Most “risk calculators” used by clinicians to gauge a patient’s chances of suffering a heart attack and guide treatment decisions markedly overestimate the likelihood of an attack, according to results of a study by investigators at Johns Hopkins, the University of Louisville and other institutions.

Physicians commonly use standardized risk-assessment systems, or algorithms, to decide whether someone needs care with daily aspirin and cholesterol-lowering drugs or just watchful waiting and follow-up exams. These algorithms calculate heart attack probability using a combination of factors such as gender, age, smoking history, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and diabetes, among others.

The new findings, reported in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest four out of five widely used clinical calculators seriously overrate risk, including the most recent one unveiled in 2013 by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology amid considerable controversy about its predictive accuracy.

The results of the study, the research team says, underscore the dangers of over-reliance on standardized algorithms, and highlight the importance of individualized risk assessment factoring additional variables into a patient’s score, such as other medical conditions, family history of early heart disease, level of physical activity and the presence and amount of calcium buildup in the heart’s vessels.

“Our results reveal a concerning lack of predictive accuracy in risk calculators, highlighting an urgent need to reexamine and fine-tune our existing risk assessment techniques,” says senior investigator Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.

“The take-home message here is that as important as guidelines are, they are just a blueprint, a starting point for a conversation between patient and physician about the risks and benefits of different treatment or preventive strategies,” Blaha adds.

Those treatment and preventive strategies are impossible to develop without individualized consultation with patients, says Andrew DeFilippis, M.D., M.Sc., co-director of cardiovascular disease prevention and medical director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at the University of Louisville, and a co-author of the study.  “What the data tell us is that current risk assessment algorithms provide the ‘jumping-off point’ for physicians to utilize in starting the process to determine a patient’s risk,” DeFilippis says. “Especially when these assessments indicate marginal or great risk, it is crucial for physicians to factor in other variables such as family medical history, calcium buildup in the vessels and lifestyle factors, among others, to obtain the truest picture of the patient’s condition. Only then can the physician develop prevention or treatment strategies that have the greatest chance of success.”

While prevention and treatment decisions are straightforward in some patients, many have borderline risk scores that leave them and their clinicians in a gray zone of uncertainty regarding therapy. Under the American Heart Association’s most recent guidelines, people who face a 7.5 percent risk of suffering a heart attack within 10 years are urged to consider preventive therapy with a cholesterol-lowering medication.

Risk overestimation could be particularly problematic for patients with marginal scores as it can artificially push a person with a relatively low risk profile into the “consider treatment” group. This is why patients with such borderline scores could benefit from further risk assessment including tests such as CT scans that visualize the degree of calcification in the arteries of the heart.

Additional testing could be a much-needed tie-breaker in all too common ‘to treat or not to treat’ dilemmas,” says study co-author Roger Blumenthal, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. “Such testing should be considered in all patients with marginal risk scores — those in whom the decision to treat with long-term statin and aspirin remains unclear.”

To check the accuracy of each one of five risk calculators, the investigators compared the number of predicted versus actual heart attacks and strokes among a group of more than 4,200 patients, ages 50 to 74, followed over a decade. None of the patients had evidence of atherosclerotic heart disease at the beginning of the study. Atherosclerotic heart disease or atherosclerosis — a condition marked by the buildup of fatty plaque and calcium deposits inside the major blood vessels — is the main cause of heart attacks and strokes, claiming the lives of some 380,000 people in the United States each year.

Four out of five risk scores analyzed in the study overestimated risk by anywhere from 37 percent to 154 percent in men and 8 percent to 67 percent in women. The fifth, and least flawed, risk-scoring tool overestimated risk among men by only 9 percent, but underestimated it by 21 percent among women.

The new American Heart Association calculator overestimated risk by 86 percent in men and by 67 percent in women. Thus, a man with projected risk score of 10 percent, had, in fact, a 6 percent risk of suffering a heart attack within 10 years. In the group with a risk score between 7.5 to 10 percent — the threshold at which initiation of stain is recommended — the actual risk was 3 percent, well beyond the level at which statin use should be considered.

