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This is a behavioral and biological research study that will examine how first-time parents’ interactions, brain activity, and hormone levels during pregnancy are related to later parenting and infant development. Participants will complete questionnaires, take part in video-recorded interaction tasks, wear a non-invasive brain activity monitor, and provide saliva samples. At a follow-up visit, parents and their infant will participate in similar activities together.

There will be two in-person lab visits for first-time expectant father–mother couples: one during pregnancy and one when the baby is about 8 months old. During both visits, participants will complete questionnaires, take part in interaction tasks, wear a soft headband to measure brain activity, and provide saliva samples. At the second visit, parents will complete similar activities together with their baby, including parent–infant interaction tasks.

Up to $375 per family (including travel reimbursement)

This trial will see if bevacizumab, in combination with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and pembrolizumab is better than carboplatin, paclitaxel, and pembrolizumab (the control arm) or carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab in prolonging survival.

After it has been determined that it is safe for you to participate, you will be randomized to one of three treatment combinations. All of the arms will use real drug to treat your cancer. You will need to come to the clinic every three or every six weeks for treatment. You will continue treatment until your cancer comes back, you do not want treatment any more or the doctor feels it is not safe for you to continue. You will then be followed for five years once you complete all treatment.

This qualitative research study uses the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method to explore the lived experiences of first-generation adult students who have graduated from fully online college degree programs. The primary goal is to gain a deeper understanding of how these individuals made meaning of their academic journeys, the challenges they faced as first-generation students, and the factors that contributed to their success in an online learning environment. Participants will engage in one-hour open-ended interviews with the researchers held via Zoom videoconference

All participants will complete a brief 5-minute screening process via Zoom to determine eligibility. If participants meet the study criteria and are interested in moving forward with the study, an approximately 60-minute Zoom interview will be conducted. The interview will discus their experiences as first-generation adult graduates of fully online bachelor’s degree programs. A brief follow-up interview may be requested if clarification is needed.

$50 Amazon Gift Card

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Growing Healthy Hearts (GHH) program, a remotely delivered gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention, on cardiovascular health behaviors and outcomes among adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors who have a child living in the home. Participants will be randomized to either the GHH intervention or a waitlist control group. The intervention is designed to promote sustained improvements in fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity by leveraging interest in gardening as an entry point for behavior change and by providing integrated education in gardening, nutrition based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern, and cooking skills.

2 arm randomized controlled trial (intervention and waitlist control) Intervention group will be required to meet virtually 5 times for the study visits and attend two zoom sessions a month for 6 months.

$410

SPK-8011QQ is a one time IV infusion gene therapy drug. The purpose is providing an adeno-associated viral vector (a non-disease vector transport) to carry a human FVIII gene to the liver in order to increase the production of FVIII. This study will assess the safety & tolerability of SPK-8011QQ. Patients will receive a single dose of SPK-8011QQ & will then be followed for approx. 5 years. Total visits (all on-site) will be approx. 52.

SPK-8011QQ is a one-time IV infusion gene therapy drug. The purpose is providing an adeno-associated viral vector (a non-disease vector transport) to carry a human FVIII gene to the liver in order to increase the production of FVIII. This study will assess the safety & tolerability of SPK-8011QQ. Patients will receive a single dose of SPK-8011QQ & will then be followed for approx.5 years. Total visits (all on-site) will be approx. 52.

$75.00 travel reimbursement, $180.00 for the screening visit & day of infusion visit. A $130.00 stipend for each in person visit is also included.

The LAAOS-4 study is to determine if closure of the left atrial appendage using a closure device called the WATCHMAN, in addition to taking oral anticoagulant medications, is more effective at reducing strokes and blood clots in the body, than taking oral anticoagulant medications on their own.

The research study involves eleven visits, one being in person and ten being completed by telephone. A review of your medical history, current medications, and questionnaires at each visit. If you are randomly chosen to have the WATCHMAN closure device, this will involve an overnight stay in the hospital after the device implant.

The purpose of this voluntary research study is to learn how well the study drug works against ovarian cancer when it is given together with the current standard treatment. The study will also help researchers understand how safe the study drug is when used in this combination.

The study begins with a screening period that lasts about 28 days. During screening, tests will be done to make sure subjects qualify for the study. If Subjects are eligible, they will start receiving the study treatment. The subject will continue treatment until their cancer grows or they have a side effect that makes it unsafe to stay in the study. After treatment stops, they take part in follow up visits.

Multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) care is the standard for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and is associated with better symptom control, quality of life, and longer survival. Patients with ALS and their caregivers attend MDC visits every 3 months and spend 4-5 hours meeting with multiple healthcare providers. Each provider gives recommendations that are important for the patient to remember and implement on their own at home. But sometimes it can be a lot to take in. The purpose of this study is to evaluate two ways to provide MDC visit information to people with ALS: video recordings plus written visit notes (new method being explored) or written visit notes alone (current method). This study examines whether providing video recordings of the clinic visits can help patients with ALS and the people who care for them.

WHO CAN TAKE PART IN THIS STUDY? People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) who are cognitively able to consent, anticipate attending multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) visits for 12 or more months, and who have a non-professional caregiver who is also willing to take part in the study. WHAT WILL PARTICIPANTS BE ASKED TO DO? Study participants will be randomly assigned by a computer to either the NOTES Group or the VIDEO Group. All participants will be asked to review their visit notes on their online Penn State “My Health” patient portal account. All participants will be asked to complete 4 short surveys over 12 months, first at the index multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) visit before assigned to a group, then again at 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months after the index MDC visit. Surveys may be done online or on paper at home or in the clinic and participants will be compensated for completing them. The VIDEO Group participants will be videorecorded at all of their planned MDC visits for 12 months and asked to watch the video recordings after their visits on a secure mobile and online application. Patients can watch these private videos at any time or share them with someone else.

Up to a maximum possible total of $200

The purpose of this study is to see how well a treatment that includes amivantamab, pembrolizumab and carboplatin works compared to a different treatment that includes 5-FU, pembrolizumab and platinum (carboplatin or cisplatin) therapy. 5-FU, pembrolizumab and platinum (carboplatin or cisplatin) are already used together to treat recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Participants must come to all study visits, take the medication as instructed, tell the study how you are feeling and tell the study team about any medications you are taking, especially over the counter medications.

130.00 per completed visit

A Phase 2 Study of Blinatumomab in Combination with Chemotherapy for Infants with Newly Diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Randomization of KMT2A-Rearranged Patients to Addition of Venetoclax

Part 1 of the study is necessary to help decide the best treatment and to determine which arm in Part 2 you will be eligible for. The treatment in Part 1 involves the administration of steroids, which help decrease the amount of leukemia in your body. The treatment in Part 1 of the study takes about 7 - 10 days. If your leukemia worsens in Part 1 of the study, you may consent to Part 2 and the total treatment will last about 2.5 years from diagnosis. You may receive blinatumomab and venetoclax with standard chemo to help treat your leukemia.

The purpose of the study is to find out how a tool using artificial intelligence could help people who have aphasia. It will be a website that helps people with aphasia do everyday reading and writing activities. The research team will talk to people with aphasia, care partners, and speech-language pathologists about what the website should do.

There will be 3 sessions. They can be in person or on Zoom. Session 1 will be an interview. Session 2 will be a workshop to collaboratively design the website. Session 3 will be a brief survey.

$90

This trial is a randomized, open-label, active treatment in adult participants with moderate to severe Crohn's disease. The study consists of a screening period up to 5 weeks long. Baseline visit and randomization which is 52-weeks long, open-label treatment, and post-intervention safety follow-up. The study drug will be administered in the research clinic during the induction phase at Weeks 0, 4, 8 and for the first maintenance injection at week 12. The participants will then be trained if they are willing to self-administer study drug. Randomization ratio is 1:1 or one arm per treatment group, first guselkumab and second, risankizumab. Participants who leave the study early will return for EOT/Early withdrawal. Treatment extension for subjects on guselkumab treatment who completed week 52 will continue same treatment through week 148, and will complete safety follow up until week 160. Subjects receiving risankizumab treatment for 52-weeks will transition to a standard of care. From the week 24 and through week 52, participants who meet rescue criteria will be eligible to receive guselkumab rescue treatment.

Participants will have to sign the informed consent. They will be asked to have blood drawn, TB testing and x-rays at screening, have the endoscopy procedure with biopsy. They will be asked to give urine specimen for pregnancy testing, and stool specimen for infection testing. They will have in-person visits, five during the induction and two endoscopies (first 12 weeks). They will be treated per study randomization, with either medication.

$100 per completed visit

The purpose of this clinical trial is to learn more about the effectiveness and safety of sonesitatug vedotin (sone-ve) in combination with capecitabine alone or in combination with rilvegostomig (rilve) and also to better understand the studied disease and associated health problems.

