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 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

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

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

The Up Side of Jello

At age 50 your life changes. It’s more than menopause. You suddenly begin to take some things more seriously. Certainly you start to pay more attention to your health.

Among the recommended screening tests, the American Cancer Society and doctors prescribe colonoscopies. No wonder. Colon cancer is among the most common types of cancer; but, when detected early, colon cancer has high cure rates. It’s on my mind since my colonoscopy is scheduled this week.

Many people ignore this diagnostic test. They are more concerned about the “prep” rather than the procedure itself. Don’t let this dissuade you. There’s nothing wrong with a little jello and some clear liquids for 24 hours. The prep may be inconvenient, but the outcome can be lifesaving.

Johns Hopkins has a long history of ground breaking discoveries targeting colon cancer. Kimmel Cancer Center researchers were the first to isolate a series of mistakes in human DNA, called genetic mutations, that lead to the development and progression of colon and rectum cancer. These findings have already been used to develop screening blood tests for people with a family history of certain types of hereditary colon and rectum cancers. Subsequent work has led to the development of stool tests for non-hereditary colon cancer. Hopkins scientists also were the first to decode the colon cancer genome. Several new anticancer agents are being studied for their ability to interfere with the genetic alterations and stop the initiation of cancer. As genetic causes continue to be uncovered, Hopkins researchers expect to improve broad-based screening tests to detect colon and rectum cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages. More information is available at http://www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org/index.cfm/cid/1258

So, my advice is simple. Schedule your colonoscopy and get some jello.

Leslie

Numbers

I always liked math—algebra withstanding. But with each year I come to better appreciate the importance of numbers. Although April 15 has just passed, remember that numbers have a pervasive impact on our health as well as our taxes. Whether we want to admit it or not, our increasing age impacts our health and our daily lives. More important, however, is our “medical age.”

Most of us know our shoe size or dress size, but do you know your HLD and LDL cholesterol, your glucose level or blood pressure? How many grams of fiber are you eating a day? What is your thyroid level? Yesterday I learned from a Johns Hopkins ophthalmologist that, on average, with each advancing decade the vitreous gel that fills your eye pulls away from your retina by 10 percent. I wondered what other changes are occurring in my body that can be captured by data.

We may not be doctors, but we need to become familiar with these numbers and know how they can impact our health.

Pain

Unfortunately my daughter recently had ankle surgery related to a fall down a circular staircase at school. The surgeon performed the ankle repair. The hospital provided detailed discharge instructions. Now as the mother, it is my responsibility to help my daughter recover in the aftermath of surgery. I can fluff the pillows, apply the ice packs, and fill the prescriptions. It’s managing her pain that leaves me uneasy.

Research shows that women suffer from pain conditions disproportionally compared to men. Johns Hopkins assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and pain specialist Dr. Paul Christo tells me that women represent 72% of chronic pain sufferers. Migraine headaches and fibromyalgia are more common in women; women report more serious, more frequent, and longer lasting pain, and too many women are given antidepressants and tranquilizers when they report pain. Pain is often undertreated which results in needless suffering for millions of people.

Chronic pain affects a staggering 25% or more of the population and continues to cause distressing symptoms for many years. Very few patients with persistent pain have access to a pain specialist, and those who gain access report that treatments are underutilized and often fraught with barriers.

My daughter was fortunate. The pain was quickly controlled. For others, however, it’s good to know that there are pain specialists at Hopkins.

Leslie

Medical School Credentials

No, I didn’t go to medical school. I haven’t taken medical boards. Probably the last formal science courses I took were 9th biology and 10th grade chemistry. Graduate school focused on health care and research. Yet, because I manage the Johns Hopkins Medicine annual women’s health conference--A Woman's Journey--and am fortunate enough to interact with some of the world’s leading physicians, my family, friends and their friends call me for medical advice.

Weekly, I field telephone calls and emails: How should they treat a growing list of ailments? Which treatment option has better outcomes? Who is the best expert? How many international units of Vitamin D should they take? Should pathology reports be overread? or Does a patient need a second opinion? Many times I am able to confidently refer friends to the right specialist. Most times I remind them of the shortcomings of my “medical education.” And, always, I urge them to attend A Woman’s Journey so they can learn and personally question the real experts.

Before the conference in November, sign up for the Woman’s Journey monthly e-mail which contains reports of relevant medical advances from Hopkins. It’s a good way to learn about health care hopefully before we need it. Take it from me; this is good advice.

Leslie

Your Opinion Matters

This is the time of year I enjoy most. Not because of the snow, for sure. Rather I find it satisfying to identify the topics for the forthcoming A Woman's Journey and begin to interview faculty members about their specialties.

Each year women ask how we select the health topics offered at the Johns Hopkins Medicine women's health conference. The answer is simple. We survey women like you and ask you to identify the health issues that are of greatest concern to you. So I ask for your help.

