Hyochol Brian Ahn

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Scholarly Contributions

Chapters

• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Transcultural Engagement. In Dossey & Keegan’s Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice.
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Pain assessment instruments. In The Encyclopedia of Elder Care: The Comprehensive Resource on Geriatric Health and Social Care.

Journals/Publications

• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Efficacy of home-based remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation for managing neuropsychiatric symptoms in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. . Integrative and Complementary Therapies.
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Online brief mindfulness-based intervention for subacute pain after total hip or knee replacement: A pilot randomized controlled trial. . Mindfulness.
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Subjective and objective pain assessment in persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias: Comparisons among self-report of pain, observer-rated pain assessment, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. . The Journal of Pain.
• Martorella, G., Hanley, A., Tong, H., Miao, H., Worts, P., Bellamy, D., & Ahn, H. (2024). Online Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Subacute Pain After Total Hip or Knee Replacement: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness, 15(4). doi:10.1007/s12671-024-02329-2
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  Objectives: Recent brief mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) provided before surgery have shown promising results in improving clinical outcomes in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA). However, they have not been delivered in the subacute phase after surgery to target patients at risk for chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). The use of technologies allowing remote and online delivery can help increase the accessibility of these interventions. Method: We conducted a single site, two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of online Mini More (i.e., a condensed, 4-week mindfulness-based program) promoting pain self-management during the subacute postoperative phase. We randomized 36 patients into two groups (Mini MORE, n = 18 and Pain Coping Education, n = 18). Postoperative outcomes were: pain intensity, pain interference, analgesic medication use, pain catastrophizing, pain acceptance and mindfulness. Results: Results indicated that Mini MORE was highly feasible and well received. Further, results indicated that pain intensity (d = 1.47, p < 0.001) as well as pain interference levels (d = 1.04, p = 0.005) and medication use (Cliff’s Delta=-0.56, p = 0.02) were significantly different between groups after treatment. Statistically significant group by time interactions were found for both pain intensity (p < 0.001) and pain interference (p = 0.003), and a trend toward a decrease in pain medication use (p = 0.05) was observed in favor of the Mini MORE group. No statistically significant differences were found between groups for pain acceptance (d = -0.58), pain catastrophizing (d = 0.01) and mindfulness (d = -0.23). Conclusions: Our results suggest Mini MORE is a feasible and acceptable brief, online MBI potentially capable of decreasing pain intensity and pain interference in the subacute period after TJA, thus Mini MORE may be a promising tool for preventing CPSP. Preregistration: NCT04848428.
• Park, J., & Ahn, H. (2024). Translating innovative technology-based interventions into nursing practice. Research in Nursing & Health, 47(4). doi:10.1002/nur.22392
• Park, J., & Ahn, H. (2024). Translating innovative technology-based interventions into nursing practice. Research in nursing & health, 47(4), 366-367.
• Park, J., Krause-Parello, C., Newman, D., Chen, K., Rejit, R., Delva, R., Cadet, D., Kirkland, D., & Ahn, H. (2024). Assessing a Qigong Intervention for Military Veterans with Chronic Low Back Pain. Integrative and Complementary Therapies, 30(3). doi:10.1089/ict.2024.27207.jyp
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  Background: Veterans have a high prevalence of opioid prescriptions to manage chronic low back pain (CLBP), resulting in increased risk of becoming addicted and overdosing. It is important to identify effective and safe mind–body interventions to reduce opioid use for veterans with CLBP. Qigong, a mind–body therapy, is a promising approach to manage CLBP in veterans. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of qigong and examined whether pain is reduced after a qigong intervention. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 31 participants were randomized to the qigong intervention (n = 15) or a wait-list control group (WLCG; n = 16). The qigong intervention was conducted twice weekly in 45-minute sessions for 8 weeks (total of 16 sessions). Participants who completed the qigong intervention were invited to participate in a focus group conducted through videoconferencing. In addition to assessing feasibility and acceptability of the qigong intervention, pain intensity, pain interference, and low back pain and disability were measured at baseline and postintervention. Results: Qigong is a feasible intervention for veterans with CLBP, based on retention (83%), attendance (70%), and fidelity (100%), with no injury or other adverse events. Qigong was acceptable to the veterans with CLBP, who reported that they would continue to practice qigong to manage CLBP for long-term effects. Statistically significant differences in reduction in pain intensity (p = .047), pain interference (p = .04), and pain-related disability (p = .028) between the qigong group and WLCG from baseline to postintervention were identified. Conclusion: Qigong is a mind–body approach to manage CLBP in veterans who receive care through the Veterans Health Administration and in the community. For future studies, a larger sample would provide a higher level of empirical evidence to support qigong practice for CLBP in veterans. Future studies should assess sustainability of the intervention.
• Park, J., Tong, H., Kang, Y., Miao, H., Lin, L., Fox, R. S., Telkes, I., Martorella, G., & Ahn, H. (2024). Comparison of responders and nonresponders with knee osteoarthritis after transcranial direct current stimulation. Pain management, 1-12.
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  The study compared responders and nonresponders to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) regarding clinical pain outcomes in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients.
• Ahn, H. B. (2023). Differential pain sensation and gut microbiome between young and older adults.. Innovation in Aging.
• Ahn, H. B. (2023). Preliminary analysis of BDNF in veterans with chronic pain and mental illness being treated with transcranial direct current stimulation. Brain Stimulation.
• Ahn, H. B. (2023). Self-administered transcranial direct current stimulation and pressure pain sensitivity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain. Brain Stimulation.
• Ahn, H. B. (2023). Transcranial direct current stimulation in nicotine use: Nursing implications for patient outcomes.. Journal of Addictions Nursing.
• Chen, J., Wang, Z., Starkweather, A., Chen, M. H., McCauley, P., Miao, H., Ahn, H., & Cong, X. (2023). Pain sensation and gut microbiota profiles in older adults with heart failure. Interdisciplinary nursing research, 2(2), 83-91.
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  Patients with heart failure (HF) experience severe pain and may have altered pain sensation; however, the underlying mechanisms of these symptoms are not yet fully understood. Identifying pain sensation and genomic biomarkers of pain in older adults with HF is a critical step toward developing personalized interventions to improve pain management and outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the differences in pain sensation, gut microbiota, self-reported pain, and symptoms in older adults with and without HF.
• Hernandez-Tejada, M. A., Cherry, K. E., Rauch, S. A., Acierno, R., Fries, G. R., Muzzy, W., Teng, E. J., Wangelin, B., & Ahn, H. (2023). Management of Chronic Pain and PTSD in Veterans With tDCS+Prolonged Exposure: A Pilot Study. Military medicine, 188(11-12), 3316-3321.
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  Chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are prevalent comorbid conditions, particularly in Veterans; however, there are few integrated treatments for chronic pain and PTSD. Instead, interventions are typically implemented separately and may involve addictive opioids. Although there are highly effective, non-pharmacological treatments for PTSD, they are plagued by high dropout, which may be exacerbated by comorbid pain, as these PTSD treatments typically require increased activity. Importantly, a noninvasive pain treatment, tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) shows indications of effectiveness and may be integrated with psychological treatments, even when delivered via telehealth. This study examines the feasibility and initial efficacy of integrating home telehealth tDCS with prolonged exposure (PE), an evidence-based PTSD treatment.
• Jose, L., Martins, L. B., Cordeiro, T. M., Lee, K., Diaz, A. P., Ahn, H., & Teixeira, A. L. (2023). Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Methods to Alleviate Symptoms of Huntington's Disease: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of clinical medicine, 12(5).