Participants will have Screening Part 1 (optional), Screening Part 2, study treatment, and a follow-up period. The participant will have approximately 1 to 2 visits at the study site during Screening Part 2. Each visit may be different in length (up to 8 hours), depending on which tests and examinations are scheduled. The screening period can last up to 28 days before the first planned dose of the study drug. Before starting the study treatment they will undergo a series of tests.

Patients will be reimbursed $100.00 per visit

The purpose of this study is to look at the effect of consuming peanut butter at breakfast on blood sugar control, cognitive function, and heart disease risk factors in middle-aged adults with prediabetes.

• The total time commitment for this study is approximately 8 months. It may take up to 11 months to complete the study from the time that you do the clinic screening visit. • During the study, you will undergo the following two conditions for 12 weeks each: 1) eat 1.5 oz. of peanut butter (Simply Jif® Creamy Unsweetened peanut butter) each day with your breakfast (or the first food you consume each day); 2) continue your usual diet with provision of a gift card to a local grocery store of equal value to the peanut butter ($5/month). • There will be a minimum 8-week break between the two conditions. • You will be asked to come to the Penn State Research Kitchen on campus every month during each 12-week period to pick up your study products (peanut butter or gift card). • We will draw blood from you several times during the study, once at screening, and on two consecutive days at the start and end of each study period (total 9 times). • At the start and end of each period, we will also measure your blood pressure and perform non-invasive tests of artery health. • You will also be asked to wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for 7 days before the first testing visit and for 7 days at the end of each 12-week study period (3 times in total). A CGM is a small sensor worn on your arm that measures your blood sugar every 15 minutes. • During the time you are wearing the CGM, you will also be asked to complete brief surveys 4 times per day using your smartphone (or a smartphone provided to you by the study) about your daily experiences and play brief cognitive games to measure your memory and attention. • You will also be asked to collect a stool sample at the beginning and end of each study period (4 total). • Compensation for this study is up to $300

$300

This study is looking at whether adding a medicine called ribociclib to standard hormone therapy, with or without chemotherapy, can help prevent breast cancer from returning in people with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer. Participants will receive study treatment and be monitored regularly for side effects and signs that the cancer has come back. Researchers will follow participants for up to 10 years to learn more about the long-term safety and effectiveness of these treatments.

If participants choose to join this study, they will receive either chemotherapy followed by endocrine therapy plus ribociclib, or endocrine therapy plus ribociclib alone. Treatment will be determined by the participant and their physician. Participants may receive ribociclib for up to 3 years and endocrine therapy for at least 5 years. Following treatment, participants will be followed for up to 10 years with regular visits to monitor for cancer recurrence and side effects.

This is a mixed methods research study, the purpose of which is to assess availability of mental health services to participants who are in psychological distress and assess their experiences and outcomes of seeking psychological services.

Participants will be asked to complete their demographic information and questions online to assess their current psychological distress, their current and recalled experiences, and the outcomes of seeking psychological services.

Research currently demonstrates that worrying influences one’s ability to encode, manipulate, and make use of information in the short-term, so called working memory. Prior research has documented how this important cognitive mechanism can be influenced by worrying (e.g., Wanmaker et al., 2015), such that individual who worry display deficits in their ability to shift their attention, inhibit their physical and mental behaviors, and update information in real-time. Meanwhile, validated experimental paradigms have been created to induce the experience worrying in laboratory settings. Such advances allow researchers to carefully manipulate and measure how worry influences various outcomes in both healthy controls and participants with diagnosed Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Still, very few experimental studies have examined how worry in participants with diagnosed GAD and healthy control alike can influence one’s ability to solve idiosyncratic, personally relevant (i.e., real-world) problems. Yet, one’s ability to solve problems in face of one’s worries remains a core target for the treatment of GAD. Additionally, research suggests that an individual’s sensitivity to sudden, sharp, changes in emotional states underlies much of the motivation that people have to worry in spite of the negative emotional, physical, and cognitive consequences of worrying. Despite research documenting the importance of Contrast Avoidance Model (CAM), as well as how an individual’s sensitivity to Negative Emotional Contrasts (NECs) is a strong predictor of worrying, very little evidence exists that demonstrates how worry and contrast avoidance predict impairments in problem solving. Further, there is even less evidence linking contrast avoidance to working memory deficits as a function of worry.

