Author Archive
Great American Smokeout is November 19, 2020
The American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout, a day when millions of Americans are urged to quit smoking and begin a healthier life free from tobacco, is Nov. 19. About 32.4 million American adults still smoke cigarettes, and smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and illness in the world. Smoking causes […]
UConn Health Employees Honored as 2020 HealthCare Heroes by Hartford Business Journal
The Hartford Business Journal announced its 2020 Healthcare Heroes Awards that identifies outstanding leaders in the healthcare industry who are the epitome of a “hero.” Congratulations to UConn Health’s honorees Dr. David Banach, hospital epidemiologist in the physician category, and Nancy Dupont, nursing director of epidemiology in the health care staff category. “Congratulations and gratitude […]
Q&A – COVID-19 and Older Adults
Individuals 65 years and older are more than 100 times as likely to develop severe COVID-19 including the risk of hospitalization or death as compared to individuals under the age of 65. We asked Dr. George Kuchel, Chief, Geriatric Medicine at UConn Health and Director, UConn Center on Aging what older adults can do to […]
Pancreatic Cancer Takes the Lives of Beloved U.S. Icons
Alex Trebek and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg brought awareness to the disease that is the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. that has a 5-year survival rate of 10%.
An Act of Kindness that Changed a Life
When Curtis Exum, 62 of Torrington, was admitted to the Oncology Unit at UConn John Dempsey Hospital, his diagnosis was not good and his spirits were worse. “As soon as I came here, I wanted to go home,” says Exum. “I was really low and my sanity was in a bad place.” Sammy Myers, a […]
I Think of Strokes Happening in Older People, Not Me
A sunny, hot day on the golf course in July, Karen Walsh’s life as she knew it changed. Having the greatest round ever and working toward a new personal best, she was getting ready to drive the ball when she had a sudden onset of dizziness. Thinking she was just dehydrated, she drank liquids but […]
UConn Center on Aging Study Seeks to Decrease COVID-19 Severity by Improving Immune Health in Older Adults
During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults have been among the most impacted groups. People over the age of 65 are particularly vulnerable, developing more severe disease, worse outcomes, and a nearly 100-fold increased risk of dying when compared to younger individuals. UConn Center on Aging at UConn Health will be leading an NIH-funded clinical trial […]
3D Printed Prosthetic Breast Grant Awarded to UConn Health
The Connecticut Breast Health Initiative has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Biomedical Engineering Department at UConn Health. The grant announced during Breast Cancer Awareness month is the largest of three to be awarded. It will be used to fund its Personalized 3D Printed Breast Forms Project, which will create personalized 3D breast forms for […]
Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer Reveals Rare Disorder
An odd lump on Elizabeth Cowles Johnston’s breast prompted a Friday morning call to her primary care physician Rebecca Andrews at UConn Health. Dr. Andrews quickly fit her in, and upon checking the lump sent her to Dr. Alex Merkulov, Section Head of Women’s Imaging at the Beekley Imaging Center at UConn Health for a […]
Earlier Detection with Low-Dose Mammograms
While mammograms have been proven necessary screening for early signs of breast cancer, women typically don’t look forward to the uncomfortable annual visit. But now, new low dose mammography technology available at UConn Health captures clearer images with less time in compression and half the dose of radiation. In the past year, the Beekley Imaging […]