April 23, 2025 • 13 mins
There is so much preliminary effort and support that goes into successful research studies. Dr. Tahamina Begum discusses the ebbs and flows of research participant retention, Life U’s exciting explorations into cognitive neuroscience and more. This special research series episode is co-hosted by Erin Gilligan, Project Coordinator for the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning (CETL).
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S1 (00:30):
Hi guys. Welcome to another episode of Living Life A
Life View. And today we're exploring, we're exploring back into
our research series. And I'm accompanied by.
S2 (00:40):
And the other co-host Erin Gilligan. And today we are
speaking with Doctor Tahmina Begum. Tahmina, thank you for coming in.
S3 (00:47):
Hello. Hi. Welcome.
S1 (00:49):
Thank you for being here. Hi, Tahmina. How are you
doing today?
S4 (00:52):
Fine. We are fine. I'm fine.
S2 (00:54):
Good, good, good. So tell us, what is your title
here at the university?
S4 (00:58):
Um, I'm a neuroscientist and my full title is Cognitive Neuroscientist.
S3 (01:04):
Wow. A cognitive.
S1 (01:06):
Neuroscientist. So let's explore a little bit of what that
means itself.
S3 (01:10):
Okay.
S4 (01:11):
Just I'm focusing on the cognitive function of the patients
on the research of chiropractic care. So cognitive function means
everything what we are doing in our daily life like attention, memory,
decision making, math, doing everything this. So some patients have
the difficulty of doing the focus or memorizing. So we
(01:35):
know our daily life. So sometimes if we are doing
the sum multiple function in our daily life, we sometimes
forget why why I am here. So this is simple.
So just I am focusing that why the patient is
like this. And we are trying to recover the chiropractic
(01:56):
care intervention that how it's improving.
S2 (02:01):
So how did you initially get interested in that line
of work?
S4 (02:05):
Because it's usually what in my clinical perspective, I find
out that some patients mainly are very simple, like depression
but simple depression, but they are not exposed themselves to that.
What they they have the problem. Simple, simple problem in
(02:25):
their daily life. So they told that I have problem
in focus or I can't memorize sometimes. So sometimes clinicians
avoid these types of simple simple problem. So we are
researcher is focusing to pull out this problem to in
(02:46):
the research to fix by chiropractic care and to expose
or expose this problem and to fix if they have
and it will be, I think quality of life will
be the better for them.
S1 (03:04):
Yeah.
S4 (03:04):
In that.
S1 (03:05):
Way. I love that. And as a chiropractor, I think
it's it's so important to have a resource and to
have the metrics to show because we know it shows,
you know, innately. But to be able to say this
is the metric of how your your everyday life living,
to be able to remember to pick up the kids
and to be able to remember to okay, I walk
(03:25):
into a room. What was it? Oh, I was looking
for my for my keys or my computer or whatever
it is, because one person like me, if I'm really tired,
I know that I'm that person that walks into the
room and I'm like, I got to give a step back. Oh,
this is what it was. Right. So, and I do
I have personally seen the difference when I'm in chiropractic
care versus when I'm not, because of whatever reasons. And
(03:46):
to know that there's a research going on right now.
So tell me, where are the patients being taken care
of right now?
S4 (03:53):
There are two procedures actually. That one is the That
we can do the clinical trial ourselves. Yeah, but the
problem is we have the lots of the challenge we
need to face. So to recover that face, mainly the
recruitment and the retention, these two is the main problem
for us clinical trial. As a researcher. So we are
(04:15):
actually just started the one big project or this is
called the multi site practice based research. So that means
some clinician chiropractor will be adding with this research team.
That means this is the team based. So this team
based research actually uh reduce that recruitment and the retention
(04:41):
problem challenge this. We can recover that one. So actually
I can't say the one place I am doing everything.
So multiple.
S2 (04:50):
Place.
S4 (04:51):
Yeah. Because some are my focus is the event related
potential that I need to pick up the attention by
ERP study, EEG and ERP study. But I can do
the neuropsychology test also. So we can to see the focus,
to see that how the memory is going on working
memory and executive function and everything speed processing also. So
(05:14):
everything this we can do in the chiropractic research center,
not the outside but outside the clinician will do the
some other. So this is the combination actually.
S2 (05:24):
Right. That's great. I think it just highlights the importance
of collaboration in the fields of research and cooperating with
other docs and getting people to sign on. So so
has that been a recent change for you all? Getting
more doctors in the community?
