Carilion Clinic Living - Fall 2013

Carilion Clinic

Inspiring Better Health CarilionClinic.org | Fall 2013

IS Se InTewTING th SMOKING? Healing Arts Program Welcomes Artists-inResidence NEW TREATMENTS FOR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE Instead of sitting all day at their desks, many employees of NewCity in Blacksburg get outside to walk, run, or bike.

HERE FOR THE

getting a second chance and taking it

Finding new ways to make every day a good day.

Carilion Clinic is committed to helping you be your healthiest and stay that way. It’s why we’re here, and it guides everything we do to keep our community well and our region strong. From moment one.

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Carilion Clinic

FALL 2013

FEATURES

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Pregnancy Treating complications at home.

New Health Law Roanoke education helped shape health official.

Innovations Healing arts program welcomes artists-in-residence.

Inammatory Bowel Disease Internationally recognized doctor brings expertise to region.

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Community Service Doctor serves here and abroad.

Health Studies Prolonged sitting can affect your health.

Book Clubs Feed your mind as well as body.

Performing Arts Blacksburg arts center debuts.

Gastroenterology Specialists join Carilion Clinic.

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DEPARTMENTS

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President’s Message Sitting for hours takes a toll on your health.

Healthy Lifestyles Tips from Carilion Clinic medical professionals.

In Your Community Making a difference in western Virginia.

New Providers New physicians and advanced care practitioners across our region.

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Better Living Your health calendar.

Carilion Clinic

Inspiring Better Health CarilionClinic.org | Fall 2013

IS SIe neTTwING th SMOKINGG? Healing Arts Program Welcomes Artists-inResidence NEW TREATMENTS FOR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE Instead of sitting all day at their desks, many employees of NewCity in Blacksburg get outside to walk, run, or bike.

On Our Cover Pam Martin and Matt Simmons of NewCity, an interactive design agency in Blacksburg, walk on a path at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.

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Our Contributors CARILION CLINIC PRESIDENT AND CEO Nancy Howell Agee CARILION CLINIC 1906 BELLEVIEW AVE. P.O. BOX 13367 ROANOKE, VA 24033 540-981-7000

Karen Doss Bowman is a writer who contributes to health care publications, including the University of Virginia’s Vim & Vigor. A native of Bassett, Va., she now lives in Bridgewater.

Jay Conley has been a reporter for newspapers including The Roanoke Times, a staff writer for Randolph College in Lynchburg, and a writer for national publications such as U.S. News & World Report.

David Hungate is an award-winning photographer who has worked in television news and whose Roanoke-based commercial photography business takes him to photo shoots around the United States.

CARILION CLINIC LIVING IS PRODUCED BY STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT: VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT Shirley Holland SENIOR DIRECTOR, MARKETING Mike Dame BRAND MANAGER Linda Staley EDITOR Maureen Robb LEAD DESIGNER David Porter DESIGNER Taryn Anderson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Karen Doss Bowman, Allison Buth, Su Clauson-Wicker, Jay Conley, Otesa Middleton Miles, Amy Minnix, Dan Smith, Erica Stacy, Randolph Walker, Alison Weaver PHOTOGRAPHER Darryle Arnold

Dan Smith is an award-winning journalist and photographer, an essayist on public radio, and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. He is the author of a novel and several nonfiction books.

Erica Stacy is a writer whose articles have appeared in regional and national health publications. She also works with nonprofit groups in Virginia and the Carolinas to promote health and education. She lives in Pulaski.

Randolph Walker is a writer and musician in Roanoke. Formerly a staff writer with The Roanoke Times, his work has appeared in many publications including Virginia Living, Valley Business Front, and The Roanoker.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Marino Colmano, Sam Dean, David Hungate PRINTING Chocklett Press

CARILIONCLINIC.ORG | 800-422-8482

Carilion Clinic is a not-for-profit health care organization based in Roanoke, Va. Through our comprehensive network of hospitals, primary and specialty physician practices, and other complementary services, we work together to provide quality care close to home for nearly 1 million Virginians. With an enduring commitment to the health of our region, we also seek to advance care through medical education and research to help our community stay healthy and inspire our region to grow stronger.

Copyright 2013 by Carilion Clinic. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Carilion Clinic. Articles in this publication are written by journalists or authors who strive to present reliable, up-to-date health information. However, personal decisions regarding health, finance, exercise and other matters should be made only after consultation with the reader’s physician or professional advisor. All editorial rights reserved. Opinions expressed herein may or may not reflect the views of Carilion Clinic.

If you would like to be added to or removed from the mailing list for Carilion Clinic Living, please call 800-422-8482, email us at direct@carilionclinic.org, or write to us at Strategic Development, 213 McClanahan St., Roanoke, VA 24014.

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FALL 2013 | CarilionClinic.org

President’s Message Sitting all day isn’t good for you. That’s becoming clear from studies linking prolonged sitting to heart disease, diabetes, and early death from all causes. But there’s so much you can do to add movement to your day. Across our region, more people are working at stand-up or treadmill desks, taking fitness classes at the office, or walking on breaks. Some, like Teresa Carroll of our Sleep Center, are even setting a timer to remind them to get up and move. See our cover story for more ideas!

If you’ve ever known anyone with Crohn’s disease, you know how debilitating this condition can be. But significant progress is being made. In this issue, we introduce Dario Sorrentino, M.D., internationally recognized for his breakthroughs in treating inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Sorrentino, along with his Carilion Clinic colleagues, will establish the region’s first IBD center.

We’re also happy to welcome our first artists-in-residence to our healing arts program. Painter Jane Lillian Vance and cellist David Feldman are excited to bring Nancy Howell Agee (left) speaks with Dr. Susan their art to our patients, hospital visitors, and staff.

C. Lee, chief of hospitalist medicine at Carilion Stay tuned for more about their activities.

Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

As the weather gets chillier, our thoughts turn to the comforts of a good book. Gene Marrano, who’s interviewed many authors on Roanoke’s public radio station WVTF, explores the region’s book clubs in this issue. From literary fiction for adults to storytelling for kids, there are dozens of clubs to choose from. Check out the possibilities!

WARM REGARDS,

NANCY HOWELL AGEE PRESIDENT AND CEO CARILION CLINIC

An Invitation from the President

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HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Tips from our Medical Professionals Make Sure You Get True Exercise What does exercise mean to YOU? Often when I ask a patient if they exercise, they say “yes,” followed by explanations like, “my job keeps me active,” or “I get a lot of exercise running after my children (or grandchildren).” Although staying active in any shape or form is important to one’s overall health, you need to get consistent, uninterrupted exercise to help maintain a healthy body weight. This includes 30 minutes of cardio/aerobic exercise at least five times a week. I encourage patients to get their heart rate up and sweat a little, as this burns calories!

— Colleen James, D.O., Carilion Clinic Family Medicine, Vinton

Watch Out for Winter Blues Often as summer comes to a close and cooler temperatures approach, we can feel a little down. Sometimes, this can be a form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which often starts in the fall and lasts until spring or summer.

