8th Annual Johns Hopkins Pituitary Patient Day

Posted on June 7, 2016 by MaryO

Johns Hopkins Pituitary Patient Day

Join us on Saturday, September 17, 2016

8th Annual Johns Hopkins Pituitary Patient Day
Saturday, September 17, 2016, 9:30 a.m.
Location:
Johns Hopkins Mt. Washington Conference Center
5801 Smith Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21209
map and directions

This is a free event, but seating is limited. Reserve your space now: Please R.S.V.P. by September 9, 2016 by email (preferred) to PituitaryDay@jhmi.edu  or by calling Alison Dimick at 410-955-3921.

Agenda

9:30 – 9:55 a.m.: Registration

9:55 – 10:00 a.m.: Welcome and Acknowledgements

10:00 – 10:25 a.m.: Different Kinds of Tumors in the Pituitary Area: Non-Functioning, Acromegaly, Cushing, etc. (Roberto Salvatori, M.D.)

10:25 – 10:50 a.m.: The Pituitary Gland, Cortisol and Stress (Gary Wand, M.D.)

10:50 – 11:10 a.m.: A Patient’s Story

11:10 – 11:30 a.m.: The Eye and the Pituitary Gland: Why It’s Important to SEE the Right Doctor (Pun Intended) (Dan Gold, D.O.)

11:30 – 11:50 a.m.: Surgery for Pituitary Tumors: (Not So Scary) Pictures from the Operating Room Treating Acromegaly, Cushing and Non-Functioning Tumors (Gary Gallia, M.D., Ph.D.)

11:50 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.: Coordinating the Care of Pituitary Patients: It Takes a Village (Pituitary Nurse)

12:10 – 12:30 p.m.: Radiation Therapy for Cushing, Acromegaly and Non-Functioning Tumors: A Good Option when Needed (Lawrence Kleinberg, M.D.)

12:30 – 1:25 p.m.: Lunch

1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Round Table Discussions:

  • Medical: Making Sense of So Many Medications
  • Surgical: Meet Surgeons and Patients Who Have Had Pituitary Surgery
  • Radiation: Share Your eX-peRience!

Filed under: Cushing's, Meetings and Conferences, pituitary, Rare Diseases, symptoms, Treatments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Cortisol Dysregulation and Alcoholism: Consequence, Correlation or Causality?

Posted on March 6, 2015 by MaryO

What

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announces that Gary S. Wand, M.D., will deliver the 7th Annual Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture. Dr. Wand is an internationally recognized neuroendocrinologist and the inaugural Rivière Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The title of his presentation is “Cortisol Dysregulation and Alcoholism: Consequence, Correlation or Causality?”

Who

Dr. Wand’s research has advanced our understanding of the genetic and environmental determinants of the stress response and has elucidated how excessive stress hormone production may contribute to neurobiological conditions such as alcohol or drug disorders.

Some of Dr. Wand’s seminal discoveries include identifying unique pharmacological responses to naloxone in individuals at increased risk for alcohol use disorders, identifying specific hormonal responses in subjects with alcohol use disorders, and characterizing human brain neurochemical changes using imaging in subjects with substance use disorders.

Dr. Wand is studying the epigenetic modulation of stress and cortisol exposure in rodent and human models, based on the hypothesis that specific epigenetic events affect how much cortisol an individual produces, which in turn influences dopamine transmission.

Dr. Wand received his medical degree and subsequent training in internal medicine from the George Washington University. Following post-doctoral training in Endocrinology and Metabolism at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he was a fellow in the peptide laboratories of Richard Mains, Ph.D. and Betty Eipper, Ph.D. in JHU’s Department of Neuroscience. Dr. Wand then joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In 2000, NIAAA and the NIH honored Dr. Wand with a 10-year Merit Award to continue his research on the role of the HPA axis in alcoholism. He has also received numerous local and national “Best Doctor” awards. Dr. Wand is the author of more than 175 articles and chapters and is on the editorial board of several journals.

When

Thursday, March 19th at 1:30 p.m. EDT

Where

Masur Auditorium, NIH Building 10, Bethesda, Maryland

Background

NIAAA established the Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture Series as a tribute to Dr. Jack Mendelson, who made remarkable scientific contributions to the field of clinical alcohol research. The purpose of this honorary lecture series is to highlight clinical/human research in the alcohol field by an outstanding investigator who has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of alcoholism susceptibility, alcohol’s effects on the brain and other organs, and the prevention and treatment of alcohol use disorders. NIAAA is pleased to present this series of scientific lectures to acknowledge the advances researchers are making in a wide range of alcohol-related areas of clinical research, and to honor the memory of an individual whose exciting and pioneering research with human alcoholics remains relevant today.

