Dr. Peter Schulman, member of the Calhoun Cardiology Center riding team, rides with Jim Calhoun. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant, used with permission)

The seventh annual Comcast NBC Connecticut Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride and Walk to benefit the UConn Health Center’s cancer program will be held on Saturday, June 8 in Simsbury.

The event has raised more than $1 million since 2007 for UConn’s Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center. The money has made it possible for the cancer center to recruit over 800 patients to clinical trials while supporting pilot research projects studying precursors to colon cancer, immunologic responses to proteins, and to study tumor sequencing. Additionally, the funds have enabled breast screening for the uninsured, support groups for new patients, and allowed for community outreach to educate the public on cancer prevention.

There are non-competitive rides of 10, 25, 50 and 75 miles open to cyclists 14 and older. The 5K walk is open to all ages. The start and finish line is at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows.

The Health Center has four teams that are looking for members:

1. The Rosenkrantz Riders – captain Ted Rosenkrantz
2. Calhoun Cardiology Center – captain Michael Azrin
3. UConn Fritz Free Riders – captain Joyce Fritz
4. Mohs Movers – captain Eileen Crawfort

The day includes great food and live music by the band “Cover Story.” The UConn Health Center is also offering free skin cancer screenings from 8 a.m. to noon. There are prizes for top fundraisers and participants who raise $1,000 or more by August 1 will be invited to a private party with Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun to be held this fall. Participants who raise $5,000 or more will be recognized on court during a men’s basketball game during the 2013-14 season.

New this year, Wild Horse Wines is teaming up for the cause by donating $1 for every bottle of Wild Horse wine sold in Connecticut between April 30 and September 30, 2013.

This year’s event is presented by Cigna and the Hartford law firm of RisCassi & Davis.

The Wall of Honor at the event provides a memorial to loved ones and tribute to survivors and those battling cancer today. Send your photo (labeled with the person’s name and your reason for acknowledgement) by May 31 to Christy_Deep@goldorluk.com or Christy Deep, c/o Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride and Walk, PO Box 846, Avon, CT 06001.

Learn more or join a team at http://calhounride.uchc.edu.

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Dr. Frank Torti takes questions at his third town hall meeting as executive vice president for health affairs and medical school dean. (Sarah Turker/UConn Health Center Photo)

In his third town hall meeting as executive vice president for health affairs and medical school dean, Dr. Frank Torti reiterated a patient-centered vision for the future of the UConn Health Center, and asked the Health Center community to join him in shaping that future.

“The patient is the source of our revenue, the focus of our research, and the foundation of our teaching,” Torti said, in a reprise of his remarks from a year ago. “As long as patients are the touchstone for guiding our decisions, I believe we’ll be moving in the right direction. Nothing has changed my opinion about this.”

Torti acknowledged the input received from faculty and staff over the last year, through small group meetings and a broader participation in what’s become known as the “strategic refresh.” More than 1,000 faculty and staff have taken part in UConn Health 2020, an online tool to identify and prioritize objectives.

“This is our Health Center, not my Health Center. It is ours to shape, it is ours to fix, and it is ours to celebrate,” Torti said before detailing six goals:

• Become a world-renowned destination for discovery and innovation
• Prepare graduates for lifelong success
• Enhance health care for the citizens of Connecticut and beyond
• Enhance population health and population health equity
• Create an environment judged by faculty and staff as “The Best Place to Work”
• Ensure financial integrity and strength

Torti also revealed the highest priorities identified by the more than 800 respondents to the UConn 2020 survey prioritizing goals and objectives:

• Improve access
• Improve quality outcomes
• Reform revenue allocation—assign fiscal responsibility
• Rated as a “Great Place to Be” by faculty and staff
• Build presence in genomics, biomedical engineering and drug development

“The message here is pretty unmistakable,” Torti said. “Our faculty and staff have the patient top of mind. They want better access for our patients and referring physicians to our Health Center and better quality. In short, they want to make the Health Center a place of truly excellent care.”

Torti announced plans to redouble efforts to improve access and patient satisfaction.

“We will have our phones answered, and answered quickly,” Torti said. “We are hiring and training additional people, as well as simplifying and standardizing our phone procedures. We will return calls within 24 hours. We will see new patients within a week. We will establish a physician access line that will connect referring physicians directly to our doctors.”

He also said quality and safety “need intense and focused efforts,” while recognizing some early progress: modest gains in patient satisfaction scores and patient revenues, and substantial improvements in emergency department metrics such as “door to doctor” time, which has decreased from 44 to 16 minutes.

Regarding the Health Center’s financial challenges, Torti said, “We face enormous budgetary stresses in 2014.

“The only hope we have of sustaining our academic missions of research and education is if we can show ourselves financially sound. It is the dollars from the clinical enterprise that every other state medical center uses to reinvest in the academic missions. We must do the same. In the coming months, we must examine every program, every procedure, every purchase, and ask whether it is necessary to achieve our goals. We will also take a hard look at how we organize ourselves. There will be no sacred cows. We must get this straight. We must change, we must survive, and we must thrive.”

The town hall meeting is available for viewing at http://bit.ly/13townhall.

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Joyce Fritz has been organizing bike-to-work events at the UConn Health Center for more than five years, and biking to work for nearly 10. (Mark Dombrofski/UConn Health Center Photo)

A statewide push to get daily commuters out of single-occupancy vehicles last week culminated with Bike to Work Day Friday, May 17. In that spirit, 18 employees and students took part in the UConn Health Center’s first Bike to Work Breakfast of 2013, substituting bike pedals for gas pedals.

“What a turnout,” says organizer Joyce Fritz. “More people are realizing the benefits of leaving the car at home and biking to work, especially considering that when you bike, you get a premium parking space. More importantly though, it’s great exercise.”

Fritz, who works in Facilities Development and Operations, has been organizing bike-to-work events on the Health Center campus since 2007, mostly at her own expense and on her own time. She plans to offer a Bike to Work Breakfast monthly through September, from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m.:

• Friday, June 21 (rain date June 24)
• Monday, July 22 (rain date July 26)
• Friday, Aug. 16 (rain date Aug. 19)
• Friday, Sept. 20 (rain date Sept. 23)

Know Better Place, the UConn Health Center Human Resources workplace culture program, encourages all cyclists to log their miles as part of the Just Move physical activity campaign.

From left: Rich Allen and John Shepard are among those who biked to work May 17. (Joyce Fritz/UConn Health Center Photo)

From left: Mark Dombrofski and Dr. Peter Schulman enjoy a snack after biking to work. (Joyce Fritz/UConn Health Center Photo)

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Dr. Robert Arciero with UConn women basketball players (from left) Kalana Greene, Tina Charles, and Caroline Doty after winning the 2010 NCAA championship game. (Photo provided by Dr. Robert Arciero)

UConn orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Robert Arciero is a busy man. He’s chief of the Sports Medicine Division of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Health Center, director of its Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship program, and a team physician for UConn’s basketball, football, hockey and lacrosse teams. He’s also an orthopaedic team physician for USA Hockey, an award-winning researcher and a dedicated family man. So it’s little wonder that, when U.S. News & World Report named him one of the country’s top sports medicine specialists earlier this year (and the only one in Connecticut), he was unaware of it until a colleague sent him the news.

“It was very flattering,” Arciero says, to be ranked among nationally recognized specialists, many of whom he knows well. It was also an honor. “You like to feel that the way you approach people and take care of them and relate to them is important to your peer group. That’s the great thing about sports medicine. It’s not just making a diagnosis or doing an operation well. It’s about relating to the athletes, their families, coaches and trainers. It was a great professional reward to be in that group.”

Arciero came to UConn in 2000 after retiring as a colonel from a 20-year career in the U.S. Army. He served in a combat support hospital during the first Persian Gulf War and was deployed to Saudi Arabia and Iraq for six months to care for wounded soldiers. From 1987 to 2000, he was at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The experience prepared him well for a career in sports medicine.

“Cadets and soldiers are always trying to exceed their maximum regarding their extremities, and they get injuries,” Arciero says. As with athletes, “the whole idea is to get them back to performing at a high level.” He also gained experience caring for players on the academy’s four Division I sports teams.