It can make you sleepy, hungry, or irritable, and can lead to weight gain. Some people feel better by walking outside during daylight hours and eating a healthy diet. If you notice these symptoms as winter approaches, ask your doctor for treatment options.

— Stacy C. Moore, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Carilion Clinic Family Medicine, Dublin Is Electronic Media Hurting Your Child?

Technology has many benefits, but heavy use of electronic media (especially with non-educational or violent content) can be linked to mental and physical health problems in children and adolescents.

Just as a healthy diet includes a variety of nutritious foods, youths can benefit from reducing their “screen time” and trying other age-appropriate, adult-supervised activities, such as group or individual athletics, music or art lessons, volunteering, and many others.

— Hilton R. Lacy, M.D., Carilion Clinic Psychiatry — Child & Adolescent, Roanoke 4 FALL 2013 | CarilionClinic.org

Improve Your Health through Meditation The word “meditation” may be off-putting, but this mind-body practice may be one of the most beneficial habits you can cultivate. Research suggests regular practice improves physical, mental, and emotional health to promote greater overall well-being. Consider the following exercise: Find a quiet place, sit comfortably, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Gently dismiss stray thoughts as they occur. In as little as five minutes a day, your efforts can significantly improve the quality of your life!

— Luke Swatzyna, Certified Physician Assistant Carilion Clinic Family Medicine, Roanoke/Salem and Southeast Is Diet Soda a Healthier Choice?

Unfortunately, it’s not. In fact, diet soda may be as harmful as regular soda. Recent research has shown that sweeteners in diet soda may be linked to weight gain, poor metabolism, cell damage, tooth decay, heart problems, and diabetes. And that’s with just one or two servings daily.

Why take the risk? Consume nature’s healthy drink: water. Commit to kicking all soda out of your life for good.

— Chidinma Osefo, M.D. Carilion Clinic Family Medicine, Roanoke/Salem When to Have a Pap Smear Did you know that guidelines have recently changed for healthy women with no history of abnormal pap smears?

Most women are now asked to start this test to detect cervical cancer at age 21, and to have it every three years until age 30. After that, add co-testing for the human papilloma virus, and continue testing every five years until age 65. And you’ll still need your annual gynecological exam. Talk to your health provider for more information.

— Suzanne Barron, M.S., Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Carilion Clinic Obstetrics & Gynecology, Rocky Mount

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their newborn son. © GettyImages

Treating Acute Morning Sickness

By Su Clauson-Wicker

When Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, delivered a healthy prince on July 22, royalty watchers breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Kate’s four-day hospitalization in early December evoked global concern, bringing attention to a little-known condition called hyperemesis gravidarum.

The disorder is best described as abnormally severe morning sickness. If you’ve never heard of it, that’s because it affects a small number of pregnant women—between .3 percent and 1 percent, according to Melanie Altizer, M.D., a Carilion Clinic obstetrician and gynecologist.

Affected women can suffer such persistent vomiting that they become dehydrated and malnourished, develop an electrolyte imbalance, and lose weight. English novelist Charlotte Bronte likely died of hyperemesis in 1855.

High hormone levels could play a role in the condition, although its exact cause is unknown.

It is treatable, however. “We do lab work to rule out other conditions such as an abnormal pregnancy or thyroid condition,” Dr. Altizer says. “We try to reduce the symptoms through dietary changes, avoiding environmental triggers, and with medication.

“If necessary, we also correct the consequences of vomiting through IV hydration, replacing electrolytes, and even intravenous nutrition. This minimizes the effect on the baby.”

Severe cases may require a hospital stay to stabilize the mother’s condition, but hyperemesis is also treatable at home.

“In hyperemesis, persistent morning sickness can be debilitating,” says Carolyn Mason-Murray, manager of Carilion Clinic Home Care. “When women can stay home during their treatment, one element of stress is removed.”

This is especially important for women with young children.

Home treatment is also less expensive than long-term or repeated hospital stays.

Since 2009, Carilion Clinic Home Care has treated about five hyperemesis patients each year. “We’ve kept these women from hospitalization,” says Mason-Murray. “Our goal is to educate our providers, hopefully allowing more women to remain home.”

Carilion’s registered nurses provide a wide range of treatments and procedures in patients’ homes, including IV therapy. Carilion collaborates with Home Choice Partners to deliver IV expertise and 24-hour support.

“Each case is unique,” Mason-Murray says. “When the patient is physically able, we encourage her participation in care planning and can educate her or her caregiver about how to connect and disconnect the IV. “We strive to improve our patients’ quality of life. Keeping them at home is often part of that.”

Carilion Clinic Home Care has locations in Roanoke, Bedford, Lexington, Rocky Mount, Radford, and Tazewell. For more information, call 800-964-9300 or go to CarilionClinic.org/home/vahome-health-care. To watch a video, go to bit.ly/CarilionHomeCare.

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IN YOUR COMMUNITY CARILION HOSPITALS EARN TOP AWARDS

Three units at Carilion Clinic hospitals received 5-Star awards for overall quality from Professional Research Consultants, a national health care research firm. They are: Obstetrics at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center and Ambulatory Surgery and Endoscopy at Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital. Carilion Giles Community Hospital Inpatient Service also received a 4-Star award. Separately, CGCH was named one of “100 Great Community Hospitals” by Becker’s Hospital Review. The list recognizes hospitals with fewer than 550 beds that provide high-quality care.

CARILION MATCHES SNAP DOLLARS AT FARMERS’ MARKETS

A grant from Carilion Clinic is helping SNAP card (food stamp) recipients buy fresh fruit and vegetables. The grant was made to area farmers’ markets in the Local Environmental Agriculture Project and matches SNAP benefits to double their value, up to $20. Carilion’s own Farmers’ Table, open Thursday afternoons at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, also offers the match. For more information on participating farmers markets, go to leapforlocalfood.org.

Patient Transportation Wins Recognition

Carilion Clinic Patient Transportation was fully re-accredited for another three years by the Commission of Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems. The commission also commended Carilion for its culture of safety. Earning accreditation is a rigorous process, and many patient transport systems find it hard to maintain.

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VELOCITYCARE TO OPEN IN BLACKSBURG

VelocityCare, the urgent care service by Carilion Clinic, will open at a fifth location in early 2014.

The new VelocityCare site, at 215 Gilbert St. in Blacksburg, will provide walk-in medical services for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Carilion Clinic orthopaedic services will also be provided at this location.

ROANOKE MEMORIAL IS HIGHLY RANKED

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital was ranked eighth among Virginia’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

It was the only hospital in southwest Virginia to make the top ten, and it earned honors in eight specialty areas. Roanoke Memorial was also chosen as “Best Hospital” in southwest Virginia by Virginia Living magazine. Noted were the hospital’s Chest Pain Center, pediatric emergency room, forensic nursing program, and its emergency department, with the region’s only Level I Trauma Center.

