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Norwalk Hospital to hold lecture series at The Greens in Wilton
By Norwalk Hospital
Sep 3, 2008 - 7:34:10 AM

Norwalk, CT, — "Medication Management - Are Medications Necessary?" is the first topic in this season's health lecture series sponsored by Norwalk Hospital at The Greens at Cannondale in Wilton.

Patrick Corbett, RPh, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist with Norwalk Hospital, will present this program on Tuesday, September 9, at 6 p.m.

He will provide important information on what you should know or ask your health care provider about your medications. For example, Corbett says when it comes to your medications, it is important to be able to recognize side effects and know about potential food or drug interactions. All are invited to attend and ask questions about your specific med

At Norwalk Hospital, Corbett is a clinical pharmacy specialist in general medicine with his major areas of interest being in neurology, psychiatry and healthy aging. He is an active member of the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists, the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the American Society of Health System Pharmacy.

Upcoming Norwalk Hospital programs to be held at The Greens, all at 6 p.m., include "Positive Strategies for Dealing with Stress" to be presented by Meg Weissmann, LCSW on Tuesday, September 16. A graduate of Columbia University School of Social Work, she is a clinical social worker in the Norwalk Hospital Department of Psychiatry. She will conclude her program with a demonstration of deep breathing techniques.

On Tuesday, September 23, there will be a discussion on a new concept in patient care, "The Return of House Calls - Traditional Medicine with a Modern Twist". The presentation will be given by Dr. Nancy Gade and Dr. Varshapriya Iyer of Wilton Internal Medicine. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Gade received her MD degree from New York University School of Medicine and completed her training at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. Dr. Iyer, also board certified in internal medicine, trained at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY.

Dr. Peter Dodds of Wilton, chairman of the Department of Surgery, at Norwalk Hospital will present on October 7th on "Urinary Tract Infections: Signs, Symptoms and Treatments." Certified by the American Board of Urology, Dr. Dodds is also in private practice with Urology Associates of Norwalk. After graduating from the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in 1972, Dr. Dodds completed his M.D. degree at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his surgical and urology training at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1982. During his surgical residency, he did research in the mechanisms of spread of prostate cancer and in the developmental biology of the urinary and reproductive tract.

Dr. Dodds received the prestigious Dr. Melville Magida Award from the Fairfield County Medical Association for his compassion and competence in medicine.

Dr. Dodds was the Connecticut representative to the New England Section of the American Urologic Association in 1994 and was clinical instructor at Yale University School of Medicine from 1983 to 1988. He was the recipient of the William Tracey Award for service to Norwalk Hospital and the Malcolm Beinfield Teaching Award, which was presented by the surgical physician assistants. Dr. Dodds was co-chairman of the Capital Campaign for the building of the operating rooms at Norwalk Hospital.

Dr. Dodds holds professional affiliations with the American Urologic Association, the Connecticut State Medical Society, the Fairfield County medical Association and the Norwalk Medical Society. He has also published articles in medical journals.

An avid historian, Dr. Dodds is a frequent lecturer for physicians, nurses and patient groups. He has been a United Way Volunteer and, along with his family, has participated in the Guiding Eyes program for raising guide dogs.

Dr. Seth Gross, a gastroenterologist at Norwalk Hospital will present on "Gastric Reflux and other Digestive Disorders." This program will be held on October 14. Dr. Gross, who recently joined Norwalk Hospital, completed fellowship training in gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Gross specializes in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. He also has advanced training in endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), which combines endoscopy with ultrasound to obtain images of the digestive tract and surrounding tissues and organs. EUS is useful in the staging of cancers of the esophagus, rectum, stomach, lung and pancreas as well as detecting bile duct stones. It is also utilized for evaluating chronic pancreatitis, cysts of the pancreas, incontinence and "submucosal" tumors, which are lesions within the intestinal wall.

Dr. Gross is highly skilled in endoscopic treatments of Barrett's esophagus and early esophageal cancer. Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the esophagus, which carries food and saliva from the mouth to the stomach, is changed by the stomach acid (often caused by gastoesophageal reflux disease or GERD) replacing the lining of the esophagus with a type of tissue similar to that normally found in the intestine.

While Barrett's esophagus may not cause symptoms, a small percentage of people with this condition may develop a relatively rare but potentially fatal type of cancer of the esophagus called esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Dr. Gross has experience and expertise in treating Barrett's esophagus with cryotherapy and radiofrequency ablation (Barrx).

Cryotherapy, which uses liquid nitrogen in medical treatments, has been used effectively since the 1950's to treat certain types of cancers and precancerous conditions. Cryotherapy is a recent breakthrough in the field of gastroenterology to treat conditions of the esophagus such as Barrett's esophagus, high and low grade dysplasia and esophageal cancer. "It has been shown in clinical research that by using liquid nitrogen, cryotherapy freezes diseased tissue in the esophagus destroying the cells, which are replaced with healthy cells," Dr. Gross explained. A similar technique is used with radiofrequency ablation allowing for a targeted superficial burn to destroy these cells resulting in regrowth of a healthy lining in the esophagus. The newly appointed gastroenterologist at Norwalk Hospital is also proficient in balloon assisted enteroscopy, which allows for complete evaluation of the small intestine. Balloon enteroscopy allows for both diagnostic and therapeutic intervention and can spare patients the need for surgery. The most common indication for the procedure is for unexplained gastrointestinal bleeding.

Prior to his fellowship training, Dr. Gross completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at North Shore University Hospital - New York University School of Medicine. He also served as a hospitalist at North Shore University Hospital- NYU. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for his accomplishments in the field of gastroenterology. He holds memberships in the American College of Gastroenterology, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Gastroenterology Association and the American Medical Association.

He has authored numerous articles published in prestigious medical journals and completed a book chapter, Photodynamic Therapy in the Esophagus for "Advances in Photodynamic Therapy: Basic, Translational and Clinical."

On Tuesday, November 4, there will be a program entitled "Bloodwork Review: Cholesterol, Sugar - What Does It All Mean?" which will be presented by Dr. Vidhya Varadarajan, internist with Soundview Medical Associates. She graduated from M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Gokula Extension, Bangalore, India and completed her internship there. She completed her residency training at St. Barnabas Hospital. Bronx, NY.

All the presentations will take place at The Greens at Cannondale, 435 Danbury Road in Wilton. Please RSVP by calling (203) 761-1191. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the presentations start at 6:00 p.m.


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