The least flawed prediction of heart attack risk was generated by the so-called Reynolds risk score calculator, which underestimated overall risk by 3 percent. In addition to age, gender, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure, the Reynolds score factors in levels of C-reactive protein — a marker of systemic and blood-vessel inflammation — and family history of early heart disease.

While not the subject of the current study, the researchers say they believe the overestimation of risk stems from the fact that all calculators, including the newest one, use as risk reference data obtained decades ago when more people were having heart attacks and strokes.

“The less-than-ideal predictive accuracy of these calculators may be a manifestation of the changing face of heart disease,” Blaha says. “Cardiac risk profiles have evolved in recent years with fewer people smoking, more people having early preventive treatment and fewer people having heart attacks or having them at an older age. In essence, baseline risk in these algorithms may be inflated.”

The Reynolds risk equation, for example, was based on data from a more recent group of patients compared with other calculators, which may explain its superior accuracy, the researchers say.

Other institutions involved in the study included University of Washington, University of Colorado, the University of California-Los Angeles and Baptist Medical Group in Miami.

The research was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute under grant numbers N01-HC-95159 and N01-HC-95169 and by the National Center for Research Resources under grants UL1-TR-000040 and UL1-TR-001079.

A faculty physician and a staff member with the University of Louisville will join Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear as he signs Sentate Bill 77, legislation giving new guarantees to patients making end-of-life decisions.

The signing ceremony is set for 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, March 24, in Room 110 in the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort. Participating from UofL will be Christian Furman, M.D., vice chair of geriatric medicine in the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine and a geriatrician with University of Louisville Physicians-Geriatrics, and Mary Romelfanger, R.N., with UofL’s Institute for Sustainable Health Optimal Aging.

Under the new bill, an end-of-life order known as “medical order for scope of treatment,” or MOST, will be allowed in Kentucky. The legislation will create a form designed by the state Board of Medical Licensure to specifically direct the type of treatment a patient would like to have and how much medical intervention they want during end-of-life care. MOST forms are already in use in 32 other states.

Unlike advance directives, the orders are considered to be physician’s orders and are signed by both the patient or the patient’s legal surrogate as well as the physician.

Furman said that while many physicians discuss end-of-life care with their patients and families and document it, the information is often buried deep in the chart and is not easily accessible in an emergency situation.

"This issue comes to play on a daily basis," said Furman, who testified on behalf of the bill in February. “This legislation will ensure patients' wishes are honored when they have severe chronic illnesses. It will ensure patients have a voice."

Joining Furman and Romelfanger at the bill signing ceremony will be Joe Rotella, M.D., CMO of American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care, Mary Ellen Green with Hosparus and Bonnie Lazor, M.D., with Vintage Care, all of Louisville.

https://youtu.be/XA5CKGnzUno

Christina Durham and Michael Faurest, two noted Kentucky business people, have been elected to the Regional Cancer Center Corporation for the University of Louisville James Graham Brown Cancer Center.

Durham is the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for NetTango  Inc., a web solutions company that provides web strategy consulting and designs and builds interactive websites, web applications and integrated solutions. Durham has been with NetTango since 1999. Prior to that she was with Humana Military Healthcare Services Inc. as a network development manager.

Durham is a two-time alumna from the University of Louisville, having earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and her Master of Business Administration.

Faurest is a Principal with Brown Faurest, a financial planning organization focusing on advanced planning for business owners and families. Faurest founded Faurest Investments and Advisory, a wealth management firm in Chicago. Prior to that, he worked at Merrick Ventures and SHI in Chicago.

Faurest earned his Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and his Masters of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville Department of Medicine has launched what is believed to be the first open-access internal medicine education online community in the United States.

