December 2013

• A research abstract co-authored by Advance Health Solutions' staff (Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H. and Morgan S. Keefe, B.A.) and Health Professional Advisory Board members, Anita H. Hickey, M.D., Robert McLay, M.D., Ph.D., and Salahadin Abdi, M.D., Ph.D., in collaboration with Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health in Washington, D.C. was invited for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) to be held in Chicago, IL from April 3-6, 2014. The abstract is entitled “Use of Stellate Ganglion Block for the Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Advancing Patient Care”.
• Advance Health Solutions' colleagues including Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., Benjamin A. Howie, M.P.H., Morgan S. Keefe, B.A., Leighla H. Sharghi, B.S.N., M.P.A. and Health Professional Advisory Board Members Salahadin Abdi, M.D., Ph.D., Robert N. McLay, M.D., Ph.D., and Anita H. Hickey, M.D. in collaboration with Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health in Washington, D.C. were invited to submit a research abstract for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) to be held in New Orleans, LA from April 4-6, 2014. The abstract is entitled “From Pain to Relief: Investigating the Application of Stellate Ganglion Block for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”.
• Advance Health Solutions sponsors the health-focused platform of active duty U.S. Navy service member, Amber Wandtke, as the newly crowned Mrs. Eastern States International 2014. The platform is focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) awareness.  To learn more about Mrs. Eastern States International 2014, click this link.Amber Wandtke, Mrs. Eastern States International 2014 whose platform is PTSD awareness
• On December 11, 2014, Dr. David DeRose, host of American Indian Radio Living sponsored by Native Voice One interviewed Dr. Maryam Navaie, President and CEO at Advance Health Solutions, along with three patient advocates who have overcome their own personal battles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including Jerry Yellin, a World War II fighter pilot, Ken Scholes, a best-selling author, and Amber Wandtke, an active duty U.S. Navy service member and a military caregiver to a spouse with PTSD. The radio show focused on the use of complementary and alternative therapies for the treatment of PTSD and will be aired in January 2014.
• Advance Health Solutions' colleagues Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H. and Karen Bibbins, Ed.D., CTRS, and Health Professional Advisory Board member, Salahadin Abdi, M.D., Ph.D. along with collaborator Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health in Washington, D.C. are planning to present a workshop entitled “Advancing Treatment Outcomes for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through Alternative and Complementary Health Practices” at the 2014 annual convention of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to be held from September 3 – 6, 2014 in Washington, D.C. The conference theme is “Advocates for Change: From Dialogue to Action”.

November 2013

• Charles A. Morgan, III, M.D., M.A., joins the senior Health Professional Advisory Board at Advance Health Solutions. Dr. Morgan is a nationally recognized forensic psychiatrist with extensive expertise in the neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), human cognition and memory under conditions of high stress, basic and advanced clinical interviewing, and the impacts of selection and assessment on stress hardiness and resilience in specialized U.S. military units. He currently serves as Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Research Affiliate, History of Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. Morgan is also a subject matter expert at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and the Director of the Human Performance and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the National Center for PTSD.
• Advance Health Solutions lends support to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation to identify and recruit military caregivers for its Dole Fellows Program which aims to engage active military and veteran caregivers directly in the Foundation's advocacy and public awareness initiatives.
Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., President & CEO, Advance Health Solutions and Carol Lindamood Harlow, Executive Director, Elizabeth Dole Foundation
• Advance Health Solutions lends support to the Code of Support Foundation's Veterans Day gala that advocated for services U.S. troops, military and veteran families held on November 12, 2013 in Vienna, Virginia.
• Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., President and CEO of Advance Health Solutions attended the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) Annual Scientific Conference held from November 3–8, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. She delivered a presentation entitled "Stellate ganglion block as an adjunctive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder: Preliminary evidence shows promise." Co-authors included Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H.; Captain Anita H. Hickey, M.D. and Commander Eric T. Stedje-Larsen, M.D., from Naval Medical Center San Diego; Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the Washington, DC Department of Mental Health; and Eugene G. Lipov, M.D., Medical Director of Chicago Medical Innovations in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
• Leighla H. Sharghi, B.S.N., M.P.A., Manager, Clinical Research and Client Relations at Advance Health Solutions, presents a collaborative research study entitled "The utility of stellate ganglion block for post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review" at the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) Annual Scientific Conference being held from November 3–8, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. Authors included Advance Health Solutions' colleagues (Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H. and Morgan S. Keefe, B.A.), Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health in Washington, DC, and Captain Anita H. Hickey, M.D. from the United States Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan.
• Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., President and CEO of Advance Health Solutions, serves as chairperson of a scientific panel entitled "Veterans' health: Behavioral, mental, and neurological conditions" at the 141st annual meeting of the American Public Health Association held on November 5, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. The presentation featured the latest research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), virtual reality treatment applications, and improved management of alcohol use secondary to combat-acquired traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD. Click here for session details.
Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., President and CEO, Advance Health Solutions moderating a presentation panel focused on veterans' health issues at the 141st annual meeting of the American Public Health Association held on November 5, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts
• Morgan S. Keefe, B.A., Senior Research Assistant, from Advance Health Solutions and Alexandra Black, M.P.H.,Health Promotion Manager, from the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) at IHRSA's exhibit booth at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting on November 5, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Morgan S. Keefe, B.A., Senior Research Assistant, Advance Health Solutions and Alexandra Black, M.P.H., Health Promotion Manager, International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association
• Advance Health Solutions collaborator Caryn Etkin, M.P.H., Ph.D. delivers research findings on the "Effects of a lifestyle physical activity intervention on family caregivers of persons with dementia: A randomized controlled trial" at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting on November 5, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. Other collaborative authors included Carol J. Farran, D.N.Sc., R.N., Judith J. McCann, Ph.D., R.N., Amy Eisenstein, Ph.D., Kumar Rajan, Ph.D., Cynthia M. Castro, Ph.D., Abby C. King, Ph.D., and Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H.
Caryn Etkin, M.P.H., Ph.D., Research Director, American Joint Replacement Registry

