Rxtra june 2012

RxTraJune 18, 2012 • Vol. 68 No. 20

A publication for the staff of Hartford Hospital

A Hartford HealthCare Partner

Developing A Level IV Epilepsy Center:

New Options for Patients

By Karin Diamond

The tens of thousands living with epilepsy across Connecticut can now benefit from a broad spec-

trum of care close to home as Hartford Hospital develops a Level IV Epilepsy Center. The new center will provide close-to-home ac-cess to high-quality diagnosis and treatment options ranging from medication management to the most complex and innovative epilepsy surgery. The Level IV designation comes from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). Once the designation is complete, Hartford Hospi-tal will house the only Level IV epilepsy program in central, eastern, and northern Connecticut. Current-ly, Yale New Haven Hospital is the only other Level IV center in the state. This designation will place Hart-ford Hospital among the nation’s elite in the care and treatment of epilepsy. “There are nearly 60,000 people living with epi-lepsy in our state,” says Jeffrey Flaks, Hartford Hos-pital president and CEO. “We want to be sure we are meeting the needs of that patient population with the latest technology and resources to treat their conditions. Developing our Epilepsy Center to Level IV designation will further enhance and expand the work of our hospital’s talented neurology team and add to the extensive list of quality care services that Hartford Hospital provides.”

Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces sei-zures affecting a variety of mental and physical

functions. When a person has two or more seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy. A seizure hap-pens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life. The National Epilepsy Foundation states that epi-lepsy is the third most common neurological disor-der in the U.S. after Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, with prevalence greater than cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease combined. “Epilepsy is a debilitating disease that can disable people at the prime of their lives,” says Dr. Brendan Killory, director of Epilepsy and Functional Neurosur-gery at Hartford Hospital. “Seizures can prevent peo-ple from driving, and severely disrupt their ability to work and maintain relationships. Effective treatment can really give people their lives back.” For one-third of patients with epilepsy, medica-tions are not sufficient treatment for their condition, says neurologist and epilepsy spe-cialist Dr. Erica Schuyler. The new amenities and technolo-gies featured in the compre-hensive Epilepsy Center will allow physicians like Schuyler to best pursue other treat-ments for these patients.

Currently Level II

Currently, Hartford Hospital functions as a Level II center. Its epilepsy spe-

cialists see patients with seizures and treat with medication and vagus nerve stimulation. The ex-panded Epilepsy Center will offer a full continuum of epilepsy services such as inpatient or ICU long-term monitoring to diagnose seizures, as well as surgical treatment. Previously, patients requiring these ser-vices had to be transferred to other Level IV centers. By September, Hartford Hospital will house a 6-bed inpatient epilepsy unit, will have the capabil-ity for 24-hour and mobile Video EEG monitoring, and will have welcomed new epilepsy specialists, tech-nologists, and surgeons with the ability to perform cutting-edge, targeted brain surgeries. These addi-tions will allow Hartford Hospital to apply for NAEC Level IV designation in the fall of 2013 once its center is fully functioning. The Epilepsy Center has already welcomed Kil-lory to the team as director, and has acquired several pieces of state-of-the-art equipment. New monitoring equipment allows the medical team to perform high-quality Electroencephalogra-phy (EEG) studies of brain electrical activity on both inpatients and outpatients. With three new portable EEG units, the center has increased its volume of

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ambulatory EEGs, which allow patients go home with the unit and wear it for 24 to 72 hours, allowing for extensive evaluation of their condition. Also already in place is a newly instituted support group for com-munity members living with epi-lepsy, which meets on the Hartford Hospital campus. The group is hosted in partner-ship with the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut. Previously, there were no support groups in central Connecticut. An epilepsy patient advisory board is also in the works. Mem-bers will have direct interaction with the center’s physicians who will attend the board meetings. “It is really an opportunity for us to listen to the voice of the patient as we develop the Epilepsy Center,” says Andrew Pete, ad-ministrative fellow. “The advisory board will be crucial in helping us develop a patient-centered pro-gram. They will help us identify areas of improvement.”

Construction Begins Construction will begin on the 6-bed inpatient epilepsy unit on C11 this summer. It is slated to open in September. Here, patients can be admitted for prolonged video EEG monitor-ing. This will greatly assist physi-cians with finding the root cause of patient’s seizures. Schuyler says that by recording the seizures in the hospital, they can see if the patient is a candidate for surgery. “There are people that have recurrent events and don’t know what is happening that is caus-ing them to wake up on the floor for example,” says Schuyler. “We can find out whether it is seizures. Also, for patients whose seizures aren’t responding to medications, we can admit them and localize the seizures while they are in a safe hospital environment.” Another benefit of the new inpatient EEG video monitoring is that specialists will be able to re-cord EEGs in critically ill patients in ICUs who may be having seizures.