S4 (05:39):
Yeah, because of dropout of the patient will be the
less and there will be continue the in the up
to the end because we have the different point time interval.
So some patient will not continue up to the last
uh last intervention. So I think on that way it
(06:00):
will be the good they will continue. Then we can
get more strong, reliable data.
S1 (06:06):
Exactly right.
S2 (06:07):
Yeah, it sounds so, so applicable. The challenges that you're
you're exploring, right? I think it's something that we can
all take into effect, take into account for our own lives. Um,
so I think it's a very interesting question and very
important question that you're asking about how it how chiropractic
care can optimize the lives of people going about their
daily lives. Yes.
S4 (06:29):
Yes, I.
S1 (06:29):
Agree. It's really it's beautiful. It's also a very interesting
point that you bring because definitely retention. Patient retention is
a big thing within chiropractic right. And it is nice
to start being able to see how a patient that
might be at this structured practice with all these other resources, right,
(06:49):
versus an educational institution that we do have a little
bit more flow because we're supposed to be because our
interns have more flow, right? They're not here forever, and
it does help to have to have that perspective and
to start looking at what are those reasons as well.
This is where my my brain is going. Um, of
why patients leave and what why patients stay, but also
how does that affect their ability to continue their cognition
(07:12):
growth with chiropractic versus a continuous change of provider as
well and technique? I'm going on a loophole, I know it.
S2 (07:21):
What is interesting. So are there techniques that you use
to improve retention that might be applicable to our graduating
chiropractic students for retention of patients in their own practices,
would you say?
S4 (07:34):
Yes yes.
S2 (07:34):
Yes. So what are some of those techniques like? How
have you been able to retain people in your study?
S4 (07:41):
Um. Um, no, we can do them. We can do
some behavioral therapy also to retain that one. And also
it looks like some, um, Some neuropsychological basis, also some test.
Then they can also practice on that basis. We can
(08:02):
we have some software also. But it is not purchased
still yet. But it's available in the online also and
nice toolbox. Also we are using nice toolbox for neuropsychology test.
So we have some uh this is called Cockney Cockney
test or something some different software. So by this we
(08:24):
if we give them in daily basis they can practice
or they can practice in their home also. Or this
is looks like one types of game also. So that
they can they can improve their attention and memory also.
S1 (08:39):
Yeah games are always fun. So absolutely.
S2 (08:43):
Yeah yeah. Being able to gamify things like collecting data
I think.
S4 (08:48):
Is.
S2 (08:48):
Can be a key point to making it interesting and
engaging for the participants. Yeah.
S1 (08:53):
And right now it is the study being focused on
adults or do we have children involved?
S4 (08:59):
Only adult.
S1 (09:00):
Now? Only adults right now. Okay. What is where? Where
are we right now? What stage of the research study
are we right now? Um.
S4 (09:09):
Um, I, uh, I actually retrospective data, some analysis or depression.
This is the treatment. Depression. Treatment resistant depression. Patient. So
they are the medication resistant. So that's why we tried
chiropractic care. So I find out interesting that one some
(09:33):
recovery I hope over time, uh, during intervention. But right
now I am in the first phase to write down a, uh,
another feasibility trial, only for depression. General depression. Wow. It
looks like not treatment resistant it diversity. Population Diverse population can, uh, come. So, uh,
(09:57):
we want to, um, we want to use the multi-site
practice based research, so, so that lots of the population
can attend, even minority. And even if they have the comorbidity,
they can also attend so that all the if, um,
if children, then we can um, focus the another project.
(10:20):
But it will be nice to see and also the
frontliner who have the daily life stress. So to hiddenly
going to the in depression but can't express. Yeah. So
these types of population we can we can we want
to get then then hiddenly we, we want to see
(10:41):
expose and that what types of depression they have and
then how can we recover that. So just writing the proposal.
S1 (10:51):
That's so interesting I'm excited for this growth in research.
S2 (10:54):
Yeah. And multiple populations too, which is really exciting to.
S4 (10:57):
See.
S2 (10:58):
What the links are between them. So I did want
to ask about your participation in the 2024 Life University
Research and Scholarly Activity Poster Symposium. How was that for you?
Did you enjoy that?
S4 (11:10):
It was wonderful. I'm really excited. What on that time. But.
And I find out that it's actually helped my to
go more refine my research question about that.
S2 (11:24):
Did you bring this research on to a poster that
we're talking about today?