This study has two parts, both taking place during the same visit: 1) In the initial screening, we will administer a videotaped in-person clinical interview to determine if you are eligible to participate in our study. This will take approximately 20 minutes. If you are eligible and decide to continue in the study, there will be questionnaires (taking approximately 25 minutes) The initial visit will take place virtually via Penn State Zoom, or in person at the Moore Building, room 380. If you are eligible based on the initial screening: 2) You will be asked to identify problems that you are experiencing which you find stressful or difficult, and you will be asked to think about such problems and generate solutions to those problems. You will be asked to answer short questions about your feelings about your problems, and your solutions. Additionally, you will complete tests that involved you listening to a series of numbers and/or letters and repeating back those numbers/letters back to the experimenter in different types of orders. This will take approximately 50 minutes.

Compare radiation therapy with cetuximab against radiation and carboplatin/paclitaxel to see if radiation carboplatin/paclitaxel increases progression free survival vs radiation and cetuximab

Participants will get radiation 5 days a week for 7 weeks, will get drug intravenous in the arm weekly for 7-8 weeks and 8 cycles of cetuximab and each cycle lasts 7 days or 8 cycles of cetuximab and each cycle lasts 7 days. Participants fill out a symptoms survey 5 times About 2 tablespoons of blood will be collected from start of treatment, week 4 of radiation, and 4 months after the end of your treatment Imaging of the head and neck with a neck CT or MRI (with contrast, unless contraindicated) or PET/CT which includes diagnostic-quality CT of the neck (with contrast, unless contraindicated); Chest imaging: Chest CT (with contrast, unless contraindicated) or PET/CT

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether a comic-based educational booklet can reduce anxiety and support coping during a simulated diagnostic mammography callback experience. We aim to assess participants’ emotional responses to the simulated callback process, evaluate whether the booklet improves confidence in managing uncertainty during the waiting period, and gather feedback on the booklet’s clarity, usefulness, and acceptability.

What participation involves: Participants complete two brief surveys remotely—one before and one 1–2 weeks after attending an in-person study session at a date and time convenient for you. The in-person session will take place in a comfortable, non-clinical area at Penn State and is completely independent of your imaging appointment. During the in-person session, you will: - Read and sign an informed consent form. - Complete three brief surveys. - Watch a simulated mammography video. - Read through and use a brief (and fun) activity booklet designed to support patients during the waiting period. - Participate in a brief focus group with a member of the research team and several other participants. Your total participation time, including the remote surveys and in-person session, is approximately 75 minutes.

Participants will receive a $25 Greenphire ClinCard.

Orthostatic hypertension is a condition in which blood pressure rises abnormally when a person stands up. The purpose of this study is to better understand why this happens. In particular, this study will examine whether signals from the leg muscles to the nervous system play a role in causing this increase in blood pressure when standing.

This study consists of three visits to the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. We encourage you to complete the entire study by participating in all visits, but you are not required to do so. The order of the visits as well as the order of interventions during each visit may be changed and some may be eliminated due to time constraints or participant comfort. Each visit lasts about 3-3.5 hours. Various physiological measurements will be recorded during the visits including microneurography, blood pressure, heart rate and blood flow.

You will receive $25 per hour for your participation in this research study

Subject will either get zanubrutinib for up to 10 years, or zanubrutinib plus sonrotoclax for an initial 15 months, with the possibility that subject will be assigned to receive an additional 12 months depending on response. After subject finishes treatment, study doctor and study team will watch for side effects. They will see subjects for follow up clinic visits every 3 months for a total of 3 years from when treatment was started. After that, the subjects will have clinic visits every 6 months for up to 10 years from when treatment was started. If subjects cancer grows or they start another treatment for their leukemia, the study doctor will follow up with the subject by phone call every 6 months for up to 10 years from when the subject started treatment.

Subjects will receive either: Zanubrutinib for up to 10 years, or Zanubrutinib plus sonrotoclax for 15 months, with a possible additional 12 months depending on response. After treatment ends, subjects will be monitored for side effects. Follow-up visits: Every 3 months for the first 3 years from treatment start Then every 6 months up to 10 years from treatment start If the cancer progresses or the subject starts another leukemia treatment, follow-up will switch to phone calls every 6 months for up to 10 years from treatment start.

Subjects will receive immunotherapy-based drug treatment until their disease gets worse or side effects become too severe or liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for up to 3 weeks plus immunotherapy-based drug treatment until their disease gets worse or the side effects become too severe. After study treatment, subjects will be checked every 3 months for 2 years, then every 6 months for 3 years, then once every year for their lifetime. 