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  Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive and debilitating neurodegenerative disease. There is growing evidence for non-invasive neuromodulation tools as therapeutic strategies in neurodegenerative diseases. This systematic review aims to investigate the effectiveness of noninvasive neuromodulation in HD-associated motor, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, Embase, and PsycINFO from inception to 13 July 2021. Case reports, case series, and clinical trials were included while screening/diagnostic tests involving non-invasive neuromodulation, review papers, experimental studies on animal models, other systematic reviews, and meta-analyses were excluded. We have identified 19 studies in the literature investigating the use of ECT, TMS, and tDCS in the treatment of HD. Quality assessments were performed using Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI's) critical appraisal tools. Eighteen studies showed improvement of HD symptoms, but the results were very heterogeneous considering different intervention techniques and protocols, and domains of symptoms. The most noticeable improvement involved depression and psychosis after ECT protocols. The impact on cognitive and motor symptoms is more controversial. Further investigations are required to determine the therapeutic role of distinct neuromodulation techniques for HD-related symptoms.
• Martorella, G., Miao, H., Wang, D., Park, L., Mathis, K., Park, J., Sheffler, J., Granville, L., Teixeira, A. L., Schulz, P. E., & Ahn, H. (2023). Feasibility, Acceptability, and Efficacy of Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Pain in Older Adults with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Pilot Clinical Trial. Journal of clinical medicine, 12(2).
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  Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is emerging as a convenient pain relief modality for several chronic pain conditions, its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy on pain in patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) have not been investigated. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of 5, 20-min home-based tDCS sessions on chronic pain in older adults with ADRD. We randomly assigned 40 participants to active ( = 20) or sham ( = 20) tDCS. Clinical pain intensity was assessed using a numeric rating scale (NRS) with patients and a proxy measure (MOBID-2) with caregivers. We observed significant reductions of pain intensity for patients in the active tDCS group as reflected by both pain measures (NRS: Cohen's d = 0.69, -value = 0.02); MOBID-2: Cohen's d = 1.12, -value = 0.001). Moreover, we found home-based tDCS was feasible and acceptable intervention approach for pain in ADRD. These findings suggest the need for large-scale randomized controlled studies with larger samples and extended versions of tDCS to relieve chronic pain on the long-term for individuals with ADRD.
• Miao, H., & Ahn, H. (2023). Impact of ChatGPT on Interdisciplinary Nursing Education and Research. Asian/Pacific Island nursing journal, 7, e48136.
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  ChatGPT, a trending artificial intelligence tool developed by OpenAI, was launched in November 2022. The impact of ChatGPT on the nursing and interdisciplinary research ecosystem is profound.
• Miao, H., Martorella, G., & Ahn, H. (2023). Response to "Letter to the editor regarding: 'Self-administered transcranial direct current stimulation for pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled study' ". Brain stimulation, 16(3), 975-976.
• Montero-Hernandez, S., Pollonini, L., Park, L., Martorella, G., Miao, H., Mathis, K. B., & Ahn, H. (2023). Self-administered transcranial direct current stimulation treatment of knee osteoarthritis alters pain-related fNIRS connectivity networks. Neurophotonics, 10(1), 015011.
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  Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that causes chronic pain in the elderly population. Currently, OA is mainly treated pharmacologically with analgesics, although research has shown that neuromodulation via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be beneficial in reducing pain in clinical settings. However, no studies have reported the effects of home-based self-administered tDCS on functional brain networks in older adults with knee OA.
• Sorkpor, S. K., Miao, H., Moore, C., Johnson, C. M., Maria, D. M., Pollonini, L., & Ahn, H. (2023). Listening to Remotely Monitored Home-based Preferred Music for Pain in Older Black Adults with Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study of Feasibility and Acceptability. Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses, 24(5), e102-e108.
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  Low back pain (LBP) is a complex condition that is widespread among older Black adults. Nonpharmacologic interventions are recommended as first-line therapy, but their use in practice is limited, possibly due to misunderstanding of their analgesic characteristics.
• Sorkpor, S. K., Montero-Hernandez, S., Miao, H., Pollonini, L., & Ahn, H. (2023). Assessing the impact of preferred web app-based music-listening on pain processing at the central nervous level in older black adults with low back pain: An fNIRS study. Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.), 54, 135-143.
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  Low back pain (LBP) disproportionately affects older black adults, often leading to inadequate treatment due to clinician biases. Objective pain measures are imperative, and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) shows promise for pain detection.
• Teixeira, A. L., Martins, L. B., Cordeiro, T. M., Jose, L., Suchting, R., Holmes, H. M., Acierno, R., & Ahn, H. (2023). Home-based tDCS for apathy in Alzheimer's disease: a protocol for a randomized double-blinded controlled pilot study. Pilot and feasibility studies, 9(1), 74.
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  Apathy is among the most common behavioral symptoms in dementia and is consistently associated with negative outcomes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite its prevalence and clinical relevance, available pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to treat apathy in AD have been marked, respectively, by potentially severe side effects and/or limited efficacy. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a relatively novel non-pharmacological method of neuromodulation with promising results. Compared to previous tDCS formats, recent technological advances have increased the portability of tDCS, which creates the potential for caregiver-administered, home use. Our study aims to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of home-based tDCS for the treatment of apathy in AD.
• Ahn, H. (2022). Advancing the Health and Nursing Knowledge of Asian and Pacific Islander People Through the Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal. Asian/Pacific Island nursing journal, 6(1), e41486.
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation and clinical pain in older adults: a randomized clinical study. Innovation in Aging.
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Open trial of transcranial direct current stimulation for warriors experiencing chronic pain (tDCS for warriors). . Neuropsychopharmacology.
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). The efficacy of remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation on conditioned pain modulation in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain. . The Journal of Pain.
• Ahn, H., Butts, B., Cottrell, D. B., Kesey, J., McNeill, C. C., Mumba, M. N., O'Brien, T., Reifsnider, E., & Reilly, C. M. (2022). Partnerships to improve social determinants of health, health equity, and health outcomes: An SNRS whitepaper. Research in nursing & health, 45(1), 8-10.
• An, K., & Ahn, H. (2022). A journey to reach diversity, equity, and inclusiveness within SNRS. Research in nursing & health, 45(3), 272-273.
• Martorella, G., Mathis, K., Miao, H., Wang, D., Park, L., & Ahn, H. (2022). Efficacy of Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Experimental Pain Sensitivity in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal of clinical medicine, 11(17).
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  Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is encouraging regarding clinical pain intensity for individuals with knee osteoarthritis, very few studies have explored its impact on experimental pain sensitivity, which may hinder our understanding of underlying therapeutic mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of 15 home-based tDCS sessions on experimental pain sensitivity and explore its relationships with clinical pain intensity. We randomly assigned 120 participants to active tDCS ( = 60) and sham tDCS ( = 60). Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was used, including heat pain threshold and tolerance, pressure pain threshold, and conditioned pain modulation. Patients in the active tDCS group exhibited reduced experimental pain sensitivity as reflected by all QST measures at the end of treatment. Furthermore, correlations were observed between changes in clinical pain intensity and experimental pain sensitivity. These findings warrant further studies on tDCS and experimental pain sensitivity in patients with knee osteoarthritis and exploring the magnitude and sustainability of effects on a longer term.
• Martorella, G., Mathis, K., Miao, H., Wang, D., Park, L., & Ahn, H. (2022). Self-administered transcranial direct current stimulation for pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled study. Brain stimulation, 15(4), 902-909.
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  Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of pain in older adults. Previous studies indicated clinic-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was effective to reduce pain in various populations, but no published studies have reported the efficacy of home-based self-administered tDCS in older adults with knee OA using a randomized clinical study.
• Park, J., Heilman, K. J., Sullivan, M., Surage, J., Levine, H., Hung, L., Ortega, M., Kirk Wiese, L. A., & Ahn, H. (2022). Remotely supervised home-based online chair yoga intervention for older adults with dementia: Feasibility study. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 48, 101617.
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  and Purpose: Social isolation and caregiver burden call for an innovative way to deliver a chair yoga (CY) intervention to older adults with dementia who cannot travel to a community center. During a remotely supervised CY session, the yoga instructor can monitor each participant's pose and correct poses to optimize efficacy of CY and reduce chances of injury. This study assessed the feasibility of a remotely supervised online CY intervention for older adults with dementia and explored the relationship between CY and clinical outcomes: pain interference, mobility, risk of falling, sleep disturbance, autonomic reactivity, and loneliness.