Arciero’s main areas of focus are instability of the shoulder and knee, including shoulder dislocations, rotator cuff problems, and ligament and cartilage injuries in the knee. He was recently named one of the top sports medicine specialists in the country by Orthopaedics This Week. He is a three-time winner of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s (AOSSM’s) O’Donaghue Award for best clinical research. He and fellow UConn team physician Dr. Augustus Mazzocca won the award for the best research study on arthroscopic rotator cuff repair from the International Society for Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. In 2011, Arciero won AOSSM’s George D. Rovere Award for excellence in educating his peers. He is slated to become president of AOSSM in 2014.

Dr. Robert Arciero with former UConn women’s basketball player, Kalana Greene, during an appointment following ACL repair surgery.
(Janine Gelineau/UConn Health Center Photo)

Physician of Champions

Since coming to the UConn Health Center, Arciero has worked closely with many of the elite athletes on the university’s teams. Many of his cases have involved the women’s basketball teams, because women players are especially prone to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Arciero has performed knee surgery on players including Kalana Greene and Tina Charles, now with the Connecticut Sun; UConn sophomore guard Brianna Banks; and fifth-year senior guard Caroline Doty, who came back from no fewer than three ACL surgeries to help the Huskies win the 2013 NCAA Championship.

Doty had already committed to UConn when she severely injured her knee playing soccer as a high school senior. UConn coach Geno Auriemma recommended Arciero, and Doty’s parents drove her to Connecticut.

“We met Dr. Arciero, and he made us feel comfortable right away,” Doty says. “He was a great person and had tons of experience. UConn is the best program, so we figured that since he was the surgeon for the best athletes, we could trust him.”

After successful surgery, Doty was able to play for UConn in her freshman year, until, in January, she once again injured her knee. She saw Arciero and had surgery that week.

Doty recovered and played during her sophomore year, and her team won the national championship. But during the summer before her junior year, she sustained another injury due to incomplete graft healing and possible mild tissue rejection. She returned to Connecticut to see Arciero, who told her he would understand if she wanted to consult another surgeon. She didn’t.

Caroline Doty ’13 (CLAS) battles for the ball during a game against Notre Dame. (Bob Stowell for UConn)

“I told him he was the best there is and that I trusted him completely,” Doty says.

A year after her third surgery, Doty was back on the court, playing in two more seasons on yet another championship team. But she still recalls how much it meant to her that Arciero checked on her regularly after each surgery. Once, as she was just coming out of anesthesia in the recovery unit, she jokingly asked him to marry her. “That’s how much I appreciated all he’d done for me,” Doty says.

Treating the Whole Athlete

Taking care of injured athletes requires more than technical excellence, Arciero says. It requires the ability to collaborate with players, families, coaches, trainers, and others to understand the athlete’s mental and emotional issues and keep them from feeling depressed, disengaged, and isolated while they’re unable to play the sport with which they identify so closely.

“Sports medicine doctors have to be good coaches and help the kids get through it,” Arciero says, “so they don’t feel abandoned, so they know they’re still part of the team. I have to treat the whole patient, not just the ACL injury.”

Although Arciero has won national and international awards for his research, publications, and teaching, he’s clear about what means the most to him.

“If somebody said, ‘You won’t get any awards or publish any more papers, but every patient you take care of is going to have fabulous results,’ I’d be OK with that,” Arciero says. “Taking care of these kids and getting them back to what they love to do, at the same levels, is the single best reward I get.”

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KRIS –TV, Corpus Christi News, May 16, 2013 

Richard Stevens, an epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut Health Center, “The more we learn about circadian rhythms and body clock, internal body clock, and how light at night disrupts that the more important it is to dim down the lights during the night.

Watch the broadcast >

Drunk Driving: Why Is MADD Among Critics of Lower Alcohol Limit?

Alaska Dispatch, May 16, 2013

“The fact is, many alcohol-involved traffic incidents aren’t caused by alcoholics, but just people who had one too many, and lowering the legal limit helps deter those people,” says Thomas Babor, an expert on alcohol abuse at the University of Connecticut’s medical school in Farmington.

Read more >

Preventive Mastectomy

WTIC 1080 News, May 14, 2013 

In light of Angelina Jolie’s revelation that she had a genetic mutation and decided to have both breasts removed, Dr. Susan Tannenbaum from the UConn Health Center’s Breast Cancer Program says genetics are just one factor in a woman’s breast cancer risk.

Listen to the broadcast >

White Coat Gala Raises $1.2 Million

Hartford Business Journal, May 6, 2013

The recent White Coat Gala, the fourth annual formal fundraising event for the UConn Health Center, raised more than $1.2 million to support Bioscience Connecticut, the state investment in the renovation and expansion of the Health Center.

Read more >

Update on Diabetes Research

WTIC Radio, May 2, 2013

Dr. Carol Malchoff, UConn Health Center endocrinologist, joins WTIC Newstalk 1080′s “Mornings With Ray Dunaway” to discuss new diabetes research findings out of Harvard.

Listen to the broadcast >

Dr. Winston Campbell Delivers Daughter of Zipadelli Quadruplet

Newington Life, May 1, 2013

Kristin (Zipadelli) Vacca, one of Connecticut’s first surviving quadruplets, had her daughter delivered by Dr. Winston Campbell, the same doctor who delivered her at the UConn Health Center.

Read more >

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Warmer weather is here, which means preparing the garden and doing some spring cleaning around the house after a long sedentary winter.

“Maintaining your lawn and garden can require repetitive bending, kneeling, reaching, and twisting, resulting in an extensive amount of strain on your muscles and joints,” says UConn Health Center physical therapist Karen Wojcik. “We see a lot of patients complaining of aches, pains, and soreness during the spring.”

With people spending so much time raking, digging, and planting, injuries are bound to happen. Wojcik offers some helpful tips to keep you pain-free this spring.

• Warm up – before gardening or a heavy-duty cleaning project, take a short walk and do some light stretching to warm up your muscles.
• Pace yourself – don’t try to do too much, too quickly; spread your workload over a few days.
• Change positions – staying in one position for long periods of time puts stress on your muscles and joints. Always remember to keep moving to avoid overworking specific areas of the body.
• Avoid bending – kneeling instead of bending will place less strain on your back, but remember to wear kneepads for extra comfort.
• Lift carefully – always be cautious on how you are lifting. When carrying heavy loads, hold objects close to your body and when lifting, lift with your legs not your back.
• Protect your skin – use sunscreen with an appropriate SPF level for your skin type or wear a wide-brimmed hat.

If you do over-extend yourself and end up with some aches and pain, the best way to feel better is to ice it.

• Most authorities recommend icing two to three times a day for 20 to 30 minutes each time.
• Wrap ice or a bag of frozen vegetables in a towel and place it on the area.

If the pain does not subside after a day or two, call your doctor or physical therapist (if you already have one).

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High school students graduate from Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative programs on May 7, 2013. (John Atashian for UConn Health Center)

The Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP) hosted its annual Academic Year Closing and Recognition Ceremony for the Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative Programs (Aetna HPPI) on May 7.

This event marked the culmination of a very positive academic year enrichment experience for high school students from the Greater Hartford area who participated in the Jumpstart, Junior Doctors, and Senior Doctors Academies.

Greetings were given by Dr. Frank Torti, executive vice president for health affairs and dean of the UConn School of Medicine, Dr. Monty McNeil, dean of the UConn School of Dental Medicine and Chris Montross, head of Corporate Community Investments/Employee Programs, Aetna Community Relations.

The keynote speaker was Hartford’s Mayor Pedro E. Segarra who congratulated the students and challenged them to have a positive impact on reducing health disparities in the community.

Student reflections were given by Jaffet Rivera, Jumpstart 9th participant, and Jesus Bueno, Senior Doctors Academy participant and Class of 2013 graduate. Andrea Crittenden, one of the parents also gave an inspiring speech on the positive effects the programs have had on her two children who have participated in several of the HCOP programs.

Dr. Marja Hurley and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra present certificates to high school students graduating from Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative programs. (John Atashian for UConn Health Center)

All of the Senior Doctors Academy graduates will be attending a four year college with six of them enrolling at the University of Connecticut. Ashley Arthur was awarded the John and Valerie Rowe Scholarship. Debby-Ann Jackson was awarded the Friends of the Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs – Boake L. Plessy, Ph.D. Scholarship.

