Third Annual Regional Summit Examines Causes, Impact of Pittsburgh’s Asthma Epidemic
Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) April 30, 2014 -- Local and national asthma experts will convene in Pittsburgh on May 15 and 16 for a third regional summit on air quality and the role it plays in the high prevalence of asthma in western Pennsylvania communities.
Organized by Allegheny Health Network and the Breathe Project, with the support of The Heinz Endowments and the Suburban Health Foundation, “The Air We Breathe: A Regional Summit on Asthma In Our Community” will be held at the Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) George Magovern, MD, Conference Center, part of the Allegheny Health Network.
The Summit’s keynote speaker Polly Hoppin, ScD, Director of the Environmental Health Program at the Lowell (Mass.) Center for Sustainable Production, will address strategies for primary prevention of asthma and designing a roadmap to reduce the incidence of the disease. A former senior adviser in the Clinton administration, Dr. Hoppin is nationally known for her research in environmental public health problems and solutions, including environmental investments that can reduce the burden of asthma.
Dr. Hoppin’s presentation will take place from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. on May 16.
“The Pittsburgh region remains challenged by some of the nation’s highest registered airborne particle pollution levels,” said Deborah Gentile, MD, Director of Research, in AGH’s Division of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “Many studies have has shown that such pollution has a wide-ranging and serious impact on a community’s health.”
“We believe that by working together as a community on issues such as air quality, health literacy and preventive strategies, we can find better solutions to the asthma epidemic,” Dr. Gentile said.
Topics and presenters at the Summit will include:
Thursday, May 15, 2014
• “Recent Advances in Understanding Pathogenesis of Pediatric Asthma” – 6:45 p.m., with Giovanni Piedimonte, MD, Chair, Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Institute
• “Impact of Emerging Health Care Policies on Pediatric Asthma” – 7:30 p.m., with John Carl, MD, Chair, Center for Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Cleveland Clinic
Friday, May 16, 2014
• “Integrative Medicine (IM): It’s Role in Asthma Prevention and Treatment and Efforts by Suburban Health Foundation and Allegheny Health Network to Establish IM Community Outreach and Research” - 8:00 a.m., with Betsy Blazek-O’Neill, MD, Allegheny Health Network Integrated Medicine
• “Overview of Breathe Project and Air Quality in Pittsburgh” – 8:15 a.m., Philip Johnson, MPH, PhD, Director, Breathe Project Initiative, senior Program Officer, Environmental Program, Heinz Endowments
• “Challenges of Asthma Control in Pittsburgh,” – 8:30: a.m. Sally Wenzel, MD, Professor of Medicine Director, University of Pittsburgh Asthma Institute at UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine/
• “Asthma Control is Attainable” - 9 a.m., with David Skoner, MD, Director of the Division of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Allegheny Health Network
• “Keynote Lecture: Primary Prevention of Asthma” – 9:30 a.m. – with Polly Hoppin, ScD Director of the Environmental Health Program at the Lowell (Mass.) Center for Sustainable Production
• “Effect of Outdoor Air Pollution on Asthma Outcomes” - 10:45 a.m., with David Diaz-Sanchez, PhD, Chief, Clinical Research Branch U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC
• “Impact of Health Literacy and Asthma Disparities” - 11:15 a.m., with Tyra Bryant-Stephens, MD, Director, Community Asthma Prevention Program, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• “Successes of Breathmobile Project on Asthma Outcomes in Inner-City Children” – 1:30 p.m. with Tricia Morphew, MSc, Research Analyst/Biostatistician, Morphew Consulting, LLC
• “Impact of Biomass on Pediatric Asthma Outcomes” - 2 p.m., with Curtis Noonan, PhD, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, University of Montana
• “Implementing Community Interventions for Asthma Control” – 3:15 p.m. with Tyra Bryant-Stephens, MD, Director and Founder of the Community Asthma Prevention Program, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The Regional Summit on Asthma in Our Community is intended for internal medicine and family practice physicians, pediatricians, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, asthma specialists, public health specialists, community leaders and residents who are interested in learning more about asthma and air quality, including parents, school nurses, administrators and teachers.
Those who wish to attend the Summit or who require more information can contact the AGH Continuing Medical Education office by calling (412) 359-4952 or by e-mail: rmiglior(at)wpahs(dot)org.
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Jennifer Davis, Allegheny General Hospital, +1 (412) 330-4439, [email protected]
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