• Zeng, B., Yue, Y., Liu, T., Ahn, H., & Li, C. (2022). The Influence of the Val66Met Variant on the Association Between Physical Activity/Grip Strength and Depressive Symptoms in Persons With Diabetes. Clinical nursing research, 31(8), 1462-1471.
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  The rs6265 in the (BDNF) is associated with depression in people with diabetes. Both physical activity (PA) and grip strength are negatively associated with depression. We conducted cross-sectional analyses of the wave 10 survey data for a nationally representative sample of 1,051 diabetes participants of the Health and Retirement Study. Both greater PA (β = -.15) and stronger grip strength (β = -.02) were independently associated with depression. Although the interaction between rs6265 and PA on depressive symptoms was not significant, the negative PA-depression association was stronger among female non-Met carriers (β = -.19) and male Met carriers (β = -.14). Meanwhile, grip strength was associated with depression only in Met carriers (β = -.04), and similar association was observed in both males and females. In conclusion, female non-Met carriers and male Met carriers may benefit from PA.
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Hemodynamic response function from osteoarthritic pain using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Optical Society of America Technical Digest.
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Remotely supervised cranial electrical stimulation and clinical pain for older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Innovation in Aging.
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on beta-endorphin in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain. Brain Stimulation.
• Ahn, H., & Reifsnider, E. (2021). A guide to writing grant proposals for nursing research. Research in nursing & health, 44(4), 596-597.
• Ahn, H., Jackson, N., An, K., Fillingim, R. B., Miao, H., Lee, M., Ko, J., Galle, K., & Lee, M. A. (2021). Relationship between Acculturative Stress and Pain Catastrophizing in Korean Americans. Journal of immigrant and minority health, 23(4), 741-746.
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  Acculturative stress is speculated to be a sociocultural factor contributing to pain since cultural beliefs and practices can influence the way patients perceive and respond to pain. However, the relationship between acculturative stress and pain catastrophizing remains poorly understood. Therefore, we examined the relationship between acculturative stress and pain catastrophizing in Korean Americans. We collected survey data from Korean American in Texas (N = 374). Acculturative stress was measured with the Acculturative Stress Scale, and pain catastrophizing was measured with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Participants' mean age was 46.89 years, and 63% were women. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses indicated that higher acculturative stress may contribute to higher pain catastrophizing (regression coefficient = 1.02, P = 0.04). These findings advance our understanding of sociocultural factors associated with pain in Korean Americans; additional research with a larger sample is warranted for cross-validation.
• Lee, M., Lee, M. A., Ahn, H., Ko, J., Yon, E., Lee, J., Kim, M., & Braden, C. J. (2021). Health Literacy and Access to Care in Cancer Screening Among Korean Americans. Health literacy research and practice, 5(4), e310-e318.
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  Health literacy and access to care are critical facilitators for preventive health behaviors. After the passage of the Affordable Care Act in March 2010, little has been studied about how improved health insurance coverage has impacted the use of preventive health services among Korean Americans.
• Sorkpor, S. K., & Ahn, H. (2021). Transcranial direct current and transcranial magnetic stimulations for chronic pain. Current opinion in anaesthesiology, 34(6), 781-785.
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  Chronic pain is debilitating and difficult to treat with pharmacotherapeutics alone. Consequently, exploring alternative treatment methods for chronic pain is essential. Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are increasingly being investigated for their neuropharmacological effects in the treatment of chronic pain. This review aims to examine and evaluate the present state of evidence regarding the use of tDCS and TMS in the treatment of chronic pain.
• Sorkpor, S. K., Galle, K., Teixeira, A. L., Colpo, G. D., Ahn, B., Jackson, N., Miao, H., & Ahn, H. (2021). The Relationship Between Plasma BDNF and Pain in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis. Biological research for nursing, 23(4), 629-636.
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  Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent cause of chronic pain and disability in people aged ≥45 years, with the knee being the most affected joint. Neurotrophic factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, have been shown to significantly affect chronic pain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between resting plasma BDNF levels and clinical pain and quantitative sensory testing measures in older adults with knee OA pain. For this secondary analysis, a previously reported dataset was used comprised of older adults with knee OA who underwent quantitative sensory testing. A comprehensive generalized linear model (GLM) was built to understand the relationships between BDNF and important covariates, followed by the elastic net (EN) method for variable selection. GLM was then performed to regress BDNF levels against only the variables selected by EN. The mean age of the sample was 60.4 years ( = 9.1). Approximately half of the participants were female (53%). Plasma BDNF levels were positively associated with heat pain threshold and the numeric rating scale of pain. Future mechanistic studies are needed to replicate and extend these findings to advance our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of BDNF in knee OA and other chronic pain conditions.
• Sorkpor, S. K., Johnson, C. M., Santa Maria, D. M., Miao, H., Moore, C., & Ahn, H. (2021). The Effect of Music Listening on Pain in Adults Undergoing Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses, 36(5), 573-580.e1.
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  To investigate the role of music listening in reducing pain in adults undergoing colonoscopy.
• Suchting, R., Teixeira, A. L., Ahn, B., Colpo, G. D., Park, J., & Ahn, H. (2021). Changes in Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor From Active and Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis. The Clinical journal of pain, 37(12), 898-903.
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  Previous work has shown effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on clinical pain measures, qualitative sensory testing measures, and peripheral inflammation. The present report extends this research to investigate the effect of tDCS on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels.
• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation for symptom management in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Neuromodulation.
• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Meditation combined with brain stimulation for clinical pain severity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Transcranial direct current stimulation combined with meditation for older adults with knee osteoarthritis.. Innovation in Aging.
• Ahn, H., Galle, K., Mathis, K. B., Miao, H., Montero-Hernandez, S., Jackson, N., Ju, H. H., McCrackin, H., Goodwin, C., Hargraves, A., Jain, B., Dinh, H., Abdul-Mooti, S., Park, L., & Pollonini, L. (2020). Feasibility and efficacy of remotely supervised cranial electrical stimulation for pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 77, 128-133.
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  Cranial electrical stimulation (CES) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown to improve pain. However, few studies have investigated the potential benefits associated with remotely supervised CES in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of remotely supervised CES via secure videoconferencing software on clinical pain severity, experimental pain sensitivity, and pain-related cortical response in older adults with knee OA. Thirty participants with symptomatic knee OA pain were randomly assigned to receive 10 daily sessions (60 min each) of remotely supervised CES (n = 15) or sham CES (n = 15) over two weeks. We measured clinical pain severity via a Numeric Rating Scale, experimental pain sensitivity (e.g., heat pain sensitivity, pressure pain sensitivity, and conditioned pain modulation) using quantitative sensory testing, and pain-related cortical response via functional near-infrared spectroscopy imaging. We also measured participant satisfaction with treatment using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Active CES significantly reduced scores on the Numeric Rating Scale and increased heat pain threshold, pressure pain thresholds, and conditioned pain modulation. We also found significant changes in pain-related cortical hemodynamic activity after CES. Participants tolerated CES well without serious adverse effects and were satisfied with the treatment. Our findings demonstrate promising clinical efficacy of remotely supervised CES for older adults with knee OA.
• Fillingim, R. B., Woods, A. J., Ahn, H., Wu, S. S., Redden, D. T., Lai, S., Deshpande, H., Deutsch, G., Sibille, K. T., Staud, R., Zeidan, F., & Goodin, B. R. (2020). Pain relief for osteoarthritis through combined treatment (PROACT): Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation combined with transcranial direct current stimulation in non-Hispanic black and white adults with knee osteoarthritis. Contemporary clinical trials, 98, 106159.
