Volume 23
Number 25
December 14, 2012
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Tis the Season to
Give
Do you donate blood? If you’re like the majority of Americans — more than 90 percent — the answer is no. Most people don’t think about it in their busy lives. Or they feel someone else will take up the slack. Unfortunately that’s not the case. And yet, someone in this country needs blood every two seconds. HUP patients alone use an average of 160 units of blood products every day. Debbie Mincarelli, administrative director of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, didn’t donate routinely. “I was personally terrified of needles,“ she said. But that all changed in 2008 when her then 5-year old son was diagnosed with cancer.
“During his first battle he received 43 weeks of chemotherapy combined with eight weeks of proton therapy. After he relapsed nine short months after finishing his first regime, he began a second battle where he endured the equivalent of 60 weeks of chemotherapy combined with six weeks of traditional radiation. Then six short months later, he relapsed again and received another 16 weeks of chemotherapy.
INSIDE Taking Time Out to Talk...........2 From West Philadelphia to Haiti........................................2 Roundtable. ................................3 Why We Do What We Do.........3 Free Skin Cancer Screening......................3 No Wedding Bell Blues, Thanks PartnerstoinGroup Rehab.Effort.............3 .....................4
`` Debbie Mincarelli with her son Nick in 2010.
“Over those three and a half years, Nick needed countless transfusions. We relied on the generosity of strangers to support us, “ she continued. Nick earned his “angel wings” this past March. Most patients who receive blood never have the opportunity to tell donors how much they have helped. At a special donor recognition event sponsored by the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center, Debbie did. “You gave Nick 3 ½ more years to build Legos and four more Halloweens. You gave Nick’s brother 3 ½ more years to play Marco Polo in the pool and build sandcastles at the beach with his brother,” she said. “You gave me 3 ½ more years of the best hugs a mother could ever imagine.”
Can You Spare 10 Minutes?
Donating blood is easy. In fact, the actual donation part for whole blood only takes about 10 minutes. Your body will replace the donated blood within one month. People can safely donate blood every two months. Donated blood is tested and then divided into its components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. In this way, one unit of blood can help save the lives of three people. Platelets are essential to patients undergoing bone marrow transplantations or receiving many forms of chemotherapy. A drop in their platelet count makes them susceptible to life-threatening bleeding. And, while red blood cells can be kept for up to six weeks, platelets are viable for only five days. As a result, it’s crucial to keep the supply coming. (Continued on page 2)
Heartfelt Thanks........................4 Shortakes...................................4
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(Continued from cover)
Give
Tis the Season to In addition to its Whole Blood Collection Program, Penn’s Blood Donation Center now offers a Platelet Collections Program in which apheresis is used to specifically collect platelets. It is a longer donation process — closer to an hour — but the benefits to patients are immense. “Each platelet apheresis donation provides 12 times as many platelets as does a whole blood donation,” said Don Siegel, MD, PhD, director of Transfusion Medicine & Therapeutic Pathology. Donating is a selfless act; really, an act of heroism. “The legacy that you leave by donating your blood is one that so many others appreciate and cherish,” Debbie said. “Whether you give someone four more hours, four more days, four more months, they and their loved ones will be forever thankful for those moments.”
`` Debbie Mincarelli, who now routinely donates blood at the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center, with Jennifer Schwartz, the Center’s nursing supervisor.
BE A HERO During the holiday season, blood donations drop to dangerously low levels. You can help reverse that trend. And remember, what’s collected at the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center stays at Penn, helping our patients. Donating blood at the Center is easy. With four avaialble beds, the Center can support 26 donations a day. You can schedule an appointment online at www.PennMedicine.org/give-blood but walk-ins are welcome as well. Located on the Penn Tower Bridge, the Center is open weekdays, 8 am to 4 pm.
DONATE BLOOD. PLEASE.
`` Back (l. to r.): Jean Thelisma, Beth Attig, Kim Wooding, Karla McIntosh Front (l. to r.): Marisse Thelisma, Johanne Louis, Michelle Edwards, Mitza Jeune
“That population is in real need,” said Johanne Louis, RN, MSN, CRNP, of Geriatric Medicine and a Vermase nurse volunteer. “As a congregational nurse on Sunday, I see many patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic medical problems. All too often, many of them go untreated due to lack of access, low income, and sometimes not knowing how to get medications and important services.”
