For most high school students, field trips are an excuse to just get out of the classroom. But thanks to ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute, some students in our region are getting an opportunity to edit their futures.
On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Education Program Manager Amanda Hewes and Education Program Coordinator Sarah LaTorre take a deep dive into the Gene Editing Institute's Learning Lab and the CRISPR in a Box educational kit to share how they are inspiring students and promoting equity in science education.
Amanda Hewes, M.S., is responsible for designing and creating an outreach program surrounding the Gene Editing 360 platform. The platform is designed to engage people in STEM from various levels of education including high school, college, and the public. Being one of the founders of the in vitro gene editing reaction, which is the basis for the CRISPR in a Box™ educational kit, she can provide expertise to those using the kit with a focus on helping others understand the important concepts surrounding gene editing and CRISPR technology.
Sarah LaTorre is an alumna of Wilmington University, where she pursued her B.S in Biology in 2024. After participating in the Gene Editing 360TM Learning Lab, she joined the Education & Outreach team during Summer of 2023. Sarah has a background in biodiversity and conservation research.
Links
- ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute
- Gene Editing 360™: Tools for a Journey of Discovery
- For the Love of Health - Patient-Centered Gene Editing with Eric Kmiec, Ph.D.
- ChristianaCare News - The Scientist Names CRISPR in a Box™ Among the Top 10 Innovations for 2024
- ChristianaCare News - Gene Editing Institute Partners With Carolina Biological Supply Company to Launch CRISPR in a Box™ Kits for High School Science Labs
Choosing your profession can be difficult no matter what path you choose. But when medical school is part of that path, life can get a little more complicated.
Sometimes fate can step in, in the form of a mentor. On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Marshala Lee-McCall, Director of the iREACH Harrington Community Partnership Fund, and ChristianaCare OB/GYN resident Dr. Kristyn Mitchell share how their mentor/mentee relationship became so much more and discuss how mentorships are important for achieving equity and representation in healthcare
Marshala Lee-McCall, M.D., MPH serves as the Harrington Trust Physician Scholar and Director of iREACH's Harrington Community Partnership Fund. In this role she is responsible for strengthening community partnerships and developing new models of patient-centered health care delivery and methods for addressing the social determinants of health.
Kristyn Mitchell, M.D. is a first year resident in ChristianaCare's Obstetrics & Gynecology program.
Links
- ChristianaCare News - Mentorship Matters: Kristyn Mitchell, M.D., Returns to ChristianaCare to Serve Her Neighbors
- ChristianaCare Mentorship and Teamwork
- ChristianaCare Institute for Research on Equity and Community Health
- ChristianaCare Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine
- ChristianaCare Office of Inclusion and Diversity
- Contact the Harrington Trust: [email protected]
Chronic hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, can be life-threatening for pregnant women. According to the National Institutes of Health, the prevalence of chronic hypertension in pregnancy in the United States doubled between 2007 and 2021.
Research being done at ChristianaCare could change the lives of women around the world. Leading that research is Dr. Matthew Hoffman, the Marie E. Pinizzotto, M.D., Endowed Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology at ChristianaCare, who joins us to talk about the results of those studies, changes in how health providers approach pregnancy care, and what the future may hold for maternal and fetal medicine.
Dr. Matthew K. Hoffman, M.D., MPH is the Marie E. Pinizzotto, M.D., Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology for ChristianaCare. He has spearheaded national improvements in OBGYN care and has helped guide the health system to provide greater quality and value.
Links
- ChristianaCare News - Pivotal Study of High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Likely to Change Prenatal Care for Some Women
- ChristianaCare News - Low-dose aspirin therapy may help prevent premature birth
- New England Journal of Medicine: Treatment for Mild Chronic Hypertension during Pregnancy
- ChristianaCare Women's Health
- ChristianaCare Babyscripts mobile app
'Tis the season... to be sick. And as we say goodbye to 2024, we want to avoid saying hello to respiratory illness.
On this episode of For the Love of Health, ChristianaCare Chief Infection Prevention Officer Dr. Marci Drees gives us tips on how to keep the uninvited germs away from your holiday gatherings.
Marci Drees, M.D., MS, is the Chief Infection Prevention Officer and hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare. Dr. Drees serves as a councilor on the Board of Trustees of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and previously served as SHEA's liaison to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). She is board certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases.
Links
- Make a Plan to Get Your Flu Show
- COVID-19 - Details, Prevention and Treatment
- Delaware.gov - Current Delaware Flu Infection Rates
- Delaware.gov - Current Delaware COVID Infection Rates
The donation of an organ or tissue is perhaps the greatest gift of life and health a person can give. More than 100,000 men, women, and children are on the national transplant waiting list right now.
ChristianaCare has earned the highest level of national recognition from the US Health Resources and Services Administration for its outstanding support of organ and tissue donation. ChristianaCare's Kidney Transplant Program is the only adult transplant center in Delaware. Lead Transplant Social Worker Kealey Johnson delivers insights into the life-changing work happening with the program, while kidney transplant patient Bill Wilson shares his own personal story of going through the transplant process.
Kealey Johnson, MSW, LMSW, CCM, has a strong desire to help others through challenging moments in their lives always expressed with her bright and genuine smile. As a transplant social worker, she looks forward to working with the team to serve our kidney transplant patients with care and compassion.
Links
- ChristianaCare Kidney Transplant Program
- ChristianaCare News - The Beat Goes On for Bill Wilson
- American Kidney Fund Transplant Waiting List
- United Network for Organ Sharing
- Donate Life Delaware Organ and Tissue Donors
If you’ve ever received medical care, you’d likely agree the cost of care can be expensive. According to the National Health Expenditure Accounts, U.S. health care spending grew 4.1% in 2022, reaching $4.5 Trillion.
