Temesgen 'Tem' Woldeyesus

All Publications

• Preferences and Perspectives of Black Male Barbershop Patrons on Receiving Health Care in Nontraditional Settings. Health equity Chong, S., Huynh, B., Wong, S., Woldeyesus, T., Faulks, M., El-Amin, K., Thibeaux, J., Lewis, J., Harlin, R., Carter, M., Shatara, R., Zhou, C., Oni-Orisan, A. 2023; 7 (1): 835-842

  Abstract

  Non-Hispanic Black men experience a disproportionate rate of morbidity and mortality from hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions in the United States. Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of community-based health outreach in settings not traditionally utilized for health care. Understanding how potential future participants view health care services in nontraditional settings is a necessary step to ascertain the success of these interventions in the real world. Our study objective was to explore the preferences of Black male barbershop patrons regarding health care-provided services in these nontraditional settings.We recruited patrons of a Black-owned barbershop in the San Francisco Bay Area. Study participants were asked to complete a survey assessing individual attitudes and preferences toward the idea of receiving health care services in traditional and nontraditional settings.Among non-Hispanic Black males (n=17), 81% agreed or strongly agreed that they would prefer to receive health care in traditional clinics. Receiving care at the pharmacy (56% agreed or strongly agreed) and the patient's own home (53% agreed or strongly agreed) were the next most preferred locations. A minority of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they preferred to receive health care in nontraditional settings: 47% for barbershops, 19% for churches, and 6% for grocery stores.Participants expressed preference for traditional over nontraditional settings, despite listing barriers that may be addressed, in part, by nontraditional settings. One potential reason for this is simply a lack of familiarity. Establishing and normalizing nontraditional clinical settings may allow for enhanced acceptance within Black communities, ultimately increasing health care access.

  View details for DOI 10.1089/heq.2023.0157

  View details for PubMedID 38145054

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10739686

• Understanding the Potential for Patient Engagement in Electronic Consultation and Referral Systems: Lessons From One Safety Net System. Health services research Olayiwola, J. N., Knox, M. n., Dubé, K. n., Lu, E. C., Woldeyesus, T. n., James, I. E., Willard-Grace, R. n., Tuot, D. n. 2018; 53 (4): 2483–2502

  Abstract

  To understand patient, primary care clinician (PCC), and subspecialist perspectives on potential, unexplored roles for patients in electronic consultation and referral (eCR) systems.Primary focus group and survey data collected April-November 2015. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) is part of an integrated public health delivery system. Its mature eCR system was first implemented in 2005.This mixed-methods study synthesizes patient, subspecialist, and PCC perspectives through two patient focus groups in English, Spanish, and Cantonese (n = 6); subspecialist focus groups (n = 2); and an electronic survey of all PCCs (n = 222/634, 35 percent response).Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed. Two researchers coded the transcripts to identify recurrent themes. Survey data were analyzed using summary and bivariate statistics.Patients expressed minimal desire to directly engage in eCR, instead of emphasizing their PCC's role in advocating, informing, and finding health solutions. Subspecialists requested more consistent communication to patients about the electronic consultation process. Most PCCs (52 percent) supported patient engagement in the eCR process, particularly patient ability to track consult status and securely message with subspecialists.Results suggest a continuum of opportunities for patients and their caregivers to engage in eCR systems.

  View details for DOI 10.1111/1475-6773.12776

  View details for PubMedID 28940495

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC6051985

• Strategies for Primary Care Stakeholders to Improve Electronic Health Records (EHRs). Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM Olayiwola, J. N., Rubin, A. n., Slomoff, T. n., Woldeyesus, T. n., Willard-Grace, R. n. ; 29 (1): 126–34

  Abstract

  The use of electronic health records (EHRs) and the vendors that develop them have increased exponentially in recent years. While there continues to emerge literature on the challenges EHRs have created related to primary care provider satisfaction and workflow, there is sparse literature on the perspective of the EHR vendors themselves. We examined the role of EHR vendors in optimizing primary care practice through a qualitative study of vendor leadership and developers representing 8 companies. We found that EHR vendors apply a range of strategies to elicit feedback from their clinical users and to engage selected users in their development and design process, but priorities are heavily influenced by the macroenvironment and government regulations. To improve the "marriage" between primary care and the EHR vendor community, we propose 6 strategies that may be most impactful for primary care stakeholders seeking to influence EHR development processes.

  View details for DOI 10.3122/jabfm.2016.01.150212

  View details for PubMedID 26769884

• Maximization of loading and stability of ssDNA:iron oxide nanoparticle complexes formed through electrostatic interaction. Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids Berti, L., Woldeyesus, T., Li, Y., Lam, K. S. 2010; 26 (23): 18293-9

  Abstract

  The use of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) as vectors for the delivery of oligonucleotides for in vitro and in vivo applications is rapidly gaining momentum. Some of the reasons making them especially good candidates for this purpose are their ease of synthesis in a range of sizes and surface coatings, their propensity to penetrate cell membranes, their stability and biocompatibility, and their unique size-dependent physical properties that impart additional diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Notwithstanding these notable attributes, a major obstacle to their practical use is given by the typically low oligonucleotide loading levels attainable through conventional bioconjugation procedures. This shortcoming is especially worrisome as toxicity concerns have been associated with codelivery of NPs. In this paper we are analytically analyzing the formation of electrostatic complexes between negatively charged ssDNA and positively charged iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO-NP) with the purpose of identifying the optimal conditions leading to stable formulations at high oligo loading levels. The formation and loading levels of ssDNA:SPIO-NP complexes have been investigated at different oligo:NP ratios and under different ionic strengths through dynamic light scattering, fluorescence quenching experiments, and pull-down assays. Through these studies we have identified optimal conditions for attaining maximal oligo loading levels, and we are proposing a simple model to explain an unusual behavior observed in the formation of the complexes. Finally, we introduce an alternative loading method relying on the electrostatic coloading of an oligo sequence in the presence of a negatively charged PEGylated block copolymer, yielding very stable and high loading PEGylated ssDNA:SPIO-NPs. The findings that we are reporting are of general validity, and similar conditions could be easily translated to the electrostatic formation of ssDNA:NP complexes consisting of different NP materials and sizes.

  View details for DOI 10.1021/la103237e

  View details for PubMedID 21047109

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC2994962