Carilion Again Named ‘Most Wired’

For the fifth year in a row, Carilion Clinic was named one of the nation’s “Most Wired” health care systems. The award, by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, recognizes providers that make extensive use of technology to improve patient care.

Stairs and Wellness Go Together

Carilion Clinic is sponsoring the main staircase at the newly renovated Center in the Square in downtown Roanoke as part of its StairWellness program. To promote the health benefits of taking the stairs, Carilion also redesigned stairwells at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and other Carilion hospitals.

KIDS LEARN HEALTHY HABITS

Kids and their parents learned fun ways to stay active and eat right at Community Day in Roanoke’s Horton Park. The event featured activities for all ages, including an inflatable obstacle course, Zumba, basketball, rock climbing, kickball, bean bag toss, chalk games, and hula hoops. A goodie bag of fresh fruit and vegetables went home with anyone who completed five activities. The event was sponsored by PATH Community Coalition led by Carilion Clinic and funded by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth.

Photo courtesy of Justin McLeod of Roanoke City Public Schools.

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NEW SERVICES

Shaping the New Health Care Law MARILYN TAVENNER RENEWS ROANOKE TIES AS SHE LAUNCHES NATIONAL TOUR By Dan Smith

As the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Marilyn Tavenner has played a key role in implementing the nation’s new health care law. Over the past three years, she has helped develop policy and regulations to carry out the far-reaching Affordable Care Act. Tavenner, who manages what is in effect the world’s largest health insurer, discussed the law earlier this year at the Carilion Leadership Conference, which brought together regional leaders in government and industry. It was the first stop of her national tour to roll out the new regulations.

Her approach to implementing the law has been “to listen to all concerns, provide information when asked, and work with everyone toward a common goal,” she said. It’s also meant streamlining bureaucracy “to get rid of duplicate systems and run the agency like a business.”

In her talk and in an interview afterwards, Tavenner said it was a matter of building bridges—not burning them—with all the state regulators, insurers, and others who have had a stake in implementing the law.

The general directives of the Affordable Care Act had to be translated into thousands of pages of detailed regulations spelling out just how the law would work.

For three years, this has been Tavenner’s mission.

Her rise in government reflects the emergence of nurses as health care leaders.

Unusual Background Tavenner, who manages the $820 billion federal agency that provides health care coverage for 100 million Americans, brings a unique skill set to her job. She is a graduate of Roanoke Memorial Hospital’s School of Nursing, Class of 1972, and a former Virginia secretary of health and human resources.

Her rise in government also reflects the emergence of nurses as health care leaders. She and her Roanoke nursing school classmate Nancy Howell Agee, for example, each went on to become CEOs in the health care industry.

Tavenner held executive positions with the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), and Agee is now president and CEO of Carilion Clinic.

Today Tavenner is drawing on expertise she acquired in Roanoke. “Part of what we learned in nursing school,” she said, “was team leadership—managing a unit. It was teaching and nursing and management, working and following.”

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Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is shown as a Roanoke nursing school graduate (right), and at the recent Carilion Leadership Conference (below).

Affordable Care Act In addition to this and their medical training, nurses are known as caring patient advocates, and Tavenner is no exception. “Marilyn brings a nurse’s attitude to management,” says Agee.

“She is caring, involved, concerned, and people-oriented.”

Early Training “People talk about having ideal childhoods,” Tavenner said. “Roanoke Memorial’s School of Nursing was ideal in my mind. We were taught in small groups, often one-on-one. We learned about diseases and patients and then we were able to carry what we learned into the hospital and see it applied. In the process, we learned how important it was to listen to patients and their families.”

“Nursing requires a certain personality,” she said. “Nurses have to care about people, and the school sought that out.”

Tavenner was a Candy Striper in Fieldale in high school before acquiring

Enrollment is under way for coverage beginning January 1, 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. For information about the law and enrollment, go to healthcare.gov.

scholarships that helped her attend nursing school. Then she earned a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing and a master’s degree in health administration, both from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Before entering government service, Tavenner spent 25 years with HCA. She began as a nurse at the Johnston-Willis Hospital in Richmond in 1981 and steadily rose through the company. In 1993, she was named the hospital’s chief executive officer and by 2001 had assumed responsibility for 20 hospitals as president of HCA’s Central Atlantic Division. She left HCA in 2005 as group

president of outpatient services, where she developed a national strategy for freestanding outpatient services.

Her four-year tenure as Virginia’s secretary of health and human resources sparked an interest in government. “I didn’t even think about public service before,” she says, “but I loved working for [then-Governor] Tim Kaine.” She went on to be named principal deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and acting director of the agency before being confirmed as its head earlier this year.

Tavenner’s ability to work with people of all viewpoints is seen as one of her strong suits. And she’s earned the support of many who might have opposed her, including Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah.

The newspaper Politico has even quoted Hatch as saying: “I have reason to believe she will be one of the best leaders we could possibly see in government.”

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Healing with Art

By Erica Stacy

What do stethoscopes, medications, and paintings have in common?

Each is a tool with the power to heal.

Studies in fact show that art can reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure and stress levels, enhance sleep, and raise pain thresholds and mood.

That’s why Carilion Clinic launched the Dr. Robert L.A. Keeley Healing Arts Program in June of 2012.

Now, just over a year later, the program is already making a difference for patients and their families.

The program, with its journaling, healing garden, music, and artists-in-residence, is creating an inspirational and restorative environment for Carilion patients, visitors, and caregivers.

Journaling Writing in a journal has long been encouraged as a way to work through one’s feelings. “It’s cathartic,” says Shanna Flowers, manager of Carilion’s volunteer services. “Rather than keep worries and fears inside, patients can write them down.”

In May, Carilion began offering journals to patients in the labor and delivery antepartum unit at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. “The women who are admitted there may spend several weeks in the hospital pending the birth of their babies,” says Flowers.

“They may worry about the delivery, miss their families and friends, and, if they have other children at home, feel guilty about being away,” she says. “Journaling can help them work through this.”

Trained volunteers offer patients journals and suggestions for using them. Patients record their feelings, sketch, or just write down questions about their conditions.

The popularity of journaling in the unit has since led to offering journals to cardiac, oncology, and rehabilitation patients. More than 150 journals have been distributed since the healing arts program began.

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Healing Garden A new healing garden is also winning praise. In partnership with the City of Roanoke, Carilion opened the garden last summer beside the Roanoke River Greenway.

The healing garden beside the Roanoke River has aromatic plants, benches, and a swing. It was dedicated in August in partnership with the City of Roanoke.

Fragrant with flowers and aromatic plants, it has benches and a swing and provides a special place to feel the healing effects of nature.

Artists-in-Residence The newest component of the healing arts at Carilion is an artist-in-residence program. It is designed to create a direct connection between artists and patients, visitors, and staff.

Jane Lillian Vance, a painter and storyteller, joined the program in September for three months and will be followed by cellist David Feldman in December.