For additional information about the lecture see: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/about-niaaa/our-work/research-portfolio/projects-initiatives/keller-and-mendelson-honorary-lecture

The Mendelson Honorary Lecture is free and open to the public. Sign language interpreters will be provided. For other reasonable accommodations or further information call Joanna Mayo, 301-443-3860, or visit www.niaaa.nih.gov. For TTY callers, please call the above number through the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems. NIAAA also disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Filed under: Meetings and Conferences, Rare Diseases | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Prince George’s woman works to raise awareness about rare disease

Posted on September 26, 2013 by MaryO

Lanham resident to speak at Patient Education Day event about Cushing’s disease

By Sophie Petit Staff Writer
stacy

Greg Dohler/The Gazette

Lanham resident Stacey L. Hardy, a survivor of Cushing’s disease, will speak about her experience with the pituitary disorder at an upcoming event at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Stacy L. Hardy of Lanham described herself as athletic, which is why she became concerned when in 1996 she mysteriously gained 240 pounds that took five doctors 14 years to determine she had a potentially fatal disease.

Now Hardy said she wants to raise awareness among others who may unknowingly have Cushing’s disease, but are unaware of the symptoms and treatment.

It wasn’t until 2010 that Hardy, now 43, was diagnosed with the disease, a rare disorder that causes the body to release too much cortisol, the body’s stress or “fight or flight” hormone, said Gary Wand, a pituitary gland specialist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Excess cortisol causes weight gain, especially in the stomach, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, anxiety and depression, he said.

“I didn’t even know what Cushing’s was. I was ready to just live with [the symptoms],” Hardy said, adding that by the time she was diagnosed she felt so tired she could barely move.

At 5 feet, 4 inches tall, Hardy said she reached 365 pounds during her struggle with the disease.

“We knew something for a while wasn’t right, but I never thought it would be something like that,” said Hardy’s daughter, Paij Hardy, 21, a student at Baltimore City Community College.

Just three out of every one million people are diagnosed with Cushing’s each year, said Wand, who estimates he sees 30 patients per year worldwide.

In 2011, Hardy underwent 16 hours of surgery at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore to remove four tumors from her pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain that controls the release of cortisol.

Today, she is 100 pounds lighter, with the weight still rapidly coming off, and said she is determined to serve as a lifelong support and education source for her fellow “cushies” — others with Cushing’s disease.

Hardy will speak Saturday at the Johns Hopkins Pituitary Gland Center’s fifth annual Patient Education Day, an event to raise awareness about the disease, Wand said.

Since the pituitary gland is the size of a kidney bean, Hardy underwent several brain scans before doctors, who previously suggested she might have leukemia or needed to diet and exercise more, could tell there were tumors on her gland, she said.

Hardy’s experience with delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis is not unique, Wand said.

Cushing’s is a “subtle” disease, which is difficult to diagnose, and not everyone exhibits the same symptoms, he said.

If left untreated for more than a decade, the disease is fatal, but removing the pituitary gland tumors has proved extremely successful, Wand said.

“I’m evidence that there’s help out there,” Hardy said. “I can move. I can almost run. I can bend over and pick up a box. Oh my goodness, I can dance.”

From http://www.gazette.net/article/20130926/NEWS/130929354/1077/prince-george-x2019-s-woman-works-to-raise-awareness-about-rare&template=gazette

Filed under: Cushing's, Inspiration, Meetings and Conferences, pituitary, Rare Diseases | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Johns Hopkins Pituitary Patient Day 2013

Posted on July 9, 2013 by MaryO

Johns Hopkins Pituitary Patient Day

Join us on Saturday, September 28, 2013, for the 5th Annual Patient Education Day at the Johns Hopkins Pituitary Center.

When: Saturday, September 28, 2013
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location:
Johns Hopkins Mt. Washington Conference Center
5801 Smith Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21209
map and directions

Location of the pituitary gland in the human brain

Location of the pituitary gland in the human brain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Patient Education Day Agenda:
9:30 – 10:00 AM REGISTRATION
10:00 – 10:25 AM What is the pituitary gland, where it is located, what it does, and what can go wrong Gary Wand, MD
10:30 – 10:50 AM How pituitary tumors can affect your vision Prem Subramanian, MD, PhD
Vivek Patel, MD, PhD
10:50 – 11:10 AM Cushing disease journey: a patient’s perspective Stacey Hardy
11:15 – 11:40 AM Surgery for Pituitary tumors: from very tiny to very large Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, MD
Gary Gallia, MD, PhD
Alessandro Olivi, MD
11:40 – 12:00 PM Radiation therapy: when, why, and how Lawrence Kleinberg, MD
Kristen Redmond, MD
12:05 – 12:25 PM The medications you may be taking (new and old ones): what you need to know Roberto Salvatori, MD
12:30 – 1:25 PM Lunch
1:30 – 3:00 PM PM Round table sessions:
1) Medical therapy (Wand/Salvatori)
2) Surgical therapy (Quinones/Gallia/Olivi)
3) Radiation therapy (Redmond/Kleinberg/Lim)
4) Vision issues (Subramanian/Patel)

*This schedule is subject to change

Please R.S.V.P. by September 13, 2013, vie email (preferred) to PituitaryDay@jhmi.edu  or to Alison Dimick at 410-955-3921.

Reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Filed under: Cushing's, Meetings and Conferences, pituitary | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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