Game, Set, Match

I can't remember a time when I didn't play tennis. My Dad had been a competitive player and it came naturally to me. One summer, I remember being named the most improved tennis player at camp. Later, a friend and I played doubles on our high school team and then attended Syracuse where we also played doubles for the university. As a long time tennis player and fan, this week I have been spellbound by the U.S .Open. I had hoped to see it in person this year, but our plans didn't materialize. With each of Venus William's wins this week, the commentators spoke briefly about her diagnosis with Sjogren’s syndrome. Recognized as an autoimmune disorder, Sjogren's symptoms are diverse and can include multiple dental carries, chronic dry eye, painful intercourse and digestive problems. Researchers have linked many of these symptoms to an attack on the body’s exocrine glands, including salivary and sweat, but its cause remains a mystery. I have been told that even diagnosing the disease can be a challenge. “What we don’t understand is the root cause of the process,” says Johns Hopkins associate professor of otolaryngology and medicine and otolaryngologist–head and neck surgeon Jean Kim. “But what we do know is that this syndrome is excruciatingly debilitating for the patient Through working with numerous patients in Johns Hopkins’ Jerome L. Greene Sjogren’s Syndrome Center, the only clinic in the world dedicated to patients with this condition, she’s perfected a technique for biopsy of the minor salivary glands in the lower lip. The results from this biopsy provide the largest and most definitive clue available for separating Sjogren’s from other conditions with related symptoms. "Thousands of minor salivary glands line the mouth and upper airways, providing the mucus necessary for proper aerodigestive function. These glands are superficial and surrounded by a delicate lacework of nerves, necessitating an approach as noninvasive as possible into the right layer of tissue, rather than a simple wedge resection that often doesn’t produce any of the desired glands and can result in numbness of the lower lip," says Kim. With a standardized diagnostic approach Kim and other physicians at the Sjogren’s Syndrome Center, Kim can more quickly provide therapy to patients. Treating patients effectively often involves experts in rheumatology, neurology, ophthalmology, gynecology and numerous other areas. I hope that you will join us at the annual Johns Hopkins Medicine Women's health conference, A Woman's Journey, on November 14, to learn about inflammation and myositis, another autoimmune disorder. In the meantime, enjoy the remainder of the U.S. Open. Leslie

Life Is A Journey

Just last week, I was visiting a friend and saw a magnet on the frig: “Life is a journey, not a destination.” The past year has been quite a journey. Like so many, I have been treated for cancer. Although I have cared for others combating the disease, nothing can prepare you for confronting your mortality and undergoing the myriad of tests, procedures, radiation, chemotherapy, clinical trials and scans. Lots of scans. Monthly, I sit in the outpatient area waiting for lab work;the number of patients is overwhelming. Some come from the city, others travel significant distances. Some have insurance and may take the profound costs associated with care for granted. Others cannot afford some medications prescribed to ease nausea or other side effects. Too many patients come alone. There is nothing normal or familiar about being diagnosed or treated for cancer. Right now, I am relieved to be resuming what was my normal routine. Being at Johns Hopkins has been a lifesaver for me. As a long-time employee I know many of the physicians, the hospital, parking lots and amenities. And, through the annual Johns Hopkins women’s health program, A Woman’s Journey, I have gained a basic understanding about of cancer, its symptoms, new treatment approaches, and long term and late effects. I think how difficult it must be for other patients who haven’t had this exposure and experience. I am pleased that among the 32 sessions taught by Johns Hopkins faculty at this year’s A Woman’s Journey are two seminars that address symptoms we can’t ignore, and precision medicine, also known as targeted therapy. As women, one in three of us are destined to have some form of cancer in our lifetime. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about cancer as well as strategies to stay well. As for me, I hope to be there to join you. Leslie

VOTE

I believe.

I believe that we each can make a difference. We make a difference when we open a door for someone, feed the hungry and house the homeless. We make a difference when we speak kindly to another human being. We make a difference when we share our perspective. And, we certainly make a difference when we vote for people and ideals in which we believe.