They were selected from a group of 21 applicants.

“When patients are in a hospital, they are often vulnerable and may feel uncomfortable and alone,” says Marie Webb, senior director of community outreach for Carilion. “We hope that engaging with local artists will lift their spirits.”

Artist Jane Lillian Vance, shown with one of her paintings, and cellist David Feldman, are the first artists-in-residence in the healing arts program.

The artist-in-residence program will include activities with patients, demonstrations in waiting rooms, and workshops for employees.

Funded by Tom and Mary Evelyn Tielking of Daleville, the program will feature a new artist quarterly. Activities offered will depend on the artist’s specialty.

“Art helps you escape from yourself,” says Mary Evelyn.

“It forces you outside yourself. We hope that this program will help patients find that release.

“Even when you are sick, the world is still out there with beauty to share.”

“We were drawn to this area when we retired because of the variety of cultural experiences available,” says Tom.

Meet the Artists

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Carilion to Create First IBD Center in Region

By Alison Weaver

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One of the world’s leading specialists in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has joined Carilion Clinic.

Dario Sorrentino, M.D., who is fellowship-trained in gastroenterology and endoscopy, comes to the Roanoke Valley from Queensland, Australia, where he served as a professor of medicine and gastroenterologist and conducted clinical trials in the treatment of Crohn’s disease. He was born in Italy.

“I spent 10 years of my career in the United States, and I’ve always wanted to come back,” Dr. Sorrentino says. “The Roanoke Valley and Virginia in general are beautiful, and the people absolutely fantastic. In addition, I believe that Carilion Clinic is strongly motivated to build a premier academic health facility in Roanoke.”

IBDs are chronic diseases that cause severe inflammation of the intestine, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bleeding. The two main types of IBDs are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

“IBD is not the same as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),” Dr. Sorrentino says.

“They might share similar symptoms — chronic diarrhea and pain — but IBD causes sores that penetrate the intestinal wall. IBS is associated with a normal intestine.”

Dr. Sorrentino has joined Carilion’s Division of Gastroenterology, directed

by Paul Yeaton, M.D. “We are extremely pleased that Dr.

Sorrentino has joined Carilion Clinic and is bringing his expertise to our region,” Dr. Yeaton says.

New Center One of Dr. Sorrentino’s immediate goals is to help establish the first IBD center in the region. “The long-term goal will be to provide world-class care using the most sophisticated techniques to diagnose these diseases and offer the best available treatments,” he says.

“Another important goal will be to conduct cutting-edge research in collab-

Crohn’s Disease

“This is an exciting time for patients with IBD. While just a few years ago being diagnosed with IBD was invariably associated with a poor prognosis, we are now on the verge of being able to keep these diseases in full remission in most patients.”

— Dario Sorrentino, M.D. oration with many other centers in the country and with Virginia Tech, with the aim of understanding and eventually providing a cure for IBDs.”

Dr. Dario Sorrentino, a leading specialist in inflammatory bowel disease, discusses his research at a medical conference.

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SPECIALTY CARE

The center will include a multi-disciplinary team of specialists. In addition to Dr. Sorrentino, they will be: • Gastroenterologist Marrieth Rubio, M.D. • Pathologist Douglas J. Grider, M.D. • Radiologist Daniel R. Karolyi, M.D., Ph.D. • Surgeon Sandy L. Fogel, M.D.

His research in IBD has focused on several subjects, the most recent and important being prevention of post-surgical recurrence of Crohn’s disease.

In advanced cases of Crohn’s disease, portions of the intestines can become so damaged that they must be removed by a surgical IBD Training resection. However, Dr. Sorrentino began his medical between 70 percent career at the University of Sassari in and 90 percent Italy. He then spent 10 years at the Dr. Marrieth Rubio of patients begin University of California at San Francisco showing signs of a and Mount Sinai Medical Center in recurrence within a year of surgery.

New York City. He While at Udine, Dr. Sorrentino and his went on to head team began testing the use of the drug the gastroenterolinfliximab to prevent recurrence. “We ogy section of the found that patients who began taking University of Udine infliximab immediMedical School ately after surgery (Italy) for 12 years, had dramatically where he developed better outcomes,” he Dr. Paul Yeaton a clinical/academic says. “Recurrence IBD center. He has was prevented in 90 published more than 100 papers in top to 100 percent of medical journals. the patients.”

“I developed an interest in IBD because Dr. Sandy Fogel Dr. Sorrentino’s of the great challenge these diseases research was first pose to both patients and physicians,” published in 2006 and has been repliDr. Sorrentino excated by many other teams of researchplains. “Since they ers worldwide. Subsequently he showed mostly affect young that low doses of this medication may people, IBDs take be as effective as standard doses in away the best years preventing recurof their lives. It is rence. Clinical trials very sad to come in of long-term use of contact with teenaginfliximab for this ers and young adults Dr. Daniel Karolyi indication are under who have lost faith way in more than in everything and everybody because of 150 centers around their suffering.” the world.

Dr. Sorrentino’s work as a researcher, Dr. Douglas Grider “This is an excitphysician, and lecturer has taken him to ing time for patients dozens of countries around the world, with IBD,” says Dr. Sorrentino. “While including stints in the United Kingdom, just a few years ago being diagnosed Germany, France, Belgium, and South with IBD was invariably associated with Korea.

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a poor prognosis, we are now on the verge of being able to keep these diseases in full remission in most patients.”

For more information on treatments for IBD or bowel incontinence, call 540-2666000 or 800-422-8482.

Treating Bowel Incontinence

Dr. Jonathan Gleason

From Military Intelligence to Medicine ...

Iraq n i ison m a J Dr.

and Kosov o...

er, h t bro r. r J e h h nick, t i d w on an rry C Ha

Suzanna Jamison, M.D., took an unusual path to get where she is today—a doctor at Carilion Clinic and in the Army Reserve.

And while she jokes that her father might have preferred she take a more direct route to a medical degree, her family wasn’t one to make ordinary choices.

“My parents were both lawyers—my dad went on to become district attorney of New Orleans, and my mom became a judge,” says Dr. Jamison.

“But while working during law school, they decided to buy a business and run it together instead of taking typical hourly jobs.

“They ran a record shop because they loved music. Music was important to my family, and my brother really took to it at a very young age.”

Dr. Jamison is referring to singer, musician, and actor Harry Connick, Jr. “For me, I decided that professionally I wanted a job that allowed me to talk with people and understand them,” she says. “I approached the Army and told them what I was interested in doing, and they handed me the job description of an interrogator.”

Dr. Jamison served as an interrogator gathering military intelligence for eight years. When her term of service was up, she knew that she wanted to stay within the military as an Army reservist.

“Using my G.I. Bill, I decided to go to

By Allison Buth

nursing school,” Dr. Jamison says. “I went from enlisted soldier to Army nurse. Then during my time as a psychiatric nurse, I realized that I wanted more autonomy and responsibility for my patients. I felt I’d be in a better position to educate the treatment team as a physician and could speak on behalf of patients more effectively.”

