Retired UK professor Dr. Ardis Dee Hoven elected first female chair of World Medical Association

Retired University of Kentucky professor Dr. Ardis Dee Hoven, who was the president of the American Medical Association in 2013-14, was elected the first female chair of the World Medical Association at the organization's 200th council meeting in Oslo, Norway

For the past few years, Hoven was the chair of the AMA's delegation to the WMA and will now serve as the chair of the WMA for a two-year term. WMA represents physicians from 111 national medical associations.

"I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to do this," Hoven said in a UK news release. "I see myself not so much as a woman in this role but as a leader of a global organization of physicians who are working to support their peers around the the world and improve the lives of their patients."

Hoven earned an undergraduate degree in microbiology then a medical degree from UK. She finished her internal medicine and infectious disease training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Now she is a member of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Disease Society of America.

Hoven has received the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Kentucky Medical Association Distinguished Service Award, and in 2015, she was inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni for UK. "Hoven hopes for the WMA to raise its profile internationally and increase the impact of its policies and advocacy on behalf of physicians and patients," the release says.

"I want to make our footprint bigger and our voice stronger," Hoven said.

Free screenings of new Kentucky colon-cancer documentary, plus Q and A, are scheduled in Louisville, Lexington and Hazard

The Colon Cancer Prevention Project is premiering its new documentary, "Catching a Killer: Colon Cancer in the Bluegrass," in three select cities, before it starts airing on KET this summer.

The 30-minute film, which features stories from Kentuckians who have been affected by colon cancer, will be shown June 18 at the Clifton Center in Louisville; June 23 at the Central Library in Lexington; and July 20 at the Perry County Library in Hazard. It includes stories from residents of Appalachia and Louisville, two areas where colon cancer rates are the highest.

All three events will run from 7 to 8 p.m. and include a question-and-answer session with expert panelists after the film is over. Free food, music and photos will be offered before the start of the film, from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.

The Colon Cancer Prevention Project is Kentucky and Southern Indiana’s only nonprofit focused solely on work to end the second leading cancer killer among men and women. Colon cancer strikes 2,600 Kentuckians each year – making Kentucky one of the worst states in the country for colon cancer incidence – but it is highly preventable with screening.

"Catching a Killer" not only shares the heartfelt stories of our neighbors, but also shares information about screening options and resources in our state.

“Our goal is to make sure people get screened for this disease and avoid ever hearing the words: You have cancer,” Andrea Shepherd, the project's executive director, said in a news release. “We hope that after viewing this documentary, people get on the phone and start talking with their physicians and families about colon cancer screening.”

The events are free and open to the public. More information and an RSVP form is available on the project's website.

UK research project will create strategies to improve respiratory health for those living in Appalachian Kentucky

Public health researchers at the University of Kentucky will undertake a five-year long research project called "Community-Engaged Research and Action to Reduce Respiratory Disease in Appalachia," Sarah Noble writes in a UK press release.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the project will involve creating strategies to improve respiratory and environmental public health. Kentuckians living in Appalachian counties have the state's highest rates of serious respiratory illness.

"Adults in Appalachian Kentucky are 50 percent more likely to develop asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than the overall U.S. population," Noble writes. "As many as one in five adults in the region have received a diagnosis of asthma, and rates of COPD are nearly two-and-a-half fold the incidence of the disease in other parts of the country.

Although studies show associations between respiratory health problems and environmental contaminants, data doesn't yet include individual-level assessments or behavioral risk factors common in the area—such as smoking, poor diet and insufficient physical activity. The "Community Response to Environmental Exposures in Eastern Kentucky" project will fill those gaps.

The CREEEK project will include three steps. A community-based assessment will "identify the relationships between indoor air pollutants, behavioral and social determinants and the effects these factors have on risk of respiratory disease," Noble writes. That information "will be shared with local stakeholders in an effort to increase understanding of the environmental exposures present in the region," then the project will put in place "an environmental public health action strategy and will evaluate that strategy's ability to impact short-and long-term outcomes for respiratory health."

Combination of tobacco smoke and high radon levels increase Kentuckians' risk of getting lung cancer by a factor of 10

Red counties are expected to have an indoor radon level high
enough to require a radon mitigation system. (USEPA map)

Combined exposure to tobacco smoke and radon, an odorless gas that comes from small amounts of radioactive minerals in limestone bedrock, contribute to increased risk of lung cancer for Kentuckians.