I also believe we can influence the course of our health. I believe that nutrition can enhance our immune system’s ability to fight disease, that medical research can translate new and important diagnosis and treatment, and that health education provides the tools to improve your health and the health of those you love.

On this day of our national election, I urge you to cast your vote for your country and for your family. Register for A Woman's Journey on November 17. Come, learn from Johns Hopkins physicians, and make a difference in your own life.

Believe.

Leslie

Hunker Down

Since the first threat of Hurricane Sandy, Baltimoreans and others on the east coast have been advised to prepare for the storm and “hunker down.” It is a funny sounding expression whose origin relates to women squatting in the fields to give birth.

We have come a long way, but now that the storm has passed and many are dealing with its aftermath, hunkering down is on my mind. As the 18th annual Johns Hopkins Medicine women’s health conference, A Woman’s Journey, is quickly approaching, the Woman’s Journey team and I are doing just that: hunkering down. We are preparing for the conference, registering all who call, fax and mail their registration; preparing handouts of presentations; and finalizing logistical details for the November 17, 2013 program at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel.

I have been working with Mollye Block, Harriet Legum and Chris White for many years. Each conference is characterized by new initiatives, medical advances and personal tales of adversity overcome as a result of attending the conference and speaking with Johns Hopkins physicians. This year I am particularly looking forward to our first presentation by the new Dean of the Medical Faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Dr. Paul Rothman. In his session, aptly titled The Joint Chief, Dr. Rothman will describe the causes of arthritis and innovative therapies that may reduce the pain and prevent further disease.

I hope you will join us. There is so much to learn. So many insights to stay healthy. My advice is simple: hunker down and send your registration now. 410-955-8660; hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney.

Leslie

Hail to Women

As the Olympic torch was lit in London, the Johns Hopkins annual women’s health program, A Woman’s Journey, launched its on line registration for the November 17 conference in Baltimore. To us, it seemed like a fitting tribute. After all, these 2012 Summer London Olympics are being dubbed the Olympics of women. At least for the United States, earlier this week women already had garnered 23 of the 34 gold medals.


So, journey to the city of Michael Phelps and other Olympiads. Join hundreds of women eager to improve our health and stay well. Attend A Woman's Journey and participate listen to Johns Hopkins physicians teach 32 seminars. More than half of our speakers are women who are experts in their field. Come learn about Turmeric, strategies to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, vaccines, and boosting your immune system. There are 32 topics that will help us improve our health, stay well and care for our families. You can view the entire program and seminars at: hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney. We will be cheering you on.


Leslie

Life's Not-So-Little Lessons

It’s hard to believe, but another Woman’s Journey conference is behind us. On Saturday, just one week following the conference, I attended a baby naming where someone remarked they heard that this year’s program was the best. After 17 years, she asked, why was November’s Woman’s Journey so special?

Most women attend our annual Johns Hopkins women’s health conference to learn about medical advances and specific diseases. This year was no different. The two keynote speakers, however, touched the hearts of the thousand women who attended the conference. They are extraordinary story tellers with powerful messages.

Sorrel King retold the devastating loss of her 18 month old daughter as a result of a medical error at The Johns Hopkins Hospital more than 10 years ago. She shared her profound grief and courageous and compassionate decision to honor her daughter's memory and create the Josie King Foundation dedicated to patient safety. Mrs. King has shared her story with thousands of health professionals and has worked with Dr. Peter Pronovost, director of the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality to reduce the U.S.’s reported 98,000 annual deaths caused by medical errors. Her story underscored the need to turn tragedy—from the loss of a child to just a bad day—into something positive that can help other human beings.

During Lunch with the Faculty, emergency medicine physician Dr. Christina Catlett told of her journey from a southern college sorority house to The Johns Hopkins Hospital Emergency Room. In this medical setting,she assembles a team of Hopkins health care providers to travel to areas, including Haiti,that have been destroyed by natural disasters. Dr. Catlett described the rampant destruction. Yet, following a subsequent professional meeting in Australia, she serendipitously found herself climbing a mountain(it was only 900 feet high). This exhilarating experience led her to acquire medical wilderness certification and pursue a new-found quest to reach summits across the globe. Her message was simple: find your passion and strive for balance within your life.