LouisvilleLectures.org provides free evidenced-based medical education lectures that are available to anyone. The project was developed by resident physicians in internal medicine – physicians who have received their medical degrees but are still in training before practicing on their own. The lectures are presented by faculty from the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

The project makes internal medicine didactic lectures, grand rounds and other special lectures easily accessible to UofL residents and for the education of medical students, physicians and other medical professionals everywhere. Over 40 lectures are already online, attracting more than 1,400 subscribers from over 100 countries, with over 25,000 views.

The LouisvilleLectures.org program was developed under the leadership of Jennifer Koch, M.D., program director of UofL’s internal medicine residency program with support from Jesse Roman, M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine. Internal medicine resident physician Michael Burk, M.D. serves as the founder and managing director of the site along with a team of resident physicians including Laura Bishop, M.D., Brady Wright, M.D., Chris Migliore, M.D., Shanna Barton, M.D. and chief medical resident Ishan Mehta, M.D.

“We have faculty at the UofL School of Medicine who are extremely knowledgeable and amazing teachers. Why keep this knowledge to ourselves, when we can contribute to the international community of medical education?” Koch said. “Our goal is to teach the world medicine.”

The effort is part of the international #FOAMed movement.  Advocates of #FOAMed seek to accelerate medical knowledge sharing.

The hashtag refers to the concept of Free Open Access “Meducation” (medical education), first promoted at the 2012 International Conference on Emergency Medicine in a lecture by Mike Cadogan, an emergency medicine physician, educator and digital media enthusiast from Australia. Frustrated by the resistance of many physicians and medical educators to the serious potential of social media, he decided to rebrand what he and others were doing online as a form of continuing education.

"We've actively managed to engage a large group of researchers and significant academics who are moving away from writing textbooks and journal articles to doing more in the online arena," Cadogan said. "That's lending a sense of credence to what we're doing."

"The journals are still an essential part of the culture we work in," he allowed, but medical education is starting to be influenced by the open source and open content trends on the Internet, where "you take all the simple stuff, all the basic knowledge, and make it free."

While never intended to replace traditional medical education, #FOAMed efforts such as LouisvilleLectures.org will greatly augment the availability and access of quality medical education programs.

Approximately 160 fourth-year students in the University of Louisville School of Medicine will take part in Match Day, the nationally observed event that matches graduating medical students to the residency programs they will complete after graduation.

Match Day in Louisville will be held Friday, March 20, at the Greater Louisville Medical Society, 101 W. Chestnut St. Doors open at 10 a.m.

Match Day is a joyous, exciting event for medical students and their families, as all students receive an envelope at noon Eastern Standard Time, open it and find out where their professional journey as a medical doctor will take them.

The process begins months before. The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) provides a uniform process for matching medical school applicants’ preferences for residency positions with residency programs’ preferences for applicants.

Following interviews with their choices of residency programs, fourth-year medical students submit those preferences to the NRMP. The residency programs do likewise, submitting their preferences for applicants to the NRMP. A matching algorithm then uses those preferences to place individuals into positions, and all matches throughout the United States are announced at the same time on Match Day.

It appears inevitable that an event with the word “beer” in its title would discuss the impact alcohol has on society

That’s what is happening Wednesday, March 18, as Beer with a Scientist addresses “The good, the bad and the blurry: How has alcohol shaped society?” Alcoholic beverages are almost ubiquitous worldwide. This presentation will explain some of the biologic effects of alcohol, as well as its role in the development of human society.

The University of Louisville event will be held at 8 p.m. at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St.

Speaking will be Gavin Arteel, Ph.D., professor and Distinguished University Scholar in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at UofL. Arteel and his lab’s research interests are focused on chronic liver disease, including acute and chronic alcohol-induced liver injury, the priming of the inflammatory response in liver, the sensitization of cytotoxic cell killing in liver and the mechanisms of hepatic regeneration and remodeling.

The Beer with a Scientist program began in 2014 and is the brainchild of UofL cancer researcher Levi Beverly, Ph.D. Once a month, the public is invited to enjoy exactly what the title promises: beer and science.

