What are the key concepts in your domains and how are they central to your experimentation? What would you need to know about your domain and subfields if you were to teach a course in it?
The first domain is medical education and one of the key concepts is misdiagnosis due to lack of training. The second domain is toxic stress and the key concept of that is the effects and conditions that cause toxic stress syndrome to occur. Lastly, the domain of behavioral psychology has the central concept of behavioral impact caused by toxic stress. Toxic stress and behavioral psychology are very closely related domains. If I were to teach a course in this, I would have to know all about toxic stress (conditions in which it occurs, all of the side effects both long term and short term, how many people it effects, and ways in which to prevent it). I would also need to know the many manifestations of the side effects.
How does your domain research support your prototyping process?
By speaking with scholars and experts in the field, I am able to get a better feel of what’s missing, where there are problems in the systems, and how my designs can better fit into the equation. Because I am not an expert in any of these fields, I need to rely on other experts who are more knowledgeable about the field and who understand the nuances of medical education, toxic stress, and behavioral psychology. For example, I spoke with Sam Wilkes at USC, who is a medical educator trainer, and he helped me by clarifying what’s missing in medical education and what types of tools would be beneficial for medical educators and students. The more I speak to these researchers and get input, the more informed my prototypes will be.
What is the methodology for research of your chosen domains (primary and secondary research interview questions, research questions, experiment content, etc.)?
I first started researching trauma by reading a few books about it. Then, I immediately reached out to my community of practice and started meeting scholars and conducting informal interviews with them- either in person or over email. I found that in person interviews are the best for my project because having a conversation with someone about toxic stress, versus answering a series of questions, often reveals other unknown issues and themes.
How do your domains connect to your thesis concept?
My thesis concept is to make a tool that will help medical students understand the myriad symptoms and outcomes of toxic stress in youth. My domains are the knowledge layer of my thesis concept: toxic stress, behavioral psychology, and medical education.
Who are the key thinkers in your domains? What are their core contribution and arguments about your thesis concept?
Bessel van der Kolk is a key thinker in the domain of trauma and has done many studies on how a brain is impacted after a traumatic event or a series of them. Bessel van der Kolk’s contributions to this field highlight just how much trauma affects one’s brain, thus impacting behavior. Dr. Ruth Gerson is also a published researcher and director of a trauma center at Bellevue Hospital. Dr. Blake Phillips argues that there isn’t enough medical training for toxic stress in youth because it is so hard to find patients to work with (legal + ethical reasons).
Who are the mentors, peers, collaborators, and participant group in this field who you have contacted and asked for information or guidance with your thesis?
Ruth Gerson, MD
Bellevue Hospital + NYU Langone, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Director, Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CCPEP), Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Blake Phillips, M.D.
Bellevue Hospital + NYU Langone, Clinical Assistant Professor , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Attending Psychiatrist, Bellevue Hospital Center Child and Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program
Sam Wilkes
Instructor of Clinical Medical Education, USC
Doug Zoerner
University of Kentucky College of Medicine, M2 Curriculum Committee Representative
Luis Torres
Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai, familiar with Toxic Stress, Cyclopedia student
Michelle Aboodi
Mental Health First Aid, Youth and Adult Certified former NYU Stressbuster Coordinator, Minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies, Currently at CNN
What kinds of models did your predecessors or mentors create that you can advance? How and why would you choose these models for your thesis?
George Valiant created a hierarchy for defense mechanisms caused by trauma or PTSD, which is applicable to toxic stress since toxic stress is a form of trauma. His hierarchy is important because it helps me see the breakdown of defense mechanisms and then apply other scholar’s knowledge of maladaptive and adaptive behavioral responses to create an even more concrete understanding of toxic stress + behavioral mechanisms.
What contribution does your thesis make to these domain(s)? What are the problems that you are taking on in your subfield other designers/artists in your field are trying to solve as well?
My thesis will hopefully be a better resource for students learning about toxic stress. The problem that I’m trying to take on is a lack of proper medical training in relationship to childhood trauma symptoms. I’m not trying to redefine toxic stress or create a new method of understanding- I want to create a new approach to learning this material.
What conferences or gatherings are happening this semester where you can meet and hear the people who work in this domain?
Division 56 of the American Psychological Association has a series of webinars and the annual APA conference, but the conference doesn’t focus specifically on trauma. There’s also a childhood trauma conference in Australia that happens annually in the summer.
Cat Schmitz 