They can be put on long-term monitoring to find the cause, where this was previously not feasible.

Important Surgical Component

The surgical program being in-stituted is a major component

of the Epilepsy Center. Killory, who is at the helm of epilepsy surgeries, explains that there will be three basic types of surgical procedures performed on epileptic patients: 1. Diagnostic surgeries whereby the surgeon will implant temporary electrodes into or on the surface of the brain, allowing doctors to get a clearer picture from which  regions of the brain seizures are coming and help them to localize important brain functions; 2. Surgical resections where the surgeon actually removes por- tions of the brain that are “epi- leptogenic” (causing seizures) and do not house critical functions; 3. Implanting pacemakers either in the brain directly, or onto nerves that travel into the brain to help reduce seizure activity. 

Killory recently performed the first pacemaker implant sur-

gery at Hartford Hospital with great success. Killory brings a wealth of ex-perience and special training in performing these very challeng-ing types of brain surgeries. After medical school at Columbia, he completed his neurosurgical train-ing at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, where more brain surgeries are performed an-nually than anywhere else in North America. He then returned to Con-necticut to complete a research fellowship in epilepsy at Yale.  His passion is minimally inva-sive brain surgery – performing the same delicate operations through smaller openings. He notes that it is Hartford Hos-pital’s epilepsy neurologists that will be more central in running the Epilepsy Center. 

Developing a Level IV

Epilepsy Center:

New Options for Patients

Hartford Epilepsy Support Group

Hartford Hospital has partnered with

the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecti-

cut to offer the first support group

in the region for patients living with

epilepsy. The support group is open

to anyone affected by epilepsy to gain

mutual support, share experiences

and gain knowledge of epilepsy. The

group meets on the last Thursday

of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in

Hartford Hospital’s Conklin Building,

Third floor, Room 319. For more infor-

mation, visit epilepsyct.com or contact

The Epilepsy Foundation of

Connecticut at (800) 899-3745 or

[email protected].

Dr. Erica Schuyler>

More than 350 people attended the Medical Staff Spring Event on May 23 in Heublein Hall. This was record-

breaking attendance for the event, which recognizes and expresses our gratitude to our physicians. One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the annual medical staff awards. They were presented to:

• Physician in Philanthropy Award: Dr. Robert Siegel, medical director of Cancer Clinical Research

• Young Practitioner Award: Dr. Pavlos Papasavas, director of Surgical Research

• John K. Springer Humanitarian Award: Dr. Evan Fox, psychiatrist

• Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Dariush Owlia, cardiologist

• Quality and Safety Award: Dr. John Greene, assistant director of Women’s Health Services

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“As a neurosurgeon, I ultimately make the decision whether to pro-ceed with surgery for epilepsy and the specifics of the operation, but the neurologists spend months evaluat-ing the patient for surgery before I am involved,” says Killory.  “Ultimately, caring for these pa-tients is a multi-disciplinary endeavor and also includes neuropsychologists and interventional radiologists,” he said. Schuyler, one of the neurologists heavily involved in the develop- ment of the Epilepsy Center, has been working with epileptic patients at Hartford Hospital since 2009 and is excited for the opportunities that the expanded center will offer her patients. “One of things I enjoy is treating patients of all ages,” says Schuyler. “Many neurologic specialties focus on just the geriatric population, but I see a lot of patients of every age. I also think that the whole process of localizing seizures is interesting and really chal- lenging to try to figure out where it is coming from in the brain and see if we can find a definitive treatment for someone’s seizures, or see if it is possible to cure their seizures with a surgery.”

The reach of the Epilepsy Center will go far beyond neurology. There will

be much collaboration across special-ties, creating opportunities for multi-disciplinary studies focused on finding even better ways to treat patients with epilepsy. This is already happening in part-nerships with the functional imaging team at the Institute of Living. Schuyler explains that psychi-atric evaluations, speech evalu-ations, imaging studies, brain mapping, and fMRIs are just some of the examples of pre-surgical testing potential epilepsy surgery candidates will undergo to ensure that specialists across disciplines are confident of a good outcome for the patient. “We will work with cardiologists to help determine if syncope episodes are in fact cardiac events or seizures,” says Killory. “We will work with psy-chologists to help diagnose and treat ‘pseudoseizures’ - events brought on by stress that are not true epileptic seizures. 