S4 (11:27):
Um.
S2 (11:29):
Is that the subject? No, it was different.
S4 (11:30):
That was the that was the normal population.
S2 (11:33):
Oh, okay.
S4 (11:34):
Yeah. But I have some data on depression. Patient.
S2 (11:38):
Yeah.
S4 (11:38):
Okay. Yeah.
S2 (11:39):
And will you go to any other conferences in the future,
do you think?
S4 (11:43):
Yeah.
S2 (11:44):
Yeah.
S1 (11:45):
Have you been? Absolutely.
S2 (11:46):
Have you gone to conferences before the symposium? No. No.
That was your first one. Okay.
S4 (11:52):
That one first.
S2 (11:53):
And do you feel like it prepared you in any
way for future conferences that might be off campus? Yeah.
S4 (11:59):
Yeah.
S2 (12:00):
Good. That's great.
S1 (12:01):
Yeah. I'm so excited. I'm so I, I love that
there's people that are driven by data and research that
allow us to. Again, I say this, I feel like
in every series or I'm sorry, in every episode of
this series, I say it all the time. I'm like
to be able to put numbers and and quantify the
idea that we know. Yeah, question mark. To answer it. Right.
(12:25):
Answer that question mark. It's such an important thing. So
your work is so important and it's and it does
change and shift the whole profession. So thank you for
taking on. Yes.
S2 (12:37):
And just end the conversation around, you know, chiropractic studies
in general. I think that's really important that we take
those looks into what chiropractic can do. And just making
sure we can optimize the the knowledge base around what
the potential is for chiropractic care. Yeah.
S1 (12:53):
Yeah. Well, thank you so much. Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your dedication.
Because I know it can be cumbersome. I know that
it can be draining and it can be a lot,
but you're doing it with such grace. So thank you
so much for showing up for the profession and just
neuroscientists in general, and just the brain and understanding, putting
(13:16):
names to what we don't know that we think that
we do know.
S2 (13:19):
Right.
S4 (13:21):
And thank you so much to invite me here.
S2 (13:23):
Yes. Thank you.
S1 (13:24):
Absolutely. Well thank you. Have a beautiful rest of your quarter.
Have an amazing week. Good luck. We want to see
you in another symposium. So we we're looking forward to it.
Let's get some on the on the books and we'll
see you guys at the next episode of Living Life
a life you.
S5 (13:39):
Bye bye.
Hi guys. Welcome to another episode of Living Life A
Life View. And today we're exploring, we're exploring back into
our research series. And I'm accompanied by.
S2 (00:40):
And the other co-host Erin Gilligan. And today we are
speaking with Doctor Tahmina Begum. Tahmina, thank you for coming in.
S3 (00:47):
Hello. Hi. Welcome.
S1 (00:49):
Thank you for being here. Hi, Tahmina. How are you
doing today?
S4 (00:52):
Fine. We are fine. I'm fine.
S2 (00:54):
Good, good, good. So tell us, what is your title
here at the university?
S4 (00:58):
Um, I'm a neuroscientist and my full title is Cognitive Neuroscientist.
S3 (01:04):
Wow. A cognitive.
S1 (01:06):
Neuroscientist. So let's explore a little bit of what that
means itself.
S3 (01:10):
Okay.
S4 (01:11):
Just I'm focusing on the cognitive function of the patients
on the research of chiropractic care. So cognitive function means
everything what we are doing in our daily life like attention, memory,
decision making, math, doing everything this. So some patients have
the difficulty of doing the focus or memorizing. So we
(01:35):
know our daily life. So sometimes if we are doing
the sum multiple function in our daily life, we sometimes
forget why why I am here. So this is simple.
So just I am focusing that why the patient is
like this. And we are trying to recover the chiropractic
(01:56):
care intervention that how it's improving.
S2 (02:01):
So how did you initially get interested in that line
of work?
S4 (02:05):
Because it's usually what in my clinical perspective, I find
out that some patients mainly are very simple, like depression
but simple depression, but they are not exposed themselves to that.
What they they have the problem. Simple, simple problem in
(02:25):
their daily life. So they told that I have problem
in focus or I can't memorize sometimes. So sometimes clinicians
avoid these types of simple simple problem. So we are
researcher is focusing to pull out this problem to in
(02:46):
the research to fix by chiropractic care and to expose
or expose this problem and to fix if they have
and it will be, I think quality of life will
be the better for them.