Admission is free. Purchase of beer, other beverages or menu items is not required but is encouraged. Organizers add that they also encourage Beer with a Scientist patrons to drink responsibly.

For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Louisville Underground Science on Facebook.

John Chenault,associate professor and medical librarian, School of Medicine, and instructor, Department of Pan African Studies, at the University of Louisville will present “The Invention of Race and its Misuse in Medicine and Biomedical Research,” a lunchtime lecture exploring how the concept of race has been invented and misused in relation to medicine and medical research.

The event will be held from noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 11, at the Health Sciences Auditorium in Kornhauser Library.

Scientific research provides substantial evidence that there is no genetic or biological basis for our social understanding of race. The use of race in biomedical research has, for decades, been a source of social controversy. However, recent events, such as the adoption of racially targeted pharmaceuticals, have raised the profile of the race issue. In addition, we are entering an era in which genomic research is increasingly focused on the nature and extent of human genetic variation, often examined by population, which leads to heightened potential for misunderstandings or misuse of terms concerning genetic variation and race.

Chenault will examine these issues in the context of how the concept of “race” was invented in 17^th century colonial America and later emerged in the practice of medicine and the conduct of biomedical research in the centuries that followed.

He holds a master of library and information science degree from the University of Kentucky and a master of arts degree in Pan African Studies from the University of Louisville. He is currently enrolled in the doctoral program in Pan African Studies at UofL.

This program is sponsored by the UofL Health Science Center Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The office works to promote an environment of inclusiveness through the understanding and celebration of differences in perspectives, thoughts, experiences, belief systems and cultures of UofL students, faculty and staff.

Increasing the number of people of color in the health professions workforce is the goal of a free day-long event hosted by the University of Louisville Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Hyatt Regency Louisville, 320 W. Jefferson St.

The 2015 College Student Development Program and Student Recruitment Fair is open to college students and their families, pre-health advisers, college and university administrators and others involved in increasing the numbers of racial and ethnic minority students in health professions schools – medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, graduate biomedical sciences and allied health, among others. The event is part of the 2015 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Medical Minority Educators Inc. (NAMME)

At the event, college students and undergraduate pre-health advisors will be provided with information on various health professions, meet one-on-one with representatives from health professions schools and learn about entrance requirements and application processes for admission.

Participating institutions are being recruited and will come from throughout the United States, said Michael L. Rowland, Ph.D., annual meeting chair and associate dean for diversity initiatives in the UofL School of Medicine.

“Students and faculty attending past NAMME recruitment fairs have been able to meet with approximately 50 colleges and universities from throughout the country, and we anticipate that the 2015 event will be equally robust,” Rowland said.

Health professions schools wishing to participate in the fair should contact Rowland at mlrowl02@louisville.edu or 502-852-1864.

Students and advisors wishing to attend can learn more by emailing HSCODI@louisville.edu or online at http://nammenational.org/

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A University of Louisville psychologist will present a public talk that provides information on how to cope with stress.

“Tips and Tools for Coping with Stress” will be presented by Eric Russ, Ph.D., Thursday, March 5, at 7 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 3701 Old Brownsboro Road. Admission is free.

The lecture is a part of the “Building Hope” public lecture series sponsored by the University of Louisville Depression Center, Kentuckiana’s leading resource for depression and bipolar disorder treatment, research and education.

Russ will provide participants with strategies to improve the ability to cope with a wide range of stressful situations, from those occurring in daily life to stress that is a result of traumatic events.

Russ is assistant professor in UofL’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He specializes in working with anxiety disorders and with people who have experienced traumatic stress. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and anthropology from Emory University and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Emory University.  He completed a clinical internship at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and a post-doctoral fellowship in traumatic stress at Rush University Medical Center.

Russ serves as Director of the Veterans Treatment Program, which focuses on treating National Guard veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental health difficulties.

For more information, contact the Depression Center at 502-588-4886.