The Aetna HPPI is an education consortium offering a comprehensive program of educational enrichment and support activities to increase the competitive applicant pool of diverse students who are interested in careers in the health industry. The Jumpstart, Junior Doctors and Senior Doctors Academies are part of this comprehensive program of activities conducted by the HCOP Department.

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Stephen Nelson (left) is one of the winners of the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Young Physicians Patient Safety Awards, pictured at the NPSF Patient Safety Congress in New Orleans with Dr. Lucian Leape (center) of the NPSF’s Lucian Leape Institute and Dr. Donald J. Palmisano (right) of The Doctors Company, whose foundation funds the awards, on May 9, 2013. (David Aleman for UConn Health Center)

One of the last things Stephen Nelson did as a student before graduating from the UConn School of Medicine Monday was attend a patient safety conference in New Orleans to accept an award.

Nelson is one of six winners of the Young Physicians Patient Safety Awards, good for a $5,000 cash prize and complimentary travel and registration to the 15th annual National Patient Safety Foundation Patient Safety Congress held last week.

“I became very interested and passionate about it,” Nelson says, after a surgical rotation with Dr. Scott Ellner, director of surgical quality at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center and assistant professor of surgery at the UConn School of Medicine. “I wanted to see patient safety included more in the medical school curriculum.”

He polled his classmates. They agreed.

“More than 80 percent said they were interested,” Nelson says. “They’re interested in learning things like error causation and mitigation, human factor concepts, error disclosure and apology, crucial things like that. We wanted a bigger emphasis. You can always use more.”

Ellner says Nelson was instrumental in helping enhance the medical school’s patient safety curriculum.

“He sees the bigger picture,” Ellner says. “He’s passionate about medicine, and also passionate about doing the right thing for patients at all costs. He just picked it right up. I’m just very proud of him.”

Nelson calls Ellner “a phenomenal role model and a great physician.”

Winners of the Young Physicians Patients Safety Awards are recognized for their “deep personal insight into the significance of patient safety work,” according to the NPSF’s award announcement. Third- and fourth-year medical students and first-year residents who were in hospital settings within the last year were eligible to submit essays on patient safety. The awards are funded by The Doctors Company Foundation in partnership with the NPSF’s Lucian Leape Institute.

Nelson says he’s using use the prize money to take a European vacation with his wife. He then starts an orthopaedics residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

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The Health Center’s 42nd commencement ceremony held today at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford recognized 73 graduates from the School of Medicine, 35 from the School of Dental Medicine and 70 from the Graduate School.

The commencement address guest speaker was Dr. Ferid Murad, a physician, pharmacologist, professor and researcher who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998.

During his speech, Murad told the audience that “I knew at the age of 10 that I was going to become a doctor.” His teacher at the time asked students to write an essay describing their top three career choices. His choices were physician, teacher and pharmacist. Murad has accomplished all three – a board-certified physician and internist doing both basic and clinical research with considerable teaching in medicine and pharmacology, along with earning a Ph.D. in pharmacology.

Murad was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work with nitric oxide and how it acts as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. The discovery not only contributed to a better understanding of how information is transmitted between cells, but also had a significant influence on cardiovascular medicine, leading to changes in treatment following a heart attack. His findings continue to make inroads into cancer and arthritis and other human diseases.

Murad urged the students to work hard and not to worry if it takes a little more time and training to achieve their goals because it will be worth it. “When you finish you may ask yourself how can I pay back? How can you give something back? I like to say, how can you leave a big footprint?”

During the ceremony, Murad was awarded with a Doctor of Science honorary degree.

Also during the ceremony, the Health Center’s Board of Directors presented its Faculty Recognition Award to Mark Litt, professor in the UConn School of Dental Medicine’s Division of Behavioral Sciences and Community Health, who also holds a joint appointment as a professor in the UConn School of Medicine’s Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology. The award honors a faculty member for “outstanding academic and clinical accomplishments and sustained excellence of the highest order in professional endeavors.”

Litt is credited with being an internationally recognized leader in the study of the cognitive, behavioral and affective processes that lead to changes in behavior in areas such as substance abuse, chronic pain and anxiety control.

Three students were chosen by their classmates as commencement speakers. Arija Weddle represented the School of Medicine; Erick Navok spoke on behalf of the School of Dental Medicine; and Kareem Mohni represented the Graduate School students.

Dr. Frank Torti, executive vice president for health affairs and medical school dean, told the students, “Medicine is not a job. Dentistry is not a job. These are professions, these are callings. And there are many forces in health care that will argue otherwise. And you need to resist that. You need to resist that by showing that compassion can not be scheduled in 15-minute intervals. That intellectual curiousity and intensity are lifelong attributes of great physicians. These can not be taken away from you. It is the gift we can give.”

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Dr. Frank Torti, medical school dean and executive vice president for health affairs, delivered the commencement address for one of UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduation ceremonies on Sunday.

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Shawnet Jones

Commencement 2013 marks a milestone for UConn’s John and Valerie Rowe Health Professions Scholars Program for undergraduates.

Monday, Shawnet Jones becomes the first Rowe scholar to graduate from the UConn School of Medicine.

Jones was part of the first class of Rowe Scholars, which helped enable her to attend UConn’s Combined Program in Medicine, starting in 2005 as an undergraduate. She credits the Rowe scholarship and the UConn Health Center’s Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP) as being vital to her growth as a student-turned-physician.

Jones, who says her desire to practice medicine goes “pretty much as far back as I can remember,” moved to the United States from Jamaica at age 3.

“My first exposure I would say is through my grandmother in Texas, who’s a registered nurse,” Jones says. “I remember going on the weekends with her to the hospital and seeing the doctors in their white coats with their stethoscopes. And I loved my pediatrician in Texas, and my one up here, and when I was there I would play with everything they had and always question them about what they were doing. That definitely piqued my interest, and it continued to grow throughout my life.”

By third grade her family had moved to Hartford, where six years later she would attend the private Watkinson School on a full scholarship. As a high school junior, she was interviewing for the Combined Program in Medicine at UConn and elsewhere.

In the summer of 2006, following her freshman year at Storrs, Jones enrolled in the College Enrichment Program, eight weeks of enhancing scientific and mathematics skills, shadowing physicians, and interacting with researchers. In doing so, she entered the pipeline of HCOP offerings for students from groups that are underrepresented in the health professions, made possible by support from the Aetna Foundation. The College Enrichment Program is part of the Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative.

Shawnet Jones (left) speaks with Tianna Edwards, a junior at Hartford’s Watkinson School, after the High School Mini Medical/Dental Program last month. Edwards says the program, one of the UConn Health Center’s Health Career Opportunity Programs, inspired her to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery. (Marlyn Davila/UConn Health Center Photo)

Following her sophomore year, Jones started the 10-week Summer Research Fellowship Program, working with Hector Aguila, associate professor of immunology.

“I was in the lab, culturing cells, and it was good because at the end of that summer I did a presentation of the work that we did and that was actually my first research poster that I’ve done,” Jones says. “That was really my first lab experience, it was through HCOP. And I was then able to use that poster at the New England Scientific Symposium in spring of 2008 that’s hosted by Harvard Medical School.”

Throughout their undergraduate years, Rowe scholars in the Combined Program in Medicine attend professional development programs and enrichment workshops, interacting with medical, dental, and graduate students and faculty. They also are eligible for research funding.

“I would like to acknowledge the wonderful vision of Jack and Valerie Rowe and the Aetna Foundation, whose support has been incalculable in our efforts to encourage urban youth to aspire to careers in the health professions,” says Dr. Marja Hurley, HCOP director.

It’s how Jones, right after her junior year at UConn, ended up on a service learning program in the Dominican Republic, working with Haitian immigrant workers on sugar cane plantations, known as bateys, in the town of La Romana.

“We decided to develop health-related workshops,” Jones says. “We had ones for nutrition, safe sex, and dental hygiene. And we got all the curriculum material together before we went down. We collected donations from churches and other community organizations that we were involved with to bring down clothes and food and money for the people that we’d be working with. And through interpreters we presented these workshops to the families that were living on the bateys. We did that for three weeks.”

She gave a presentation when she returned, and her experience shadowing a missionary in a private Dominican hospital inspired her to write her medical school essay about a patient she met there.