Ultimately, patients with epilepsy have numerous other medical

problems and are receiving excellent care at Hartford Hospital. “The Epilepsy Center will al-low them to continue to re-ceive this care without having to leave our community,” he said. n

Hartford Hospital Auxiliary Golf Tournament to Benefit Epilepsy Center

 Proceeds from the 23rd Annual Hartford Hospital Auxiliary Benefit Golf Tournament will go to

supporting Hartford Hospital’s Epilepsy Center. The tournament will take place on:

Monday, September 10Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield

Deadline for registration is Friday, June 29.

For additional information, contact Shelli Siegel at [email protected] or 860-490-3062 or

Lori Flaks at [email protected] or 917-748-0531.

Ten members of Hartford Hospital’s new Epilepsy Center team participated in the 8th Annual Sharon’s Ride.Run.Walk for Epilepsy in West Haven on May 6. The Hartford Hospital Epilepsy Center Team (left to right): Glen Freyer, Cynthia Swick, Erica Schuyler, Adam Schuyler, Diane Labedzki, Ted Labedzki, Nancy DiRenzo, Reid DiRenzo. In the front row, Evan and Ari Schuyler do their part to support the team.

Medical Staff Spring Event: Recognizing Our Outstanding PhysiciansDr. Brendan Killory

Dr. Pavlos Papasavas with Dr. Orlando Kirton.

Left to right: Jeffrey Flaks, Dr. Evan Fox, Dr. Dariush Owlia, Dr. Robert Siegel, Dr. Jeffry Nestler.

Left to right: Roger Klene, Debbie Klene, Carolyn Joseph, Jane Rosenberg and Elliot Joseph.

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35 Years of Service Peter Adelsberger, Schizophrenia Rehab