Dr. Jamison became a commissioned Army physician in 2004 after completing medical school. After her residency, with specialties in internal medicine and psychiatry, she was eligible to go on deployments as a reservist.

She was sent to Iraq in 2010 and to Kosovo in 2012 to provide psychiatric care to American soldiers and civilians.

“Soldiers are very resilient and oriented towards maximizing their functioning,” she says. “Whatever may be bothering them can really affect their job or relationships, so they have a real incentive to work to get better. Most soldiers are interested in receiving therapy to get over issues they are facing, which is really neat.”

“I’ve found the Army to be very supportive of providing psychiatric care to soldiers, and my colleagues here have been so understanding and helpful when I’m gone. I couldn’t do the deployments without everyone’s support.

Because I have that, deployments have been a great experience for me.”

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COVER STORY

IS SITTING THE NEW SMOKING?

By Randolph Walker

We were made to move.

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Left: Regina Hines, a facilities coordinator at Advance Auto Parts in Roanoke, walks at one of the treadmill desks available to all employees.

On the Move

Society, who led the study.

In June, the American Medical Association adopted a policy recognizing the risks of prolonged sitting and encouraged employers to offer options, such as standing work stations.

The solution seems to be “less sitting and more moving overall,” says James A. Levine, M.D., an endocrinologist with the Mayo Clinic. Even working out a few hours a week doesn’t seem to significantly undo the damage of sitting all day, he says. He suggests standing instead of sitting whenever possible.

Standing or moving seems to trigger processes in the body related to the breakdown of fats and sugars, says Dr. Levine. When you sit, these processes stall.

Taking Action Many in our region aren’t taking this sitting down. At Advance Auto Parts in Roanoke, for instance, about 35 employ-

ees work at sit-or-stand desks.

“We take their desktop and we split it—we can actually raise their desk, which gives them the option to stand,” says Director of Facilities Management Wayne Barnes, who has a standing desk himself. “When I’m doing e-mails or work on the PC, any type of online work, I’m standing.”

Advance Auto also has three treadmill desks stationed in common work areas.

Employees walk slowly at them while doing office tasks.

Regina Hines, a facilities coordinator, is a regular user. Every morning for about four months, she has answered e-mails and read documents on her laptop while walking. She has lost weight, and she has more energy. “I don’t feel like I’m ready to take that 1 o’clock nap,” she says.

At Washington and Lee University in Lexington, used treadmills from the gym have been put to new use. “We

added desks to them,” says Anne Remington, the university’s work-life coordinator. The units are placed in individual offices or in common areas as requested.

They are rotated every six months.

Joan Miller, an administrative assistant for law school advancement at the university, mounts her office equipment on a TrekDesk that straddles a treadmill.

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Left to right: Pat Yopp stretches before an on-site fitness class at Carilion Clinic; Nicole Mosley, Pam Martin, and Matt Simmons of NewCity stand while checking out an interesting website; and at Advance Auto Parts, Jeremy Miller works at a standing desk and Trish Geiger takes a walk down the hall.

“I have the phone and the computer and I do my thing,” she says. Striding steadily at .6 or .7 m.p.h., Miller estimates she gets in about three miles per day.

Others, such as employees of Foot Levelers in Roanoke, have held “walking meetings.” (Proponents of the walking meeting are said to include the late Apple founder Steve Jobs.)

Some area companies offer on-site fitness centers or exercise classes for employees. “We’ve got an open area in our corporate office that we use for yoga, Zumba, and high-impact fitness classes,” says Anne Jacobsen, vice president of administration for Hooker Furniture in Martinsville. “We see the benefit in a lot of different ways—increased productivity and fewer absences for doctor’s appointments and medical claims.”

Lisa Stephens, a credit assistant at Hooker, found out about a cardio class through an employee website. “My boss was nice enough to let me work through lunch and leave at 4 o’clock so I could go to that class,” she says. She’s also attended Hooker’s Zumba and yoga 18

FALL 2013 | CarilionClinic.org

You Can Sit Less

classes.

Pat Yopp, revenue cycle manager at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, has taken power punch and yoga classes on-site. In tandem with joining Weight Watchers, Yopp has lost 90 pounds in the past few years.

“It’s helped me improve my energy level, enhance my self esteem, improve

my health in general, reduce risks associated with heart disease, and meet some very nice people,” she says.

Some like to bicycle. The City of Martinsville Fire and EMS Department makes bikes available to employees, who ride them on lunch and other breaks.

Activate, a nonprofit group in Martinsville and Henry County, sponsors Bike Barn, which makes bicycles available to the general public for free.

Others prefer running. Phil Pélanne, director of technology at NewCity, an interactive design agency in Blacksburg, likes to run on the roads around the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center during the day. Melissa Beaver, NewCity director of user experience, often runs on nearby mountain trails.

At NewCity, “Some people work standing up, and a lot of folks work out, run, or bike during the day,” says David Poteet, the agency’s president.

Then there’s technology. “I can report that I recently purchased a Nike+ FuelBand to remind me to keep moving, and this gentle bio-feedback is working

Resources

for me,” says Jim Flowers, executive director of VT KnowledgeWorks in Blacksburg.

“It gives several forms of bio-feedback, both directly and by Bluetooth synching with a smartphone or computer,” he says. “You set a daily fuel goal, and it tracks your progress through the day. from treatment, I found myself practiIts presence alone reminds me to move cally housebound,” she says. “I couldn’t more. It is working for me.” even go to the grocery store. I also deAnd Teresa Carroll, manager of veloped thyroid issues that caused me Carilion Clinic’s Sleep Center in Roanoke, to gain a great deal of weight. Once my periodically sets a timer for 30 minutes medical issues were resolved, I found and does a lap down the hallway. She myself terribly out of shape.” also built her own stand-up computer One day she put on a pedometer. By desk by raising a hospital patient tray. the end of the day, she had walked only “People think it’s tiring, but it’s not,” she 37 steps. says. “It helps me keep my mental focus.

Johnson knew she had to do some“You can make your own, too,” she thing.

She decided to visit the Four Seasays. “Be creative.” sons YMCA in Tazewell. One lap turned Taking the First Step into two laps. Then came the treadmill and a spin bike, a special type of stationWhether it’s at the office or at home, ary bicycle with a metal flywheel that excessive sitting weighs you down. mimics the effect of climbing a hill.

Carolynn Trent Johnson of Tazewell Between managing her thyroid and can attest to this. “After a decade of exercise, Johnson lost more than 40 dealing with cancer and the side effects

pounds. In less than a year, she went from walking 37 steps in a day to teaching yoga and Spin® classes at the Y. She has become an ambassador for the rejuvenating effects of movement.

“My life has been transformed in more ways than I could imagine,” she says.

“It’s my heart’s desire to let people know you can be immobile, you can be housebound, but once you’re in a place physically where you can move, it is so worth it. I wish this for everybody.”