Match Day, March 15: Shawnet Jones (right) learns she’s staying at the UConn Health Center for a family medicine residency. (Janine Gelineau/UConn Health Center Photo)

“That was a huge experience for me,” Jones says. “If it hadn’t been for the Rowe program I wouldn’t have been able to go down there because I didn’t have the funds – definitely one of the highlights of my undergrad program.”

That summer it was back to Aetna HPPI for Track 1 of the Medical/Dental Preparatory Program, a six-week program to prepare for the Medical College Admission Test.

“I took the MCAT that summer, and luckily I got a good enough score that I didn’t have to take it again,” Jones says. “I’m pretty sure that’s because of the HCOP program.”

She returned for Track 2 the following year, 2009, at this point having graduated from UConn with a Bachelor of Science in physiology and neurobiology.

“Essentially for the six weeks we had what would have been the first six weeks of medical school courses and got exposure to the professors who were going to be teaching us in the fall,” Jones says. “It was an abbreviated version of what was coming, but it was still very helpful. There was also shadowing incorporated with that.”

In the summer after her first year in medical school, Jones returned to the Medical/Dental Preparatory Program, this time as an MCAT tutor, working with students who were where she was just two years earlier.

“Through each stage of the HCOP program I had the opportunity to be both a mentor and a mentee,” Jones says. “The people ahead of me would give me advice about things to do, things to study, what to do with my summers when I was off. And as I went through the programs I was able to then pass that on to other students coming after me.”

As time permitted during her medical school years, Jones still involved herself in HCOP programs, sharing her experiences with others in the pipeline.

“The biggest thing that I like to share with others is what I would have liked people to tell me on my journey,” Jones says. “I was very naïve going into my career in medicine.”

Jones isn’t going far after commencement. She matched to the UConn Family Medicine Residency Program.

“I like the diversity of people I will interact with, and it’s really about the relationships,” Jones says. “I want to know my patients as intimately as I know my family. I think that’s the best way that I can provide the best care to them.”

“Shawnet is an excellent role model, Rowe Scholar, and Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative participant, and I am delighted that she will remain at the UConn Health Center for her residency and her plan to serve her community,” Hurley says.

As for others who are considering paths similar to hers, she offers this advice:

“There are not enough minorities, especially minority women, in medicine and the other health fields. There’s definitely a need, and there are programs that want to accept you. So in order to be eligible or look like a great applicant, you need to put in the hard work. You need to study. You need to do the community service. You need to shadow. Shadowing is imperative, because you need to have kind of an idea, a feel for what you’ll be doing in the long run.

“In terms of the economic and social hardships you’ve had to face in the past, don’t let that limit you,” she adds. “I’ve been told many times that you shouldn’t let where you come from dictate where you’re going. Take the past and the history that’s been given to you to empower you and make you stronger. Be proud of where you come from but don’t let it limit the opportunities that you seek for yourself. There are tons of scholarships out there. I didn’t pay for undergrad, I didn’t pay for high school, and I went to a great high school and a great undergrad program. So there are ways to get around those barriers. And when you do get to the programs or the schools that you want, don’t forget about the support systems that have been with you throughout your life.”

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Mark Litt, professor in the UConn School of Dental Medicine’s Division of Behavioral Sciences and Community Health, winner of the 2013 Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award, on April 23, 2013. (Chris DeFrancesco/UConn Health Center Photo)

The winner of this year’s Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award is a professor in both UConn’s dental and medical schools.

Mark Litt is professor in the UConn School of Dental Medicine’s Division of Behavioral Sciences and Community Health, and also holds a joint appointment as a professor in the UConn School of Medicine’s Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“Mark is highly deserving of this recognition,” says Dr. R. Lamont MacNeil, dean of the UConn School of Dental Medicine. “His research work in the areas of substance abuse and chronic pain has been exceptional and he has made important contributions in many other ways to the academic life of the School of Dental Medicine and the Health Center.”

Litt is credited with being an internationally recognized leader in the study of the cognitive, behavioral and affective processes that lead to changes in behavior in areas such as substance abuse, chronic pain and anxiety control.

“Receiving the Faculty Recognition Award is an immense honor,” Litt says. “I am humbled and gratified that my work at the Health Center is being recognized by my peers. This makes me want to work harder to justify this award.”

Litt joined the UConn Health Center in 1986 on a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry. Two years later he was appointed assistant professor in both the medical and dental schools. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1993. He became a full dental professor in 2000 and medical professor in 2008.

Over his Health Center career, Litt has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1991, including eight grants focusing on the cognitive behavioral management of pain and cognitive behavioral intervention in addiction. His commitments to the predoctoral and postdoctoral programs in the dental and medical schools include serving as director of clinical training for the greater Hartford clinical psychology internship program. He has served as course director for the dental practice and professional development curriculum, been a member of more than 20 school and Health Center committees, and has chaired the Senior Appointments and Promotions Committee since 2001. He provides patient consultative services across the Health Center and serves as the dental school’s director of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) research.

Litt earned his M.S., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in psychology from Yale University. He has written 18 book chapters and more than 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts and articles. He has more than 100 scholarly presentations to his credit, has served on the editorial boards of three journals in the field of behavioral medicine, and has been a reviewer for more than 20 scientific journals. He is a fellow of both the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American Psychological Association.

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If you have skin, you’re at risk for melanoma. Even so, 76 percent of Americans have not had a skin cancer check by a dermatologist.

Skin screening is crucial since melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) is curable when caught in the beginning, treatable stages.

At UConn Health Center, dermatologists use a range of technologies to track and visualize changes within the skin, including changes on the cellular level.

Recently, the Health Center became the first dermatology practice in the region to introduce the use of MelaFind, a computer-aided technology that allows dermatologists to see below the skin, evaluate lesions in 3D imaging and determine if a biopsy is necessary.

“This is an amazing technology that can look through the skin and identify the telltale signs of melanoma,” says Dr. Jane Grant-Kels, chair of the Department of Dermatology at the UConn Health Center. “With this technology, patients can be spared needless biopsies. Ultimately, that is easier on patients, as even a small incision can result in pain, scarring or embarrassing bandages.”

Melanoma Most Deadly

All types of skin cancer are serious, though melanoma is the most deadly. Early detection is critical.

Often the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color, or feel of a mole. Most melanomas have a black or black-blue area. Melanoma may also appear as a new mole. It may be black, abnormal, or “ugly looking.”

Thinking of “ABCDE” can help you remember what to watch for:

• Asymmetry – the shape of one half does not match the other
• Border – the edges are ragged, blurred or irregular
• Color – the color is uneven and may include shades of black, brown and tan
• Diameter – there is a change in size, usually an increase
• Evolving – the mole has changed over the past few weeks or months

Surgery is the first treatment of all stages of melanoma. Other treatments include chemotherapy and radiation, biologic, and targeted therapies. Biologic therapy boosts your body’s own ability to fight cancer. Targeted therapy uses substances that attack cancer cells without harming normal cells.

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Rosemary Swanke

Six years into her career as a registered nurse in the UConn Health Center’s intensive care unit, Rosemary Swanke started to blaze a new trail that would define her career.

Twenty years later, in recognition not only of her work as a clinician, but as a pioneer for the role of critical care nurse practitioner, Swanke is one of 10 UConn Health Center nurses to earn a 2013 Nightingale Nurse Award for Excellence in Nursing.

This week, the Health Center is celebrating its Nightingale recipients as part of a larger celebration of National Nurses Week. “Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care” is this year’s theme, chosen by the American Nurses Association, which advances the nursing profession.

Swanke, a member of the first class to graduate from UConn’s Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program, is credited with making the critical care nurse practitioner a mainstay in the UConn Health Center’s intensive care unit.

In 1993, the UConn School of Nursing introduced a master’s program, one of the first of its kind in the U.S., that would produce acute care nurse practitioners. Swanke naturally evolved into a leadership role while helping grow the nurse practitioner role in the ICU. Today she is the lead nurse practitioner, overseeing nine others, in an ICU that most days cares for more than 20 patients.

“I guess I like the adrenaline,” says Swanke, who’s known for her work ethic and her keen awareness of everything that’s happening—or isn’t happening that should be—in the ICU, recognizing patient details that the rounding medical residents, or house staff, might not immediately catch but that could turn out to be crucial.