Anthony Prete, IT/Client Infrastructure

30 Years of Service Barbara Cordts, Surgical Service Bliss 9 ICU

Onnie Jimerson, IS/Finance Systems

Amrit Kallicharan, Engineering/Mechanical

Maggie Lynch, HHREC-Medical Office Building

Garage

25 Years of Service Myra Atkinson, Environmental Services/

General

Barbara Catricala, Cafeteria/Vending Services

Chris Goodman, MHN DN 1S

Charles Pippin, Security

Susan Ribeiro, Medicine Service Center 12L

Alan Smally, Department Of Emergency

Medicine

Marisa Spineti, Surgical Service Bliss 9 ICU

Nam Tao, Food/Nutrition/Main Kitchen

20 Years of Service Bozena Bula, Surgical Service Short Stay C8

Jerry Delaire, Donnelly 2S

Edward Fischer, Treatment For Antepartum

Steven Gilbert, HPHO- Administration General

Kathleen Misterka, Obstetrics/Bliss 6

15 Years of Service John Elwood, Biomedical Engineering

Carole Freitas, Medicine Service Bliss 11E

Steven Greene, Laundry/General

Janice Hoff, IS/Finance Systems

Richard Kubica, Information Services

Thomas Kugeman, Rehab ERN Administration

John Osbourne, Food/Nutrition/Main Kitchen

Nilda Rios, Department Of Medicine/Infectious

Diseases

Maria Rosario, Operating Rooms/Ambulatory

PAC

Elizabeth Sedgwick, IS/Electronic Health

Record

Phillip Tal, Revenue Cycle Training

Constancia Tavares, Environmental Services/

General

Paul Thompson, Department Of Cardiology/

Administration

10 Years of Service Steven Abbott, Rehab Wethersfield - OP

Vincent Alvaro, Department Of Emergency

Medicine

Christina Camp, Medicine Service Bliss 11 ICU

Ruperto Cruz, Environmental Services/General

Zhaneta Elmazi, Surgical Service Bliss 9 ICU

Julian Forbes-Samuels, Medicine Service CB5

Loretta Gleason, ERN - Glastonbury - OA

Rebecca Gleason, Respiratory Care

Donna Graham, RAD Special Procedures

Eric Jackson, Radiology/Administration

Carrol Mallory, Psychological Testing

Kristen Murphy, STAR Team

Suzette Nembhard, Medicine Service North 12

Olga Ortiz, Community Care Center

Jose Pacheco, Security

Rafael Polanco, Respiratory Care

Deborah Reid, Surgical Service North 9

Diane Savioli-Chase, Womens’ Ambulatory

Health Services

Stefanie Sigmund, OPD/Adult Primary Care

Team II

Maria Tackett, Neuro/Ortho/Rehab/Trauma

Shanique Tyson, Emergency Room/General

5 Years of Service Courtney Adger, IS/Operations

Onyeachonam Akubilo, STAR Team

Justine Amaro, Environmental Services/

General

Thersa Ashley, Surgical Service Bliss 8

Beverley Bruce, Cardiology Service Center 10

Joan Campbell, Surgical Service Bliss 9E

Shenika Carroll, Medicine Service Bliss 11 ICU

Clifford Felix, O.R. Assistive Personnel

Karen Frank, Surgical Service North 9

Rebeka Gomes, WHS North 8

Diana Gonzalez, PAS IP Registration

Denise Granell, Rehab Windsor - OP

Lisa Lombardi, Cardiology/LDL Apheresis

Dacia Mathis, Medicine Service Center 12L

Shannon Michalak, ERN - Midstate

Jose Morales, Laundry/General

Linda Pandolfo, Finance/Professional Services

Administration

Melanie Phillip, Radiation Therapy General

Hugh Rowe, Surgical Service Bliss 5

Michael Rubino, Pharmacy/General

Jesus Saez, Environmental Services/General

Jane Smith, H I M/Coding

Latasha Smith, Cardiology Service Center 10

Leroy Smith, Main Storeroom

LaRonda Spears, Patient Accounts Non-

Medicare Billing

Amy Sullins, Operating Rooms/Ambulatory

PAC

Richard Ventriglia, Respiratory Care

Staff Members Recognized for Years of Service - April 20122012 Summer Student Research Fellows

A Hartford HealthCare Partner

Each of the following student

research fellows will be work-

ing on a project this summer at

Hartford Hospital in conjunction

with a senior investigator.

George Ciociolo, TransplantProject: Effect of Time Interval of Donation after Circulatory Arrest (DCD) and Graft and Patient OutcomesSenior Investigator: David Hull, M.D.

Amanda Collins, UrologyProject: PSA Recurrence After Robotic Radical Prostatectomy:  Long Term Follow-UpSenior Investigator: Joseph Wagner, M.D.

Brooke Cunningham, Women’s HealthProject: Provider Survey of Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines Senior Investigator: Amy Johnson, M.D.

Antonio Cusano, UrologyProject: Utilization of Robotic Surgery in patients 75 years old and beyond at a single tertiary care center: Is it safe? Senior Investigator: Stuart Kesler, M.D.

Abigail Doelger, Fetal Maternal Medicine Project: Gestational diabetes screening. A cost analysis of one-step and two-step methods in a high risk population.Senior Investigator: Adam Borgida, M.D.

Justine Falcone, Infectious Disease/Microbiology Project: MRSA Colonization on Cell PhonesSenior Investigators: Jack Ross, M.D and Jabor Aslanzedeh, M.D.

Maura Graham, OncologyProject: Prostate Brachytherapy OutcomesSenior Investigator: Andrew Salner, M.D.

Laura Hatchman, Emergency Medicine Project: A survey of health monitoring practices of multiplace hyperbaric chamber attendants.Senior Investigator: Kelly Johnson-Arbor, M.D.

Pauline Lange, Urogynecology Project: Long-term outcomes of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) procedures.Senior Investigator: Paul Tulikangas, M.D.

Gregory Marakovits, Emergency Medicine Project: Blood and Urine Assays for Acetaminophen LevelsSenior Investigator: Charles McKay, M.D.

Mary Meinke, Primary Care Project: Standardizing test reports on for Colo-noscopy, DEXA, Mammograms, Pap Smears and Colonoscopies as part of Upgrading the Ambulatory Preventive Care DatabaseSenior Investigator: Cuengando Vergara, M.D.

Daniel Petersen, Congestive Heart Failure Project: Telomere Attrition in Aging and Advanced Heart FailureSenior Investigator: Detlef Wencker, M.D.

Rachel Piaker, Neurosurgery Project: Pipeline Embolization of Cerebral Aneurysms: Procedural Efficiency and Resource UtilizationSenior Investigator: Martin Ollenschleger, M.D.

Bailey Proft, NeurosurgeryProject: Aneurysms of the Anterior Cerebral Artery: Recurence of Aneurysm Neck Following Endovascu-lar CoilingSenior Investigator: Inman Kureshi, M.D.

Peter Renehan, Urology Project: PENDINGSenior Investigator: Anoop Meraney, M.D.

