SALA DE PRENSA DE RENOWN

Renown Medical Group is thrilled to welcome two distinguished breast surgical oncologists, Colleen O'Kelly-Priddy, MD and Michelle K. Chu, MD to the team. These highly skilled breast surgeons will solely focus on providing breast care and therefore play a pivotal role in Renown Health’s William N. Pennington Cancer Institute’s commitment to provide subspecialized care to the people living in our community and beyond. Dr. Colleen O'Kelly-Priddy is a fellowship-trained, board-certified breast surgical oncologist with an impressive background in breast cancer surgery. Dr. Priddy was born at Washoe Medical Center (which later became Renown Regional Medical Center) and grew up in Susanville, CA before attending Stanford University for her undergraduate studies. She is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. "I am thrilled to return to Reno to help increase access to world-class surgical breast cancer care,” said Dr. Priddy. “My focus is to provide exceptional care, particularly for young people with breast cancer. I am excited to continue my mission here in northern Nevada." Dr. Michelle K. Chu, a board-certified general surgeon, brings her extensive experience in advanced breast cancer treatment to the Renown team. Dr. Chu received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her medical degree from Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH. Dr. Chu specializes in oncoplastic breast conserving surgery and nipple sparing mastectomies. "I believe in tailoring treatment options to each patient's unique needs,” Dr. Chu said. “Whether it's preserving the natural shape of the breast or supporting the 'Going Flat' movement, our team strives to provide the best possible outcome for every patient." The newest addition to the William N. Pennington Cancer Institute, Renown Breast Surgery Care provides comprehensive breast surgery care at 1500 E. 2nd Street in Reno, adjacent to the Renown Regional Medical Center campus. "Breast cancer accounts for approximately 20% of newly diagnosed cancer cases in Washoe County, with roughly 520 new cases annually, establishing it as the most prevalent cancer type within our community,” says Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President & CEO, Renown Health. “We are proud, as the community’s largest not-for-profit healthcare system, to invest in cancer prevention and early diagnoses, including mammography screening and genetic research. For those diagnosed with breast cancer, Renown now offers two superb breast surgeons specializing in breast preservation surgery, and a breast surgery center providing comprehensive, compassionate care. Our goal is to save women’s lives, save families and ensure better care and better outcomes. This is a major step forward for women’s healthcare and our community.” As part of this expansion, Renown is assuming operations of Reno Surgical Advocates, a respected private practice in Reno. "Access to expert breast cancer care close to home is crucial, and our dedicated team at Renown Breast Surgery Care will work tirelessly to provide the highest level of care to patients while working closely with our other cancer specialists," said Max Coppes, MD, PhD, MBA, Director, William N. Pennington Institute for Cancer. “With the exceptional expertise of Dr. Colleen O'Kelly-Priddy and Dr. Michelle K. Chu, coupled with our state-of-the-art facility; Renown Health is a true partner in the fight against breast cancer in northern Nevada.” "People are increasingly relocating to northern Nevada, and in fact, Washoe County experienced a 2.1% population growth from April 2020 to July 2022. Consequently, although northern Nevada does not exhibit an above-average cancer rate, we are observing a rise in cases at our facilities," said Dr. Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, Section Chief of Medical Oncology at the William N. Pennington Cancer Institute. "Renown Health is positioned to meet this growing demand, and we take pride in consistently adding nationally renowned healthcare providers to our team to save the lives of women in northern Nevada.     About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination, and innovation. La organización se compone de un centro de urgencias, dos hospitales de cuidados agudos, un hospital infantil, un hospital de rehabilitación, un grupo médico y una red de atención de urgencias y Hometown Health, la compañía de seguros sin fines de lucro más grande de la región y de propiedad local, Hometown Health.