“Rosemary always puts the patient first, followed by the needs of the overall unit, hospital, and Health Center,” says Ellen Leone, the Health Center’s chief nursing officer. “She has the innate ability to remain calm in any situation. She is a nurse leader in the clinical role. Nothing makes Rosemary happier than to be on duty managing high-acuity patients.”

Swanke says as much as she appreciates the Nightingale honor, she finds special moments with patients and families to be even more rewarding.

“It makes a lot of difference to me when patients and families are happy and they say ‘thank you’ to me and they leave here and, even when somebody has died, they come over and hug me, or they cry on my shoulder sometimes, and they just say thank you.”

Along with Swanke, UConn’s 2013 class of Nightingale nurses includes five others who work on the Health Center’s main campus and four Correctional Managed Health Care nurses. Following are the rest of the honorees, with excerpts from their nominations:

Patricia Ardolino

Patricia Ardolino, Nurse Manager, Diagnostic Imaging & Therapeutics

“As a leader, Patti is very approachable and understanding. The staff feels very comfortable with her and knows that she follows up on all issues presented to her. Regardless of the overwhelming demands of her day, Patti exemplifies professionalism, respect and a commitment of service excellence. Patti truly lives the Nightingale pledge to do all in her power to maintain and elevate the standard and prestige of the nursing profession. Patti’s lifelong legacy would be that every patient and every family member receives her best care and always a smile or a touch, that no one ever be alone or frightened by illness.”

Irene Bent

Irene Bent, Clinical Nurse III, Dermatology

“Without question, Irene is one of the most professional outpatient nurses with whom I have interacted in my 11 years as a dermatologist. Irene is a pleasure to have as a colleague, as she indefatigably multi-tasks from the start of the day until its end, never revealing a hint of frustration or weariness. She has earned the respect of the other nurses and medical assistants in our department. When new nurses have joined our ranks in Dermatology, Irene has trained them and mentored them to advance the success of our team. Simply put, Irene Bent is a model patient-centered nurse and my practice would be immeasurably less enjoyable, efficient and effective without her.”

Jason Cruz

Jason Cruz, Licensed Practical Nurse, Garner Correctional Institution

“Mr. Jason Cruz demonstrates a high level of professionalism, collaboration, caring and support to not only the challenging inmate population he cares for, but with and for, the clinical and custodian team he works with. Mr. Cruz has been assigned to Garner C.I.’s restrictive housing unit, providing care to inmates who present with numerous medical, psychiatric and behavioral issues… Mr. Cruz is part of an important initiative between CMHC and UConn School of Nursing developing correctional nursing competencies within CMHC. He is one of the identified trainers for the newly begun simulation training, which is playing an important role within the correctional healthcare training environment and provides CPR training to employees.”

Matthew Dobos

Matthew Dobos, Correctional Head Nurse, Hartford Correctional Center

“It is indeed a rare individual that possesses both the skills and the enthusiastic willingness to use those skills in multiple leadership roles. Matthew Dobos can be used as an example of an individual that possesses both… Hartford Correctional Center processes thousands of individuals a year. Of those, one third has profound detoxification and complex medical problems and one third has moderate to severe mental health issues. If you mix those problems with medical emergencies that are generated because of those problems, and the constant inmate assaults on one another, it is obvious that only a rare individual has the scope and breadth of experience and knowledge to effectively manage this environment.”

Heidi Greene

Heidi Greene, I.D. Case Manager, MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution

“Heidi is one of a new breed of nurses within the correctional setting. At any given time she oversees the care of 45-50 HIV-positive patients and another 20 Hepatitis C patients, many of whom are in treatment… Her patients trust her and have come to depend on her to assist with navigating the correctional health system… When the outside health care monitors interviewed Heidi they were impressed with her knowledge of pathophysiology and the application of such to her individual patients… In her role of I.D. Nurse Case Manager she has completed long hours of classroom theory and testing. She has a way to make you laugh at yourself and when necessary, the world around you.”

David Kibe

David Kibe, Correctional Head Nurse, Function Unit 10

“Dave is a correctional head nurse who can multi-task and not lose any of the ‘threads’… When a recent nursing supervisor vacancy arose, Dave accepted a temporary transfer to meet the needs of the organization… In accepting this temporary assignment he demonstrated the ability to immediately grasp the role responsibilities of a nursing supervisor without forgetting what it means to be a staff member… His peers find him easy to work with and appreciate his ready smile and easy going nature… Dave is a true example of nursing professionalism, exhibiting genuine concern for both patients and staff… He is an example of someone who brings positive change to the correctional nursing scene and gently inspires others to follow.”

Dawn McCarthy

Dawn McCarthy, Clinical Nurse III, Adult Intensive Care Unit

“Beyond the call… Not a day goes by in the ICU where Dawn doesn’t go beyond the call of duty. She advocates, teaches, mentors, brings issues to the forefront of staff minds and is the consummate role model. Dawn is a quiet, competent worker with the experiential knowledge and confidence to obtain optimal outcomes on a daily basis. She exhibits pride every shift she works about the nursing care she provides, the ICU and the Health Center as a whole, which does not go unnoticed by her patients and her peers. Dawn interacts with her patients holistically, with a sense of vigilance, engagement and responsiveness. She demonstrates exemplary caring practice for the entire family not just the patient in the bed.”

Robin Menasian

Robin Menasian, Clinical Nurse II, Oncology

“Great nurses take care of their patients, their fellow nurses and the whole organization they work in. Robin Menasian is a great bedside nurse who has been caring for fragile cancer patients for over 23 years. What makes Robin so special is how she cares for everyone around her. She is one of the kindest nurses you will ever meet. She always promotes a ‘can do’ attitude. Robin is selfless. She always advocates for her patients and her co-workers. Robin is a dedicated, compassionate caregiver, a teacher, an advocate, the ultimate role model, and a friend. Every day she demonstrates an optimistic attitude, professional behavior and enthusiasm when engaging her patients.”

Andrea Moran

Andrea Moran, Nurse Practitioner, Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center

“Andrea has continued to provide valuable continuity for her patients for more than 15 years. She shows her dedication and love for oncology patients daily. She is truly talented in displaying compassion for her patients as well as educating them on their disease and treatment. Andrea takes that little extra step that makes patients (especially oncology patients) feel comfortable and at ease with their often scary diagnosis. She is a role model; she makes everyone around her better. Andrea consistently exhibits professionalism, humility, and selflessness. She works seamlessly with six providers and this is clearly an example of ‘excellence beyond the norm.’”

The 2013 honorees will be recognized at the annual Nightingale Awards dinner Thursday night at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.

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Sharon Voyer Lavigne

As Mother’s Day approaches, the University of Connecticut Health Center announces MotherToBaby CT, the new name of its free, statewide counseling service that connects experts in the field of birth defects research with moms-to-be and the general public. MotherToBaby CT is formerly known as the Connecticut Pregnancy Exposure Information Service.

“Obtaining reliable and current information about the risks of medications, drugs, alcohol, chemicals and environmental exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding is difficult to locate,” says Sharon Voyer Lavigne, MotherToBaby CT coordinator. “We live in an age of online information; however, it is often confusing and misleading. MotherToBaby CT can provide women and health care providers the expert data and current research necessary for them to make educated health decisions.”

Approximately 50 percent of women report taking at least one medication during pregnancy. “Many women don’t find out that they are pregnant until about one to two weeks after they miss their period,” says Voyer Lavigne. “During this time, a woman could have been exposed to potentially harmful substances. This scenario often creates a lot of anxiety about the well being of her baby.”

To be connected with MotherToBaby experts, call its phone counseling service toll-free at (866) 626-6847, in the Hartford area at 860-523-6419.

In addition to a pregnant woman’s primary health care provider, MotherToBaby CT experts offer an added layer of support by providing her with an individualized risk assessment so she may make informed health decisions.

MotherToBaby CT is an affiliate of the international non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), a prestigious professional society that supports and contributes to worldwide initiatives for teratology education and research. MotherToBaby affiliates and OTIS, which are suggested resources by many agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are dedicated to providing evidence-based information to mothers, health care professionals, and the general public about medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

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The first entirely new structure in the series of campus renovations known collectively as Bioscience Connecticut is officially open.