Subjects will receive standard immunotherapy-based drug treatment or standard immunotherapy-based drug treatment with liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) over a period of up to three weeks. Subjects may receive one of three approved drug combinations: atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, tremelimumab plus durvalumab, or ipilimumab plus nivolumab, with treatment continuing until the cancer worsens or side effects become unacceptable.  After study treatment, subjects will be checked every 3 months for 2 years, then every 6 months for 3 years, then once every year for their lifetime.

This study involves adding the drug letermovir to standard therapy after HCT. The overall goal of this study is to determine whether taking letermovir will reduce the likelihood of infection with CMV in children and adolescents after HCT.

In this study, participants will take the drug letermovir for 14 weeks (about 3 ½ months) after undergoing a planned, standard-of-care HCT. . All subjects will have a blood test to check for CMV infection during the week before the date of their HCT procedure and after the HCT procedure to check for CMV infection will be part of your regular care. After the study treatment, study follow-up lasts for about 9 months and is coordinated with your other regular medical care

This study is evaluating whether a blood-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) test (Signatera) can help guide treatment and monitoring for patients with urothelial cancer following surgery. Participants will undergo Signatera blood testing to determine whether urothelial cancer DNA is detectable in their blood. Based on the Signatera result, participants will be assigned to a study cohort and randomized to receive either immunotherapy (nivolumab alone or nivolumab plus relatlimab) or close monitoring with serial Signatera blood tests. Patients receiving immunotherapy will receive treatment by intravenous infusion every 28 days for up to 12 doses. Patients assigned to monitoring will undergo regular blood testing and may begin immunotherapy if ctDNA becomes detectable during follow-up. All participants will undergo routine clinical assessments, imaging studies, and blood tests, with follow-up for disease monitoring and safety for up to 5 years and additional Signatera testing for up to 2 years.

This study will look at whether a blood test called Signatera can help guide treatment and follow-up care after surgery for patients with bladder and related urinary tract cancers (urothelial cancer). After surgery, participants will have a Signatera blood test to check for small amounts of cancer DNA in their blood. Based on the test results, eligible participants will be assigned to a study group by chance. Some participants will receive immunotherapy through an IV every 4 weeks for up to 12 treatments, while others will be closely monitored with regular Signatera blood tests and routine follow-up care. Participants in the monitoring group may begin immunotherapy later if the blood test shows signs that the cancer may have returned. All participants will have regular clinic visits, lab tests, and imaging scans as required by the study. Researchers will follow participants' health and safety for up to 5 years, and additional Signatera testing may continue for up to 2 years.

This is a survey research study that will examine dairy farmers' management practices, knowledge of antimicrobial resistance, and antibiotic decision-making in Puerto Rico and the continental United States. Participants will complete a voluntary survey about their dairy operation, herd health practices, antimicrobial use, and veterinary involvement.

Participants will complete a voluntary 15–20 minute survey about dairy farm management practices, antimicrobial use, veterinary involvement, and antimicrobial resistance.

A drawing for one of thirty prizes, each prize is $100.00. There will be one overall drawing after the completion of the data-collection period, with participants divided by sample pool (PR and US), with fifteen prizes for each sample pool.

To test how acceptable and feasible the use of an AI provider agent is to provide follow-up vaccine counseling to parents. This usability testing will assess the acceptability by parents to use an AI provider agent. The AI agent will not access or use any personal information.

Parents of children ages 9–17 are invited to participate in a 45-minute virtual interview to share their perspectives on HPV vaccination and interact with an AI chatbot about the topic.

$100

This is a minimal-risk online survey study that will examine how digital literacy relates to English language learning and future language teaching among EFL/ESL college students and pre-service language teachers in U.S. higher education. Participants will complete one online survey about their digital literacy, English language background or proficiency, language learning motivation, language learning persistence, and/or views about using AI tools in future language teaching. Some participants may complete the digital literacy questions in English, while others may complete them in their first language, when available, to help the research team understand whether survey language affects responses. The study does not use or test AI technology. AI is only a topic participants are asked about in the survey.

Participants will complete one online survey through Qualtrics. The survey will include eligibility screening, consent information, and questions about participants’ educational background, language background, digital literacy, English proficiency or English learning experience, language learning motivation, language learning persistence, and/or views about using AI tools in future language teaching. The survey will take approximately 20–30 minutes. There will be no in-person visits, interviews, recordings, medical procedures, or follow-up sessions. Participants may skip questions they do not want to answer, except for required eligibility and consent questions.