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FARMINGTON, CONN. – The University of Connecticut Health Center offers several Ayurveda events to the public in April and May. Ayurveda is the ancient Indian art of healing that blends science, philosophy and spirituality.
- Cultivating Healthy Living II, Mondays, April 12, 19 and 26, 6 to 7 p.m., UConn Health Center, Conference Room EG-013.
Learn techniques to coordinate mind, body and spirit, and develop self awareness and resilience, including relaxation, subtle energy and cosmic connections, and maintaining positive relationships. Registration fee is $90. - From Spirituality to Superconsciousness, April 16 to 18, Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.
This is a weekend retreat with Amala Guha, director of the UConn School of Medicine’s Complementary Alternative Supportive Care Program, at the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Institute of Vedanta and Sanskrit in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. Learn ways to transform thoughts and habits for change. The focus will be on scientific coordination of mind, matter and spirit to achieve total awareness of self and our relationship with the universe. Registration fee is $170. - Introduction to “Mandalas”: Sacred Symbols of Imagery/Healing, Friday, April 23, 6 to 7 p.m., UConn Health Center, Conference Room EG-013.
Learn about mandalas found in the natural world around us, how they have been used throughout history and across cultures, and how in today’s pluralistic setting of multi-faiths and non-faith they remain universal. Origin and history of mandalas also will be discussed. Please bring a set of coloring pencils. Registration fee is $35. - A Journey Through Colors of Mandala, Friday, May 14, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Conference Room EG-013.
Learn about the revelation of colors in mandalas and their relationship to Ayurvedic neurophysiology (Chakras): a meeting of physics, philosophy, psychology and art. Design your own mandala and learn to reveal the mystical self. Please bring a set of coloring pencils. Registration fee is $45.
The deadline for advanced registration is seven days prior to the start date. For registration information, please call 860-561-4857 or e-mail aguha@att.net. More information about the Complementary Alternative Supportive Care Program is available at http://casc.uchc.edu.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about the UConn Health Center is available at a href="http://www.uchc.edu/">www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of Communications home page at today.uchc.edu for archived news releases and other information.
FARMINGTON, CONN. – Dr. Joseph Piecuch is now seeing patients in the Center for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry at the University of Connecticut Health Center.
Piecuch, formerly a tenured associate professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, is back at the Health Center as a clinical professor after 25 years in private practice in Avon. He holds a doctorate of dental medicine from Harvard and medical degree from the University of Washington, specialty trained at the University of Washington and the Gemeente Ziekenhuis in the Netherlands, and is a veteran of active service in the United States Air Force. He has served as president of the Hartford Dental Society and the Connecticut Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Piecuch has published more than 100 scientific articles, abstracts, and textbook chapters, has been the editor of two review textbooks, and currently is editor of “The Communicator,” the publication of the Connecticut State Dental Association. He also is associate editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. His research interests have included bone grafting, manufactured bone substitutes, and reconstructive surgery of the jaws.
Piecuch is a resident of Simsbury.
More information about the Center for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry, part of the New England Musculoskeletal Institute, is available at http://dentalimplants.uchc.edu. To make an appointment, call 860-679-7600 or e-mail dentalimplants@uchc.edu.
Photo: http://today.uchc.edu/images/news/piecuch.jpg
Caption: Dr. Joseph Piecuch is seeing patients in the Center for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry at the UConn Health Center.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about the UConn Health Center is available at a href="http://www.uchc.edu/">www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of Communications home page at today.uchc.edu for archived news releases and other information.
Connecticut High School Students Will Get Diplomas Following 8-Week Program
FARMINGTON, CONN. – More than 80 juniors and seniors from high schools throughout Connecticut are taking part in this year’s High School Mini Medical/Dental School Program at the University of Connecticut Health Center.
Since March 4, the students have been meeting on Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m., each time hearing two one-hour presentations on varying health and science topics. Sixty-five students participate in person at the Health Center’s Low Learning Center; 21 others join remotely via webcast. The program runs through April 22, when the students will “graduate,” earning diplomas.
“The goal is to inform and excite students about cutting-edge basic science research that is being conducted by some of the outstanding professors at the Health Center,” says Dr. Marja Hurley, associate dean of the UConn School of Medicine and director of UConn’s Health Career Opportunities Programs. “These students also receive lectures from outstanding physicians and dentists who provide care to patients.”