A four-deck parking garage now stands on what used to be the I Lot in front of the main building. Known as Garage 3, it has 403 spaces, currently assigned to faculty and staff displaced by construction of the new hospital tower, which starts this month.

The garage ultimately will be open to a mixed population of faculty, staff, patients and visitors, later in the campus construction process. Until then, patients and visitors will continue to use the free valet parking service.

“Garage 3 is the first phase of the hospital patient tower project,” says Tom Trutter, associate vice president for campus planning, design and construction. “The completion of the garage and site work is an important first milestone for Bioscience Connecticut, marking the first completed structure on time and on budget.”

Work on Garage 3, which is designed to complement the architecture of the new hospital tower and the existing main building, started last summer.

“Garage 3 is designed for LEED Silver standards, including energy efficient LED lighting, and bike racks,” Trutter says.

Later this year, the lower campus garage, to be known as Garage 1, will open, adding more than 1,200 additional spaces.

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Are you wrecking your teeth without even knowing it? For instance, chewing on ice or opening stuff with your teeth may be convenient but using your teeth as tools can cause them to crack or chip.

Dr. Sarita Arteaga, associate professor in the Department of Reconstructive Sciences with the UConn School of Dental Medicine, says while some of these dental health “don’ts” can do immediate damage to your teeth (by cracking or breaking them), the effects of others may add up over time, harming your dental health in the long run.

Don’t Brush Too Hard

Brushing your teeth regularly is part of good oral hygiene, but if you brush too vigorously, you can cause more harm than good. Brushing your teeth too hard can wear down enamel, irritate your gums, make your teeth sensitive to cold, and even cause cavities.

Do You Crunch on Ice? Cool It

Ice cubes may seem harmless, but the cold temperature and the hardness of ice cubes can cause serious damage to your teeth. Our teeth are designed to crush through things, not against something.

Refrain from Jaw Clenching and Tooth Grinding

For some people, stress can trigger frequent clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth. There is a severe amount of pressure on your teeth when you do that, and you can get microfractures or actual fractures in your teeth. Microfractures are weakened areas in your teeth that put them at risk for further damage. Jaw clenching or tooth grinding can also damage dental work.

Your Teeth Are Not a Tool

Many people use their teeth to break off a tag on clothing, rip open a package of potato chips, or even unscrew bottle tops. But teeth are not pliers, teeth are not hooks. Using your teeth as a tool is a threat to dental health and can damage dental work or cause your teeth to crack.

Boycott Nail Biting

Biting your nails doesn’t just harm the appearance of your hands — it can also damage your teeth and become an oral hygiene issue. Regularly biting your nails can cause your teeth to move out of place. In addition, nail biting could potentially cause teeth to break or tooth enamel to splinter.

Say No to Soda and Sugar

Carbonated drinks can be bad for your teeth, because they tend to be very acidic. The effects of soda on teeth are even worse if you slowly sip it over a long period of time.The acidity in soda can lead to dental health problems such as decay around your gum line and loss of enamel.

The longer sugar stays in your mouth, the worse it is. Sugar is consumed by acid-producing bacteria in your mouth. The acids eat away at tooth enamel. Avoid foods like jelly candies, which stick in your teeth longer than other foods and bathe them in sugar. Dried fruit such as raisins are no better. Reach for fresh fruit instead.

Use Toothpicks Carefully

When used properly, toothpicks can help keep the areas between your teeth clean. If you do it carefully, using toothpicks is helpful. If you don’t, you are going to hurt your gum tissue. So be careful not to get too aggressive with that toothpick in your quest for oral hygiene. Nothing you do to your teeth or gums should ever hurt — if it does, it may be damaging your teeth.

Oral Piercings

If you pierce your tongue, lips, cheeks or uvula (the tiny tissue that hangs at the back of the throat,) it can interfere with speech, chewing or swallowing. It may also cause damage to gums, teeth and fillings. A common habit of biting or playing with the piercing can injure your gums and lead to cracked, scratched or sensitive teeth. Piercings can also damage fillings.

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Kareem Mohni

Kareem Mohni says he did most of his qualifying exam for the University of Connecticut’s Ph.D. program while sitting at his mother’s hospital bedside as she battled uterine cancer.

“I’d go there at noon to be with my mother and I’d type in the room all day until my father got out of work to join us,” says Mohni.

Mohni, this year’s commencement speaker for the graduate school, is coincidentally doing his postdoctorate fellowship researching cancer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

The New Milford native graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology and immediately began the Ph.D. program for biomedical sciences with a concentration in molecular biology and biochemistry in 2007.

“I’m interested in DNA replication and DNA repair,” he says.

Mohni did his Ph.D. research in the lab of Sandra Weller, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, at the Health Center. Weller’s lab studies the replication of the herpes simplex virus and how it disables cellular DNA repair proteins to promote its own replication. The title of his thesis is Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Disables Cellular ATR-mediated DNA Damage Signaling.

Mohni says he really enjoyed working for Weller because she offered her students the freedom to follow their own ideas and because she created a work environment that “fostered great science.” He said the department offered a “very strong training plan” for its graduate students and the professors were readily available to assist with projects.

“She taught me to be a great scientist. While in Weller’s lab I published three first-author papers on my thesis research and I currently have another first author paper under review at a journal. During this time I attended seven science conferences and received travel awards to pay for me to go to many of them,” he says.

Mohni says he submitted all his paperwork for the Ph.D. program in September of last year and began his job at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center October 1.

“The research being done in the department ranges from how things normally happen in the body all the way to personalizing new treatments based on research,” says Mohni.

Mohni’s interest in research started when he was in high school and became involved with a work-study program that met once a week for two months. He says there were about four students from each area high school involved.

He then did a summer internship before his first semester of college at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals in Ridgefield, where he continued to intern every summer until he graduated with his bachelor’s degree.

“I had a great mentor there named Janice Brickwood. She knew how much I loved science and she’s the one who encouraged me to immediately get my Ph.D. and not take time off after I earned my undergraduate degree. We still keep in touch,” says Mohni.

Outside of the laboratory, Mohni says he used to volunteer every other weekend at the Animal Welfare Society in New Milford, which focuses on rescuing animals and finding them new homes.

“It’s one of the activities I really enjoy outside of the lab – helping animals and interacting with other volunteers,” he says.

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Nutrition for a Healthy Heart
Wednesday, May 1, 2 to 4 p.m., UConn Health Center, Dowling North Building
The UConn Health Center’s Healthy Nutrition program invites you on a journey to a lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol and healthier weight. This workshop is offered on the first Wednesday of the month. Registration fee is $30. Call 800-535-6232 for more information.

Free Program: “Non-prescription Ways to Improve Your Cholesterol Levels”
Wednesday, May 1, 7 to 8 p.m., UConn Health Center, Keller Auditorium
Physician assistant Bradley Biskup of the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center’s Lifestyle Modification Program discusses the effects of exercise and diet on cholesterol and cholesterol-lowering supplements such as fish oil. Seating is limited. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Free IVF Information Session
Thursday, May 2, 6 to 8:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Conference Room EG052
Specialists with the Center for Advanced Reproductive Services lead an informational session about current treatments for infertility, specifically in vitro fertilization (IVF). Each program includes an in-depth explanation of the IVF process, discussion of some of the emotional issues surrounding IVF, and discussion of options for financial planning. Registration is required: 860-679-4580 or www.uconnfertility.com.

Childbirth Preparation Class
Saturday, May 4, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., UConn Health Center, Onyiuke Dining Room
This one-day class covers anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and labor, emotions of pregnancy, nutrition, fetal growth and development, comfort measures for labor, working with unexpected events in labor, cesarean delivery, and practice of relaxation and breathing techniques for labor. Class size is limited to eight couples. Remember to bring two pillows and wear comfortable clothing. Light snack is provided. Fee is $100. Call 800-535-6232 or 860-679-7692 to register or for more information.

Walk for Bladder Cancer
Saturday, May 4, 1 p.m., Farmington River Trail Walk, 352 Collinsville Road, Farmington
Proceeds from this national effort to raise awareness of bladder cancer benefit the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network’s research and patient support programs, which include the UConn Health Center’s bladder cancer support group. Call 860-933-8147 or email khuestis734@charter.net for more information.