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  Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of late life pain and disability, and non-Hispanic black (NHB) adults experience greater OA-related pain and disability than non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). Recent evidence implicates psychosocial stress, cognitive-attentional processes, and altered central pain processing as contributors to greater OA-related pain and disability among NHBs. To address these ethnic/race disparities, this clinical trial will test whether a mindfulness intervention (Breathing and Attention Training, BAT) combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) will enhance pain modulatory balance and pain-related brain function, reduce clinical pain, and attenuate ethnic differences therein, among NHBs and NHWs with knee OA. Participants will complete assessments of clinical pain, function, psychosocial measures, and quantitative sensory testing (QST), including mechanical temporal summation and conditioned pain modulation. Neuroimaging will be performed to examine pain-related brain structure and function. Then, participants will be randomized to one of four groups created by crossing two BAT conditions (Real vs. Sham) with two tDCS conditions (Real vs. Sham). Participants will then undergo five treatment sessions during which the assigned BAT and tDCS interventions will be delivered concurrently for 20 min over one week. After the fifth intervention session, participants will undergo assessments of clinical pain and function, QST and neuroimaging identical to the pretreatment measures, and monthly follow-up assessments of pain will be conducted for three months. This will be the first study to determine whether mindfulness and tDCS treatments will show additive or synergistic effects when combined, and whether treatment effects differ across ethnic/race groups.
• Pollonini, L., Miao, H., & Ahn, H. (2020). Longitudinal effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on knee osteoarthritis patients measured by functional infrared spectroscopy: a pilot study. Neurophotonics, 7(2), 025004.
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  Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease causing chronic pain and functional alterations (stiffness and swelling) in the elderly population. OA is currently treated pharmacologically with analgesics, although neuromodulation via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has recently generated a growing interest as a safe side-effect free treatment alternative or a complement to medications for chronic pain conditions. Although a number of studies have shown that tDCS has a beneficial effect on behavioral measures of pain, the mechanistic action of neuromodulation on pain sensitivity and coping at the central nervous system is not well understood. We aimed at observing longitudinal changes of cortical hemodynamics in older adults with knee OA associated with a two-week-long tDCS self-treatment protocol. Hemodynamics was measured bilaterally in the motor and somatosensory cortices with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in response to thermal pain induced ipsilaterally to the knee primarily affected by OA. We found that both oxyhemoglobin- and deoxyhemoglobin-related functional activations significantly increased during the course of the tDCS treatment, supporting the notion that tDCS yields an increased cortical excitability. Concurrently, clinical measures of pain decreased with tDCS treatment, hinting at a potential spatial dissociation between cortically mediated pain perception and suppression and the prevalence of neuromodulatory effects over cortical pain processing. fNIRS is a valid method for objectively tracking pain in an ambulatory setting and it could potentially be used to inform strategies for optimized tDCS treatment and to develop innovative tDCS protocols.
• Pollonini, L., Montero-Hernandez, S., Park, L., Miao, H., Mathis, K., & Ahn, H. (2020). Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Assess Central Pain Responses in a Nonpharmacologic Treatment Trial of Osteoarthritis. Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging, 30(6), 808-814.
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  Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common source of pain in older adults. Although OA-induced pain can be relieved with analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, the current opioid epidemic is fostering the exploration of nonpharmacologic strategies for pain mitigation. Amongs these, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and mindfulness-based meditation (MBM) hold potential for pain-relief efficacy due to their neuromodulatory effects of the central nervous system, which is known to play a fundamental role in pain perception and processing.
• Suchting, R., Colpo, G. D., Rocha, N. P., & Ahn, H. (2020). The Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Inflammation in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Bayesian Residual Change Analysis. Biological research for nursing, 22(1), 57-63.
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  Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing clinical and experimental measures of pain in patients with chronic pain; however, research examining the mechanisms of action for the effects of tDCS has been lacking. The present study investigated the effect of active tDCS on measures of inflammation and stress. Older adults (aged 50-70 years) with knee osteoarthritis (OA) were randomly assigned to receive daily 20-min sessions of either tDCS ( = 20) or sham tDCS ( = 20) for 5 consecutive days. Participants provided blood samples at baseline and the end of treatment. The following measures of immune function and stress were collected: interleukin (IL)-6 and 10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein, cortisol, and β-endorphin. Generalized linear modeling evaluated each posttreatment measure as a function of tDCS group, controlling for baseline (measuring residual change, analogous to analysis of covariance). Bayesian statistical inference was used to directly quantify the probability of the effect of active tDCS. IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and β-endorphin demonstrated lower levels of stress and inflammation in the active tDCS group. These findings provide preliminary evidence that active (relative to sham) tDCS is associated with reduced levels of inflammation.
• Suchting, R., Kapoor, S., Mathis, K. B., & Ahn, H. (2020). Changes in Experimental Pain Sensitivity from Using Home-Based Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), 21(11), 2676-2683.
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  The present study examined the effects of home-based remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation on quantitative sensory testing measurements in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Participants were hypothesized to experience improved pain measurements over time.
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Cortical hemodynamic response to contact thermal stimuli in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A functional near infrared spectroscopy pilot study. The Journal of Pain.
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Haplotype analysis of COMT SNPS associated with pain intensity and acute care utilization in adults with sickle cell disease. The Journal of Pain.
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation and experimental pain sensitivity. Innovation in Aging.
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Society for translational medicine-expert consensus on the treatment of osteoarthritis. Annals of Joint.
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). The Relationship between beta-endorphin and experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain. The Journal of Pain.
• Ahn, H., La, J. H., Chung, J. M., Miao, H., Zhong, C., Kim, M., An, K., Lyon, D., Choi, E., & Fillingim, R. B. (2019). The Relationship Between β-Endorphin and Experimental Pain Sensitivity in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis. Biological research for nursing, 21(4), 400-406.
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  Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of pain in people aged 45 years, and the knee is the most commonly affected joint. There is a growing interest in understanding the biological factors that influence pain among older adults, but few studies have examined the relationship between β-endorphin and experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee OA pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between resting plasma levels of β-endorphin and experimental pain sensitivity. This study was a secondary analysis of data for 40 adults with knee OA pain in whom quantitative sensory testing was used to measure experimental sensitivity to heat- and mechanically induced pain. The mean age of the sample was 60 years ( = 9 years), and approximately half were female (53%). Regression analyses indicated that β-endorphin level was negatively related to pressure pain threshold (β = -17.18, = .02) and positively related to punctate mechanical pain (β = 17.13, = .04), after controlling for age, gender, and OA severity. We did not find a significant relationship between β-endorphin and heat pain tolerance. The results suggest that higher circulating levels of β-endorphin at rest are associated with increased sensitivity to mechanical pain in older adults with knee OA. These findings add to the literature regarding biological factors associated with pain sensitivity in older adults with chronic pain. Additional studies are needed to identify mediators of the relationship between β-endorphin and pain sensitivity in OA and other musculoskeletal pain conditions.
• Ahn, H., Sorkpor, S., Miao, H., Zhong, C., Jorge, R., Park, L., Abdi, S., & Cho, R. Y. (2019). Home-based self-administered transcranial direct current stimulation in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain: An open-label study. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 66, 61-65.
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  Clinic-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown to improve pain. However, no published studies have reported using home-based self-administered tDCS in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The present study aimed to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of home-based self-administered tDCS with real-time remote supervision on clinical pain, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances in older adults with knee OA. Twenty 50- to 85-year-old community-dwelling participants with knee OA received 10 daily home-based sessions of 2 mA tDCS for 20 min with real-time remote supervision. We measured clinical pain severity via the Visual Analog Scale, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. We assessed anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) anxiety-short form, depression-short form, and sleep disturbance-short form, respectively. All 20 participants completed all 10 home-based tDCS sessions without serious adverse effects. Both clinical pain severity and sleep disturbances were improved after completion of the 10 tDCS sessions. Anxiety and depression scores were not significantly improved. We demonstrated that home-based self-administered tDCS with real-time remote supervision was feasible and beneficial in alleviating clinical pain in older adults with knee OA. These findings support future studies with larger samples and longer-term follow-up evaluations.
• Ahn, H., Zhong, C., Miao, H., Chaoul, A., Park, L., Yen, I. H., Vila, M. A., Sorkpor, S., & Abdi, S. (2019). Efficacy of combining home-based transcranial direct current stimulation with mindfulness-based meditation for pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 70, 140-145.
