July 25, 2016
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) found that children can benefit from an innovative primary care-based program that improves identification and treatment of poorly controlled asthma. The study, published in the current edition of Journal of Asthma, analyzed the asthma severity assessments of 79 children between the ages of 5–19.
"ACCESS TO A DEDICATED ASTHMA PROGRAM CAN IMPROVE BOTH ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT, WHICH COULD ULTIMATELY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND DECREASE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND COST."
—KAREN WARMAN, MD
The results showed a discrepancy of nearly 60 percent in the diagnosis of severe asthma when comparing primary care assessments versus those in dedicated primary care programs. The study indicated that more than 75 percent of participants were identified as having moderate or severely persistent asthma during a visit to the primary carebased asthma program, compared with roughly 15 percent who were identified during routine primary care check-ups. “Our study highlights that asthma severity is under-recognized and under-treated during routine care,” says Karen Warman, MD, the study’s lead author and Attending Physician, Comprehensive Family Care Center (CFCC), one of Montefiore’s outpatient and primary care sites.
Learn more about Montefiore’s leading-edge pediatric research at www.cham.org/research/child-health-research-at-cham.
Medical treatment designed to fit the exact needs of each individual has long been a standard feature of stories set in the future. That future has arrived. At Montefiore’s Division of Hematology-Oncology, numerous precision medicine studies are underway to discover new treatments tailored to the unique needs of the Bronx population.
These studies demonstrate the use of next generation sequencing technologies and Montefiore’s computerized databases to uncover new insights into blood cancers found in the Bronx. One study found that Bronx patients had increased frequency of p53 mutations, one of the most common gene mutations in cancers. This finding will be used to drive treatment decisions and assess the need for earlier bone marrow transplants. Another study is analyzing the blood counts of thousands of patients using Montefiore’s Clinical Looking Glass software, a proprietary, patented tool that quickly analyzes massive pools of data. The data revealed new standard markers for clinical intervention for blood neutrophil (a common type of white blood cell) counts in the African American population. Montefiore’s oncologists are bringing the future of healthcare into today’s treatments for Montefiore’s unique patient population.
Montefiore’s Healing Arts Program uses the arts, creative arts therapies and relaxation techniques to enhance the quality of life and hospital experience of Montefiore’s associates and patients. Relaxation Rx, Healing Arts’ associate relaxation program, sponsored by Human Resources, offers team workshops and drop-in relaxation stations by request, a monthly calendar of arts and relaxation workshops and events open to all associates, and special free resources such as the Quiet Time piano music CD.
Relaxation Rx also includes a unit-based rotation program which offers nurses and staff individual 5-30 minute relaxation sessions using music therapy, guided imagery, breathing, aromatherapy, and hand massage. Along with in-the-moment relaxation, these sessions provide associates with new tools for lowering stress which they can continue to use in their daily lives.
Since beginning the program in 2014, over 3,000 relaxation sessions have been delivered to nurses and other associates across campuses. Program participants report high levels of satisfaction, improvements in their ability to manage stress, and decreases in stressrelated symptoms such as muscle tension, headache and fatigue.
Learn more about Healing Arts and Relaxation Rx at www.montefiore.org/healingarts or contact healingarts@montefiore.org.
Turmeric is a spice in the ginger family that is commonly used in Eastern cuisine. Studies show it can be beneficial in helping prevent the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Richard B. Lipton, MD, Director, Division of Cognitive Aging and Dementia and the Montefiore Headache Center, and Edwin S. Lowe Chair in Neurology; Vice Chair and Professor, The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology; Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Epidemiology & Population Health, Einstein, was recently quoted in Woman’s World explaining how curcumin, the pigment that gives turmeric its yellow color, works. “In neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, toxic proteins accumulate in the brain, and nerve cells die. Curcumin is both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent that fights against the amyloid and tau proteins responsible for brain decline,” says Dr. Lipton. So next time you reach for your spice rack be sure to sprinkle in a bit of this yellow super food to help your family stay healthy.
Leonard M. Freeman, MD, Chief, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Montefiore, and Professor, Radiology, Einstein, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Clinical Imaging Council of the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) at their annual meeting in San Diego. Dr. Freeman, a former president of the SNMMI, joined other former presidents in the newly established SNMMI fellowship program.
Shalom Kalnicki, MD, Professor and Chairman, Radiation Oncology, Montefiore and Einstein, was recently named one of 10 new fellows of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). The ASTRO Fellows designation, or FASTRO, honors individuals who have significantly added to the field of radiation oncology in the areas of research, education, patient care or service and leadership. Dr. Kalnicki and the other inductees will be honored at ASTRO’s 58th Annual Meeting taking place in Boston this September.
Melissa P. Wasserstein, MD, Division of Genetics, CHAM, and Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Einstein, has been appointed Chief of Genetic Medicine for CHAM. Dr. Wasserstein previously served as the Director of the Program for Inherited Metabolic Diseases and the Medical Director of the International Center for Types A and B Niemann Pick Disease at Mount Sinai.
As of July 26, 2016, Health Information Management (HIM) Customer Service currently located at Moses, Rosenthal Southeast, Main will be relocating to:
HIM Customer Service
3411 Wayne Ave. 6th Floor
Bronx, New York 10467
Please contact HIM at 718-920-4921 for more information.
African American children with Autism are vastly underrepresented in Autism research. Hoping to reduce this disparity, investigators at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine are conducting a research study examining the genetics of Autism, as well as access to evaluations and care, in the African American population. Deepening the understanding of the genetic aspects of Autism may lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment options for African Americans.
Families are invited to enroll their child if they:
Participating children will receive Autism diagnostic and cognitive testing, and participating family members will be asked to provide a blood sample. Families will be compensated $150.00 for time and travel.
For more information, contact Danielle DeMaio at childrensresearchunit@einstein.yu.edu or 718-862-1860.
Discover more about clinical trials at Montefiore at www.montefiore.org/clinicaltrials.
All events run 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
For more information or to volunteer, contact Leo Trevino at 718-798-4285.
Stop by for free giveaways and body mass index screenings, and learn more about Montefiore’s TV show Objectivo: Tu Salud with Eliscer Guzman, MD, Director, Cardiology.
Wednesday, July 27 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Cardiology Unlimited, 1150 Webster Avenue, Bronx
For more information, contact David Medranda at damedran@montefiore.org or Mariela Morel at mmorel@montefiore.org.