Bladder Cancer Support Group
Saturday, May 4, 3 to 4 p.m., UConn Health Center, Onyiuke Dining Room
Patients, family members and caregivers (not limited to UConn Health Center patients) are invited to join others whose lives have been touched by bladder cancer. This support group, established in partnership with the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, usually meets on the first Saturday of the month and is the only group of its kind in New England. Call 860-679- 6580 or email sampson@uchc.edu for more information.

Celiac Disease Nutrition Class
Wednesday, May 8, 9 to 10 a.m., Dowling North Medical Building, 3rd floor
A registered dietitian leads a discussion for those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This is a new program scheduled to meet the second Wednesday of the month. Fee is $20. Call 800-535-6232 or 860-679-7692 to register or for more information.

Ayurveda & Wellness Series: “Cooling Herbs for Summer”
Thursday, May 9, 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., UConn Health Center, Conference Room EG013
Learn about the medicinal properties of cooling herbs and how to use them for your health and wellness. Recipes for preparation will be discussed along with their health benefits. Registration fee is $30. Please email aguha@att.net to register or for more information.

Free Ayurveda & Wellness Program: “Breathe to Relax”
Thursday, May 9, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Room EG013
This supportive care program for cancer patients and their caregivers is designed to help relieve stress and impart relaxation with techniques adopted from Ayurvedic yogic practices with scientifically proven benefits. The sessions generally meet every other Thursday. Please email aguha@att.net for more information, including what to bring. Register by calling 800-535-6232.

Breast-feeding Class
Thursday, May 9, 7 to 9 p.m., UConn Health Center, Onyiuke Dining Room
A certified lactation consultant leads a discussion of topics including the benefits of breast-feeding, how to get started, and how the rest of the family can help the breast-feeding mother as well as how to continue breast-feeding and working. Classes usually are held on the first Thursday of the month. Fee is $20. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Free Cosmetology Services for Cancer Survivors
Monday, May 13, noon to 2 p.m., UConn Health Center, Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center
“Look Good…Feel Better” is a free program to help improve the self-image and self-esteem of women experiencing appearance-related side effects from cancer treatment. During this hands-on workshop, a trained volunteer certified cosmetologist will offer self-help instruction and education on hairstyling and coping with hair loss, skin care, makeup and nail care. Wigs, turbans and scarves will also be discussed. Classes are offered monthly, generally on the third Tuesday, and are not limited to UConn Health Center patients. Registration is required: call 860-679-7820 with your name, program date, phone number, and skin color. Kits are available in Light, Medium, Dark and Extra Dark.

(time updated 5/13)
New “Ready to Lose” Weight Management Program Starts
Tuesday, May 14, 4 to 5 p.m. 5 to 6 p.m., UConn Health Center, Dowling North, 3rd floor
This is an introductory session that includes an individualized healthy meal plan from registered dietitians, both traditional and a new shake plan. Six weekly sessions follow and include a weigh-in, discussion of progress, and a timely nutrition topic such as eating out strategies, cooking light and right, emotional eating, exercise and activity, smart shopping, and summer holiday eating. Registration fee is $70, $50 for past participants. Call 800-535-6232 for more information.

(as of 5/7, this program is full, now with a wait list)
Free Discovery Series: “Hijacked by Your Brain”
Tuesday, May 14, 7 to 9 p.m., Keller Auditorium
Psychiatry professor Julian Ford discusses what causes us to feel stress, how to stop and think before reacting to stressful situations, and stress management techniques. Register online, for free, at http://discoveryseries.uchc.edu or call 800-535-6232.

Free Program: “Non-prescription Ways to Improve Your Cholesterol Levels”
Thursday, May 16, Noon to 1 p.m., Southington Library, 255 Main St., Southington
Physician assistant Bradley Biskup of the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center’s Lifestyle Modification Program discusses the effects of exercise and diet on cholesterol and cholesterol-lowering supplements such as fish oil. Seating is limited. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

(location updated 5/10)
Free IVF Information Session
Thursday, May 16, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Cell and Genome Science Building, 400 Farmington Ave.
Specialists with the Center for Advanced Reproductive Services lead an informational session about current treatments for infertility, specifically in vitro fertilization (IVF). Each program includes an in-depth explanation of the IVF process, discussion of some of the emotional issues surrounding IVF, and discussion of options for financial planning. Registration is required: 860-679-4580 or www.uconnfertility.com.

Free Workshop: “Spiritual Conclave: Mind, Matter and Consciousness”
Friday, May 17, 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., UConn Health Center, Conference Room EG013
Spiritual Conclave provides a platform for discussions on global issues, various aspects of mind, matter and consciousness (mind, body and spirit), spirituality, preservation of nature, natural phenomena, health, healing and wellness incorporating science, philosophy, humanity and research. Registration is not required. Please email aguha@att.net for more information.

Ayurveda & Wellness Series: “Herbs for Aging”
Friday, May 17, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Conference Room EG013
Learn the anti-aging properties of selected herbs and how to use them along with some of the techniques to improve memory, vitality and vigor. Registration fee is $30. Please email aguha@att.net to register or for more information.

Free Hospital Maternity Tours
Saturday, May 18, 2:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Main Lobby
A representative will guide you through labor and delivery, postpartum, and the nursery at John Dempsey Hospital. Children and grandparents are welcome. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Ayurveda & Wellness Series: “Healing Tea”
Thursday, May 23, 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., UConn Health Center, Conference Room EG013
Learn the medicinal properties of various herbal teas, how to prepare them and when to use them. Registration fee is $30. Please email aguha@att.net to register or for more information.

Free Ayurveda & Wellness Program: “Breathe to Relax”
Thursday, May 23, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Room EG013
This supportive care program for cancer patients and their caregivers is designed to help relieve stress and impart relaxation with techniques adopted from Ayurvedic yogic practices with scientifically proven benefits. The sessions generally meet every other Thursday. Please email aguha@att.net for more information, including what to bring. Register by calling 800-535-6232.

Melanoma Awareness Day
Wednesday, May 29, UConn Health Center Dermatology Associates, 21 South Road
In observance of Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, the UConn Health Center Department of Dermatology will provide free MelaFind screenings with a scheduled medical office visit May 29. Referral is needed. Please call 800-535-6232 to make an appointment or for more information.

(listing removed 5/3)
Head and Neck Cancer Support Group
Wednesday, May 29, 5 to 6 p.m., UConn Health Center, Onyiuke Dining Room
Patients, family members and caregivers (not limited to UConn Health Center patients) are invited to join this new forum for those affected by head and neck cancers, generally held on the last Wednesday of the month. Light snacks will be provided. Please call 860-679-3066 or email tawfik-yonkers@uchc.edu to RSVP or for more information.

(listing removed 5/3)
Gynecological Cancer Support Group
Thursday, May 30, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Onyiuke Dining Room
Patients, family members and caregivers (not limited to UConn Health Center patients) are invited to join this forum for those affected by gynecological cancers, such as ovarian, endometrial, cervical, fallopian tube, or peritoneal, which generally meets the last Thursday of the month. In collaboration with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, this will be a place to share experiences and information and provide a supportive community. Please call 860-679-1144 or email mparente@uchc.edu to RSVP or for more information.

(location updated 5/10)
Free IVF Information Session
Thursday, May 30, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Cell and Genome Science Building, 400 Farmington Ave.
Specialists with the Center for Advanced Reproductive Services lead an informational session about current treatments for infertility, specifically in vitro fertilization (IVF). Each program includes an in-depth explanation of the IVF process, discussion of some of the emotional issues surrounding IVF, and discussion of options for financial planning. Registration is required: 860-679-4580 or www.uconnfertility.com.

Bladder Cancer Support Group
Saturday, June 1, 3 to 4 p.m., UConn Health Center, Onyiuke Dining Room
Patients, family members and caregivers (not limited to UConn Health Center patients) are invited to join others whose lives have been touched by bladder cancer. This support group, established in partnership with the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, usually meets on the first Saturday of the month and is the only group of its kind in New England. Call 860-679- 6580 or email sampson@uchc.edu for more information.