It’s time to shake it for a good cause. The University of Louisville student group raiseRED is hosting its annual dance marathon beginning Friday (Feb. 27) night to fight pediatric cancer.

About 800 dancers will dance to raise $200,000, about $50,000 more than the record-breaking amount the group collected last year.

“We’re looking at a huge event this year,” said Taylor Wilson, executive director. She said the students organizing this year’s event have been working since the 2014 event ended.

The dance marathon kicks off at 6 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Multipurpose Room at the Swain Student Activities Center. The fundraising total will be announced at noon Feb. 28. The night is a mix of dancing, plus testimonials by patients and special guests to keep the dancers energized and focused on how their participation makes a difference.

The money raised helps doctors and families fight pediatric cancer right here in Louisville. Funds from raiseRED go to the UofL Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, headed by Ken Lucas, M.D., division chief in the UofL Department of Pediatrics.

Student dancers have been split into teams, and each member collects pledges of support. In addition, dance marathon is supported by the Trager Family Foundation, Papa John’s, and Thorntons, Inc.

The public is invited to take part in a community celebration from 10 a.m to noon Feb. 28. The celebration will feature inflatables and balloon artists for children, guest speakers, family testimonials, a performance of the 8-minute dance students learned during the evening and the reveal of the total amount of money raised.

To make an online donation, go to raisered.donordrive.com. Learn more about raiseRED at raisered.org. Contributions are tax-deductible and 100 percent of donations go to the University of Louisville Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic.

For additional information, contact raiseRED at raisered1@gmail.com.

As they sort through medical care and health insurance issues, patients with cancer also may encounter financial stress for themselves and their families. A March 6 workshop about health-related financial services is intended for the social workers, nurses and caregivers who help them.

Dan Sherman, clinical financial consultant for Mercy Health’s Lacks Cancer Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., will present “Financial Navigation Services for Patients in the Oncology Setting: Moving Beyond the Basics.”

The University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work and Baptist Health Louisville co-sponsor the 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. event in the Cancer Resource Center Conference Room of the Charles and Mimi Osborn Cancer Center, Baptist Health Louisville, 4003 Kresge Way.

The registration deadline is Feb. 28 at http://uofl.me/KentSchoolContEd. The workshop is free, although continuing education units are available for social workers for $20.

Sherman will discuss the psychological impact of financial distress, financial counseling services for patients and solutions for financially vulnerable patients.

He is founder and president of The NaVectis Group, a consulting company that helps oncology providers put financial navigation programs into effect.

For more information, contact Karen Kayser at 502-852-1946 or karen.kayser@louisville.edu

The associate dean of the University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work has been named executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging at UofL.

Anna C. Faul, D.Litt., was named executive director by the UofL Board of Trustees at their meeting on Feb. 5.  Her appointment became effective Feb. 10. She will continue to serve as associate dean of the Kent School.

The Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging (ISHOA) was established by the Board in September 2014 to examine the needs of the growing population over age 65. The institute is interdisciplinary, including faculty, staff and students from nearly every school and college comprising the University of Louisville, including arts and sciences, dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, nursing, public health and social work.

“Through this institute, the University of Louisville will grow the knowledge base related to the aging process, not just biologically, but also in terms of function, environment, culture and socio-economic aspects,” said David L. Dunn, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for health affairs at UofL. “The need for multi-disciplinary approaches to examine issues that our aging population faces is significant because no issue stands on its own; all are inter-related from a health, social science, legal and policy perspective. Dr. Faul has the background and insight to lead this effort.”

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead the Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging and believe it will become a transformative national leader in improving the aging experience,” Faul said.

“Our goal is to change current environments into livable aging communities where the science of aging is understood and where adults who are aging can lead quality lives. As a transdisciplinary scientist I believe that this Institute is poised to create synergy in the currently fragmented system of aging initiatives.”

