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Story Ideas from the Johns Hopkins' "A Woman's Journey" Conference - 01/10/2008

Story Ideas from the Johns Hopkins' "A Woman's Journey" Conference

Release Date: January 10, 2008

Johns Hopkins Medicine is hosting its first Palm Beach area symposium on women’s health and new advances in preventing, detecting and treating women’s diseases on Thursday, Jan. 24.  Called “A Woman's Journey” (AWJ), the event will be held from 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Raymond F. Kravis Center’s Cohen Pavilion.

Lillie D. Shockney, R.N., B.S., M.A.S., administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center and assistant professor of surgery, gynecology and obstetrics, will share her personal story of how she survived breast cancer in her poignant but humorous presentation titled “Stealing Second Base.” Shockney has written five books and many articles on breast cancer and is a nationally recognized advocate for women with the disease.  She serves on the medical advisory board of several national breast cancer organizations and is the co-founder and vice president of Mothers Supporting Daughters with Breast Cancer, a national nonprofit organization.

Other seminars include:

THE NEW SCIENCE OF EPIGENETICS
A relatively new field of science, epigenetics may hold the key to many diseases.  Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in genetic material that are not changes in the sequence of the DNA; these could include the addition of chemical tags onto DNA or otherwise altering the quality of chromosomes.  Steven Desiderio, M.D., professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and director of the Immunobiology Program at the Institute for Cell Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, reveals how we may inherit unique traits that are not in our DNA but may nevertheless have great impact on our health.

THE IMPACT OF LIFE EVENTS
Each of us differs in how we react to trauma, loss and other stressors.  While most reactions become less intense and painful over time, aspects of stress may persist for decades.  J. Raymond DePaulo, M.D., the Henry Phipps Professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins, probes the brain’s response to stress and methods of diagnosis and treatment for emotional distress.

POWER FOODS
Is it too good to be true? Are chocolate and wine really good for us?  Learn about the properties of antioxidants, photochemicals and other nutrients, and the relationship between good eating and good health.  Lynda McIntyre, R.D., L.D., a clinical dietitian specialist at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, lists foods to improve your health and serves up tips for grocery shopping and food preparation.

TO HEAR AGAIN
The number of Americans experiencing hearing loss has doubled in the last 30 years. The loss of this essential sense can have a profound impact on individuals and those around them.  John Niparko, M.D., director of the Division of Otology, Audiology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery and director of The Listening Center, reveals new advances — including an implantable hearing aid — that may help overcome hearing loss as we age.

GETTING TO THE HEART OF A WOMAN’S HEART
The leading cause of death among women is heart disease, yet many are unaware of the risk factors and symptoms unique to women.  Wendy Post, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology in the Division of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and cardiologist at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease and the Echocardiography Laboratory, will outline ways to reduce your risk of heart disease and highlight details on the common risk factors, symptoms and treatments for heart disease in women.

WILL CANCER BE CURED IN OUR LIFETIME?
Drew Pardoll, M.D., professor of oncology, medicine, pathology, and molecular biology and genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Suzanne Topalian, M.D., professor of surgery and oncology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of the melanoma program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, highlight recent developments and new prevention and treatment strategies that recruit the body’s own immune system to fight melanoma and other types of cancer. 

SENIOR MOMENTS
Minor changes in memory accompany normal aging.  Constantine G. Lyketsos, M.D., chair of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and vice chair of psychiatry for Johns Hopkins Medicine, defines “senior moments” and how they differ from other potentially more serious conditions and offers tips that can be used to minimize memory lose.  Anxiety and common diseases that can cause or worsen memory impairment also will be discussed.

LUNCHTIME LIFTS
Michele Shermak, M.D., associate professor and chief of plastic surgery at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, discusses the latest in minimally invasive treatments available for facial rejuvenation and body contouring, including Botox, fillers, smoothers, tightners and thinners.  Ideal applications, potential risks and realistic expectations will be discussed.

JOINT PAIN  – WHY WE HURT AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control projects a nationwide surge in the prevalence of arthritis, the leading cause of disability and limited activity among American adults.  Ira T. Fine, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, delineates the major types of arthritis and provides medical and complementary therapies and ways to reduce pain.

TAKING CONTROL
Women experience incontinence twice as often as men. Pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, and the structure of the female urinary tract account for this difference. James Wright, M.D., assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of neurourolgy and chief of urology at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, provides options for evaluation and treatments for bladder control in women, highlights the risk factors and causes of urinary incontinence, and provides important steps to maintain bladder control.

For the Media

Media Contact:

John M. Lazarou
Phone (410) 502-8902
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