Brain Tumor Event March 21
“Hidden Under Our Hats,” a program designed to raise the level of awareness of brain tumors, will be held March 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Alumni Center. The event is sponsored by Celebrate Women and the UConn Alumni Association.
“Advancing medical science and new treatment options have improved the prognosis for people diagnosed with brain tumors,” says Diane Bennett, director of Celebrate Women, the Health Center’s free membership program aimed at improving women’s health. “The ‘Hidden Under Our Hats’ exhibit helps us understand the personal dimension of the condition, and the fact that it can be successfully treated.”
Talks by Health Center faculty Dr. Hilary Onyiuke, an associate professor of surgery and chief of neurosurgery, Henry Smilowitz, an associate professor of pharmacology who conducts research on the brain, highlight the program.
Onyiuke, a brain surgeon, will speak about the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and surgical treatment of brain tumors. He will also discuss the incidence, prevalence, and other factors relating to brain tumors, and illustrate both surgical and non-surgical treatment options.
Smilowitz will speak about current research strategies for brain tumor therapy.
More than 195,000 brain tumors are diagnosed in North America annually. They are the leading cause of cancer death in children under age 20, now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and are the third leading cause of cancer death in young adults aged 20 to 39.
An exhibit of about 2,000 hats from children and adults whose lives have been touched by brain tumors will be displayed in the Alumni Center from March 21 to March 24, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Each hat represents one person’s journey with a brain tumor diagnosis. The exhibit travels around the country, much as the AIDS quilt does, to inform audiences about brain tumors.
Refreshments will be served. Registration is required. To register, call 860.679.8899 or toll free 866.4FEMALE (866.433.6253).
Visit the Brain Tumor Action Network website for more information.