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  Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to be effective for reducing pain, and a growing body of literature shows the potential analgesic effects of mindfulness-based meditation (MBM). However, few studies have investigated the potential benefits associated with combining tDCS and MBM in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of home-based tDCS paired with MBM in older adults with knee OA. Thirty participants 50-85 years old with symptomatic knee OA were randomly assigned to receive 10 daily sessions of home-based 2 mA tDCS paired with active MBM for 20 min (n = 15) or sham tDCS paired with sham MBM (n = 15). We measured clinical pain and OA symptoms via a Numeric Rating Scale and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Pressure pain sensitivity and conditioned pain modulation were measured using quantitative sensory testing. Participant satisfaction and side effects were assessed via a questionnaire. Active tDCS paired with active MBM significantly reduced scores on the Numeric Rating Scale and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and increased pressure pain thresholds and conditioned pain modulation. Participants tolerated tDCS paired with MBM well without serious adverse effects and were satisfied with the treatment. Our findings demonstrate promising clinical efficacy of home-based tDCS paired with MBM for older adults with knee OA.
• Cowan, L. J., Ahn, H., Flores, M., Yarrow, J., Barks, L. S., Garvan, C., Weaver, M. T., & Stechmiller, J. (2019). Pressure Ulcer Prevalence by Level of Paralysis in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury in Long-term Care. Advances in skin & wound care, 32(3), 122-130.
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  Scientific literature suggests pressure ulcer (PU) risk increases as immobility increases, indicating that more extensive paralysis confers a greater risk of PU. Yet the specific level of paralysis (ie, hemiplegia vs paraplegia vs quadriplegia), apart from neurodegenerative diagnoses, has never been examined in the long-term care (LTC) population. This study examined the prevalence of PU among LTC residents with different paralysis levels.
• Ahn, H. B. (2018). Meta-analysis of the effects of exercise interventions on obese adolescents. . Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety.
• Ahn, H., Sorkpor, S. K., Kim, M., Miao, H., Zhong, C., Wang, J., Lyon, D., & Fillingim, R. B. (2018). The Relationship between Acculturation and Experimental Pain Sensitivity in Asian Americans with Knee Osteoarthritis. Pain research & management, 2018, 9128015.
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  Multiple studies in healthy populations and clinical samples have shown that ethnic minorities have greater pain sensitivity than their majority counterparts. Acculturation is speculated to be one of the sociocultural factors contributing to pain sensitivity since cultural beliefs and practices can influence the way patients perceive and respond to pain. However, the relationship of acculturation to pain sensitivity in minority populations remains poorly understood. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between acculturation and experimental pain sensitivity in 50 Asian Americans residing in North Central Florida with knee osteoarthritis pain. The Suinn-Lew Asian Self Identity Acculturation Scale was used to assess acculturation, and multimodal quantitative sensory testing was performed to measure experimental sensitivity, including heat pain tolerance, pressure pain threshold, and punctate mechanical pain. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed. Participants' mean age was 55.7 years, and about half of this sample were Korean American (56%). The participants had lived in the United States for 21 years on average. Regression analyses indicated that lower acculturation to American culture may contribute to greater experimental pain sensitivity. Asian Americans who were more acculturated to the American culture had higher heat pain tolerance (beta = 0.61, =0.01), higher pressure pain threshold (beta = 0.59, =0.02), and lower ratings of punctate mechanical pain (beta = -0.70, < 0.01). These findings add to the literature regarding sociocultural factors associated with pain in Asian Americans; additional research with a larger and more diverse sample of Asian Americans is warranted for cross-validation.
• Ahn, H., Suchting, R., Woods, A. J., Miao, H., Green, C., Cho, R. Y., Choi, E., & Fillingim, R. B. (2018). Bayesian analysis of the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: randomized sham-controlled pilot clinical study. Journal of pain research, 11, 2071-2082.
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  Previous studies have indicated that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the anode over the motor cortex and the cathode over the contralateral supraorbital region is effective in reducing clinical pain in patients with chronic pain, but these studies have not focused on experimental pain sensitivity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of tDCS on experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
• Pickens, S., Boss, L., Ahn, H., & Jefferson, F. (2018). Identifying Cognitive Impairment in Hospitalized Older Adults to Prevent Readmission: Two Case Studies. Clinical gerontologist, 41(1), 101-107.
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  To describe two patient outcomes post-discharge from an acute hospital admission. Both patients underwent cognitive testing during hospitalization.
• Yao, Y., Ahn, H., Stifter, J., Wilkie, D. J., & Keenan, G. (2018). Continuity Index Measures in the Acute Care Hospital Setting: An Analytic Review and Tests Using Electronic Health Record Data and Computer Simulation. Journal of nursing measurement, 26(1), 20-35.
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  Multiple continuity indexes are available; however, their properties are insufficiently understood for examining the influence of nurse staffing patterns on patient outcomes. We conceptually and analytically examined continuity measures to reveal their properties and relationships with each other and identify potential limitations.
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation on clinical pain severity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain: a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pilot clinical study. . The Journal of Pain.
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Transcranial direct current stimulation and mobility functioning in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pilot clinical study. Brain Stimulation.
• Ahn, H., Weaver, M., Lyon, D. E., Kim, J., Choi, E., Staud, R., & Fillingim, R. B. (2017). Differences in Clinical Pain and Experimental Pain Sensitivity Between Asian Americans and Whites With Knee Osteoarthritis. The Clinical journal of pain, 33(2), 174-180.
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  Ethnicity has been associated with clinical and experimental pain responses. Whereas ethnic disparities in pain in other minority groups compared with whites are well described, pain in Asian Americans remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to characterize differences in clinical pain intensity and experimental pain sensitivity among older Asian American and non-Hispanic white (NHW) participants with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
• Ahn, H., Weaver, M., Lyon, D., Choi, E., & Fillingim, R. B. (2017). Depression and Pain in Asian and White Americans With Knee Osteoarthritis. The journal of pain, 18(10), 1229-1236.
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  Few studies have examined the underlying psychosocial mechanisms of pain in Asian Americans. Using the biopsychosocial model, we sought to determine whether variations in depression contribute to racial group differences in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis pain between Asian Americans and non-Hispanic white Americans. The sample consisted of 100 participants, including 50 Asian Americans (28 Korean Americans, 9 Chinese Americans, 7 Japanese Americans, 5 Filipino Americans, and 1 Indian American) and 50 age- and sex-matched non-Hispanic white Americans with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis pain. The Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to assess symptoms of depression, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and the Graded Chronic Pain Scale were used to measure clinical pain. In addition, quantitative sensory testing was used to measure experimental sensitivity to heat- and mechanically-induced pain. The results indicated that higher levels of depression in Asian Americans may contribute to greater clinical pain and experimental pain sensitivity. These findings add to the growing literature regarding ethnic and racial differences in pain and its associated psychological conditions, and additional research is warranted to strengthen these findings.
• Ahn, H., Woods, A. J., Kunik, M. E., Bhattacharjee, A., Chen, Z., Choi, E., & Fillingim, R. B. (2017). Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation over primary motor cortex (anode) and contralateral supraorbital area (cathode) on clinical pain severity and mobility performance in persons with knee osteoarthritis: An experimenter- and participant-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled pilot clinical study. Brain stimulation, 10(5), 902-909.
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  Previous studies indicate that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with anode over motor cortex (M1) and cathode over contralateral supraorbital region (SO) may be effective in reducing pain, but these studies are limited in number and have not focused on older adults with osteoarthritis (OA).
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Anxiety and clinical pain and disability in Asian Americans with knee osteoarthritis. The Journal of Pain.
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Depression and clinical and experimental pain in Asian Americans with knee osteoarthritis.. Gerontologist.
• Ahn, H., Cowan, L., Garvan, C., Lyon, D., & Stechmiller, J. (2016). Risk Factors for Pressure Ulcers Including Suspected Deep Tissue Injury in Nursing Home Facility Residents: Analysis of National Minimum Data Set 3.0. Advances in skin & wound care, 29(4), 178-90; quiz E1.
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  To provide information on risk factors associated with pressure ulcers (PrUs), including suspected deep tissue injury (sDTI), in nursing home residents in the United States.