You might not be able to share the experience with other women, but I urge you to watch the conference website: hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney for postings of video and audio excerpts from this November's extraordinary presentations. And, don’t miss next year’s speakers who undoubtedly will be just as inspirational as Sorrel King and Christina Catlett. Save the date now for next year’s conference: Saturday, November 17, 2012.

Leslie

Game-Set-Match

If you are a tennis fan like me, perhaps earlier this month you too watched the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. The tennis was terrific despite all the weather delays, which spawned a lot of commentary.

I was disheartened to learn from the court-side commentators that two of the top female tennis players had been diagnosed with autoimmune disorders: one with Lyme’s disease and the other with Sjogren’s disease. It reminded me of a book I read several years ago about autoimmune disorders. More than 100 diagnoses—from arthritis to Hashimoto’s disease—are now classified as autoimmune disorders. And, unfortunately for many of us, autoimmune diseases occur three times more frequently in women than in men.

The question is, why are these disorders are so prevalent among women? Researchers are just learning about this and other characteristics unique to women health. Dr. Sabra Klein, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has devoted her research to understanding how males and females differ in their immune responses to viral infection. She hypothesizes that hormones are critical signals for immune responses to viruses. Dr. Klein’s research indicates that females produce much higher immune responses than males, which can be beneficial for overcoming of viruses, but also can make females more likely to develop autoimmune and even inflammatory diseases, like asthma. Perhaps, she suggests, this may be one reason why autoimmune disorders so significantly impact women. Many questions remain unanswered.

Fortunately for us, Dr. Sabra Klein is one of the 32 faculty speaking at this year’s Johns Hopkins annual women’s health conference A Woman’s Journey. I hope you will join us and listen to Dr. Klein. Her presentation might help us understand why Sjogren’s and Lyme’s disease affect so many women, including some very well-known female tennis players.

Appetizers, Please

I must confess, personally I have one disappointment about the Johns Hopkins Medicine women’s health conference, A Woman’s Journey. As the conference organizer, I rarely attend a presentation. Yes, I help develop the topics and interface with many of the speakers, but it is rare that I have the opportunity to sit in a seminar and listen to Johns Hopkins faculty physicians as they share new advances in medicine.

So, you will understand why I was thrilled yesterday to review excerpts of four of the most popular sessions from our most recent conference in Baltimore. I watched the brief videos excerpted from presentations by Drs. Michael Gloth, Suzanne Jan de Beur, Linda Lee, and Gerard Mullen, each of whom spoke about diet, nutrition and /or exercise to promote wellness and healthy aging.

When you have five minutes, go to hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney or You Tube and click on the videos. Surely you too will learn something and at the same time, get a great taste of A Woman’s Journey. Hopefully it will whet your appetite for this year’s conference on Saturday, November 12, 2011. I hope to pass you in the hall, or perhaps, even sit next to you in one of the sessions.

Leslie

La Dolce Vita

I have returned from a memorable family trip to Italy; something I have always wanted to do. Since arriving home,friends and colleagues have asked, “what was the best part of your vacation?” Unequivocally, I have answered,“being together as a family."

But, I have to admit, the sites were breathtaking. Each Italian city is so different. It didn't take long to find our pace, absorb the Italian culture and the gelato. We were fortunate to visit the proprietor of a vineyard and wonderful Tuscan inn, take a cooking class in magnificent Florence, ride Venice’s Grand Canal and explore ancient Rome. No matter where we travel, however, there always are reminders of reality facing us at home.

When we visited the Vatican, our guide pointed out a sculpture of Artemis. This Greek Goddess of fertility was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo. The sculpture is distinctive with more than a dozen breasts. I was familiar with the second century artwork because Artemis also is the name of the Johns Hopkins breast center's e-newsletter. But, seeing the sculpture in person, and in Italy, was a reminder that the world is small and that women everywhere face many of the same health issues.