Infant Care Class
Monday, June 3, 7 to 9 p.m., UConn Health Center, Onyiuke Dining Room
Offered for expectant parents and caregivers, the discussion topics include appearance and behavior of the newborn, car seat and home safety issues, well child care and the importance of immunizations, choosing a pediatrician, and practice with diapering and bathing a newborn. Classes usually are held on the second Monday of every month. Fee is $20. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Nutrition for a Healthy Heart
Wednesday, June 5, 2 to 4 p.m., UConn Health Center, Dowling North Building
The UConn Health Center’s Healthy Nutrition program invites you on a journey to a lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol and healthier weight. This workshop is offered on the first Wednesday of the month. Registration fee is $30. Call 800-535-6232 for more information.

(location updated 5/10)
Free IVF Information Session
Thursday, June 6, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Cell and Genome Science Building, 400 Farmington Ave.
Specialists with the Center for Advanced Reproductive Services lead an informational session about current treatments for infertility, specifically in vitro fertilization (IVF). Each program includes an in-depth explanation of the IVF process, discussion of some of the emotional issues surrounding IVF, and discussion of options for financial planning. Registration is required: 860-679-4580 or www.uconnfertility.com.

Breast-feeding Class
Thursday, June 6, 7 to 9 p.m., UConn Health Center, Onyiuke Dining Room
A certified lactation consultant leads a discussion of topics including the benefits of breast-feeding, how to get started, and how the rest of the family can help the breast-feeding mother as well as how to continue breast-feeding and working. Classes usually are held on the first Thursday of the month. Fee is $20. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Free Hospital Maternity Tours
Saturday, June 8, 2:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Main Lobby
A representative will guide you through labor and delivery, postpartum, and the nursery at John Dempsey Hospital. Children and grandparents are welcome. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Celiac Disease Nutrition Class
Wednesday, June 12, 9 to 10 a.m., Dowling North Medical Building, 3rd floor
A registered dietitian leads a discussion for those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This is a new program scheduled to meet the second Wednesday of the month. Fee is $20. Call 800-535-6232 or 860-679-7692 to register or for more information.

Directions to the UConn Health Center are available at www.uchc.edu/directions/index.html.

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The UConn School of Medicine presented awards and recognitions to faculty, staff and students during a special ceremony held Monday in Keller Auditorium.

The Loeser, CAMEL and teaching awards are announced each spring but this year the annual event was greatly expanded to include awards that also recognize students and staff (see entire list below).

Third-year medical student, Christopher Steele, and Dr. Suzanne Rose, senior associate dean for education, formulated the idea for a larger event while Jeffrey Simon, UConn Alumni Foundation, helped sponsor it along with the School of Medicine.

The event honored students in the first through third years of medical school. Fourth-year students will be honored at the Senior Awards Luncheon on Friday, May 10.

Dr. Karen Hook, hematologist and medical oncologist in the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, received this year’s Loeser Award.

The Loeser award is given to the faculty member who has the ability to evoke in students an enthusiasm for learning, a desire to emulate their own attributes of scholarly curiosity, and to give wholeheartedly to advance the welfare and education of their students. The award is named after Charles N. Loeser, one of the Health Center’s most popular and respected first faculty members.

“I am honored, flattered, surprised, and shocked to receive this award. It means a lot to me as a proud graduate of this medical school,” said Hook after receiving the award. “Many of my professors and mentors were in that room and I felt that this award was a reflection on them. They are the ones that made me into the faculty member I am today. I am very grateful for the education I received at UConn and for the opportunity to give back to the students.”

Runners-up for the Loeser award were James Watras, Yvonne Grimm-Jorgensen, Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, and Dr. Easwar Natarajan.

The Committee Award for Meritorious Educational Leadership (C.A.M.E.L.) was given to Mechanisms of Disease-2 (MOD-2) directed by Dr. Raymond Foley, associate professor of medicine. The C.A.M.E.L. is given to the subject committee that “promotes a stimulating learning experience and, in its organization, presentation of material and overall level of teaching, has afforded the students an invaluable opportunity to learn and understand basic medical sciences.”

2013 Spring Awards Night Winners

Community Service

This award is given to a student who has contributed through volunteer work, outreach, education, or free clinic activities.

Ela Banerjee

Student Leadership Award

This award recognizes students who displays vision, genuine commitment, diplomacy, creativity, motivation, and selflessness.

Year 1: Mary Cearley
Year 2: Rose Barham, Melina Benson, Melissa Dion, Robyn Smith
Year 3: Katelyn Dannheim, Ray Lorenzoni

Outstanding Service to Fellow Students

This award recognizes a student who has contributed meaningfully to improving the lives of fellow classmates by boosting morale, showing genuine concern for others, informally tutoring other students, sharing resources, or assisting in other positive ways.

Year 1: Shirin Karimim, Adam Kaye, Minnie Yordon
Year 2: Rose Barham, Russell Bratman, Christina Toutoungi
Year 3: Christine Shapter, Christopher Steele
MD/Ph.D. Program: Alex Adami

Outstanding Student Teaching Award

This award is given to a 2nd or 3rd year student who has given himself/herself selflessly by acting as a teaching assistant or tutor for the first year courses. Not only has he or she displayed outstanding skills as a teacher, but has devoted time and energy to enhancing the learning process of the first year class through engagement in review sessions, labs, and tutoring.

Eric Smith- School of Dental Medicine Second Year

Art of Medicine Award

This award honors a student who demonstrates an exceptional ability to blend his/her medical knowledge with an innate, compassionate understanding of the human condition. He or she brings professionalism, sensitivity and creativity to patient encounters, takes extra time to appreciate the patient as his or her own individual, and is attuned to the multi-dimensional aspects of healing. This student makes a smooth, seamless transition from bench-to-bedside and sets a high standard for humanistic patient care.  This student also has demonstrated the personal qualities and values related to professionalism—respect for peers and faculty, collegiality, integrity, competence, maturity, team spirit, diplomacy, and sense of responsibility.

Dylan Graetz
Rebecca Kosowicz
David Ozimek

Renaissance Award

This award recognizes a student who has supplemented his or her medical education with an enrichment of the Arts, Literature, and Culture, by going the extra mile in devoting his or her time to an extracurricular activity. This student takes an active role in music, art, theater, literature, athletics, or interesting hobbies, and recognizes the important place that these activities have in our lives. This student truly exemplifies a “Renaissance Person” in the UConn community.

Barbara Coons
Katelyn Dannheim
Shirin Karimi

Inspiration Award

This award recognizes a student who inspires his or her peers to be better healthcare providers. This student sets a positive example by his or her dedication, diligence, and concern for patient welfare. He or she displays an intuitive understanding of medicine along with a compassionate, graceful approach toward patient care. This student exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding leader and professional, and embodies what it means to be a team player.

Christine Crawford
Joanne Cyganowski
Dylan Graetz

Outstanding Research Award

This award recognizes a student who has made significant contribution to the field of clinical research and/or to the field of laboratory research.

Lauren Grandpre
Shaun McLaughlin
Hardeep Singh

Outstanding Inpatient Clinical Preceptor

Outstanding Inpatient Clinical Preceptor  Eligibility: Preceptor from an inpatient setting in a third year rotation. Student nomination for an outstanding inpatient clinical preceptor who, as an educator, has exemplified leadership, service and professionalism.

Leighton Huey, MD
Chris Morosky, MD

Outstanding Outpatient Clinical Preceptor

Outstanding Outpatient Clinical Preceptor Eligibility: Preceptor from an outpatient setting in a third year rotation. Student nomination for an outstanding outpatient clinical preceptor who, as an educator, has exemplified leadership, service and professionalism.

Anton Alerte, MD
Kenia Mansilla-Rivera, MD
Lisa Menillo, MD
Catherine Holmes, MD

First Year Teaching Award

John Harrison, Ph.D.
James Watras, Ph.D.
Thomas Manger, MD, Ph.D.
Richard Zeff, Ph.D.
Richard Lindquist, MD

Graduate Medical Education Awards

Outstanding Resident

Oli Francis, MD

Outstanding Staff
Mark Siraco

Outstanding Faculty
Steven Angus, MD

Senior Associate Dean’s Awards

Individual Award
Donna McKenty

Team Award
Video Communications

Student Government Appreciation Award
Michael Blechner, MD
Lisa Francini
Karen Hook, MD

School of Medicine Staff Awards

Professionalism Award
Jan Figueora
Christine McNally

Staff Star
Suzanne Gregorczyk

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