FROM WEST PHILADELPHIA TO HAITI Since its start in 2004, the Vermase Foundation, a faith-based nonprofit relief organization based in Upper Darby, has provided food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to those facing famine, poverty, or natural disaster. The group’s work is most commonly seen through its comprehensive health clinics in West Philadelphia that provide screenings and education, and its efforts to refer community members to low-cost health care services.
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While supporting Philadelphians in need, the organization’s care extends to Haiti as well. The Foundation sent hundreds of pounds of food and supplies to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and also hopes to build a nursing home in Haiti. Last April,Vermase worked with the Lions Club and sent 650 eyeglasses and hired five doctors from Haiti to see kids and check their eyes. Vermase also helps fund education for youth in Haiti. With support from a Penn Medicine CAREs Foundation grant, Vermase was able to hold a health fair at The Haitian Church of God, and buy new stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, water, tables, and other equipment. Many of those supplies will be used in future health fairs. For more information about the Vermase Foundation, go to www.vermasefoundation.org/index.html.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO Clinicians who treat patients often see the results of their efforts within days or even sooner. Clinical investigators, however, don’t have that advantage. Finding a cure — especially for a disease as complex as cancer — takes years, and, even then, behind-thescenes researchers rarely get to meet the people they’ve helped. That was not the case for researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine who pioneered a protocol treating advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with genetically engineered versions of the patient’s own T cells. One of the original 12 patients treated in the past year — 10 adults at HUP and two children at CHOP — stopped in for a visit: Walter Keller of California.
`` Walter Keller (front and center) visits with staff of the Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility who worked on the protocol that destroyed the chronic lymphocytic leukemia in his bone marrow.
Keller was the protocol’s most extensively pre-treated patient. Prior to being accepted into the trial, he had undergone two autologous stem cell transplants and multiple types of chemotherapy. But the disease remained. Yet, within two months of receiving this treatment, tests showed no CLL in his bone marrow. He remains in remission and says he feels better than he did before he got cancer. Indeed, two of the three original leukemia patients who received the transfusion remain healthy and in remission more than two years after their treatment, with the engineered cells still circulating in their bodies. “It is possible that in the future, this approach may reduce or repalce the need for bone marrow transplantation,” said trial leader Carl June, MD, director of Translational Research in Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. * On a routine post-infusion visit to see oncologist David Porter, MD, co-principal investigator of the trial and director of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Keller stopped in to see the staff in the Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility, many of whom have worked years on this protocol. Nancy Nelson, Keller’s sister who has been at his side through the entire process, told the group, “Thanks to all of you, I have my brother back.” “Throughout that day, staff came in to thank me for arranging Walt’s visit, how much it meant to them,” said Bruce Levine, PhD, director of the Production Facility. Ashley Soska, Levine’s administrative assistant, wrote the following post on Keller’s Caring Bridge guestbook. “You both have touched my heart more than you know and the hope and inspiration you have shared has been the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. If I am ever having a bad day at work, I will now look back on this morning and remind myself of why I am here … to spread the hope.” *To learn more about results from this protocol, go to www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/12/tcell.
NO WEDDING BELL BLUES, THANKS TO GROUP EFFORT David Bader’s week was supposed to be filled with a bachelor party and rehearsal dinner leading up to his sister’s wedding on Friday. But that was before he was taken to the ER in his local hospital on the previous Sunday and then to HUP for surgery the next morning. Initially, the wedding took a back burner to his recovery on Silverstein 12 but Bader couldn’t help feeling “upset and depressed” about not being at the wedding. But the staff, who knew Bader from previous stays on the unit, were already beginning to formulate a plan. “We thought, if David was feeling strong enough on Friday — and his doctor ok’d it — we’d get him a six-hour pass so he could attend his sister’s wedding,” said nurse manager Andrew Silverman. “We all wanted to give him a ray of sunshine in a hard situation.” Bader did his part, taking walks around the unit to build his strength. Things were looking good as the week progressed. “Everyone on the nursing staff was pulling for me,” he said.
`` David Bader was able to celebrate his sister Nicole’s wedding thanks to the efforts of Silverstein 12 staff. Shown here with the bride and new brother-in-law, Amin Zaman.