As we returned home I reflected on the two cultures. Florentian gelato may be memorable, but we are fortunate to have a program like A Woman’s Journey to learn about diagnosing breast cancer and a myriad of other health issues confronting us. We may not serve gelato or ice cream at the conferences, but you will be treated to a healthy serving of new medical information.

Ciao,
Leslie

Life's Rewards

The most rewarding part of my job is engaging with people who make a difference in the health and well being of others. At Hopkins, most often it is the scientists, researchers and physicians whose discoveries alter the course of medicine. Sometimes, however, it also can be a lay person.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking with Sorrel King, an author and mother, who has transformed a personal family tragedy into a campaign to change today's health care system. After living with what she describes as "searing pain" from the death of her youngest child, Sorrel began a foundation dedicated to improving patient safety domestically and globally. It has been a nine year crusade that has reaped real change and undoubtedly saved so many lives.

Fortunately for us, Sorrel King has accepted our invitation to be the plenary speaker at the November 12, 2011 annual Johns Hopkins women's health conference, A Woman's Journey. I hope you will visit the conference website to take advantage of the discounted early on-line conference registration. Register for A Woman's Journey and be inspired by Sorrel King. She will be joined by 32 Hopkins physicians who will present seminars on topics from What You Eat Can Save Your Life to Top 10 Tips to Prevent Cancer. It’s a day you won’t want to miss!

Shortly after Sorrel and I concluded our conversation that afternoon, I was off to the book store to purchase a copy of her book, Josie's Story. Whether you read the book or not, I hope you will take the day for yourself and come meet Sorrel in person.

Leslie

Change

I have been out of the office for more than one week and it always is hard to return. I am back in the office, however, at an exciting time. A Woman's Journey has begun registration for its annual Women's health conference that will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2011.

As co-chairs Mollye Block and Harriet Legum acknowledge a lot has changed since the three of us began the conference 17 years ago. Who could have imagined all the discoveries that may influence our daily lives: personalized cancer treatments, unique immune responses in women and the importance of vitamin D. These and other medical advances are changing our ability to influence our health as well as the way doctors diagnose and treat disease.

We need to harness this knowledge and personally make a difference for ourselves and our families. That's why I hope that you will take a day for yourself and join me at this year's conference. It is one day that could change the course of all others.

Leslie

Statistics Don't Lie

Last week I attended a professional briefing and was struck by a fact included in the speaker’s presentation. By 2013, cancer is expected to surpass heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. I don’t know why I was startled. The American Cancer Society reported 1.5 million new cases of cancer in the United States in 2010. Most weeks I hear about cancer affecting someone I know; just this month, several people have asked me about the pancreatic center at Johns Hopkins.

It’s no surprise then, that so many women responding to the recent Woman’s Journey survey of health interests identified Strategies to Prevent Cancer as their top choice. So, in response to the survey outcomes, the annual Johns Hopkins women’s health conference November 12, 2011 will include four sessions related to cancer:

• Advanced in Diagnosing Breast Cancer
• Ten Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
• What You Eat Can Save Your Life
• Changing the Outcomes for Pancreatic Cancer

Johns Hopkins faculty speakers also will focus on dozens of other topics, but from my perspective, I will be sure I learn about cancer prevention. For myself and my family I want to do everything possible to reduce the likelihood of having cancer as well as know about advances in diagnoses and treatments. Perhaps after hearing about the projected rate of cancer, you will too.

Be Well,
Leslie

A Chance to Expand Your Vocabulary

“Personalized medicine” is a phrase we are going to hear a lot more about in the future.

Recently I have attended meetings or picked up articles about “personalized medicine.” It seems like many people are beginning to use the term in different contexts. Some use the term to refer to high-end concierge medical practices in which a patient pays a primary care physician an annual “membership” fee. But, the term conveys far more power and has implications for many of us.