• Kim, J., Ahn, H., Lyon, D. E., & Stechmiller, J. (2016). Building a Biopsychosocial Conceptual Framework to Explore Pressure Ulcer Pain for Hospitalized Patients. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 4(1).
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  Although pressure ulcers are a prevalent condition, pain associated with pressure ulcers is not fully understood. Indeed, previous studies do not shed light on the association between pressure ulcer stages and the experience of pain. Especially, pain characteristics of suspected deep tissue injury, which is a new category that was recently added by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, are yet unknown. This is concerning because the incidence of pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients has increased exponentially over the last two decades, and health care providers are struggling to ensure providing adequate care. Thus, in order to facilitate the development of effective interventions, this paper presents a conceptual framework to explore pressure ulcer pain in hospitalized patients. The concepts were derived from a biopsychosocial model of pain, and the relationships among each concept were identified through a literature review. Major propositions are presented based on the proposed conceptual framework, which integrates previous research on pressure ulcer pain, to ultimately improve understanding of pain in hospitalized patients with pressure ulcers.
• Lyon, D. E., Cohen, R., Chen, H., Kelly, D. L., McCain, N. L., Starkweather, A., Ahn, H., Sturgill, J., & Jackson-Cook, C. K. (2016). Relationship of systemic cytokine concentrations to cognitive function over two years in women with early stage breast cancer. Journal of neuroimmunology, 301, 74-82.
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  Cancer and its treatment are frequently associated with cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). While CRCI has been associated with linked to chemotherapy, there is increasing evidence that the condition may start prior to treatment and for some, remain unresolved after active treatment and into survivorship. Although the pathophysiology of the condition is complex, alterations in systemic cytokines, signaling molecules activated in response to infection or injury that trigger inflammation, are a possible mechanism linked to cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer and other conditions. Given the conflicting results in the literature, the lack of focus on domain specific cognitive testing, and the need for a longer time period given the multiple modalities of standard treatments for early-stage breast cancer, this longitudinal study was conducted to address these gaps.
• Lyon, D. E., Cohen, R., Chen, H., Kelly, D. L., Starkweather, A., Ahn, H. C., & Jackson-Cook, C. K. (2016). The relationship of cognitive performance to concurrent symptoms, cancer- and cancer-treatment-related variables in women with early-stage breast cancer: a 2-year longitudinal study. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology, 142(7), 1461-74.
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  Cognitive dysfunction in women with breast cancer continues to be an area of intense research interest. The prevalence, severity, timing, and cognitive domains that are most affected, as well as the contribution of cancer and its treatments to cognition, remain unresolved. Thus, longitudinal studies are needed that examine cognitive function during different stages of breast cancer treatment and survivorship. This longitudinal trial followed women with early-stage breast cancer, prior to chemotherapy through 2 years survivorship.
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Experimental pain sensitivity and clinical pain severity in Asian Americans compared to non-Hispanic whites with knee osteoarthritis. The Journal of Pain.
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Maternal predictors for quality of life during the postpartum in Brazilian mothers. Health.
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Pain and depression among Asian and Non-Hispanic White Americans with knee osteoarthritis. Gerontologist.
• Ahn, H., Garvan, C., & Lyon, D. (2015). Pain and Aggression in Nursing Home Residents With Dementia: Minimum Data Set 3.0 Analysis. Nursing research, 64(4), 256-63.
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  Few studies have examined the potential relationship between pain and aggressive behavioral symptoms in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia as a function of resident communicative status (ability to self-report pain).
• Ahn, H., Stechmiller, J., Fillingim, R., Lyon, D., & Garvan, C. (2015). Bodily pain intensity in nursing home residents with pressure ulcers: analysis of national minimum data set 3.0. Research in nursing & health, 38(3), 207-12.
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  Clinical reports suggest that superficial pressure ulcers produce pain, but that pain decreases as the wound advances in stage. This study of the relationship between pressure ulcer stage and bodily pain intensity in nursing home residents was a secondary analysis of the national Minimum Data Set 3.0 assessment data in long-term care facilities, collected from nursing home residents at least 65 years of age. Data were examined from residents with pressure ulcers who completed a bodily pain intensity interview between January and March 2012 (N = 41,680) as part of the MDS comprehensive assessment. After adjusting for other variables (e.g., cognition, functional impairment, presence of comorbidities, use of scheduled pain medication, and sociodemographic variables), bodily pain intensity for those with more severe pressure ulcers in comparison to those with Stage I ulcers was higher by 11% (Stage II), 14% (Stage III), 24% (Stage IV), and 22% (suspected deep tissue injury). Because multivariate analysis showed that greater bodily pain intensity was associated with an advanced stage of pressure ulcer, health care providers should assess bodily pain intensity and order appropriate pain management for nursing home residents with pressure ulcers, particularly for those with advanced pressure ulcers who are vulnerable to greater bodily pain intensity.
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Factors associated with suspected deep tissue injury in nursing homes: Analysis of national MDS 3.0 dataset. Wound Repair and Regeneration.
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Pain and disruptive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia: Analysis of national MDS 3.0. . The Journal of Pain.
• Ahn, H., & Horgas, A. (2014). Does pain mediate or moderate the effect of cognitive impairment on aggression in nursing home residents with dementia?. Asian nursing research, 8(2), 105-9.
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  The purpose of this study was to investigate if pain mediates or moderates the relationship between cognitive impairment and aggressive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia based on the Need-driven Dementia-compromised Behavior model.
• Ahn, H. B. (2013). Disruptive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia: Management approaches. Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management.
• Ahn, H. B. (2013). Pressure ulcer stage and pain in nursing home residents with dementia. Gerontologist.
• Ahn, H., & Horgas, A. (2013). The relationship between pain and disruptive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia. BMC geriatrics, 13, 14.
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  Nursing home residents with dementia gradually lose the ability to process information so that they are less likely to express pain in typical ways. These residents may express pain through disruptive behaviors because they cannot appropriately verbalize their pain experience. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pain on disruptive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia.
• Ahn, H., Stechmiller, J., & Horgas, A. (2013). Pressure ulcer-related pain in nursing home residents with cognitive impairment. Advances in skin & wound care, 26(8), 375-80; quiz 381-2.
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  To enhance the learner's competence by providing research about pressure ulcer-related pain in nursing home residents with cognitive impairment.
• Ahn, H. B. (2012). Pain and disruptive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia: MDS 2.0. . Gerontologist.
• Ali, A. K., Guo, J., Ahn, H., & Shuster, J. (2011). Outcomes of Late Corticosteroid Withdrawal after Renal Transplantation in Patients Exposed to Tacrolimus and/or Mycophenolate Mofetil: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. International journal of organ transplantation medicine, 2(4), 149-59.
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  Corticosteroids are increasingly used in renal transplant patients to minimize organ rejection after transplantation. In attempts to reduce corticosteroids adverse effects, transplant professionals are customary attempted to taper off, and permanently stop corticosteroids after few months of administration with other immunosuppressants.
• Rowe, M. A., Vandeveer, S. S., Greenblum, C. A., List, C. N., Fernandez, R. M., Mixson, N. E., & Ahn, H. C. (2011). Persons with dementia missing in the community: is it wandering or something unique?. BMC geriatrics, 11, 28.
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  At some point in the disease process many persons with dementia (PWD) will have a missing incident and be unable to safely return to their care setting. In previous research studies, researchers have begun to question whether this phenomenon should continue to be called wandering since the antecedents and characteristics of a missing incident are dissimilar to accepted definitions of wandering in dementia. The purpose of this study was to confirm previous findings regarding the antecedents and characteristics of missing incidents, understand the differences between those found dead and alive, and compare the characteristics of a missing incident to that of wandering.
• Rowe, M. A., Ahn, H., Benito, A. P., Stone, H., Wilson, A., & Kairalla, J. (2010). Injuries and unattended home exits in persons with dementia: a 12-month prospective study. American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, 25(1), 27-31.
