings, these undergrads now have an experience only few others at the same level get.

“Publishing in a peer view journal is recognition that your work is of high enough quality to be recognized by the field,“ Noel said. “We have really talented students, and as they go through the program we put them in a position to publish."

“Publishing in a peer view journal is recognition that your work is of high enough quality to be recognized by the field,“ Noel said.

Sonido and Tobin say they’ll take more than the research with them.

“A huge part is preparing to make mistakes and get feedback," Tobin said, explaining that the work has prepared her for more professional research down the road.

“You have to cherry-pick all of the things you want to highlight and write at that top-tier level,“ Sonido added. “[Our professors] did a great job preparing us on how to do that in class."

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It’s that faculty support that Rosenthal, Noel and Sammartino hope will catapult these undergrad experiences into the stratosphere to make Johnson & Wales stand out — and produce promising young professionals.

“At JWU, where we’re starting to develop this new level of scholarship, it’s a massive accomplishment and it speaks volumes of these students, their skill in scientific writing and becoming experts on a topic so quickly that they can expound on it in a medical journal," Rosenthal said. “It’s incredibly impressive and it makes me really proud."

You can read the full research article published in the February 2022 issue of the Rhode Island Medical Journal.

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