Faul is a tenured full professor who came to UofL in 2000 as assistant professor of social work. She became associate dean of academic affairs at the Kent School of Social Work in 2003. She also is a Hartford Faculty Scholar of the Gerontological Social Work Initiative, a national effort of the John A. Hartford Foundation to address gaps in social work education and research around the health and well-being of older adults. Faul has held a joint appointment as research associate and distinguished professor in the Department of Social Work of the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, since 2012.

Faul has won numerous grants throughout her career from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Department of Health and Human Services, Kentucky Department of Aging and Independent Living, Passport Health Care, New York Academy of Medicine, Kentucky Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and other sources. Her research focuses on five areas in the field of aging and management of chronic disease:

• The high prevalence and disproportionate impact of chronic health conditions on marginalized people in society
• The lack of health self-management and prevention programs that address cultural and complex community influences on people’s health
• The need for sophisticated effective health behavior and health care utilization
• The need for trans-disciplinary researchers and practitioners to help fill the workforce gap for an aging society
• The need for reforming long-term care and the promotion of “aging in place,” the concept of living out later years in the home with sufficient care provided rather than in a retirement home or health care facility

Faul serves as co-chair of the Educational Outcomes Assessment Track of the Council on Social Work Education, the national accrediting agency of social work education. She also serves on the CSWE Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education. At UofL, she serves on the Delphi Center Advisory Board, Graduate Deans Advisory Council, Provost Budget Task Force and Academic Program Review Committee, among others.

Prior to joining UofL, Faul was on the faculty of the Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, South Africa. She also has past experience as a researcher with the Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria, and as a social work clinician in private practice. She earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Rand Afrikaans University.

Hats for Hope has raised more than $500,000 over the past 11 years to support breast cancer patient care through its signature pre-Derby silent auction cocktail event. The 12^th Annual Hats for Hope in 2015 will feature approximately 300 new and gently worn designer Kentucky Derby hats as well as 100 auction packages including gift baskets, jewelry, gift certificates, trips and more.

Hats for Hope will be held Thursday, April 16, from 6-9:30 p.m. at Triple Crown Conference Center, 1776 Plantside Dr.

“We have more hats this year than ever, so people are sure to find a few favorites as well as gift packages and tickets to favorite sporting events. Tickets go fast, so it is recommended that ticket purchases be made early,” said Ann Mudge, 2015 event chair.

Tickets are $30 in advance or $40 the day of the event. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit hatsforhopelouisville.org.

Hats for Hope has grown from a small group of volunteers creating a corporate fundraiser to a premiere event and Louisville tradition to kick off the Derby season. The event celebrates survivorship, friendship, fun and fashion, with 100 percent of event proceeds supporting breast cancer patient care through the M. Krista Loyd Resource Center at the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center, a part of KentuckyOne Health. The Resource Center provides a peaceful environment for cancer patients to learn, relax and heal emotionally. Last year, the event netted $60,000 supporting the cause.

In addition to the silent auction, guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and desserts, a complimentary specialty cocktail and a cash bar. Attendees also will enjoy trying on hats and posing for photographs with their friends on the Hats for Hope Pink Carpet. A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of moving stories of hope and survival from cancer survivors.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. Nationally, an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will occur among women this year and over 40,000 will die of the disease. Breast cancer does not only affect the patient but also has a devastating impact on the families of those whose loved ones are diagnosed with the disease. Supporting Hats for Hope helps reduce the burden this disease has on our community.

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center. As part of the region's leading academic, research and teaching health center, the cancer center provides the latest medical advances to patients, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The JGBCC is a part of KentuckyOne Health and is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. For more information, visit our web site, www.browncancercenter.org.

Kentucky to the World, a Louisville-based series of lectures showcasing individuals with strong Kentucky connections who are well-known in their fields, will present a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine who today is director of the Recanti/Miller Transplantation Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

Sander S. Florman, M.D., will discuss the ins and outs of organ transplantation as well as highlights of his growing-up years in Louisville and his career at 6:30 p.m., March 12. The event will be held at the Henry Clay Building, 604 S. Third St.