Leer más About Saving More Lives; Renown Expands Breast Cancer Care, Adding Two Best-In-Class Breast Surgeons

Three-day medical education conference advances research, education, prevention and treatment. Physicians and medical professionals from across the country will convene in Lake Tahoe from Friday, Nov. 4 to Sunday, Nov. 6 to explore the most recent advances and established guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke and diseases or problems associated with heart disease. Hosted by Renown's Institute for Heart & Vascular Health and the Nevada Academy of Family Physicians, the 32nd annual three-day Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine conference will bring together national experts to explore challenges and solutions to cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. "The driving force behind this collaborative event is the shared missions of all our organizations, across the country, to advance progress in cardiovascular research, education, prevention and treatment," says Jayson Morgan, MD, FACC, Director of Cardiovascular Services at Renown. "We will be joined by colleagues from across the country including Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, UC San Francisco School of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of Washington Medical Center, University of Chicago Medicine and locally- with experts from Renown's Institute for Heart & Vascular Health/UNR Med and Northern Surgical Associates - to discuss contemporary trends in providing excellent cardiovascular care and prevention." New research will be presented each day from experts across the country, including the following topics: “What the Fentanyl? Making Sense of a Deadly Epidemic” “COVID-19: Return to Sport or Strenuous Activity Following Infection” “Management of Type 2 Diabetes: Evolving Data, Evolving Guidelines, Evolving Practice” “Coronary Microvascular Disease in Women: Signs, Symptoms, Evaluation and Treatment” “Lipoprotein (a): A Risk Factor for Atherosclerosis and an Emerging Therapeutic Target” “Gut Feeling: The Increased Importance of GLP-1 Therapies for Personalized Obesity Management” "Primary Care Perspectives: Peripheral Vascular Disease” “Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation and Sudden Cardiac Death in Women” “Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Heart Failure in 2022: What Do I as a Primary Care Provider Need to Know?” “Can a Patient be Low Risk without a Calcium Score?” “Obesity & Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction: How Does Bariatric Surgery Change the Landscape?” To make an appointment with a provider at Renown's Institute for Heart and Vascular Health, request that your primary care provider make a referral. For more information on Renown's Institute for Heart and Vascular Health, visit renown.org/Health-Services/Heart-Care. About Renown Health Renown Health is Nevada’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. Con una fuerza laboral diversa de más de 7,000 empleados, Renown ha fomentado una cultura de excelencia, determinación e innovación de larga data. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Actualmente, Renown está inscribiendo participantes en el estudio genético de salud poblacional basado en la comunidad más grande del mundo, el Healthy Nevada Project®.

Leer más About Expertos líderes se reúnen en Tahoe para centrarse en los avances científicos y la prevención de las enfermedades cardiovasculares, la primera causa de muerte a nivel mundial.

