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Connor Bland, Pearce Persaud Research Moral Injury, Resilience in Healthcare Workers

Connor Bland, Pearce Persaud, and Dr. Kristin Kirchner were among six student-faculty teams selected for the 2025 Blazer Summer Research Institute at Valdosta State University. They spent the summer studying moral injury in the healthcare system and identifying ways to address its contributing factors and help alleviate healthcare workers’ psychological distress.

VALDOSTA — Connor Bland and Pearce Persaud dedicated their summer term at Valdosta State University to studying moral injury in the healthcare system and identifying ways to address its contributing factors and help alleviate healthcare workers’ psychological distress.

Examples of moral injury in the healthcare system might include resource constraints and rationing, a major topic of discussion throughout the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic; betrayal and systemic issues, such as witnessing the prioritization of profit over patient care; traumatic and violent experiences, like mass casualties; and much more.

“Our research is particularly relevant given the stress healthcare professionals have faced in recent years,” Bland shared. “Understanding moral injury better can inform ways to support the mental health and well-being of those who care for others and potentially improve retention and patient care outcomes in the healthcare system.”

Bland and Persaud’s “Moral Injury in Healthcare Workers: A Self-Led Intervention to Lessen Distress” was one of six projects selected for 蜜桃影像传媒有限公司网站’s 2025 Blazer Summer Research Institute. The two students each received a $750 scholarship plus compensation for any expenditures related to their research.

The Blazer Summer Research Institute is a highly competitive program for motivated faculty and undergraduate students who are ready to explore exciting, hands-on research. Funded by the Division of Academic Affairs, University Advancement, and private donors, the special summer initiative offers a unique experience focused on real-world, potentially life-impacting, research projects.

“It is opportunities like the Blazer Summer Research Institute that make me glad that I chose 蜜桃影像传媒有限公司网站 over other schools,” Persaud said.

“This project has given me the opportunity to grow mentally, academically, and even creatively,” he continued. “I have learned more about communication and time management. I have also expanded my knowledge of balancing research with other areas of my academic life. Most surprising to me was my creative growth. Despite this being a scientific project, I have had the opportunity to apply my own personal touch to every aspect of the project, allowing me to express a creative side of myself that I might not have otherwise been able to explore.”  

Persaud of Valdosta, 蜜桃影像传媒有限公司网站, anticipates graduating with his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Minor in Biology in 2027.

Bland said this research experience has helped him gain skills in research design, data collection, and analysis.

“I’ve also developed important soft skills like self-discipline, communication, critical thinking, and empathy. These will serve me well in any healthcare or research setting in the future.”

Bland, also of Valdosta, 蜜桃影像传媒有限公司网站, anticipates graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry in 2027.

Dr. Kristin Kirchner, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Science, served as Bland and Persaud’s faculty mentor. She said she loves “seeing the ideas that students come up with.” It is often an opportunity for her to also learn something new and to use her academic background and career experience to help guide and ground her students’ ideas within their subject area.

“I believe that research is a crucial part of understanding your field of study,” she said. “Even if you don’t plan on being the person conducting the research, being involved with research early on gives you the context to understand research outcomes and results. I think about shows like ‘Undercover Boss’ where the CEO tries their hand at other jobs within their company. Until you're doing the work, you don't fully understand what all goes into it. Getting involved in research, from beginning to end with every hurdle in between, gives students the full experience of developing an idea, overcoming challenges, and seeing their project through to the end.”