More information about the Health Career Opportunities Programs at the UConn Health Center is available at www.hcop.uchc.edu.
Students from 18 Connecticut high schools are participating in the 2010 High School Mini Medical/Dental School Program:
- Avon High School
- Bloomfield High School
- Bristol Eastern High School
- Cheshire High School
- Danbury High School
- Farmington High School
- Glastonbury High School
- Bulkeley High School
- Hartford Area Seventh Day Adventist School
- Sport and Medical Sciences Academy
- University High School of Science and Engineering
- Mercy High School
- Simsbury High School
- Chase Collegiate School
- Crosby High School
- Conard High School
- Hall High School
- Windsor High School
Photos: http://today.uchc.edu/images/news/minimed1.jpg and http://today.uchc.edu/images/news/minimed2.jpg
Caption: Dr. Leighton Huey, professor of psychiatry at the UConn School of Medicine, speaks to students attending the High School Mini Medical/Dental School Program at the UConn Health Center. The program runs through April 22, when more than 80 juniors and seniors from 18 Connecticut High Schools will earn diplomas.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about the UConn Health Center is available at www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of Communications home page at today.uchc.edu for archived news releases and other information.
Joint Commission Accreditation for John Dempsey Hospital, Behavioral Health
FARMINGTON, CONN. – The University of Connecticut Health Center has earned a Gold Seal of Approval™ for John Dempsey Hospital, including its inpatient behavioral health services, after recent site visits by The Joint Commission, a national hospital accrediting body.
"Accreditation for our organization demonstrates our commitment to patients’ safety and high-quality care," says Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, vice president for health affairs, dean of the UConn School of Medicine, and CEO of the UConn Health Center. "We have an outstanding Health Center with outstanding people. Joint Commission accreditation helps affirm this excellence."
"Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in an organization’s performance and the outcomes of care," says Mark Pelletier, The Joint Commission’s executive director of hospital programs, accreditation and certification services. "The community should be proud that the UConn Health Center is focusing on the most challenging goal – to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels."
The Joint Commission conducted an unannounced, on-site evaluation of John Dempsey Hospital in December. The accreditation award recognizes the Health Center’s dedication to complying with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards on a continuous basis.
"We have excellent clinicians, staff and administrators throughout the Health Center who have remained completely focused and proactive about safety issues," says Dr. Mike Summerer, hospital director. "This latest quality acknowledgement is a result of their work and dedication. It’s a credit to our Department of Quality Programs. This has been, and will continue to be, a team effort."
The Joint Commission’s Quality Report for the Health Center is available at http://www.qualitycheck.org/qualityreport.aspx?hcoid=5667.
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including hospitals, home care organizations, and other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, The Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. More information is available at www.jointcommission.org.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about the UConn Health Center is available at a href="http://www.uchc.edu/">www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of Communications home page at today.uchc.edu for archived news releases and other information.
What: Being in the Moment – paintings by Catherine M. Elliott and Coney Island Love Affair – photographs by Lou Russo
Where: Celeste LeWitt Gallery, UConn Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington
When: April 29 through August 4, 2010, daily 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
About the Artists:
Catherine M. Elliott of Simsbury is a contemporary artist whose work is evocative of the American Impressionism style of painting. She states her paintings are primarily of atmospheric and light conditions that depict the grace and elegance of the New England countryside. This exhibit explores and represents her love of color.
"My goal is to capture a moment of time and place with color and form to invoke the viewer to 'see' the sublime," says Elliott. "Even before I begin a work, I'll have a good idea of what I want to achieve on the canvas. Of course a few diversions are welcome along the way. That's what keeps the creative process fresh and alive,'' says the artist.
Elliott’s work won the Grand Prize at the West Hartford Art League’s CT+5 show in 2009. Elliott has created numerous commissioned pieces, both commercial and private. She is an elected member of the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme. She is currently represented by 12 galleries throughout New England and Ireland. She also teaches painting workshops and is a book illustrator.
Lou Russo of West Hartford, studied communications and film in college and after working in television as a videographer and producer, went on to attend the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Massachusetts. There he found himself more and more interested in the process of storytelling through photography.