In this replay of one of our most popular episodes in our “The Toughest Questions in Health Care” series we're asking the question, "why is the cost of health care so expensive?" ChristianaCare Chief Financial Officer Rob McMurray and ChristianaCare Chief Population Health Officer Dr. Chris Donohue-Henry share insight on health care economics. Hear how challenges are being met with pioneering solutions to reduce cost while simultaneously boosting the quality of care.
Rob McMurray is the Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the direction and oversight of all financial operations at ChristianaCare. He also has oversight of supply chain operations.
Dr. Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA is the Chief Population Health Officer at Christiana Care. She is also the President and CEO of eBrightHealth ACO. Prior to her current role, Dr. Donohue-Henry was the Chief Medical Officer, Community Care at ChristianaCare from 2017 to 2019
Links
Prepare to challenge your understanding of gender-affirming care.
In this replay of one of our most popular episodes, Dr. Anna Filip, a primary care physician with ChristianaCare, and Brett Herb, DSW, program manager for the ChristianaCare Gender Wellness Program, deliver critical insights into the complexities of sex and gender, gender dysphoria and gender-affirming hormone therapy, while discussing ChristianaCare’s leading-edge approach to providing care to transgender people.
Then we tackle a number of common myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings– from the realities of de-transitioning to how children understand their gender identities.
Join us for a conversation that not only educates but also encourages empathy. You’ll come away with a new appreciation for the importance of fostering inclusivity in health care.
Dr. Anna Filip is a primary care physician and director of ChristianaCare’s Family Medicine Residency program. Filip has been with ChristianaCare since 2016. She has led work around global health in the academic settings, developed innovative and comprehensive models of gender-affirming care, and is staunchly committed to improving the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the health system.
Brett Herb, DSW, is the Program Manager for the Gender Wellness Program at ChristianaCare. Herb has been in clinical practice for over 25 years as a psychotherapist and a clinical and administrative manager for various behavioral health programs. He joined ChristianaCare in 2006. Herb oversees the Gender Wellness Program, which provides gender-affirming diagnostic services and psychotherapy to the transgender and gender diverse population.
LINKS
Lengthy emergency department wait times are nothing new. This has been a national issue since the 1980s. It’s a challenge for every health system – a challenge with no easy solutions.
ChristianaCare is home to America’s 15th busiest ED, and in this replay of one of our most popular episodes, “The Toughest Questions in Health Care,” Dr. Kert Anzilotti, ChristianaCare Chief Medical Officer, and Ric Cuming, ChristianaCare Chief Operating Officer, deliver insightful answers to the question, “Why can ED wait times be so long?”.
Together, we walk the complex maze of healthcare efficiency, examining the intricacies behind long queues. Learn how factors like hospital-wide patient volume, case severity prioritization and the ripple effects of post-acute care facility shortages contribute to a significant bottleneck. And explore a data-driven approach to improving patient flow and emergency department functionality.
Finally, we provide guidance on choosing the most suitable venue of care for a variety of medical needs, a major way the public can be part of helping hospitals reduce wait times in the ED.
Ric Cuming is chief operating officer of ChristianaCare. In this role, Ric oversees the delivery of efficient and fiscally responsible system operations. He also works with other leaders to ensure high-quality and safe patient care. Ric joined ChristianaCare in 2016 as the system’s first chief nurse executive.
Dr. Kert Anzilotti is chief medical officer for ChristianaCare. His work focuses on the optimization of care delivery across the health care system through strategic visioning, network development, clinical technology implementation and leveraging medical informatics.
Links
While most cuts and scrapes will heal themselves, some wounds can develop into a more serious situation.
In that case, you may need to see wound care specialists. Dr. Jim Ley, Medical Director of the ChristianaCare Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, and Podiatrist Dr. Scott Reich talk to us about the kinds of wounds they see, the specialized treatments they offer such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and when to know if you might benefit from their care.
Links
- ChristianaCare Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center
- ChristianaCare News - What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Homelessness can impact both physical and mental health, and make accessing medical care difficult. As a result, people experiencing homelessness often face higher rates of poor health outcomes than people with housing.
Which leads us to the next question in our Toughest Questions in Health Care series: How can health care impact homelessness? Dr. Ben Golden, Program Director for the ChristianaCare Medical Respite Program at the New Castle County Hope Center, and Dr. Ashley Panichelli, Clinical Director for ChristianaCare Complex Primary Care share details on the difficulties that arise in providing care for patients experiencing homelessness, steps that ChristianaCare is taking to counter those issues, and their hopes for the future in this field of care.
Dr. Ben Golden, M.D., completed his medical training at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL where he took an interest in healthcare disparities and care for patients experiencing homelessness. As Program Director for the ChristianaCare Medical Respite Program at the New Castle County Hope Center, he provides complex primary care for the residents of the facility. Dr. Golden also continues to practice Emergency Medicine at all of Christiana’s sites.
Dr. Ashley Panichelli, M.D., the clinical director of Complex Primary Care and Community Medicine at ChristianaCare. Dr Panichelli is passionate about teaching, mentoring, and program development, and routinely speaks to the news media about family medicine and the importance of vaccinations. Dr Panichelli’s specific interests include inpatient medicine and safe transitions of care, residency quality and safety, Just Culture, women’s health, and resident simulation curriculums.
Links
- ChristianaCare News - ChristianaCare Rolls Out New Mobile Health Services Vans Supported by Barclays
- ChristianaCare News - ChristianaCare Talks Community Health With Wilmington, State Officials
- ChristianaCare Mobile Health Services
- New Castle County Hope Center
- Friendship House
- Food Bank of Delaware