Friday came and his doctor, Najjia Mahmoud, MD, gave him a thumbs up to go. Two of Bader’s friends came to HUP to help him dress for the wedding: tuxedo on top, black sweatpants on the bottom. (His surgical stitches were too painful for wearing regular pants.) And off he went. Silverman said when Bader returned to the unit several hours later, he was tired but clearly happy. “Our entire team worked together to make sure he could spend some quality hours with his family.”
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LET US KNOW!
Heartfelt Thanks
A letter sent to Brian Roberts, whose family pledged $15 million to support the Roberts Proton Therapy Center.*
I have recently completed a unique experience, one that is rare in any medical setting. The medical and support staff at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center have been supremely competent, professional and compassionate.… I was referred after 6 months of chemotherapy and 6 weeks of pre-operative photon radiation, followed by unsuccessful thoracic surgery in the Washington area in an attempt to remove a large thymus tumor involving my coronary, pulmonary, and carotid arteries…. My appointment with Dr. Stephen Hahn [chair of Radiation Oncology] and his resident lasted for two hours…. He demonstrated a profound empathy and compassion. His resident participated appropriately and showed the same respect and empathy of his mentor. Later my son coined the phrase “the Hahn effect” when we received this similar supportive and hopeful treatment from the entire staff of the Roberts Proton Center. Dr. Hahn arranged a consult with Dr. Joseph Friedberg [chair of Thoracic Surgery of Penn Presbyterian] who spent two hours with my son and me. He called Dr. Wilson Szeto [of Thoracic Surgery at PPMC] and continued the consult on speaker phone. The two doctors decided we needed Dr. Hahn on the phone…who was in Ireland on vacation. Dr. Hahn not only took the call but joined in an intensely engaging discussion. There were no “turf ” issues between these departments (unlike my other experiences). We were all on the same team. During my proton therapy, the proton therapists in room 5 (Donna, Angie, Tamar, and Michelle) were highly professional, sensitive to my dignity, and to my age (76) and with compassion and an infectious and warm sense of humor.… In our little lounge area, our group of patients and family members shared very similar experiences. There are so many stories to warm our hearts about the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. *To read the complete letter, go to news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate
A CALL FOR ARTISTS The next Celebration of Art and Life, an exhibition of two-dimensional artworks, will open February 4, 2013, and run through December 31, 2013. The juried art exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Bernett L. Johnson, Jr., MD, HUP’s former chief medical officer. Faculty, staff, students and patients are welcome to submit their profile, digital images of their work, and a digital application to www.cfeva.slideroom.com by Friday, December 21. After the initial registration, you will be sent an activation email from Slideroom. Once received, you can log in to cfeva.slideroom.com and start the application. If you don’t receive the activation email or have additional questions, contact Rosemarie Cray at 215.349.8418 or rosemarie.cray@uphs.upenn.edu.
Is your department or patient unit planning community outreach activities for the holidays? If so, please let us know so it can be included in an upcoming HUPdate. Please send information and, if possible, a photo of your outreach efforts to sally.sapega@uphs.upenn.edu.
HUPdate WINS AWARD! HUPdate won first place in the newsletter category at this year’s Philadelphia Pepperpot Awards from the Public Relations Society of America. Congratulations to the editorial staff from Communications and the designers from Strategic Marketing Services!
AN EARLY START TO BASEBALL FOR KIDS The University’s baseball coaches will be hosting a series of youth camps this January. All players (ages 7-13) will be exposed to teachingoriented camps that will improve their hitting, catching, and pitching just in time for their upcoming season. The camps will be held in the beautiful Dunning-Cohen Seasonal Air Structure, the premier indoor facility in the area. For more information or to register, please visit www.pennbaseballcamp.com.
HUPdate EDITORIAL STAFF Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer Trissy Harding Designer
ADMINISTRATION
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
COME TO LEARN MORE… Do you want to learn more about HUP and the Health System? Be sure to attend
one of the upcoming All Employee Meetings. Members of senior leadership provide updates and answer questions.
All Employee Meetings are held in Medical Alumni Hall, on 1 Maloney.
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The next three will be held: W EDNESDAY, JANUARY 9 8:30 to 9:30 am W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Noon to 1:00 pm W EDNESDAY, MARCH 6 5:00 to 6:00 pm
CONTACT HUPDATE AT: 3535 Market Street, Mezzanine Philadelphia, PA 19104 phone: 215.662.4488 fax: 215.349.8312 email: sally.sapega@uphs.upenn.edu HUPdate is published biweekly for HUP employees. Access HUPdate online at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate.