ProfNet Experts Available on Cancer, Incontinence, Heart Health and More

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing.

If you are in need of additional experts, you can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network. You can filter your request by institution type and geographic location to get the most targeted responses. The best part? It's free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://bit.ly/findexperts?tc=expertalerts.

If you have any questions or need assistance with any aspect of ProfNet, please drop us a note at [email protected].

EDITOR'S NOTE

• How Do You Use Mobile in Your Reporting?

EXPERT ALERTS

• March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month
• Treating Incontinence Caused by Surgery or Trauma
• Heart Health and Optimism: Tips to Be More Optimistic
• Targeting Tumors With Particle Beams
• Letting Patients Buy Canadian Drugs Will Only Import Trouble
• Why 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Is Degrading Towards Women

MEDIA JOBS

• Personal Finance Writer – The Cheat Sheet (NY)
• Government Tech Writer – GovLoop (DC)
• Education and Technology Writer – Chicago Inno (IL)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• 14 Design Tools We Love for Blogging
• Top Tools for Managing the Content Development Process
• Score a Free Pass to the ASJA Writers Conference

EDITOR'S NOTE:

To better understand how members of the media use mobile devices (phones or tablets) to produce stories, PR Newswire for Journalists is asking users to participate in a quick, eight-question survey. The survey will remain open until Feb. 28: http://bit.ly/prnjmobile

EXPERT ALERTS:

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Marc Brand, M.D.
Colon and Rectal Surgeon
Rush University Medical Center
"Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in our country, a silent and deadly disease that is often tragically diagnosed in advanced stages. The good news about colon cancer is that we can usually find its precursor, the polyp, before it becomes a full-fledged cancer. Not only can we find it, we can destroy it."
Brand is a practicing colon and rectal surgeon on the full-time faculty at Rush University Medical Center and is an assistant professor of surgery at Rush University School of Medicine. He serves as the director of colorectal research and education in the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Rush. Brand received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his medical degree from Rush University. He performed his general surgery residency and his colorectal residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. He has been on staff at Rush University Medical Center since 1999.
Website: http://www.rush.edu
Media Contact: Nancy DiFiore, [email protected]

Treating Incontinence Caused by Surgery or Trauma
Joanne Favuzza, DO
Colon and Rectal Surgeon
Rush University Medical Center
"Because incontinence is not considered a life-threatening problem, many people, especially women, are too embarrassed by the condition to seek help. Other treatment options, such as dietary changes and pelvic floor exercises to restore muscle strength, don't always work."
Favuzza received her bachelor's degree from Boston University and her medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. She performed her general surgery residency at the Berkshire Medical Center in western Massachusetts and her colorectal residency at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She has been on staff at Rush University Medical Center since 2012. She is available to discuss incontinence caused by surgery to the colon or rectum, or trauma to the pelvic area; colon cancer; and nerve stimulation called sacral neuromodulation.
Website: http://www.rush.edu
Media Contact: Nancy DiFiore, [email protected]

Heart Health and Optimism: Tips to Be More Optimistic
Dr. Elana Maurin
American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington, D.C.
A recent study found links between people with upbeat outlooks on life and significantly better cardiovascular health. Says Dr. Maurin: "Positive emotions are associated with higher levels of resources (physical, social, and psychological), which results in better coping skills when dealing with stress. Stress hormones are associated with immune functioning and cardiac health, so reducing exposure to stress hormones results in better physical health."
In honor of American Heart Month, Dr. Maurin is available to discuss optimism and tips to becoming more optimistic, including why positive emotions result in better coping skills and less stress, and the idea of learned optimism. She can also share tips for being more optimistic, including: identify negative thinking patterns; when faced with a setback, think more realistically; and determine what you can and cannot control.
Media Contact: Mandy Wilson, [email protected]