Last year I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Bill Nelson, Professor and Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. He explained that “within the next few years, all cancer patients at the Kimmel Cancer Center will have their tumors analyzed to reveal a unique “fingerprint.” The fingerprint represents the combination of genetic alterations specific to each person’s cancer. Just as every person is genetically unique, so is every cancer. Targeting these alterations, say scientists, will improve treatment outcomes, thwart cancers before they develop, and slash the costs of new drug discovery.”

The new edition of the Hopkins publication, Promise and Progress, describes how The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is translating laboratory discoveries into remarkable new therapies that target the unique cellular characteristics of each patient’s cancer. [ http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/publications/promise_progress/the_time_is_now_2010_2011_/personalized_medicine_is_here_the_time_is_now].

Personalized medicine may sound like a simple concept, but the science behind it may change the course of cancer treatment. Like me, you may want to add the phrase to your lexicon.

What You Eat Can Save Your Life

Finally, I can take a breath. It has been a busy winter. Following the successful Johns Hopkins Medicine women's health conferences in Baltimore, we got some respite from the snow and ice when we traveled to Florida to conduct A Woman’s Journey in Palm Beach, Naples and Sarasota. Regardless where the Johns Hopkins faculty and I travel, women are curious about medical discoveries and searching for information

Conversations with women around the country about new advances in women's health, reinforce the need for A Woman's Journey as a forum about health issues. No wonder. Every time I listen to a speaker at A Woman's Journey, I too gain valuable information. Did you know, for example, the more than one million Americans die annually because of poor dietary choices? At A Woman’s Journey Baltimore and Palm Beach, nutrition specialist, Lynda McIntyre, talked about foods that boost your immune system and combat disease. What I learned will change my diet.

• Beta-carotene increases our “t” fighter cells that help improve immunity and prevent cardiovascular disease.
• Mango and apricot, among other foods, can retard the growth of breast and colon cancer cells.
• Vitamin C not only boosts our immune system, it increases good/HDL cholesterol and cartilage synthesis, and reduces osteoarthritis and wrinkles.
• Garlic fights bacteria, but needs to sit on the counter and be oxidized before you cook it.

So, now I am going prepare my shopping list for the week, get a cup of green or oolong tea, and beginning planning for the next women's health program.

Leslie

Conflict Resolution

Many years ago I received brief training on conflict resolution. It was insightful and gave me skills I continue to use. It hasn't however, helped me resolve some important questions.

Consider the facts. This summer we read about cardiovascular risks from a diabetes drug now more tightly controlled in the United States. Another study questioned new risks associated with calcium supplement that many women use to increase bone density and ward off osteoporosis. Increasingly we read evidence that contradicts prior medical advice.

Sometimes it's hard to know how to stay healthy.

Fortunately, the annual Johns Hopkins Medicine women's health conference,A Woman's Journey, will address many of these and other significant health issues at the November 20 conference. Vitamin specialist Dr. Benjamin Caballero, cardiologist Dr. Wendy Post and endocrinologists Drs. Suzanne Jan de Beur and Deborah Sellmeyer will provide insights into vitamin supplements, cardiovascular, and bone mineral health.

I hope you will join us at this exceptional forum on women's health. It will be an extraordinary opportunity to resolve some conflict between health information. I know my friends and I will be looking for some answers.

Stay well,
Leslie

Vacation is More than a Memory

Recently I returned from vacation and as often is the case, I am reminded that the friends and family we visit are more essential than the Maine woods, hiking and blueberries.

No matter where we journey, people are talking about their health. Between blueberry and peach pies and lobster, we considered integrative approaches to medicine, nutrition, strategies to reduce disease and manage our health and other concerns. I even discovered white whole wheat flour in an organic grocery store. I learn alot from talking with other, reading and, of course, my Hopkins colleagues.

I am fortunate that many of my friends will attend this year's Johns Hopkins Medicine annual women's health conference, A Woman's Journey. I know that they will learn from the experts and continue to dialogue about the choices we all make.