Not only do high smoking rates and lack of smoking bans expose Kentuckians to high levels of tobacco smoke, the state's laws don't require testing and monitoring of radon, Elizabeth Adams notes in a University of Kentucky news release that gives this warning: "The risk of lung cancer increases 10-fold when a person is exposed to both high levels of radon and tobacco smoke." She gives two steps to reduce the risk:

Reduce exposure to second- and third-hand smoke. Do not allow smoking in your home or car, and ask smokers who go outside to smoke need to cover their clothes with a jacket before returning inside, or they will bring third hand smoke in with them. Of course, quitting smoking is the best way to protect your health and the health of your family.

Test your home for radon every two years. One can often obtain a free test kit from the health department or purchase one at a home improvement store. Renters can ask their landlord about radon testing. If the radon level reaches 4.0 or above, a radon mitigation system will become necessary. Opening windows or increasing ventilation won't solve the problem. Instead, call a certified radon mitigation company.

If someone living in your house smokes cigarettes, cigars or pipes, you might be eligible to participate in a UK research study examining the combined effects of smoke and radon. To learn more about the study, send an email to ukfresh@lsv.uky.edu or call 859-323-4587.

14-year-old from Paducah discusses her depression and thoughts of suicide to help others in a similar situation

Sophie Henney of Paducah chose two days after her 14th birthday to tell her story of depression and thoughts of suicide. She wanted to share her story—and her name—to help others who may be in the same situation, Genevieve Postlethwait reports for The Paducah Sun.

In Kentucky, 15 percent of teens say they've thought about committing suicide, according to the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2013 data, 11 out of every 100,000 young people die by suicide. Every year between 1999 and 2013, Kentucky ranked 16th in the nation for rate of deaths by suicide for individuals between ages 15 and 24.

On the way to church on New Year's Eve night, Sophie told her mom, Peggy, "I wouldn't hurt myself, but I don't want to go back there to that school. I'd rather be dead." Sophie attended a small private school and hadn't had a pleasant fall semester: the other girls in her class were excluding her, and she had thought some of them were her friends, Postlethwait writes. "We found out several months later she was actually formulating a plan to do it," Peggy said. "As much attention as I was paying to her, I still didn't know. I beat myself up for several months, thinking that there was more I could have done."

Both Sophie and her counselor have released Peggy of the blame, but she still feels responsible. "I could have lost my child," Peggy said. "And there are people here who have lost their child. . . . We can talk about texting and driving; we can talk about drinking and driving; but we can't talk about suicide. We've got to start changing something."

The stigma surrounding suicide and a lack of information about it are two main things that stand in the way of changing the way people talk about suicide, said Laurie Ballew, medical director of Lourdes Behavioral Health. She said people didn't used to talk about cancer because of the stigma. "Now we talk about it," Ballew said. "We're out about it, we're loud about it, and we're educating about it. That's what we need to do with suicide and mental health issues."

Gretchen Roof, site administration at Four Rivers Behavioral Health in Paducah, "said at least once a week a child comes to them at Four Rivers who they worry may be a suicide risk." When that happens, there are several options. Children may see a counselor once per week or every other week. They can go to Four Rivers every weekday after school. In more severe cases, "'partial-hospitalization'"is an option, where the child attends school at the center while also participating in therapy from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday," Postlethwait writes. Most of the schools in the area allow Four Rivers counselors to spend approximately one day per week in each school, which removes the need for transportation and the stigma associated with entering a mental health facility.

Roof said that parents, teachers, preachers and kids should not be afraid to talk about depression or suicidal thoughts in themselves or observed in others, Postlethwait writes. "If you have or know a child who appears depressed, or is having some sort of significant change in their behavior, a change in appearance even . . . be especially tuned-in to that child," Roof said. "Don't be afraid of saying, 'I'm concerned about you. What's going on?' and don't be afraid of asking, 'Have you thought about hurting yourself?'" Something people are afraid to ask such questions because they think they will give the person ideas, Roof said, but research shows that is false. "They will tell you, and you are the intervention that has been waiting to happen for them."

Sophie said, "I was very relieved when we went to Christmas break, and by New Years Eve, I was like, I don't want to go back. I want this to be over. I don't want to see them again. The only thing I can really think of to say is, get help. That's what made me better. Tell somebody. Talk to somebody. don't just keep it quiet."