KENNESAW, Ga. | Aug 11, 2025

Isaac Kuhn’s research looks different than he imagined when he arrived at Kennesaw State a year ago. 

Instead of wearing goggles and gloves while handling test tubes and pipettes, the sophomore biochemistry student from Columbus, Georgia, is reviewing literature and conducting surveys. 

Through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), Kuhn has taken a different research tack in helping assistant professor of nursing Chinomso Nwozichi create a statistic to measure the hidden time costs of cancer treatments.

“This project is very abstract, but that’s kind of what drew me to it,” Kuhn said. “I appreciate it because it gives me a more human perspective toward cancer. This study is about the healthcare system as a whole.”

Together, Kuhn and Nwozichi are reviewing existing literature on “time toxicity” to help create the Time Toxicity Index, a tool for clinicians to use to help patients and caregivers deal with and potentially reduce the time spent on treatments. Time toxicity is the amount of time patients and caregivers spend on treatments, including time in medical facilities, time in transit, and time in treatment.

Nwozichi said SURP’s interdisciplinary nature has helped foster this project, pointing to a sophomore biochemistry student helping develop a healthcare study. 

“The Office of Undergraduate Research has created a beautiful thing in these projects because it connects people from different parts of different disciplines to work together on areas of interest,” said Nwozichi, who teaches in the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services. “They also provide resources by sponsoring all we’re doing and then encourages us to write up our findings for publication and presentation.”

Kuhn first worked with Nwozichi through KSU’s First-Year Scholars program in 2024-25 on a project addressing access to cancer screenings for African immigrants in the United States. Nwozichi respected Kuhn’s diligence for research and gathering information, and Kuhn said he looks up to Nwozichi’s passion for oncology and nursing.

“He’s an oncology nursing professor and he knows a lot about this topic,” Kuhn said. “So it’s just nice to work with someone who’s so passionate and knowledgeable about this.”

Kuhn said he’ll add compassion to his toolkit as he heads toward a different kind of career in medicine. He’d like to go into biomedical research while keeping a hand in the patient-centered aspects of medical science, thanks to his experiences in the SURP project. 

He’ll stay on with the project through next year, expanding into interviewing patients and caregivers about their experiences, something he didn’t think he’d get to do when choosing his course of study.

“This has been a great opportunity to look into fields outside of my major, because I’ve found something that has shown me the humanity of people affected by aspects of diseases and their treatments that we don’t often think about,” Kuhn said. “Having a more holistic view is really important, and I learned that with Dr. Nwozichi.”

– Story by Dave Shelles

– Photos by Darnell Wilburn, Jr.

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.