If you haven't already, please go to the Woman's Journey website (www.hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney) and take the brief survey. It takes just a few minutes to scan through the list of potential seminar topics and indicate those of interest to you. The results will guide our decisions as I outline the program for next winter.

Your opinion really does matter.

Thanks,
Leslie

The Aftermath....

It's been a few days since the 15th annual women's health conference, A Woman's Journey, and I must admit, I am still recovering.

More than 1,100 women attended the day long conference. I have spoken to so many women who were grateful for the opportunity to listen to Hopkins physicians. They learned much: compelling evidence about the benefits of vitamin D, strategies to alter your diet to prevent the liklihood of cancer, the difference between age-related memory loss and real dementia, common symptoms women shouldn't ignore and ......

I already have placed many of the session CD recordings in my bag. I will be listening to them for the next few weeks. If you too are interested, check out the conference website for CDs of many of the 32 seminars: hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney. Let me know what you learn; we can share notes.

Leslie

Time

Someone asked me if anything has changed since Mollye Block, Harriet Legum and I began the annual Johns Hopkins Medicine women's health conference in 1995. The answer is simple: a lot.

Each year we ask thousands of women about health topics and issues that are important to them. In the 15 years since we began the day-long conference, we have seen a surge in new topics. Many of us share these concerns. In the mid-90's women were focused on the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy. As new research has helped to answer those questions, women increasingly have been keen to better understand heart disease--the number 1 cause of death among women. Today we are all focused on staying well; that can mean eating well, exercising, and learning more about antioxidants, vitamins and supplements.

What hasn't changed is the compelling need to learn about medical advances. I hope you will join us at this year's conference, Saturday, November 14. Johns Hopkins physicians will teach 32 classes about issues that are important to you. If you can't attend this year, be sure to check our web site and sign up for the monthly newsletter about women's health. It is a terrific way to learn about new discoveries and see how women's health has changed since 1995.

Leslie

The Power of Women

October 23, 2009: Mary Elizabeth Garrett

Yesterday I had the pleasure of touring The Anne and Michael Armstrong Medical Education Building, the new home of medical student education at Johns Hopkins. The building is beautiful: a glass atrium, center staircase, digital classrooms and an advanced anatomy lab to usher in a new era of medical education. The expansive halls exhibit portraits of Hopkins Nobel prize winners, men and women who made medical history and outstanding donors of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

A life-size copy of John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Mary Elizabeth Garrett caught my eye. In the late 1800’s Ms. Garrett, a strong advocate for women and a family friend of Mr. Johns Hopkins, organized the national “Women’s Medical School Fund.” This campaign sought to raise the remaining funds necessary to open the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In the end, it was Ms. Garrett’s personal gift that achieved the campaign goal enabling the completion of the School of Medicine. The women’s gifts, however, were contingent upon a pledge that the School of Medicine would admit women and provide women the opportunity to fully participate in clinical care, academic teaching and medical research. The trustees accepted the generous gift of Ms. Garrett and others, and in 1894 the School of Medicine opened its doors with 15 men and three women in the institution’s first medical school class.

The display speaks to Ms. Garrett’s extraordinary gift as well as her personal commitment to the advancement of women. I sometimes reflect upon the satisfaction she might have had knowing about A Woman’s Journey and the Johns Hopkins’ annual women’s health conference’s dedication to educate today’s women about advances in medicine.

Leslie

Improve Your Health

This week I returned from vacation to find registration for A Woman's Journey's Baltimore conference on Saturday November 14, 2009 is booming! It's rewarding to know that so many women are interested in learning about the latest medical discoveries from Johns Hopkins physicians. Check out the website: www.hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney to review the 32 health topics that will be discussed, from Shedding Light on Vitamin D to the Autoimmune Alert.

I hope you too will take advantage of this opportunity to improve the health of yourself and those you love.

Leslie

Mastering the Art of Healthy Cooking

Finally. With much anticipation, last night I saw the new movie Julia and Julie. Most people have enjoyed the movie about cooking legend Julia Child and a young women who decides to write a blog as she works her way through Julia Child's 700-page classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. For me, however, the movie was personal.

I began cooking with only two cook books on my kitchen shelf: Mastering the Art of French Cooking volume 1 and volume 2. As the movie illustrates, these books are as much about technique as they are recipes and butter. Years later, my copies of these classic cookbooks are well dog eared and food stained. I have cooked my way through crepes, souffles, sauces and especially tarts.

More recently I have learned to adapt many of the recipes using what Hopkins dietician Lynda McIntyre calls "power foods." Blueberries, almonds, spinach etc. are foods that provide antioxidants and help us fight disease. That's why I am particularly anxious to hear Ms. McIntyre's presentation at this year's annual Johns Hopkins Medicine women's health conference, A Woman's Journey. In planning this year's program, I learned that certain combinations of foods help maximize the benefits we can derive while eating.