Maren Wennberg, Colorectal Surgery Project: Entereg Laparoscopic Colon Resection StudySenior Investigator: Kristina Johnson, M.D.

George Ciociolo Amanda Collins Brooke Cunningham Antonio Cusano

Abigail Doelger Justine Falcone Maura Graham Laura Hatchman

Pauline Lange Gregory Marakovits Mary Meinke Daniel Petersen

Rachel Piaker Bailey Proft Peter Renehan Maren Wennberg

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Staff Members Recognized for Years of Service A Hartford HealthCare Partner

April • 2012

President Jeffrey Flaks congratulates (left to right) Amy Sullins, Dacia Mathis, Linda Pandolfo, Michael Rubino and Leroy Smith for five years of service.

Left to right, Vincent Alvaro, Diane Savioli-Chase and Maria Tackett celebrate 10 years of service with President Flaks.

President Flaks joins 15 year award winners (left to right) John Elwood, Janice Hoff, Richard Kubica, Nilda Rios, Phillip Tal and Maria Rosario. Dr. Harold Schwarz (left) and

President Flaks (right) congratulate Jerry Delaire for 20 years of service.

The newest members of the Quarter Century Club are Myra Atkinson and Dr. Alan Smally.

Onnie Jimerson and Amrit Kallicharan celebrated 30 years of service.

Peter Adelsberger and Anthony Prete were recognized for 35 years of service.

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

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The annual Quarter Century Club party (for staff with 25 or

more years of service) was held on May 18 at the Connecticut

Convention Center. More than 1,000 people attended. The Quarter

Century Club welcomed 100 new inductees in 2012. n

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Quarter Century Club:

Members of This Elite Group Celebrate

Significant Service Milestones

A Hartford HealthCare Partner

Fourteen Hartford Hospital staff members proudly graduated from the hospital’s YES program (Your Educational Success) on May 25.

The YES program is a 22-week course that helps staff members take steps towards their personal and professional goals by developing academic and work skills, and preparing them to continue on to college. “This was the best thing I could have done for myself,” said graduate Cameka Wright. “I knew I needed to complete my education, so the fact that I finally took a step forward with my education makes me very proud. I learned to believe in myself.”

This year’s graduates are:

12

Staff Members

Say YES to Higher

Education

13

Felicita Arroyo, Patient Access

Maureen Barnes, B11-I

Rema Brown, B10-E

Glorivette Dejesus, Phlebotomy

Pablo Figeroa, Materials Management

Danian Harper, Ambulatory Surgery Center

Lori Hayes, Robinson Library

Milagros Hernandez, Patient Accounts

Andria Jaggroo, Cardiac Lab

Faye McMahon, Bliss 8

Carol Orlelana, Volunteer Services

Janira Ruiz, Care Continuum

Maria Tavarez, B11-E

Cameka Wright, B11-E

The YES program was developed by Leticia Colon, operational manager in Leadership and Organizational Development, Human Resources.

Colon created the YES curriculum and wrote the foundation workbook used in the course.

“Sharing the success of my students is the most inspiring part of my job,” she said. “My work is all about supporting others and that is a blessing. Even though the economy is tough, Hartford Hospital is still investing in its employees, and that is wonderful.” To learn more about the Y.E.S. program, email Leticia Colon at [email protected]. n Congratulations!

p The YES graduates celebrate their success.

pMaria Tavarez, YES graduate

p The graduates completed a 22-week course designed to help them take steps towards their personal and professional goals by developing academic and work skills, and preparing them to continue on to college.

tDanian Harper accepts her

certificate of completion

from program manager

Leticia Colon.

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Hartford Hospital Hosts SINA REACH Awards

The 6th Annual SINA REACH Awards ceremony was held on May 29 at Heublein Hall. Jeffrey

Flaks, Hartford Hospital president and CEO, gave the welcoming remarks, as the hospital was this year’s sponsoring institution.    SINA (Southside Institutions Neighborhood Al-liance) is a partnership between Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Trinity College that works cooperatively with the commu-nity to improve the economic, physical and social characteristics of our neighborhoods.  SINA’s Recognition Education Achievement and Community Health (REACH) Committee collaborates with Hartford schools. Hartford Hospital’s commu-nity relations special projects and program coordina-tor Cecilia Kozlowski and Karem Perez Rivera, Cancer Program disparities navigator, serve on the SINA REACH Committee.

