Lee Health is home to teams that deliver the latest, evidence-based healthcare every day and night. At the same time, teams of Lee Health healthcare professionals are engaging in leading-edge medical research — right here in our health system and community. To celebrate and showcase their work, we recently hosted the inaugural Lee Health Research Day at HealthPark Medical Center.
The event featured 38 research projects from over 130 researchers, showcasing groundbreaking work through poster presentations, oral sessions and self-directed reviews. It also included insights from Lee Health’s internal medicine and family medicine residency programs and pharmacy services. The keynote address was delivered by Richard Chazal, M.D., from the Lee Health Heart Institute, who spoke about the ongoing AI-aided coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) study.
Elvin Mendez, M.D., Lee Health’s medical director of academics, clinical research and personalized medicine, established this important event. “We were thrilled to share all of the innovative research happening across Lee Health,” he said. “This research may result in the development of new treatments, a better understanding of disease and improvement in our health policies.”
Dr. Mendez added, “Because Lee Health serves as an educational training environment for medical students, nurses, pharmacists and physical therapists, participation in clinical research and scholarly activities helps prepare the next generation to provide state-of-the-art and evidence-based care to the Southwest Florida community and beyond.”
The projects presented during Research Day were impressive and highlighted a true commitment to driving medical innovation and excellence. A few examples of the research projects highlighted at the event include:
Optimizing Women’s Health: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Increase Breast Cancer Screening Rates with Dr. Ethan Ramirez, Dr. Mark Martin and Dr. Catherine Scudlo.
Impact of COVID-19 in Pregnancy on Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes During the Delta Variant Period: A Comparison of the Delta and Pre-Delta Time Periods, 2020-2021 with Dr. Cherrie Morris, Dr. Harshit Doshi and Dr. William Frank Liu.
Artificial Intelligence at Lee Health with Dr. William Carracino and Jonathan Witenko.
The Effects of Triaging Patients in Acute Care Setting for Potential Physical Therapy Needs with Emily Hauff, PT, DPT; Paula Shulthiess, PT, DPT; David Brown, PT, DSc and Alison Hammergren, PT, MSPT.
While Lee Health Research Day was held earlier this month, I want to recognize the efforts of Dr. Mendez and those who helped make this event a success. I also want to honor the work and commitment of our healthcare professionals dedicated to learning and testing their knowledge to innovate, advance and improve care. Lee Health is our community’s major destination for healthcare, so I hope the knowledge of our health system’s commitment to research instills in you a greater confidence and trust in the care you receive from our healthcare experts.
Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA is the president & CEO of Lee Health, Southwest Florida’s major destination for health care offering acute care, emergency care, rehabilitation and diagnostic services, health and wellness education, and community outreach and advocacy programs. Visit LeeHealth.org to learn more.
link
More Stories
Advocacy Group’s Representative: Lawsuit Has Potential to Disrupt Preventive Services
Accelerating patient-centred care innovation for global impact
The Human Side of Tech-Enabled Healthcare – Sponsor Content