I am always searching for new recipes as well as advice. On November 14 I plan to leave my wooden spoons and copper pots at home and head to the Hilton to learn how to master the art of healthy cooking.

Hope to see you there,

Leslie

A Tribute to a Great Lady

I haven’t written in a while; it’s been a difficult month.

My mother-in-law passed away after two years of declining health. During this time, I have thought a lot about her and her life. Thinking back, I realize that as a long-time breast cancer survivor she was an inspiration to many women. When she was afflicted with breast cancer more than 40 years ago, people didn’t speak about cancer. Certainly times have changed. Cancer prevention, early detection and treatment options are now frequent topics of discussion. We all want to be aware of the latest research findings and recommended therapies.

So, in my mother-in-law’s honor, I want to let you know about some important information that will be presented at this year’s Johns Hopkins Medicine's annual women’s health conference, A Woman’s Journey, on Saturday, November 14, 2009. Presentations by Johns Hopkins physicians will include:
· Preventing Cancer: You Are What You Eat
· Integrating Traditional Healing With Modern Medicine
· Antioxidants, Vitamins and Supplements
· Common Symptoms Women Shouldn’t Ignore
· New Advances in treating Breast Cancer
I hope you will join me at the conference. It will be in our own best interest as well as a tribute to all cancer survivors, including my mother-in-law.
Leslie

Gift of Life

Hopkins is full of amazing people. There is no shortage of inspiration and dedication.



Recently I learned that Pamela Paulk, vice president of Human Resources for the Johns Hopkins Health System and Hospital has chosen to donate her kidney to a fellow Hopkins employee. Surgery is now completed, and as a result of her organ donation, Pamela contributed to an eight-way kidney swap. It's not every day that someone gives the gift of life to another individual.



I have been sharing Pamela's story with others, including Saturday night when we had dinner with old friends who themselves are preparing to donate and receive a kidney transplant. Like Pamela, my friend is a glow at the thought that she can make a difference.



Pamela will share her personal story and the motivation that led her to save the lives of strangers at the Johns Hopkins Medicine women's health conference A Woman's Journey, Saturday November 14. Plan to come and hear her story. In the meantime, you can follow Pamela's blog: http://pameladonates.blogspot.com/



Leslie

A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Before you run off………..

I am running (figuratively) off to the gym to meet with my personal trainer. Sometimes it is so hard to leave the office; it would be so much easier to go directly home and cook dinner. But, I am reminded of the importance of exercise. It is the single most important thing we can do for ourselves.

Dr. Kerry Stewart, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a frequent speaker at our annual women’s health conference, A Woman’s Journey, points out that resistance and cardio exercise can achieve many goals: increased bone mineral density, reduced body fat, increased lean tissue, increased muscle strength, improved glucose metabolism, improved lipid profile, increased cardiovascular endurance, decreased blood pressure and increased basal metabolism. How can I resist?

My trainer often reminds me that strength training is a marathon not a sprint. I’ll remember that tonight on my way to the gym.

Leslie

awomansjourney@jhmi.edu

Opportunities

This is an exciting and reflective time for me. My daughter is about to graduate law school and I have been thinking about the vast opportunities that are before her. While many inequities persist, as women we have boundless chances to learn and make contributions to improve society.

Years ago I felt more limited in my opportunities. My career has focused on efforts to educate other women about advances in medicine and to improve their health and wellbeing. Being well informed is paramount. If we are knowledgeable about new medical discoveries—particularly those that may have an impact on our own ailments—we can make wiser decisions about our own lifestyles and strategies to prevent and better treat disease.

The Johns Hopkins Medicine annual women’s health conference A Woman's Journey has helped thousands of women gain new knowledge and improve the health of themselves and those they love. I hope you too will seize this opportunity and join us at A Woman’s Journey, Saturday, November 14, 2009.

Leslie

A Tribute to Mothers

With Mother’s Day approaching this weekend, I have been thinking about occasions throughout the year that I have shared with my mother, sisters and daughter and hoping that they will continue.

Like many women, we often gather at the Johns Hopkins annual women’s health conference A Woman’s Journey to be together, attend lectures that interest each of us, and spend the rest of the weekend chatting about our new found knowledge conferning vitamins, preserving our memories or treating diseases. Aside from becoming healthier, it’s always an exhilarating day. We each go our own ways—my mother sisters and daughter attend many of the 32 seminars while I am running the conference. We convene and listen to keynote speakers at breakfast and lunch; one family among 1,000 other women.

So as Mother’s Day approaches, think about making a date with the other women in your life to attend A Woman’s Journey on November 14, 2009, share this amazing experience and join our family!

Leslie
awomansjourney.jhmi.edu

PS. Have a happy mother’s day!