Tickets are $25 per person and include a pre-lecture reception at 5:30 p.m. featuring appetizers by Wiltshire Pantry and a cash bar. Tickets are not available at the door but can be purchased in advance at www.kentuckytotheworld.org.

Following graduation from St. Francis School, Florman received a bachelor degree from Brandeis University before returning to earn his medical degree at UofL in 1994. His career has taken him to New Orleans where he was director of liver transplantation at Tulane University Hospital. After severe damage from Hurricane Katrina caused the hospital to shut down in 2005, he oversaw rebuilding the transplant program from the ground up. Less than six months after the storm, the hospital and its transplant program reopened, with patient volume returning to pre-hurricane levels a few months later.

He joined Mount Sinai in 2009. Florman is a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, the American Society of Transplantation and the American College of Surgeons. He has authored nine book chapters and more than 75 publications.

The University of Louisville Department of Neurological Surgery has established two endowed chairs focused on physical medicine and rehabilitation, underscoring the department’s commitment to patient healing and quality of life.

Darryl L. Kaelin, M.D., has been named the University of Louisville Endowed Chair for Stroke and Brain Injury Rehabilitation. Kaelin specializes in neuro-rehabilitation with a focus on traumatic brain injury and stroke. He serves as chief of the division of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Kaelin obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He completed his specialty training at the Medical College of Virginia where he was chief resident. Prior to assuming his current positions at UofL, Kaelin served as medical director of the Acquired Brain Injury Program at Atlanta’s Shepherd Center, a catastrophic care hospital for people with spinal cord and brain injuries. While at the Shepherd Center, he also served as the medical director of Brain Injury Research in Emory University’s School of Medicine.

Steven R. Williams, M.D., has been appointed The Owsley Brown Frazier Endowed Chair in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Williams specializes in spinal cord medicine including activity-based therapies and functional recovery, prevention of secondary effects of paralysis, consumer education, advocacy and emerging technologies. He is director of the spinal cord medicine program.

Williams was previously chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk and completed his residency at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation at New York University School of Medicine.

“The expertise that Dr. Kaelin and Dr. Williams bring to the department is of great benefit to our patients and patient families across the country who will be positively influenced by their work. The endowed chairs will advance the valuable research and education into rehabilitation of spinal cord and head injuries that is ongoing at University of Louisville and Frazier Rehabilitation and Neuroscience Center,” said Warren Boling, M.D., interim chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery.

Both endowed positions became effective Dec. 1, 2014.

A University of Louisville professor who is the lead author of the American Heart Association’s policy statement on e-cigarettes has raised the same type of concerns expressed in a recent New England Journal of Medicine showing that e-cigarette vapor can contain cancer-causing formaldehyde at levels up to 15 times higher than regular cigarettes.

Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar, the Smith and Lucile Gibson Chair in Medicine at the University of Louisville, chaired a 10-member American Heart Association panel of experts in formulating the association's first-ever policy statement on e-cigarettes released in August 2014. The article's findings echo the concerns raised by Bhatnagar and the group over what is still unknown about e-cigarettes.

Bhatnagar's voices his concerns in the video shown here.

"People need to know that e-cigarettes are unregulated and there are many variables that we don’t know about them," Bhatnagar says. "Recent studies raise concerns that e-cigarettes may be a gateway to traditional tobacco products for the nation’s youth, and could re-normalize smoking in our society.”

Because e-cigarettes contain nicotine, they are tobacco products and should be subject to all laws that apply to these products, according to recommendations in the policy statement. The association also calls for strong new regulations to prevent access, sales and marketing of e-cigarettes to youth, and for more research into the product’s health impact.

The article, “Hidden Formaldehyde in E-Cigarette Aerosols,” is available at http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMc1413069.

The University of Louisville Division of Geriatrics, a part of the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine, will help host a town hall meeting on long-term care.