Several awards were presented. Neighborhood Service Awards went to Nilda Fernandez, Rosa Plaza, and Gary and Karen O’Maxfield. Ivan A. Backer Schol-arships went to Stephen Naing, Jamal Nixon and Marie Angely Rosa, all from Bulkeley High School.  Since HH was the hosting partner this year, we had the honor of selecting the Institutional Award winner. It was presented to Ana Maria Reyes, MSW, for social work services in Outpatient Ambulatory Services.  Three Hartford Hospital staff members serve on the SINA board: Bimal Patel, vice president of admin-istration; Yvette Melendez, vice president of Govern-ment and Community Alliances; and Dr. Peter Beller, medical director of Women’s Ambulatory Health Services. n

Research UpDATE

Dr. Stuart Kesler (Surgery): A retrospective comparison of biochemical recurrence after extended versus standard pelvic lymph node dissection at the time of radical prostatectomy (a collaborative project with Memorial Sloane Kettering)

Dr. Orlando Kirton (Surgery): Trends in methods of monitor-ing and vasopressure use in surgical ICU FY 2004-FY2009; De-velopment and evaluation of an objective and simulation-based core curriculum for surgery residents (accepted for publica-tion by Kirton O, Reilly P, Burns K and Staff I in the Journal of Surgical Education); Surgical site infection surveillance within a colorectal practice: Inpatient to outpatient clinical integra-tion and an analysis of pre-operative risk factors (submitted abstract).

Dr. Nora Lee (Neurology): Variability in stroke outcomes across the population

Dr. Andrew Salner (Oncology): Relationship of ethnicity and treatment choices among breast cancer patients; Clinical and quality of life outcomes following diagnosis of prostate adeno-carcinoma

Dr. Lauren Sansing (Neurology): Hyperglycemia and beta-blocker use and outcome in patients with intracerebral hemor-rhage; Effect of statins and PPARgamma agonists on intracere-bral hemorrhage outcome

Dr. Brent Suozzi (Urogynecology): Does visuo-spatial apti-tude correlated with robotic simulator performance?

Dr. Detlef Wencker (Cardiology): Studies on skeletal and cardiac muscle apoptosis in advanced cardiac failure

Additionally, Dr. Robert McComb (Clinical Chemistry) received assistance with equations and figures for manuscript preparation.

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Internal Funding Update

New Investigator Grant AwardedDr. Arun Gopinath (Pathology): Application of four-probe multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and p16 FISH probe assay to aid in the diagnosis, classification and prediction of the clinical behavior in equivocal/ambiguous melanocytic lesions

New Small Grants AwardedDr. Michael Stevens (Psychiatry): Preliminary data collec-tion for fMRI fear conditioning studies of specific phobia

Dr. Heather Swales (Cardiology): Vitamin D level and statin myalgias

The following investigators were supported

through the generosity of the Hartford Hospital

Medical Staff for on-going projects and/or proto-

col development. Analytic work and/or consulta-

tion was provided by senior scientists Dr. David

O’Sullivan and Dr. Ilene Staff.

Joanne Auger, RN-C (Nursing/Labor and Delivery): WHS: OB fall risk screening for all postpartum patients

Dr. Hema Brazell (Urogynecology): Has the advent of ro-botic surgery impacted our approach to the surgical manage-ment of vaginal vault prolapse? Paper submitted April 2012 to Obstetrics & Gynecology for publication by Brazell HD, O’Sullivan DM, and LaSala, CA.

Dr. R. James Graydon (Surgery): Post-prostatectomy erec-tile dysfunction and urinary incontinence: Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Dr. Vinay Gulati (Cardiology): Ventricular electrical delay as a predictor of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT/VF) in pa-tients with cardiac resynchronization implantable cardioverter defibrillator (CRT-D)

Dr. Amy Johnson (Women’s Ambulatory Health Ser-vices): Physician knowledge of imaging in pregnancy

Winners at the SINA REACH Awards ceremony

Left to right: Bimal Patel, Monica Fowler, Ana Maria Reyes-Scott, Yvette Melendez and Dr. Peter Beller.

Monica Fowler presents the SINA Institutional Award to Ana Maria Reyes-Scott.

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RxTra

A Fine SpecimenOn June 15, the last of 17 new specimen trees was planted on the grounds of the Institute of Living as part of a project meant to restore the grounds to their historic magnificence.

Founded in 1822, the IOL was one of the first mental health centers in the United States, and the first hospital of any kind, in Connecticut.

Located on 35 acres, it was landscaped in the 1870s by Frederick Law Olmsted, founder of American landscape architecture and a native of Hartford.

A Hartford HealthCare Partner

80 Seymour StreetHartford, CT 06102