Physician researchers seek to understand how the immune system responds to COVID-19 and create a healthier Nevada. During the early stages of the pandemic, convalescent plasma was considered the only viable treatment option available for patients with COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is the component of the blood from recovered patients that may contain COVID-19 antibodies that help fight the infection. The National Institutes of Health has since developed treatment guidelines for COVID-19 based on clinical trial data and many studies are still underway worldwide assessing various additional treatment options. Convalescent plasma was in high demand but difficult to locate for COVID-19 patients in the northern Nevada area. A 24-year-old nursing assistant, Austin Meegan, was hospitalized and spent weeks staving off kidney and lung failure before learning he was eligible for an experimental blood transfusion that showed promise in treating COVID-19. Los médicos estimaron que Meegan solo tenía un 3 % de posibilidades de encontrar un donante compatible con su raro tipo de sangre. A COVID-19 survivor, Thomas Gibson, a Texas resident with the same blood type, traveled to Reno to donate his viral antibodies and a convalescent plasma donation credited with helping to save Meegan’s life. Physician clinical researchers and scientists at Renown and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) knew they needed to create better options for patients and physicians. Clinical researchers developed a study to help other patients like Austin, and pleaded for donations from recovered COVID-19 patients to donate their convalescent plasma. The researcher teams looked to understand how the body’s immune system responds to the virus over time, to aid them in developing new treatments for COVID-19. “The world’s capacity to get through the COVID crisis will depend on four things — science, technology, innovation and partnerships, says Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, President and CEO of Renown Health.  “Taking lab bench discoveries to the bedside of patients in an efficacious and timely manner is not easy, but with UNR Med and our partners, we are making great strides in advancing clinical research which has the power to save lives and to create a healthier Nevada.” “It’s tremendously promising to partner on clinical research that will not only help us better understand the disease, but help inform treatment for those combatting COVID-19 that has had such a devastating impact on Nevadans, our nation and the world,” says UNR Med Dean Thomas L. Schwenk, MD. Renown, UNR Med and other area health care partners collaborated with Vitalant to collect plasma from recovered donors for a study on the treatment's efficacy. Los donantes elegibles tenían al menos 18 años, pesaban más de 110 libras y estaban sanos. Donors had fully recovered from a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Project coordinators at the Renown Research Office were overwhelmed by the community’s support and plasma blood donations. Las asociaciones adicionales con el Distrito de Salud del Condado de Washoe, el estado de Nevada y la Oficina del Gobernador, Saint Mary’s Medical Center, Northern Nevada Medical Center, Carson Tahoe Health y VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, junto con muchos proveedores de atención médica del área, ayudaron al equipo a alcanzar sus objetivos de inscribir a 120 participantes elegibles en el estudio. “Our success in this study rests heavily on the support of our great community, as well as the innovation and collaboration demonstrated by Renown and UNR Med,” said Sara Healy, MD, MPH, principal investigator of the study and a pediatric infectious disease physician at Renown Children’s Hospital and UNR Med. “We are proud to be at the forefront of conducting essential research during such a pivotal time in history, and look forward to our continued partnership as we continue this important work.” “The control of COVID-19 in our communities relies on testing. The study that is being launched to develop a sensitive, specific and easier way to collect specimens (blood) is advancing the field and brings promise towards getting to our common goal of having the right diagnostic test for the right clinical situation at the right time,” says Mark Riddle, MD, DrPH, FISTM, associate investigator of the study and associate dean for clinical research and professor at UNR Med's Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Research. The research team is now asking area residents to participate in a study to analyze the efficacy of two COVID-19 tests. Participants will undergo two blood tests: one being a finger stick to provide results for a rapid test, and the other is a traditional venipuncture draw confirming the presence or absence of COVID-19 antibodies. This study is a collaboration with InBios International, Inc., a leading biotechnology company based in Seattle. Researchers are seeking: Individuals who have confirmed positive for COVID-19 and who have recently recovered from the virus. Los participantes del estudio deben estar en un período de entre 7 y 28 días posteriores al inicio de sus síntomas. Individuals who have recently tested negative for COVID-19 and have never tested positive. Los interesados en participar en el estudio pueden ponerse en contacto con los coordinadores del proyecto en la Oficina de Investigación de Renown al (775) 982-3646, o por correo electrónico a covidplasmascreening@renown.org, de lunes a viernes, de 7:30 a.m. a 5:00 p.m. Se anima a las personas de entre 18 y 75 años con buena salud en general a que consideren la posibilidad de participar en este estudio en curso. There is no cost to participate in this study and participation is voluntary. An individual’s decision to participate will not affect their current or future relations with their health care provider(s), health district, or the community. Those who decide to participate are free to withdraw at any time. “Time is of the essence with COVID. If we can get test results to people and their clinicians in a more timely way, we can make a faster diagnosis of a patient's condition, says Christopher M. Kozlowski, MD, MHA, Renown's institutional research officer and Medical Director/VP of Renown Institute for Heart & Vascular Health. “As we refine the accuracy of our testing; we are applying sensitivity and specificity testing for true negative and true positive results. This provides people with more timely and accurate results and better quality care.”     Acerca de Renown Health Renown Health es una red de atención médica integrada de administración local y sin fines de lucro que brinda servicios al norte de Nevada, Lake Tahoe y el noreste de California. Renown es uno de los mayores empleadores privados de la región y cuenta con una fuerza laboral de más de 7,000. It comprises three acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation hospital, the area’s most comprehensive medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest and only locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown tiene una larga trayectoria y un compromiso de larga data con la mejora de la atención y la salud de nuestra comunidad.     About the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med), Nevada’s first medical school, is a community-based, research-intensive medical school with a statewide vision for a healthy Nevada. Fundada en 1969, la UNR Med está mejorando la salud y el bienestar de todos los residentes de Nevada y sus comunidades mediante excelencia en la educación estudiantil, capacitación de posgrado y atención clínica, investigación con impacto local, nacional y global y una cultura de diversidad e inclusión. For more information, visit med.unr.edu.

Leer más About Researchers at Renown Seek Convalescent Plasma Study Participants