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  Persons with dementia are at particular risk for injuries and unattended home exits. The purposes of this study were to prospectively describe the characteristics and determine the hazard rates of unattended home exits and injuries. A total of 9 times over 12 months, data were collected from 53 caregivers of persons with dementia about persons with dementia unattended home exits or injuries. A total of 24% of persons with dementia had at least 1 unattended exit; 4 participants exited multiple times. Men and younger persons with dementia were significantly more likely to exit than women or older individuals. A total of 30% of persons with dementia sustained injuries in 29 separate incidents; all but 3 injuries were caused by falls, and 38% of injuries resulted in nursing home placement. The hazard rate of untoward events was high, at approximately 1 unattended exit and 1 fall per person-year. For all persons with dementia living in the community, health care plans should include specific interventions to prevent these untoward events.
• Ahn, H. B. (2008). Injuries and unattended home exits in persons with dementia: A 12-month prospective incidence study in the home setting. . Gerontologist.

Presentations

• Ahn, H. B. (2024). 10-year trajectories of chronic pain among older veterans: Identifying pain-worsening predictors via machine learning . GSA Annual Scientific Meeting 2024, Seattle, WA.
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Efficacy of home-based remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation for managing neuropsychiatric symptoms in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. . The Neuromodulation 2024 Conference, New York, NY..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Feasibility and acceptability of objective pain assessment using multimodal sensing signals in older adults with Alzheimer's disease: Preliminary results of a pilot study.. The Neuromodulation 2024 Conference, New York, NY..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Immediate and sustainable effects of tDCS on pain in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. . The 2024 annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Seattle, WA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Mediating role of pain catastrophizing in racial disparities in knee osteoarthritis pain among non-Hispanic white and Asian Americans. . The 2024 American College of Rheumatology Convergence, Washington, DC..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Multimodal biomedical signal acquisition setup to assess chronic pain in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease. . The 46th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society, Orlando, Florida, USA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Nursing Engineering and Technology Use. Annual Research Day Lectureship, Cha University, Seoul, South Korea..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Remotely-supervised non-invasive neurostimulation and pressure pain sensitivity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain. . The 2024 Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association, Seoul, South Korea..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Responders and nonresponders with knee osteoarthritis to transcranial direct current stimulation.. The 2024 annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Seattle, WA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Subjective and objective pain assessment in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia with fNIRS. . The VIII Biennial Meeting of the Society for Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Birmingham, UK..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Technology Use and Nursing Engineering: Past, Present, and Future. . Annual Research Day Lectureship, Kosin University, Busan, South Korea.
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Trajectories of chronic pain among older Veterans: Identifying pain-worsening predictors via machine learning. . Gerontological Society of Ameria (GSA) 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting, Seattle, WA.
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for warriors: Impact of patient level factors on integrated treatment of chronic pain and mental health difficulties in massed outpatient care.. The 9th Annual Combat PTSD Conference, San Antonio, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Transcranial direct current stimulation for warriors: Treating chronic pain integrated in intensive PTSD outpatient treatment. . The 63rd Annual Meeting of Neuropsychopharmacology, Phoenix, AZ.
• Ahn, H. B. (2024). Transcranial direct current stimulation improves the overall pain experience of older adults with knee osteoarthritis. . The Neuromodulation 2024 Conference, New York, NY..
• Ahn, H. B. (2023). Academic leaders panel. . 2023 Asian American / Pacific Islander Nurses Association Conference, Los Angeles, CA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2023). Academic nursing institution’s efforts toward health for all: A case study at Florida State University College of Nursing. 2023 Health Policy Summit. The National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations. Los Angeles, CA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2023). Changes in pressure pain sensitivity from using remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation in older adults with knee osteoarthritis.. The 2023 FSU Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement, Tallahassee, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2023). Home-based interventions in improving accessibility to evidence-based chronic pain treatment. . The 29th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Council of Nurses, Montreal, Canada..
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Differences in pain between Asian Americans and non-Hispanic Whites and recruitment strategies for Asian Americans for the research project. NIH HEAL Community Partner Committee..
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Feasibility and acceptability of remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation for pain management in older adults. The 2022 International Nursing Research Conference of World Academy of Nursing Science, Taipei, Taiwan..
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Feasibility and efficacy of noninvasive brain stimulation for self-management of clinical pain and symptom management. . The Florida State University Institute for Successful Longevity Brown Bag Series, Tallahassee, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation and clinical pain in older adults: a randomized clinical study. . The 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Indianapolis, IN..
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Inter- and intra-region functional connectivity in nonpharmacological pain management. . The Society of functional near-infrared spectroscopy 2022 Conference. Boston MA, USA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Management of chronic pain and PTSD in veterans with tDCS+prolonged exposure: a pilot study. The 7th San Antonio Combat PTSD Conference. San Antonio, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Strengthening public healthcare and safety net: Nursing engineering and technology use.. The 23rd Maple Chun San-Cho Nursing Conference. Yonsei University. Seoul, South Korea..
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). The efficacy of remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation on conditioned pain modulation in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain. The 2022 USASP Annual Scientific Meeting, Cincinnati, OH.
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). The relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. . The 38th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, Phoenix, AZ.
• Ahn, H. B. (2022). Transcranial direct current stimulation and meditative exercise for osteoarthritis knee pain. The 2022 FSU Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement, Tallahassee, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Differences in positive and negative affect between Asian Americans and Whites with knee osteoarthritis.. The 2021 Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association Conference. [virtual conference]..
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Feasibility and efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation. The Neurorecovery Research Center at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Functional connectivity in nonpharmacological pain management. . The Society of functional near infrared spectroscopy virtual 2021 conference [virtual conference]..
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Home-based remotely-supervised transcranial direct current stimulation for pain management in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. . The 37th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine [virtual conference]..
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Nonpharmacological treatment and underlying brain mechanisms for clinical pain. . The UTHealth School of Dentistry and School of Nursing Virtual Workshop, Houston, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Self-administered transcranial direct current stimulation for clinical pain severity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. The 34th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society [virtual conference]..
• Ahn, H. B. (2021). Transcranial direct current stimulation for self-management of clinical pain and symptoms. Office of Scholarship & Research for Research Excellence Seminar. Columbia University, New York, NY..
• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Home-based noninvasive brain stimulation for pain management. . The UTHealth Adult Reconstruction Conference, Houston, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation with mindfulness-based meditation in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. The 2020 State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science [virtual conference]..
• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Technology use for pain management in the vulnerable population. Nursing and Convergence Technology: Research, Education, and Practice. 2020 Annual Nursing Research Day Lectureship. Chungang University, Seoul, South Korea..
• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Transcranial direct current stimulation combined with meditation for older adults with knee osteoarthritis. . The 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America [virtual conference]..
• Ahn, H. B. (2020). Transcranial direct current stimulation for pain management. Innovative Technologies, Translational Developments and Devices to Treat Pain. Technologies for Improved Understanding and Management of Pain.. The 15th Annual NIH Pain Consortium Symposium.
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Barriers to integrate routine frailty screening in a clinical setting. . The 2019 Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association Conference, Las Vegas, NV..
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Cortical hemodynamic response to contact thermal stimuli in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A functional near infrared spectroscopy pilot study.. The Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Milwaukee, WI..
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Haplotype analysis of COMT SNPS associated with pain intensity and acute care utilization in adults with sickle cell disease. The Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Milwaukee, WI..
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation for symptom management in older adults with knee osteoarthritis.. The 2019 Neuromodulation Conference, Napa, CA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Home-based transcranial direct-current stimulation and experimental pain sensitivity. The 71st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Austin, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Pain management in older adults: Brain stimulation approaches. . The 4th UTHealth Annual Symposium on Aging Research, Houston, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). Principles and clinical applications of transcranial direct current stimulation. The UTHealth Neuroscience Research Center Seminar, Houston, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2019). The relationship between beta-endorphin and experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain. The 2019 Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Milwaukee, WI..
• Ahn, H. B. (2018). Biobehavioral study of pain in vulnerable populations. Frances Dalme and Linda Rickel Distinguished Visiting Lectureship. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Little Rock, AR..
