Dr. Gretchen Wells writes a lot of prescriptions and orders a lot of tests. But she says the most rewarding thing she dispenses is hope.
As director of Women's Heart Heath at UK HealthCare's Gill Heart Institute, Wells is tasked with helping Kentucky women enjoy longer, fuller lives with healthy hearts.
February is American Heart Health Month, and this past Feb. 3 marked the 14th annual National Wear Red Day for Women. It’s a day designed to call our attention to recognizing heart disease as the No. 1 killer of women in this country, and to raise awareness of women’s overall heart health.
Kate Breeden closed her eyes as she took a bite, trying to concentrate on the flavors of the food she was sampling.
"Well, it's definitely a brownie," she said, "but I have no idea what the mystery ingredient is. Maybe carob instead of chocolate, or dates? But I'm not 100 percent sure to be honest."
Breeden was among dozens of women – and a few men – gathered on Feb. 3 to launch Heart Month at UK with "Gill Goes Red."
The celebration of women's heart health in the hospital's Pavilion A atrium featured giveaways, prizes and simple tips and substitutions to make your diet more heart-healthy.
With a sailboat full of toys, murals of blue skies over the sea and a lighthouse illuminated with all colors of the rainbow, the new $1.6 million DanceBlue Kentucky Children's Hospital (KCH) Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic transports families to a beachside getaway.
The expanded beach-themed clinic, supported by funds raised through the UK DanceBlue organization and dance marathon, is designed to enhance resources, privacy and care for pediatric patients and families battling cancer.
During a recent trip to Taiwan, Dr. Mark V. Williams, director of the Center for Health Services Research (CHSR), had the opportunity to share his expertise as a hospitalist and researcher with colleagues in Taiwan.
Williams was invited by Dr. Ming-Chin Yang, National Taiwan University’s associate dean of the College of Public Health, and Dr. Nin-Chieh Hsu, a practicing hospitalist in Taiwan, to speak at the Jan. 7 forum of hospital medicine at the first International Conference of Hospital Medicine.
Michele Staton-Tindall grew up in rural Appalachia during a time when people felt so safe they didn’t even lock their doors at night. The ensuing drug epidemic that now ravages her former home has dramatically impacted the lives of the Appalachian people and broken that sense of security.
Dr. Doug Lowy, interim director of the National Cancer Institute, recently visited the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, continuing a dialogue on Kentucky cancer disparities following Lowy's visit to Hazard, Ky. last fall.
Much of Lowy's visit focused on research. During the morning session, nine UK faculty members gave presentations on major research initiatives and programs at Markey, ranging from efforts in cancer prevention and control to drug development and discovery.
In 2015, identical twins Gardner and Jon Wes Adams, then in their mid-20s, both nearly died when their hearts suddenly stopped beating. The incidents happened months apart, but the cause was the same: Brugada syndrome, a rare, congenital heart rhythm disorder.
Working as a bedside nurse requires extensive physical effort — pushing wheelchairs and beds, twisting and lifting, and long periods on your feet. Jennifer Thomas, who's been a nurse at UK HealthCare for six years, can attest to this. In fact, it was while assisting a patient from a wheelchair that she badly injured the cartilage in her knee.
"The pain was excruciating — a sharp, stabbing, burn," Thomas said. "It was constant regardless of sitting or walking.
A multi-site clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR) has demonstrated the effectiveness of CAM2038, a potentially transformative buprenorphine therapy for moderate-to-severe opioid use disorders.
Radiation therapy saves countless lives, but in rare cases, it can cause a debilitating, long-term complication when used on the brain. Around three to five percent of patients who receive radiation for brain tumors, or arteriovenous malformations (AVM), develop radiation necrosis, where the brain tissue around the targeted lesion becomes injured and dies.
The condition can be disabling, causing severe headaches, nausea and vomiting, cognitive problems and neural dysfunction.
In February, institutions around Lexington will celebrate Heart Month with activities that promote healthy habits such as exercise, smoking cessation, stress reduction and improved diet.
UK HealthCare's Gill Heart Institute will focus on ways to make your diet more heart-healthy with a celebration and information about simple ingredient substitutes that can make your transition to a healthy diet easier.
The rate of Americans suffering from food allergies, including a life-threatening peanut allergy, has dramatically increased in the past few decades.
Peanut allergies are the leading cause of death caused by food-induced asphyxia, although death from a peanut allergy is rare. Peanut allergies typically begin during early childhood and persist into adulthood.
Ann Coker, professor in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and Verizon Wireless Endowed Chair in the UK Center for Research on Violence Against Women (CRVAW), will host a presentation this Tuesday on the link between violence against women and cancer.
The presentation, titled “Violence against women and cancer incidence, care and recovery,” will be held at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in room 263 of the Medical College Building (MC263).
Violence against women is defined as sexual assaults or sexual abuse during childhood, and intimate partner physical, sexual or psychological abuse.
The American College of Cardiology has named Gill Heart Institute's Dr. David J. Moliterno, the new editor-in-chief of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
Moliterno is the Jack M. Gill Chair and professor of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kentucky. He is also a member of the interventional cardiology faculty at the UK Gill Heart Institute.
At the beginning of the year, many women (and men) set resolutions around health and fitness, often focusing on weight loss. But one of the most important habits women can form revolves around regular health checks, particularly for preventable cancers.
January is cervical cancer awareness month. Unfortunately, Kentucky ranks in the top 10 in the country for cervical cancer incidence and death rates – a dire statistic considering cervical cancer is largely preventable through vaccination and screening.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes virtually all cases of cervical carcinomas.
A new study by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers shows that chloroquine – a drug currently used to treat malaria – may be useful in treating patients with metastatic cancers.
Published in Cell Reports, the study showed that chloroquine induced the secretion of the tumor suppressor protein Par-4 in both mouse models and in cancer patients in a clinical trial.
Michele Staton-Tindall grew up in rural Appalachia during a time when people felt so safe they didn’t even lock their doors at night. The ensuing drug epidemic that now ravages her former home has dramatically impacted the lives of the Appalachian people and broken that sense of security.
Equestrian sports contributes to the highest percentage of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in sports, based on findings in the National Trauma Databank.