Finding the Right Desk Stand-up desks and treadmill desks can be bought online—a treadmill desk station starts at around $730—or assembled from separate components. TrekDesks (not including the treadmill) are available from online retailers for about $480. If you have some basic shop skills, you can build your own for far less. Used treadmills in the $100 range can be found through online classified ads.

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REGIONAL INTEREST

Local Book Clubs OPENING NEW WORLDS “After our book club meets, I feel more energized,” says Pearl Gearhart of Salem. “I feel good. I’ve learned something new.

“I also like finding out what our next book will be and look forward to reading ones that are different.”

Gearhart is a member of the book club sponsored by the new Glenvar branch of the Roanoke County Public Library. The club, usually attended by 10 to 15 members, also occasionally hears talks by authors. (Local best-selling writer Sharyn McCrumb is one who has spoken to the group.)

Finding a Club Book clubs—often held formally at public libraries or informally at someone’s home or a coffee house—are a popular way to share thoughts about a book. They also foster a

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By Gene Marrano

sense of community and intellectual stimulation. In western Virginia, it’s not too difficult to find a book club that suits your tastes.

Roanoke County libraries host several clubs, including the 1st Tuesday Book Club at the South County Library and the Vinton Book Club on the first Thursday afternoon of every month. There are also book clubs at several other libraries, and clubs geared toward teens.

Darlene Smithwick, adult services coordinator for Roanoke County Libraries, says it now has eight clubs. “Two of them are specialized groups,” she says. “One discusses paranormal romances, and the other is dedicated to Sherlock Holmes.” Library staffers usually lead the sessions.

Twelve to 15 people maximum is about the right size for a book club, says Smithwick.

She also says book clubs expose members to a wider variety of titles and writing styles.

Book club members hold their first meeting at the new Glenvar branch of the Roanoke County Public Library.

Left to right: Librarian Rebecca Walters and book club member Pearl Gearhart listen as others discuss their book selection: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

When one club discussed the best-selling Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, it attracted people who had never been in a book club—several had never been in the public library.

The Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library offers the “Talking About Books” series at multiple locations in Christiansburg, Blacksburg, and the Town of Floyd. Recent meetings have included discussions on classics like Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and more current fare from Virginia-based novelist Barbara Kingsolver (Flight Behavior).

“We do put a lot of stock in book clubs,” says Paula Alston, director of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library. “Our primary business is books, reading, and giving patrons a sense of community when they are in our libraries.”

Alston notes that many people relish a good book: “They love to share their ideas and opinions about that.

Book clubs promote that as well as

provide a social outlet for folks.”

The Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library offers book clubs for adults, mothers and daughters, teens, fathers and sons, and grade-schoolers, as well as a “Small Fry Book Club” for children entering first grade. It also has a club about books linked to movies and one whose members chat about

Start Your Own Book Club

books while knitting.

The Blue Ridge Regional Library, headquartered in Martinsville with four branches elsewhere, sponsors a Readers Meeting at its Ridgeway branch.

And WVTF Public Radio, which covers much of southwestern and central Virginia, offers its monthly book club at its home base in Roanoke. Participants choose titles for the monthly meetings at the end of the preceding year. Members of the club or someone from the local literary/academic community lead each meeting.

WVTF’s club meets on the last Tuesday of each month; upcoming selections range from biographies like David McCullough’s Truman to the David Baldacci novel Wish You Well, currently being filmed as a movie in Giles County.

There are many other book clubs, large and small, all over western Virginia, including ones such as Carilion Clinic’s managers’ book club.

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Glenvar book club members include (left to right): Pearl Gearhart, Rebecca Walters, Ellen Ward, Maxine Norman Cooper, and Heather Gearhart.

A study at the University of Central Arkansas some time ago concluded that participation in book clubs by middle-school students could help overcome their resistance to reading, especially with other students serving as positive role models.

“Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.”

— Author Unknown Strengthening the Community Sheila S. Umberger, director of libraries for the City of Roanoke, says book clubs help bring people together.

“As neighborhood centers, the libraries’ mission is to support community, to create a place for people to interact and get to know one another,” she says. In addition to clubs geared toward adults, Roanoke City Libraries offers meetings for elementary school children and entire families.

Patricia Ross-DaVall, a reader who

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relocated to the Roanoke Valley from Massachusetts a few years ago, found a book club at the Williamson Road branch a great way to connect with new friends.

“That was one of the reasons for joining,” says Ross-DaVall. The club has also allowed her to see how other people feel about the same work and how they might interpret it differently. “That’s what I find interesting—how they take it, where they are coming from,” she says.

It also was a way for her to move outside her comfort zone, reading books (mainly non-fiction) she might not normally. “We’ve had some good discussions,” she says.

Sherry Kessel, another member of the club, likes the camaraderie and the variety of books read and discussed—from novels to biographies like Doris Kearns Goodwin’s of Abraham Lincoln, Team of Rivals.

“I usually have my book read [before the club meeting],” says Kessel. “I enjoy the education you get from reading different types of things.”

Kids Who Love Books

Resources

TO STAY HEALTHY

New Arts Center to Open at Virginia Tech other local performers.

Virginia Tech is recognized for Music, theater, and dance programs technology, engineering and sciwill be offered in a 1,260-seat perforence, but the university wants to mance hall with superb acoustics, a be known for the arts as well. The removable orchestra shell, and the mission of the Center for the Arts technical capability to professionally at Virginia Tech, opening this fall, is nothing less than transforming lives present all forms of music, theater, and dance. through exploration and engageVisual arts galleries will accomment with the arts and the creative modate traditional, digital, and new process.

Located on Blacksburg’s Main Street, media exhibitions. Planned works include a five-channel, fantasy video the 147,000-square-foot facility will installation by artist Chiho Aoshima, open its doors for an art exhibition on whose work is influenced by Japanese Oct. 28, with its first concert schedmanga, anime, and woodblock prints. uled for Nov. 1.

Patrons won’t be limited to pasThe 2013-14 season will bring in sively observing. Through community some of the country’s finest dancers, musicians, artists, and theatrical com- sing-alongs, school-day matinees, student art exhibits, and master classes panies, including the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Dance Theatre of with world-class musicians, the center seeks to actively engage the commuHarlem, and the Philip Glass Ensemnity. ble. International offerings include Virginia Tech is known for innovaBallet Hispanico and Indian percustion, and that applies to the arts as sionist Zakir Hussain. well. Through its partnership with Southwest Virginia’s wealth of talVirginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, ent isn’t neglected, with concerts by Arts, and Technology, the center seeks the Blacksburg Master Chorale, masto blend art, design, engineering, and ter guitarist Wayne Henderson, and

Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech.

science to create new possibilities for artistic expression.

The center will house studios with multi-channel audio and motioncapture systems, flexible spaces for design development, and interactive virtual environments. A four-story, experimental “Cube” will offer space for performances and installations.