Targeting Tumors With Particle Beams
Steven J. Frank, M.D.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Proton Therapy Center
The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy recently announced the selection of several new research awards to advance particle beam therapies for the treatment of cancer. Says Frank: "From a big-picture standpoint, it's very exciting that proton therapy for cancer treatment is generating interest at the level of the White House administration. This is a resounding positive signal of the potential advantages proton therapy offers, specifically helping reduce unnecessary radiation and side effects of cancer therapy. These grants may lead to improved methods of delivering proton therapy so that the technology becomes less expensive and more accessible -- an important step in making it available to more patients in the future."
Frank is an associate professor of radiology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and medical director of MD Anderson's Proton Therapy Center.
Website: www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/proton-therapy-center/index.html
Media Contact: Agata Porter, [email protected]

Letting Patients Buy Canadian Drugs Will Only Import Trouble
Kyle Simon
Director of Policy and Advocacy
Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence
"Good news for American patients: Prescription drugs are effectively on sale in Canada. Drug spending climbed just 2.5 percent in 2013. Drug cost growth has now lagged overall health inflation for four straight years. Naturally, Washington lawmakers are ignoring the cost problems plaguing the rest of the healthcare marketplace and focusing on prescription drugs. A group of U.S. senators has resuscitated a measure that would allow Americans to import prescription drugs from Canada, in hopes of further driving down their price. Some lawmakers can't get past the fact that a drug that sells for, say, $187 in New York goes for just $24 in Canada. Those savings look significant. But they augur substantial hidden costs for American patients' health and well-being. The FDA decides which medications can be sold in the U.S., not states. Maine's law undermines our entire system of drug regulation and puts consumers at risk."
Simon is the director of policy and advocacy at the Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence (CLAAD). In his role, Simon manages policy and advocacy initiatives, provides policy analysis and drafting, directs rapid response efforts, and oversees a coalition of allied organizations focused on advancing common goals. His background includes several years of health care policy, advocacy, and political experience. He has worked with policymakers on Medicare, Medicaid, and regulatory issues, served members of Congress, managed a statewide political organization representing the president of the United States, and held leadership roles in multiple political campaigns.
Media Contact: Mark Goldman, [email protected]

Why 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Is Degrading Towards Women
Dr. Frieda Birnbaum
Research Psychologist, Psychoanalyst
"'Fifty Shades of Grey' is sadistic. It suggests that women should be submissive to men and to be dominated by men. It is also loaded with other demeaning messages. Women have fought many hard years for their rights to be treated equally and with respect. The fact that this book and film are popular among women is repulsive. If women are sexually repressed and have to look to satisfy their sexuality by reading a book, maybe what they need to do is look at how sex and women have been redefined. No longer do we need to be passive participants, but powerful women who bring that power home in having better sex lives. My research showed that women who have power outside the home have the most fun in bed. We are missing a whole generation of women who know what they want and they don't need men to take over in the bedroom."
Based in the New York metropolitan area, Dr. Birnbaum is author of "What Price Power: An In-Depth Study of the Professional Woman in a Relationship." She's an expert on depression, women's issues, and attaining happiness, and has been featured on "Oprah" and "20/20" as the oldest woman in the U.S. to have twins.
Website: http://www.doctorfrieda.com
Media Contact: Ryan McCormick, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/

• Personal Finance Writer – The Cheat Sheet (NY)
• Government Tech Writer – GovLoop (DC)
• Education and Technology Writer – Chicago Inno (IL)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

• 14 DESIGN TOOLS WE LOVE FOR BLOGGING. How much time do you spend fussing over the words in a blog post? Probably a lot, right? The tone, the grammar, the storytelling – it has to be perfect. Unfortunately, we often don't put in the same effort with another aspect of blogging that's just as important: the blog post's visuals. Here are 14 design resources that make it easy to find or create great images for your blog: http://prn.to/1KF4WRa
• TOP TOOLS FOR MANAGING THE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. Running a successful blog or online business is not easy. You live and die by the traffic your content attracts. Developing a continuous stream of amazing content requires a lot of time and creativity, and there are many tools that can assist you in the content development process. Here are a few that might be helpful for tracking your blog analytics, creating attractive images and managing social media: http://prn.to/1EYAeCd
• SCORE A FREE PASS TO THE ASJA WRITERS CONFERENCE. If you haven't registered for the ASJA's annual writers conference, taking place in New York in April, you're in luck. One journalist is going to score a free pass. Just guess how many candies are in our ASJA jar and that journalist could be you! Details here: http://prn.to/1yjaNTB

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