April 9, 2001

Jackie Joyner Kersee, winner of six Olympic Medals in track and field, will be the keynote speaker at the 14th Women's Health Update, "Menses Through Menopause," in Hartford on April 19.

The conference, which runs from 3:30 to 8 p.m., will take place at the Artists Collective, 1200 Albany Avenue.

Kersee is one of the world's greatest female athletes, as well as a business woman, entrepreneur and author. She will talk about how her mother inspired her to achieve success.

"This conference is a time for women to pause and focus on themselves and their mental and physical well being," says Cynthia Adams, professor and associate dean of allied health, conference chair.

In addition to Kersee's presentation, Andrea Gelzer, medical director of CIGNA Healthcare, will moderate a panel discussion, including presentations by Deborah Metzger, an ob-gyn physician on the staff of the Helena Women's Health Clinic in Palo Alto, Calif., and editorial advisor of obgyn.net, a website for women with chronic pelvic pain; Metzger will speak on Reproductive Choices and Hormonal Options; Jane Kerstetter, associate professor of allied health, on New Findings in Osteoporosis; and Pamela Burris, clinical nurse specialist at Hartford Hospital, on Holistic Considerations for Women.

Marja M. Hurley, an associate professor of medicine at the Health Center, will offer an overall perspective on women's health.

There will also be an Artists Collective Performance, featuring children jazz dancers some of whom are from the Saint Francis Hospital sickle cell program.

The program is sponsored by the School of Allied Health, with support from Apple Oil Co., Berlex Laboratories, and CIGNA HealthCare.

The registration fee is $50, including a snack, program, dinner buffet and parking. The deadline for registration is Thursday, April 12.

Nurses, dietitians and pharmacists may earn continuing education units with a conference fee of $85.

To register for the conference or for more information, call Sally Fraley at (860) 486-4262.

Danielle McGrath