Faculty members, students, and international guest artists and researchers will use these spaces to identify useful connections between the arts and the sciences.

In addition to stimulating the arts scene, the new $100 million center is an economic catalyst for the New River Valley, according to Executive Director Ruth Waalkes. It will complement existing venues, including the Lyric Theatre, the Armory Gallery, and Squires Student Center.

For a full list of performances, exhibitions, and events for the inaugural season, as well as ticket prices, visit artscenter.vt.edu.

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NEW PROVIDERS PHYSICIANS Anthony Baffoe-Bonnie, M.D. Infectious Disease

Kimberly Orr, D.O. Family Medicine

Medical Degree: University of Ghana Medical School Residency: Internal medicine, Saint Agnes Hospital Fellowship: Infectious disease, Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine 2001 Crystal Spring Ave., Suite 301, Roanoke, VA 24014 540-981-7715

Medical Degree: Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine Residency: Family medicine, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System 150 Market Ridge Lane, Daleville, VA 24083 540-966-0400

Alfred J. Beshai, M.D. Chronic Pain Management

Sandeep Ravi, M.D. Cardiology

Medical Degree: Faculty of Medicine – Cairo University Residencies: Anesthesiology, Cairo University Hospitals; Anesthesiology, Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center Fellowship: Pain management, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Anesthesiology Institute 3 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016 540-224-5170

Medical Degree: Osmania Medical College Residency: Cardiology, Yale University/Bridgeport Hospital Fellowship: Cardiology, Yale University/Bridgeport Hospital 2900 Lamb Circle, Suite 301, Christiansburg, VA 24073 540-731-7600

Curtis E. Bower, M.D. General Surgery

Aneysa C. Sane, M.D. Allergy and Immunology

Medical Degree: Jefferson Medical College Residency: General surgery, East Carolina University Fellowship: Minimally invasive surgery, University of Kentucky 3 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016 540-224-5170

Medical Degree: Duke University School of Medicine Residency: Internal medicine, Duke University Fellowships: Pulmonary and critical care, Duke University Allergy and immunology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University 46 Wesley Rd., Daleville, VA 24083 540-591-9447

Christofer C. Catterson, M.D. Orthopaedics

Mark Schoemann, M.D. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Medical Degree: MCP Hahnemann University School of Medicine Residency: Orthopaedics, Allegheny General Hospital Fellowship: Orthopaedic sports medicine, American Sports Medicine Institute 2900 Lamb Circle, Christiansburg, VA 24073 540-731-2436

Medical Degree: Emory University School of Medicine Residencies: General surgery, University of Rochester Plastic surgery, Duke University Fellowship: Craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta 3 Riverside Circle, Suite 400, Roanoke, VA 24016 540-224-5170

Gretchen S. Glaser, M.D. Gynecologic Oncology

Kimberly Palmer Simcox, D.O. Obstetrics and Gynecology

Medical Degree: Drexel College of Medicine Residency: Obstetrics and gynecology, Abington Memorial Hospital Fellowship: Gynecologic oncology, Mayo Clinic 1 Riverside Circle, Suite 300, Roanoke, VA 24016 540-581-0160

Medical Degree: Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine Residency: Obstetrics and gynecology, New Hanover Regional Medical Center (Affiliate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) 2900 Lamb Circle, Suite 202, Christiansburg, VA 24073 540-731-4578

24 FALL 2013 | CarilionClinic.org

ADVANCED CARE PROVIDERS R. Parker Slayton, M.D. Family Medicine

Patricia F. Fedorchak, N.P. Family Medicine

Medical Degree: University of Virginia School of Medicine Residency: Family medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine Fellowship: University of Virginia School of Medicine 415 S. Pollard St., Vinton, VA 24179 540-983-6700

Undergraduate Degree: Case Western Reserve University Graduate Degree: Georgetown University Medical Center 911 E. Main St., Floyd, VA 24091 540-745-2031

Dario R. Sorrentino, M.D. Gastroenterology

Leigh T. Mann, P.A. Family Medicine

Medical Degree: University of Sassari Medical School, Italy Residency: University of Sassari Medical School Fellowship: Gastroenterology, University of Sassari Medical School 3 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016 540-224-5170

Undergraduate Degree: North Carolina State University Graduate Degree: James Madison University 40 Lambert St., Suite 522, Staunton, VA 24401 540-885-3525

Eric C. Steen, D.O. General Surgery

Rachel Spencer, P.A. Family Medicine

Medical Degree: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Residency: General surgery, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 1 Taylor Ave., Pearisburg, VA 24134 540-921-2158 141 Ben Bolt Ave., Tazewell, VA 24651

Undergraduate Degree: Virginia Tech Graduate Degree: Shenandoah University 415 S. Pollard St., Vinton, VA 24179 540-983-6700

Sarah Stubbs, M.D. Family Medicine

Samantha Wilkinson, N.P. General Surgery

Medical Degree: Medical College of Virginia Residency: Family medicine, Carilion Clinic 195 Maple Ave., Rocky Mount, VA 24151 540- 483-5168

Undergraduate Degree: Radford University Graduate Degree: Old Dominion University 3 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016 540-224-5170

Wadid Zaky, M.D. Chronic Pain Management Medical Degree: University of Asyut Residency: Anesthesiology, Brookdale/Staten Island University Hospital Fellowship: Pain management, University of Pittsburgh 3 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016 540-224-5170

CarilionClinic.org | FALL 2013 25

Resources to Keep You Healthy NURSE LINE Our physician referral and health information service is here to help.

Call us at 540-266-6000 or 800-422-8482, or email us at direct@carilionclinic.org.

“WELL SAID” SPEAKER’S BUREAU If you’d like a speaker on a health topic for your community group or workplace, call 540-266-6561 or visit CarilionClinic.org/speakers.

COMMUNITY HEALTH SCREENINGS Health screenings are available at little or no cost. Call 540-266-6000 or 800-422-8482, or email us at direct@carilionclinic.org.

WEBSITE TAILORED FOR YOU Check out these features at CarilionClinic.org: • Easy-to-use physician/provider finder • Interactive maps to help you find your way to our locations • Health and wellness content, including an A-Z library • A community health education and events calendar

NEWS BLOG Keep up with the latest news, photos, videos, and more at Carilion Clinic’s news blog. Visit newsblog.CarilionClinic.org.

SOCIAL MEDIA Stay connected to Carilion Clinic through social media: facebook.com/carilionclinic twitter.com/carilionclinic youtube.com/carilionclinic google.com/+carilionclinic pinterest.com/carilionclinic

GIVING TO CARILION CLINIC FOUNDATION Be part of improving the health and vitality of communities in western Virginia. Make a gift at CarilionFoundation.org

LIGHTS OF LOVE Honor or remember a friend or loved one this holiday season. For $10, donors may purchase a light on the “Lights of Love” Christmas tree atop Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Proceeds will benefit patient families needing assistance with hotel stays. To make your donation, go to CarilionFoundation.org/lightsoflove or call 540-224-5398.

MOBILE RESOURCES Stay connected with our mobile apps, available for iPhone and Android: Carilion Clinic Mobile Health Resource – Use our interactive symptom checker to access the most relevant information in our digital health library, then connect with Carilion services by using the search feature to find Carilion healthcare providers, hospitals, and urgent care locations near you.

MyChart – Access your medical record, request an appointment or prescription refill, and stay in touch with your doctor, all while on the go. If you are interested in MyChart, speak with your doctor.

PUBLICATIONS Pick up a copy of Carilion Clinic Living at magazine racks throughout our facilities, or access the digital edition at CarilionClinic.org/living, where you can also read past issues. For health tips and news about upcoming health screenings events, subscribe to Living’s monthly e-newsletter at CarilionClinic.org/living.

SUPPORT GROUPS Support groups are available for a wide range of health needs, including gynecologic and breast cancer. Learn more at CarilionClinic.org/support.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH For the latest news and perspectives on children’s healthcare, read Close to Home, a blog by Alice Ackerman, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Carilion Clinic. Visit CarilionClinic.org/blogs/ackerman.

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L to R: Vikas N. Chitnavis, M.D.; Robert D. Moylan, M.D.; Kevin B. Mercure, M.D.; and M. Jonathan Bern, M.D.

Local Gastroenterologists Join Carilion

By Jay Conley

Four gastroenterologists who had practiced together in Salem have joined Carilion Clinic.

The doctors, who had practiced at Valley Gastroenterology of Southwest Virginia and at LewisGale Medical Center, are Robert D. Moylan, M.D., Ph.D., M. Jonathan Bern, M.D., Vikas N. Chitnavis, M.D., and Kevin B. Mercure, M.D. They will serve in dual roles—as specialists treating a range of digestive disorders and as faculty members of a new fellowship program in gastroenterology.

“Carilion’s expanding role as a medical center and teaching facility makes this an excellent choice for us,” says Dr. Moylan, who will also serve as the fellowship program’s associate director.

Each of his three former partners has been a clinical instructor or lecturer at other medical institutions, he added.

The three-year fellowship program will include collaborative work with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and with Virginia Tech scientists, offering opportunities for basic and applied clinical research. One area of study will be inflammatory diseases of the gastroenterology tract.

signed to meet demand.

“There’s a large demand for gastroenterology services in the Roanoke Valley,” says Paul Yeaton, M.D., chief of the practice and director of the fellowship program.

Patients in the region seek help for heartburn, acid reflux, ulcers, and other common digestive problems, along with specialized treatment for pancreatic cancer and inflammatory bowel disorders such as Crohn’s disease.

There is also a strong demand for colonoscopies for early detection and prevention of colon cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.

Other physicians in Carilion’s gastroenterology practice in Roanoke are Alan Brijbassie, M.D., Sujala Chirla, M.D., Marrieth Rubio, M.D., and Dario Sorrentino, M.D. (see story on page 12). Christine K. Davidson serves as nurse practitioner.

The practice is located at 3 Riverside Circle.

Carilion also has four gastroenterologists in the New River Valley as well as the region’s only pediatric gastroenterology practice.

A Demand for Services The addition of the new doctors almost doubles the size of Carilion’s gastroenterology practice in Roanoke and is de-

For more information, call 540-266-6000 or 800-422-8482.

To watch a video on colon cancer detection and prevention, go to bit.ly/ccliving-coloncancer.

CarilionClinic.org | FALL 2013

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BETTER LIVING

Your CaLendar for Better Health Oct

19

Oct

Oct

5

Oct

6

Oct

12

WOMEN’S WELLNESS DAY

Includes walk-in screenings Bedford Memorial Hospital For more information, call 800-422-8482.

HEART WALK

Walk to benefit the American Heart Association 2 p.m.

Bisset Park, Radford For more information, go to http://bit.ly/vaheartwalk.

POSITIVELY PINK PARADE

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Panera at Valley View Mall, Roanoke For more information, call 800-422-8482.

24

HEART WALK

Walk to benefit the American Heart Association 10 a.m.

River’s Edge Sports Complex, Roanoke For more information, go to http://bit.ly/vaheartwalk.

END OF LIFE: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION

Karen McNew of WSLS will moderate a discussion by health care providers, clergy, caregivers, and attorneys.

6 p.m.

Jefferson Center Shaftman Performance Hall Free (No registration) Presented by Carilion Clinic Hospice and Good Samaritan Hospice

Nov

2

Nov

7

Jan

16

WOMEN’S FALL EVENT

Mid-morning brunch followed by a motivational speaker 10 a.m.

Inn at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg $15 To register, call 800-422-8482.

WOMEN’S HEALTH UNIVERSITY

Gynecologic Cancers: What Every Woman Needs to Know Speaker: Janet Osborne, M.D. 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Fitzpatrick Hall at the Jefferson Center, Roanoke $15, includes lunch To register, call 800-422-8482.

MEDICINE & MUSE

Special dinner honoring Dan Harrington, M.D., and benefiting the Dr. Robert L.A. Keeley Healing Arts program 6 p.m.

The Jefferson Center, Roanoke For tickets, call 540-224-5398

GET YOUR 2014 HEALTH & WELLNESS CALENDAR

For a year’s worth of health and wellness tips, request your free copy of Carilion Clinic’s 2014 calendar by calling 540-266-6000 or 800-422-8482.

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FALL 2013 | CarilionClinic.org

Improve the Health of Your Employees

WORKPLACE CARE FROM A NAME YOU CAN TRUST Carilion Clinic Occupational Medicine offers a wide range of healthcare services for workplace injuries and illnesses, and provides ways to maintain optimal health. And as part of Carilion Clinic, our patients have access to Carilion’s nearly 600 physicians representing more than 60 specialties, as well as four VelocityCare urgent care locations offering extended hours.

Services include: • Workers’ compensation services • Regulatory physicals • Substance abuse testing • Onsite wellness services Carilion Clinic Occupational Medicine Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital 101 Elm Ave., Roanoke, VA 24013

Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

CarilionClinic.org/occmed | 540-985-8521

CARILION CLINIC P.O. BOX 13727 ROANOKE, VA 24036-3727

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

ROANOKE, VA PERMIT NO. 247

Scan this code to sign up for the Carilion Clinic Living e-newsletter.

Your Doctor is a Click Away

ACCESS YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS WITH MYCHART Carilion Clinic offers MyChart, western Virginia’s first online healthcare management tool.

MyChart not only offers secure, 24/7 access to your health records, but also allows you to: Review your medications, immunizations, allergies, and medical history Receive test results online (no waiting for a phone call or letter) Communicate with your physician securely online Request refills of your medications online Request your next appointment online View inpatient hospital visits Request access to a loved one’s medical record NEW: You can now access your medical information while on the go!

The MyChart mobile app is now available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

To find out if MyChart is right for you, speak with your physician.

CarilionClinic.org/mychart | 800-422-8482