October 2013

• Gavin Setzen, M.D., FACS, FAAOA, joins the Health Professional Advisory Board at Advance Health Solutions. Dr. Setzen is a nationally recognized physician leader with extensive expertise in disorders of the ears, nose, and throat with special interest in allergy diagnosis and immunotherapy, rhinology, sinus and nasal surgery and endocrine surgery. He is the President and Managing Partner of Albany ENT and Allergy Services in Albany, NY. In addition, Dr. Setzen serves as Chief Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Albany Medical College and Chief of the Otolaryngology Division at St. Peter’s Hospital. He is also a member of the Executive Board of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, President of the New York State Society of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, President of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, CT Division; and member of the Board of Directors of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.

August/September 2013

• A collaborative abstract coauthored by Advance Health Solutions colleagues (Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H. and Morgan S. Keefe, M.P.H. candidate) in San Diego, CA, Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health in Washington, DC, and Captain Anita H. Hickey from the US Navy has been accepted for poster presentation at the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) 2013 Annual Scientific Conference being held from November 3-8, 2013 in Seattle, WA. The abstract is entitled "The Utility of Stellate Ganglion Block for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review."
• Advance Health Solutions and multiple collaborating organizations will be presenting an abstract entitled "An Individualized Physical Activity Intervention for Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia: Key Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial" at the Gerontological Society of America's 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting to be held November 20-24 in New Orleans, LA. Coauthors include Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H. and Jessica C. Smith, M.P.H. from Advance Health Solutions in Chicago, IL; Carol J. Farran, D.N.Sc., R.N. from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL; Caryn Etkin, M.P.H., Ph.D. from the American Joint Replacement Registry in Rosemont, IL; Amy Eisenstein, Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL; and Cynthia M. Castro, Ph.D. and Abby C. King, Ph.D. from Stanford University in Stanford, CA.
• Advance Health Solutions and collaborating organizations receive a special invitation from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) under their Military Track to present a workshop at their 2014 Annual Meeting. The workshop is entitled "Current Concepts Review: The Growing Evidence-Base for the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder". Presenters will be Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H. and Morgan Keefe, M.P.H. candidate from Advance Health Solutions, Captain Anita H. Hickey, M.D. from the US Navy, Brian Engdahl, Ph.D. from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, and Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health in Washington, DC. The APA annual meeting will be held May 3-7, 2014 in New York, NY.

July 2013

• Salahadin Abdi, M.D., Ph.D. joins the Health Professional Advisory Board at Advance Health Solutions. Dr. Abdi is a nationally recognized anesthesiologist with over 25 years experience in pain medicine with particular interest in the diagnosis and treatment of neuropathic pain, low back pain, cancer pain, and chest pain syndromes. He currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Pain Medicine and Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.
• Dr. Maryam Navaie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Advance Health Solutions will serve as moderator of a scientific panel on the health and outcomes of of veterans at the 141st annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. The panel presentation is entitled "Veterans' health: Behavioral, mental, and neurological conditions" and will feature the latest research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and virtual reality treatment applications as well as improved management of alcohol use secondary to combat-aquired traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD. The panel will be held on Monday, November 4, 2013 in Boston, MA. Click here for session details and to review full abstracts.
• Advance Health Solutions in collaboration with Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL, Stanford University's School of Medicine and Stanford Prevention Research Center in Palo Alto, CA, and the American Joint Replacement Registry in Rosemont, IL has been invited to deliver an oral presentation entitled: "Impact of a Lifestyle Physical Activity Intervention on Improving Mental Health Outcomes among Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia". The presentation will be delivered on November 23, 2013 at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in New Orleans, LA. Authors include Carol J. Farran, D.N.Sc., R.N., Judith J. McCann, Ph.D., R.N., Caryn Etkin, Ph.D, M.P.H., Kumar B. Rajan, Ph.D., Cynthia M. Castro, Ph.D., Abby C. King, Ph.D., and Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H. Click here to review the full abstract.