The AMDA Foundation, in partnership with the City of Louisville, Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau and UofL, will host the “AMDA Foundation Town Hall: Learning About Quality Long-Term Care for You & Your Loved Ones,” 12:30-2 p.m., Saturday, March 21, at the Kentucky International Convention Center, 221 S. Fourth St.

Admission is free but RSVPs are required athttp://bit.ly/AMDATownHall.

Individuals interested in learning about taking care of loved ones in long-term care, long-term care for themselves, or caring for elders in general are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to interact with leading health care experts.

A panel of long-term care experts who not only treat patients in long-term care, but have made tough decisions related to long-term care and their families will give brief presentations on their experiences in the roles of both professionals and family members. The panel comprises long-term care medical directors, physicians and nurses from UofL’s Division of Geriatric Medicine and other long-term care providers along with a representative from Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s office. Following brief presentations, the audience will be encouraged to engage panel members and ask questions.

“The key to providing quality long-term care is not solely educated and experienced medical professionals,” said AMDA Foundation President Paul Katz, M.D. “It’s open communication and engagement between those professionals and proactive patients and families. We invite residents of Louisville and the surrounding area to the town hall not only to learn, but to begin the conversations vital to providing our loved ones with the highest quality of care.”

This event is being held in conjunction with AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine’s Annual Conference 2015. The AMDA Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to advance the quality of life for persons in post-acute and long-term care.  For more information, visit the AMDA website.

The University of Louisville has launched a research trial to study an investigational medical device designed to aid patients with emphysema by shutting off the diseased part of the lung. UofL is the only site in Kentucky among 14 nationwide testing the device.

The Zephyr Endobronchial Valve (EBV) is a one-way valve that blocks off diseased lung sections to inhaled air but allows trapped air already inside the area to escape. This enables the collapse of the diseased part of the lung, allowing for the healthier parts of the lung to expand.

Emphysema, a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is an ongoing, progressive disease of the lower respiratory tract in the lungs. It is a seriously disabling disease with the potential for major complications and is often eventually fatal.

The symptoms of emphysema include shortness of breath and wheezing, an abnormal whistling sound made by the lungs during breathing. It is usually caused by smoking or other long-term exposure to inhaled irritants such as air pollution, chemicals, manufacturing fumes or small particles such as coal dust.

The randomized study, known as the LIBERATE study, is investigating the safety and effectiveness of the EBV for treating emphysema symptoms as compared to a current standard medical therapy program alone. Tanya Wiese, D.O., director of the Interventional Pulmonary Program, is principal investigator of the UofL study.

“The Zephyr EBV’s novel mechanism of action shows promise to help the healthy parts of the lung expand and reduce the effect of the disease,” Wiese said. “While not a cure, we believe this device could bring relief and improved quality of life to our patients with emphysema.”

The EBV can be placed by a doctor in a diseased section of the lungs using bronchoscopy, a procedure to access the lungs using a small tube with a camera on the end. With bronchoscopy, a physician can reach the airways in the lung by passing the tube through either the mouth or nose so invasive surgery is not required.

The problem of emphysema is particularly acute in Kentucky. The American Lung Association estimates that more than 56,000 Kentuckians, or 13 percent of the population, have emphysema, making the incidence of emphysema in Kentucky one of the highest in the United States.

Enrollment in the study is expected to be completed by the end of 2015 and patients will be followed for three years. To schedule an appointment to be screened for inclusion or for more information, contact Crissie DeSpirito at 502-852-0026 or crissie.despirito@louisville.edu. Additional information on the LIBERATE study is available on the national clinical trials website, ClinicalTrials.gov, using the Clinical Trials Identifier NCT01796392 or by calling 1-888-248-LUNG.

The other trial sites are Arizona Pulmonary Specialists, Cleveland Clinic, Duke University Medical Center,  Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Temple University Hospital, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, University of Pittsburg Medical Center, The Mayo Clinic, University of California at Davis Medical Center,  University of California, San Francisco and University of Southern California.

The study is sponsored by Pulmonx Inc., a pulmonology-focused medical device company headquartered in Redwood City, California.