I hope you will join them and register for the conference. It is the best way to understand how we can improve our lives and the lives of those we love.

Leslie

What’s In a Name?

Each year I assemble a small group of colleagues to study the schedule of seminars that have been confirmed for the Johns Hopkins Medicine annual women’s health conference, A Woman’s Journey. Our agenda is to craft titles for each lecture. These are critical subjects about improving your health and sometimes devastating diseases. Naming a seminar is serious business. Never the less, the meeting sometimes becomes raucous. It’s challenging. We need to be creative, yet maintain the integrity of the subject matter. The bottom line is to appeal to your curiosity and interests.

So, as you plan your fall, I hope you will check out hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney. Read the titles of A Woman’s Journey’s 32 seminars that will be taught by Johns Hopkins physicians. Laugh at some of the titles; be motivated by others. But, when you finish reading the seminar names, be sure to go to our website, register for A Woman’s Journey, and learn what’s really in a name.
Leslie

A Suprising Legacy

I don’t mean to sound morbid, but last weekend we had a most extraordinary—and personal—experience.

After going through some old family papers, we learned where my husband’s grandparents had been buried so many years ago. So, last weekend, armed with genealogical information, a map, pruning shears and a few other sundry items, we traveled to several cemeteries in one of New York’s boroughs. It was not an ordinary outing. Some engravings of names and dates on tombstones were eroded by years and weather. Other grave markers had fallen over; some were overwrought with vines. But, in the course of a few hours, we located so many relatives dating back centuries. My husband learned about relatives, many of whom he never knew existed.

It was an inspiring trip and by the time returned home,I decided to assemble a “family tree.” The branches are so laden with names and dates, the draft paper now covers my dining room table. You can’t help but wonder who these people were, how they lived, and how they died. We each carry so many genes and traits from our family members, many of whom we didn’t even know. And then, I thought about a real gift I could pass on to my children.

I have prepared a medical family history. To the best of my knowledge I have detailed the diagnoses of my generation and my parents. Hopefully it will provide the detailed family records that physicians may someday request of my children. It's a unique legacy and one that I hope will keep them healthy.
Leslie

The Master of Our Fate

I suspect by now, you’ve assessed that I am an optimistic person. Long ago my Dad taught me that you can “get more from honey than vinegar” and I have remembered this lesson throughout my life. I also believe that by our choices and determination we shape our own lives.

Sometimes I am slow to catch a movie. And so not surprisingly with the excitement surrounding the World Cup Soccer tournament, I just saw Invictus, the story of the South African rugby team and President Nelson Mandela's vision for a united South Africa. The title, which is Latin for ‘unconquered’, I learned comes from the 1850 poem by Englishman William Ernest Healy (1849-1903). It concludes with the well known phrase: “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

May we all heed the message and try to take control of our own lives to have a healthy year. I hope you also take the opportunity to watch the movie; it is quite compelling.

Leslie

Benefits of Another Day

Three years ago this week my college roommate passed away. She died of recurrent breast cancer after an 18-month struggle fraught with chemotherapy, radiation, clinical trails and finally palliative care. I find my self questioning if she had survived, would new treatments be available to sustain her life?

Through A Woman’s Journey I have learned about new drugs and experimental approaches to treatment. I don’t know if additional time would have reaped any benefit, but wish that others live long enough to benefit from new developments.

Fortunately for the rest of us, Lillie Shockney, survivor, administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Breast Center and a national spokesperson will speak at A Woman’s Journey in Baltimore on November 20, 2010, in Palm Beach on January 20, 2011, and Naples on January 21. For those of us who have had an abnormal mammogram or felt a breast lump, Lillie will offer a road map telling women how to proceed when they fear a diagnosis of breast cancer.

You can bet that Lillie will be enlightening and somehow will find a way to interject humor into her otherwise serious remarks.

I hope you will be able to attend the conference (www.hopkinsmeidcine.org/awomansjourney) and hear this extraordinary speaker.

Leslie