Join the 2012 Penn Medicine Heart Walk Team

Make a heart-healthy decision! Join the Penn Medicine community in supporting the American Heart Association in the fight against heart disease and stroke. The 2012 Philly Heart Walk will take place at 10 am on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012 at Citizens Bank Park. 

Penn Medicine’s challenge this year is to recruit 1,800 walkers for the Philadelphia-based walk and raise $130,000 for cardiovascular disease and stroke research. Register to join a Penn Medicine team to help reach the goal.

If you cannot attend, you can still support the event by making a donation. 

If you know someone who would like to become a heart walk team captain or register as a walker, visit Penn Medicine's Heart Walk page, or contact Andrea Griffith at 215-575-5211 or Julie Taylor at 215-575-5233 from the American Heart Association.

• Penn Medicine's Heart Walk
• Register for Penn Medicine's Heart Walk
• Donate to Heart Walk
• For walkers who are already registered click here to review the Heart Walk Participant Tool Kit

Free Patient Seminar: Mainly Your Health - Rejuvenating Cosmetic Procedures for Women

Penn Plastic Surgery understands that a healthy appearance is critical for total well-being and wants to help everyone look and feel their best.

Today there are many simple solutions that can rejuvenate a woman’s appearance so that she feels refreshed and looks vibrant. On Wednesday, Oct. 17th at 7pm, Ivona Percec, MD,PhD, will discuss the latest surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures for women. Discussion topics include mommy makeovers, facelifts, body contouring and more.

Learn more or register for Mainly Your Health: Rejuvenating Cosmetic Procedures for Women

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

According to BreastCancer.org, approximately one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

October is breast cancer awareness month and a great time to support breast cancer research as well as breast cancer survivors. Penn Medicine is home to two award-winning breast centers: the Rena Rowan Breast Center at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center and the Integrated Breast Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, part of the Joan Karnell Cancer Center. Both centers are accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.

October is also a great time to schedule your yearly mammogram. Penn Medicine is proud to be one of the region’s only medical centers offering digital breast tomosynthesis at the Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.

At risk for breast cancer? Find out at the Mariann and Robert MacDonald Women's Cancer Risk Evaluation Center.

• 10 Facts for Breast Cancer Awareness
• Diagnosed with BRCA 1 or 2? Learn more about the Basser Research Center.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month – New Treatment Advances at Penn

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ovarian cancer affects 1 in 57 women in the United States and two thirds of those diagnosed are age 55 or older. The fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, diagnosis is often made after the disease has progressed since there are typically no distinct symptoms in its early stages. The symptoms often associated with ovarian cancer include abdominal or pelvic pain, bloating, difficulty eating/feeling full quickly and urinary urgency or frequency. Penn Medicine is making the prevention, early detection, and treatment of ovarian cancer a priority.

Penn Medicine researchers are working every day to create new therapies and increase each woman’s chance for a cure. The Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center (OCRC) is developing new approaches to treating ovarian cancer to improve survival rates and enable women affected by this disease to live a better quality of life.

The OCRC utilizes personalized immunotherapy, which is an innovative treatment approach using the patient’s own tumor to derive cancer vaccines and cell–based therapeutics. The OCRC is currently enrolling patients in three phase I/II clinical trials for patients with recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

Learn more:
Gynecologic oncology services at Penn Medicine
Personalized immunotherapy
Clinical trials being done at Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine in Your Community

This fall, look for Penn Medicine at events throughout the Philadelphia region.

Do you live near Valley Forge? Visit Penn Medicine's Fall Fair on Saturday, September 22nd.
Live close to Woodbury, NJ? Stop by the Penn Medicine Woodbury Heights area at the First Annual Woodbury Fall Arts Fest on Saturday, September 29th.
A little closer to Radnor? Join Penn Medicine Radnor for the 35th Annual Radnor Run on Sunday, October 28th.

To learn more about where you can find Penn Medicine in your community and what free screenings will be offered at each event, visit the links below.

• Penn Medicine Valley Forge Fall Fair
• Woodbury Fall Arts Fest
• Penn Medicine Radnor Run

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Fortunately, there is a vast array of treatments available for those who develop prostate cancer.

Penn's Abramson Cancer Center has access to every treatment option for prostate cancer. When a patient comes to the Abramson Cancer Center, the individual prostate cancer is assessed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians specializing in urology, radiation oncology and medical oncology. Abramson Cancer Center experts come together to ensure that patients receive the treatment that is best suited for their individual case. Treatment options include but are not limited to:

• Active surveillance (sometimes called “watchful waiting”) 
• Radiation therapy, including proton therapy at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center 
• Radical prostatectomy, including robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery 
• Cryosurgery 

Through research, Penn's Abramson Cancer Center collaborates with Penn Radiation Oncology and Penn Urology to advance treatments for prostate cancer and find ways to combat the disease.

Learn more about prostate cancer care at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center at PennMedicine.org/prostatecancer 

Find out about proton therapy - the world's most advanced radiation treatment

Penn Dermatology Practice Opens at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

Penn Dermatology has opened a new practice at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The recently renovated office is located in the Medical Arts Building, Suite 106.

Marie Urberti-Benz, MD and Douglas J. Pugliese, MD see patients at this new location. Dr. Urberti-Benz has provided dermatologic care to patients at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for several years. Dr. Pugliese is new to the practice and has a clinical focus in general dermatology and wound care. He is currently accepting new patients.

Penn Dermatology physicians are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of skin, hair and nail disorders as well as cosmetic and aesthetic services. The dermatologists, dermatologic surgeons and dermatopathologists diagnose and treat patients with a full spectrum of dermatologic conditions as well as rare skin conditions.

Learn more:
Dermatology services at Penn Medicine
Dr. Pugliese