S1 (03:04):
Yeah.
S4 (03:04):
In that.
S1 (03:05):
Way. I love that. And as a chiropractor, I think
it's it's so important to have a resource and to
have the metrics to show because we know it shows,
you know, innately. But to be able to say this
is the metric of how your your everyday life living,
to be able to remember to pick up the kids
and to be able to remember to okay, I walk
(03:25):
into a room. What was it? Oh, I was looking
for my for my keys or my computer or whatever
it is, because one person like me, if I'm really tired,
I know that I'm that person that walks into the
room and I'm like, I got to give a step back. Oh,
this is what it was. Right. So, and I do
I have personally seen the difference when I'm in chiropractic
care versus when I'm not, because of whatever reasons. And
(03:46):
to know that there's a research going on right now.
So tell me, where are the patients being taken care
of right now?
S4 (03:53):
There are two procedures actually. That one is the That
we can do the clinical trial ourselves. Yeah, but the
problem is we have the lots of the challenge we
need to face. So to recover that face, mainly the
recruitment and the retention, these two is the main problem
for us clinical trial. As a researcher. So we are
(04:15):
actually just started the one big project or this is
called the multi site practice based research. So that means
some clinician chiropractor will be adding with this research team.
That means this is the team based. So this team
based research actually uh reduce that recruitment and the retention
(04:41):
problem challenge this. We can recover that one. So actually
I can't say the one place I am doing everything.
So multiple.
S2 (04:50):
Place.
S4 (04:51):
Yeah. Because some are my focus is the event related
potential that I need to pick up the attention by
ERP study, EEG and ERP study. But I can do
the neuropsychology test also. So we can to see the focus,
to see that how the memory is going on working
memory and executive function and everything speed processing also. So
(05:14):
everything this we can do in the chiropractic research center,
not the outside but outside the clinician will do the
some other. So this is the combination actually.
S2 (05:24):
Right. That's great. I think it just highlights the importance
of collaboration in the fields of research and cooperating with
other docs and getting people to sign on. So so
has that been a recent change for you all? Getting
more doctors in the community?
S4 (05:39):
Yeah, because of dropout of the patient will be the
less and there will be continue the in the up
to the end because we have the different point time interval.
So some patient will not continue up to the last
uh last intervention. So I think on that way it
(06:00):
will be the good they will continue. Then we can
get more strong, reliable data.
S1 (06:06):
Exactly right.
S2 (06:07):
Yeah, it sounds so, so applicable. The challenges that you're
you're exploring, right? I think it's something that we can
all take into effect, take into account for our own lives. Um,
so I think it's a very interesting question and very
important question that you're asking about how it how chiropractic
care can optimize the lives of people going about their
daily lives. Yes.
S4 (06:29):
Yes, I.
S1 (06:29):
Agree. It's really it's beautiful. It's also a very interesting
point that you bring because definitely retention. Patient retention is
a big thing within chiropractic right. And it is nice
to start being able to see how a patient that
might be at this structured practice with all these other resources, right,
(06:49):
versus an educational institution that we do have a little
bit more flow because we're supposed to be because our
interns have more flow, right? They're not here forever, and
it does help to have to have that perspective and
to start looking at what are those reasons as well.
This is where my my brain is going. Um, of
why patients leave and what why patients stay, but also
how does that affect their ability to continue their cognition
(07:12):
growth with chiropractic versus a continuous change of provider as
well and technique? I'm going on a loophole, I know it.
S2 (07:21):
What is interesting. So are there techniques that you use
to improve retention that might be applicable to our graduating
chiropractic students for retention of patients in their own practices,
would you say?
S4 (07:34):
Yes yes.
S2 (07:34):
Yes. So what are some of those techniques like? How
have you been able to retain people in your study?
S4 (07:41):
Um. Um, no, we can do them. We can do
some behavioral therapy also to retain that one. And also
it looks like some, um, Some neuropsychological basis, also some test.
Then they can also practice on that basis. We can
(08:02):
we have some software also. But it is not purchased
still yet. But it's available in the online also and
nice toolbox. Also we are using nice toolbox for neuropsychology test.
So we have some uh this is called Cockney Cockney
test or something some different software. So by this we
(08:24):
if we give them in daily basis they can practice
or they can practice in their home also. Or this
is looks like one types of game also. So that
they can they can improve their attention and memory also.
S1 (08:39):
Yeah games are always fun. So absolutely.