"What I’m drawn to most is photographing life as it happens, moments in time that catch my eye and make me want to share my experience with others," says Russo, a Brooklyn, New York native. "It’s how I felt each time I found myself on Coney Island. I wanted others to see this place that I’ve always been so intrigued with."
Russo’s work was recently awarded the Rhode Island School of Design Award at the West Hartford Art League’s CT+5 show. His fine art photography has been exhibited in galleries and art spaces in Manhattan, Chicago, Miami, San Antonio and many other cities. A self-published book of his Coney Island images is in the works.
The University of Connecticut Health Center’s collection of fine arts serves to enhance the environment and promote the sense of a caring community for patients, visitors, staff and students. Art is selected, acquired and exhibited by the UCHC Art Advisory Committee. To view a selection of the Health Center’s permanent collection visit: http://auxiliary.uchc.edu/art.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about the UConn Health Center is available at www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of Communications home page at today.uchc.edu for archived news releases and other information.
Free Discovery Series April 13 at UConn Health Center
FARMINGTON, CONN. – Whether you are at risk with a family history of diabetes, newly diagnosed, or have been coping with diabetes for years, it’s always a good idea to become more informed. The more you know, the better equipped you will be to control your blood sugars and live a healthier life. The University of Connecticut Health Center’s Discovery Series will present a program on the topic of diabetes, Tuesday, April 13.
The program is free and starts at 7 p.m. in the UConn Health Center’s Keller Auditorium. To register, call 800-535-6232 or register online at http://discoveryseries.uchc.edu.
Experts from the UConn Health Center’s Diabetes Education Program will present information about risk factors and diabetes prevention strategies, the newest diabetes information and technologies, and how to manage your diabetes. The program will feature an “ask the experts” session.
Diabetes is a serious disease that strikes nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States. An additional 57 million, or one in five Americans, have pre-diabetes, which puts them at high risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.
To get to the UConn Health Center main entrance: Entering the campus from Route 4, at the first stop sign, continue straight. Bear left at the fork and continue up the hill. The main entrance is straight past the next stop sign. Visitor parking is available on the other side of the gate. Directions to the UConn Health Center are available at http://www.uchc.edu/directions/home.html.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about the UConn Health Center is available at www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of Communications home page at today.uchc.edu for archived news releases and other information.
Dr. Lawrence Raisz, Bone Disease Expert, to Be Honored
FARMINGTON, CONN. – The University of Connecticut Health Center will hold its premiere "White Coat Gala" in April to support innovative researchers at the state’s academic medical center.
The gala, scheduled for Saturday, April 10, from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Hartford Marriott, is the first Health Center-wide fundraising event in more than a decade. Proceeds will provide support for clinician-scientists at the Health Center. The event will also honor Dr. Lawrence G. Raisz, a longtime member of the Health Center community and one of the preeminent experts in the management of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease in the world.
The Health Center’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations is coordinating the gala. The Aetna Foundation and longtime university supporters Carole and Ray Neag have committed to become the title sponsors for the event, with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and Richard and Jane Lublin also committing as presenting sponsors.
The "White Coat" name will serve as the Health Center’s signature annual event for the future, with a new and different sub-theme each year based on the planned beneficiaries within the Health Center. The 2010 theme, "Celebrating Medicine—the Fabric of Life," will focus on research conducted at the University and the resulting benefits in our society.
"The support of our donors and friends will make all the difference as we move the Health Center toward its full potential," says Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, vice president for health affairs and medical school dean. "The white coat symbolizes our clinical care staff, the coats presented to our medical and dental students, and the tremendous cadre of biomedical researchers here. We look forward to using this annual event to celebrate the investment made by the state, University and public in the UConn Health Center."
For more information about attending the gala, or for sponsorship, please contact Dina Plapler, vice president for development, at 860-679-8077 or dplapler@foundation.uconn.edu.
Photo: http://today.uchc.edu/images/news/raisz.jpg
Caption: Dr. Lawrence Raisz, bone health expert at the New England Musculoskeletal Institute, will be honored at the UConn Health Center’s premiere "White Coat Gala" April 10 at the Hartford Marriott.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about the UConn Health Center is available at www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of Communications home page at today.uchc.edu for archived news releases and other information.