• Ahn, H. B. (2018). Identifying cognitive impairment in hospitalized older adults to prevent hospital readmission: A pilot study. . The 2018 International Conference on Brain Informatics, Arlington, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2018). Noninvasive brain stimulation in older adults with chronic pain. The 11th International Conference on Brain Informatics. Arlington, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2018). Transcranial direct current stimulation and laboratory-based experimental pain sensitivity in adults with knee osteoarthritis pain. . The National Institute of Nursing Research's (NINR) Precision Health: Smart Technologies, Smart Health, Washington, DC..
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Efficacy and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation in older adults with chronic knee pain. The UTHealth Geriatric and Palliative Medicine Grand Rounds, Houston, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation on clinical pain severity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pilot clinical study. . The 36th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Pittsburgh, PA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Experimental pain sensitivity in Asian Americans with knee osteoarthritis.. The 31st Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, Dallas, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Symptom management in adults with knee osteoarthritis using transcranial direct current stimulation: A pilot study. The Sigma Theta Tau International's 28th International Nursing Research Congress, Dublin, Ireland..
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Transcranial direct current stimulation and heat pain sensitivity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain: A double-blind, randomized, sham controlled pilot clinical study. The 2017 Neuroscience, Washington, DC..
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Transcranial direct current stimulation and mobility functioning in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pilot clinical study. . The Neuromodulation 2017 Conference, New York, NY..
• Ahn, H. B. (2017). Transcranial direct current stimulation in older adults with knee osteoarthritis pain: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pilot clinical study. The 2017 Brain Stimulation and Imaging Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Anxiety and clinical pain and disability in Asian Americans with knee osteoarthritis. . The 35th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Austin, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Biobehavioral study of pain in vulnerable populations.. The Gulf Coast Consortia Translational Pain Research Cross-Consortia, Houston, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Depression and clinical and experimental pain in Asian Americans with knee osteoarthritis. . The 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Ethnic group differences in pain between Asian Americans and Whites with knee osteoarthritis.. The 2016 Health Equity Research Institute (HERI) Summit. Tampa, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Evaluation of curricular preparation of prospective providers relating to topics of palliative care, advanced care planning, and end of life discussions at the University of Florida. The 13th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Level of paralysis and PU risk in long-term care: Secondary analysis of the MDS 3.0 dataset. . The 2016 Research Day of the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Mediating effect of depression on experimental pain sensitivity in persons with knee osteoarthritis. . The 30th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, Williamsburg, VA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Patient satisfaction survey. The 13th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Perceived barriers to providing smoking cessation in primary care. The 13th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2016). Symptom science and promoting health in older adults. . The 30th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, Williamsburg, VA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Acculturation and pain sensitivity in Asian Americans with knee osteoarthritis.. The 9th Congress of the European Pain Federation, Vienna, Austria..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Biobehavioral study of pain in older Asian Americans with knee osteoarthritis.. The 6th Annual Spotlight on Aging Research Day of the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Differences in experimental and clinical pain between Asians and Whites: A literature review.. The 12th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for chronic musculoskeletal pain in middle-aged and older adults: Meta-analysis. . The 12th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Experimental pain sensitivity and clinical pain severity in Asian Americans compared to non-Hispanic whites with knee osteoarthritis. . National Institute of Nursing Research's 30th Anniversary Scientific Symposium, Washington, DC.
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Factors associated with malnutrition and pressure ulcers in long-term care in the United States: Analysis of MDS 3.0 data set 2012. . The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel 2015 National Biennial Conference, Orlando, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Meta-analysis of the effects of exercise interventions on obese adolescents. . The 29th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, Tampa, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Pain and depression among Asian and non-Hispanic white Americans with knee osteoarthritis.. The 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Orlando, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Pressure ulcers and pain: Analysis of MDS 3.0. . The 29th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, Tampa, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). Problems in continuity index in the acute care hospital setting. . The 2015 Annual Nursing Research Day of the University of Florida Health Shands, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2015). The genetic, serum, and imaging biological markers of pain. The 12th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). A literature review of the effectiveness of stimulatory and physical non-pharmacological interventions in managing chronic musculoskeletal pain for middle-aged and older adults. The 11th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Body mass index’s impact on pressure ulcer prevalence in U.S. long-term care facilities. . The 27th Annual Research Day of the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Differences in pain experience between Asians and Whites: A literature review.. The 2014 Annual Training and Pilot Award Research Day of the University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Factors associated with suspected deep tissue injury in nursing homes: Analysis of national MDS 3.0 dataset.. The Wound Healing Society’s 2014 Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Meta-analysis of peer support interventions in type II diabetes patients.. The 11th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Pain and aggressive behaviors in nursing home residents with and without dementia. . The 28th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, San Antonio, TX.
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Pain and disruptive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia: Analysis of national MDS 3.0. . The 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Tampa, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). Pain, race and functional impairments in nursing home residents with arthritis. . The 67th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC..
• Ahn, H. B. (2014). The effectiveness of psychosocial and thermotherapeutic interventions in managing chronic musculoskeletal pain for middle aged and older adults. The 11th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2013). Pain and disruptive behaviors in nursing home residents with cognitive impairment.. The UF/VA Institute on Aging, Clinical Translational Aging Research Series, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2013). Pain and disruptive behaviors: Secondary analysis of MDS.. The 10th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2013). Pain and wandering behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia. The 20th International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress, Seoul, South Korea..
• Ahn, H. B. (2013). Pressure ulcer stage and pain in nursing home residents with dementia. . The 66th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2013). Pressure ulcer-related pain in nursing home residents with cognitive impairment. . The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel 13th National Biennial Conference, Houston, TX..
• Ahn, H. B. (2013). Role of nursing engineering in pain and symptom management. 2013 Annual Nursing Research Day Lectureship. Chungang University, Ajou University, Chungnam University, Cheonbuk University, Kyoungbuk University, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea..
• Ahn, H. B. (2013).  The relationship between pain and agitated behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia. . The 27th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, Little Rock, AR..
• Ahn, H. B. (2012). Does the pain mediate or moderate the relationship between cognitive impairment and aggressive behaviors?. The 26th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, New Orleans, LA..
• Ahn, H. B. (2012). Effect of pain on the relationship between cognitive impairment and agitated behaviors. . The 9th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2012). Pain and disruptive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia: MDS 2.0. . The 65th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Diego, CA.
• Ahn, H. B. (2012). The research findings using MDS 2.0 dataset. . The Teleconference in Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services..
• Ahn, H. B. (2011). Outcomes of late corticosteroid withdrawal after renal transplantation in patients exposed to tacrolimus and/or mycophenolate mofetil. The 2011 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual meeting and exposition, Washington, DC..
• Ahn, H. B. (2010). The critical way-finding errors in persons with dementia. The International Wandering Research Consortium, Tampa, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2010). The deaths of persons with dementia attributed to becoming lost incidents. . The 7th Annual Research Day & Malasanos Lectureship of the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2009). Are loved ones safe in assisted living facilities?. The 24th Annual Conference of the Southern Nursing Research Society, Baltimore, MD..
• Ahn, H. B. (2009).  Pressure ulcer risk assessment in critical care patients. . The 2009 ANCC National Magnet Conference, Louisville, KY..
• Ahn, H. B. (2008). Becoming lost in persons with dementia: A unique concept. . The International Wandering Research Consortium, Tampa, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2008). Injuries and unattended home exits in persons with dementia: A prospective incidence study in the home setting. The 61th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, National Harbor, MD..
• Ahn, H. B. (2008). Reducing dangerous nighttime events in persons with dementia using a nighttime monitoring system. . The 3rd International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence, St. Petersberg, FL..
• Ahn, H. B. (2008). Utilizing novel strategies to find persons with dementia lost in the community. The 61th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, National Harbor, MD..
• Ahn, H. B. (2007). Automating home activities for persons with cognitive disability: Predicting behavior patterns in persons with cognitive disability living in the home. . International Microsoft Assisted Cognition Workshop, Rochester, NY..