S2 (08:43):
Yeah yeah. Being able to gamify things like collecting data
I think.
S4 (08:48):
Is.
S2 (08:48):
Can be a key point to making it interesting and
engaging for the participants. Yeah.
S1 (08:53):
And right now it is the study being focused on
adults or do we have children involved?
S4 (08:59):
Only adult.
S1 (09:00):
Now? Only adults right now. Okay. What is where? Where
are we right now? What stage of the research study
are we right now? Um.
S4 (09:09):
Um, I, uh, I actually retrospective data, some analysis or depression.
This is the treatment. Depression. Treatment resistant depression. Patient. So
they are the medication resistant. So that's why we tried
chiropractic care. So I find out interesting that one some
(09:33):
recovery I hope over time, uh, during intervention. But right
now I am in the first phase to write down a, uh,
another feasibility trial, only for depression. General depression. Wow. It
looks like not treatment resistant it diversity. Population Diverse population can, uh, come. So, uh,
(09:57):
we want to, um, we want to use the multi-site
practice based research, so, so that lots of the population
can attend, even minority. And even if they have the comorbidity,
they can also attend so that all the if, um,
if children, then we can um, focus the another project.
(10:20):
But it will be nice to see and also the
frontliner who have the daily life stress. So to hiddenly
going to the in depression but can't express. Yeah. So
these types of population we can we can we want
to get then then hiddenly we, we want to see
(10:41):
expose and that what types of depression they have and
then how can we recover that. So just writing the proposal.
S1 (10:51):
That's so interesting I'm excited for this growth in research.
S2 (10:54):
Yeah. And multiple populations too, which is really exciting to.
S4 (10:57):
See.
S2 (10:58):
What the links are between them. So I did want
to ask about your participation in the 2024 Life University
Research and Scholarly Activity Poster Symposium. How was that for you?
Did you enjoy that?
S4 (11:10):
It was wonderful. I'm really excited. What on that time. But.
And I find out that it's actually helped my to
go more refine my research question about that.
S2 (11:24):
Did you bring this research on to a poster that
we're talking about today?
S4 (11:27):
Um.
S2 (11:29):
Is that the subject? No, it was different.
S4 (11:30):
That was the that was the normal population.
S2 (11:33):
Oh, okay.
S4 (11:34):
Yeah. But I have some data on depression. Patient.
S2 (11:38):
Yeah.
S4 (11:38):
Okay. Yeah.
S2 (11:39):
And will you go to any other conferences in the future,
do you think?
S4 (11:43):
Yeah.
S2 (11:44):
Yeah.
S1 (11:45):
Have you been? Absolutely.
S2 (11:46):
Have you gone to conferences before the symposium? No. No.
That was your first one. Okay.
S4 (11:52):
That one first.
S2 (11:53):
And do you feel like it prepared you in any
way for future conferences that might be off campus? Yeah.
S4 (11:59):
Yeah.
S2 (12:00):
Good. That's great.
S1 (12:01):
Yeah. I'm so excited. I'm so I, I love that
there's people that are driven by data and research that
allow us to. Again, I say this, I feel like
in every series or I'm sorry, in every episode of
this series, I say it all the time. I'm like
to be able to put numbers and and quantify the
idea that we know. Yeah, question mark. To answer it. Right.
(12:25):
Answer that question mark. It's such an important thing. So
your work is so important and it's and it does
change and shift the whole profession. So thank you for
taking on. Yes.
S2 (12:37):
And just end the conversation around, you know, chiropractic studies
in general. I think that's really important that we take
those looks into what chiropractic can do. And just making
sure we can optimize the the knowledge base around what
the potential is for chiropractic care. Yeah.
S1 (12:53):
Yeah. Well, thank you so much. Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your dedication.
Because I know it can be cumbersome. I know that
it can be draining and it can be a lot,
but you're doing it with such grace. So thank you
so much for showing up for the profession and just
neuroscientists in general, and just the brain and understanding, putting
(13:16):
names to what we don't know that we think that
we do know.
S2 (13:19):
Right.
S4 (13:21):
And thank you so much to invite me here.
S2 (13:23):
Yes. Thank you.
S1 (13:24):
Absolutely. Well thank you. Have a beautiful rest of your quarter.
Have an amazing week. Good luck. We want to see
you in another symposium. So we we're looking forward to it.
Let's get some on the on the books and we'll
see you guys at the next episode of Living Life
a life you.
S5 (13:39):
Bye bye.
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