May 2014

• Jorge D. Salazar, M.D., joins the Health Professional Advisory Board at Advance Health Solutions (AHS). Dr. Salazar is Chief of the Division of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, Co-Director of the Children's Heart Center, Surgical Director University Heart, and Professor of Surgery at  the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS.  By joining AHS, Dr. Salazar brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise in congenital heart disease and cardiothoracic surgery to benefit AHS' diverse clientele whose businesses focus in these subject matters.
• Advance Health Solutions' staff and selected clients and collaborators attend the Annual Meeting of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in San Diego, CA from May 16 - 21, 2014, at the San Diego Convention Center to highlight research on the comparative effectiveness, health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of various pharmacotherapies for pulmonary conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
• In association with its 2014 Annual Meeting, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) publishes an abstract presentation entitled "Differential Diagnosis Challenges, Treatment Patterns, and Adverse Outcomes for a Rare Head and Neck Neoplasm: A Global Systematic Review of Cervical Sympathetic Chain Schwannomas” co-authored by Advance Health Solutions' colleagues Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., President and CEO, Leighla H. Sharghi, R.N., B.S.N., M.P.A., Manager, Clinical Research and Client Relations, Benjamin A. Howie, M.P.H., Senior Research Assistant, and Soojin Cho-Reyes, Ph.D., Research Associate along with collaborators Michael A. Keefe, M.D., Chief, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group, and Gavin Setzen, M.D., Managing Partner, Albany ENT & Allergy Services, PC, Secretary-Treasurer, Board of Directors, American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), President, New York State Society of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (NYSSO-HNS), Clinical Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, Albany Medical College, and Chief of ENT Surgery, St. Peter’s Hospital (St. Peter’s Health Partners).  To view the publication, click here. 
• Advance Health Solutions' staff and Heath Professional Advisory Board Members along with multiple collaborators presented various research findings on treatment options specific to post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar depression, and schizophrenia at the 167th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association held in New York City. For further information about these presentations, please contact Sabrina Selk at sselk@advancehealthsolutions.com.
• Psychiatric News, the voice of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), published a news story entitled “The New Buzz in PTSD Care: How Complementary and Alternative Medicine Helps Patients” in which presentations delivered at the 167th Annual Meeting of the APA in New York City by Advance Health Solutions' President and CEO, Dr. Maryam Navaie, along with collaborators from the US Navy, US Army, the Veterans Health Association, the National Center for PTSD, academia and industry were featured. To read the news coverage, click this link.
• The Army Times publishes a news story that highlights collaborative research efforts between Advance Health Solutions' (AHS) staff and Health Professional Advisory Board members on innovative treatment modalities for post-traumatic stress disorder as featured at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in New York City. AHS team members included Dr. Maryam Navaie, Dr. Anita Hickey, Dr. Brian Engdahl, and Dr. Charles Morgan, alongside Dr. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, Chief Medical Officer at the District of Columbia’s Department of Behavioral Health in Washington, DC, and Dr. Eugene Lipov, Medical Director at Chicago Medical Innovations in Hoffman Estates, IL. To read the Army Times article, click this link.

April 2014

• Advance Health Solutions lends support to one of its client, the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) as it launches its Why Get Active public awareness campaign to highlight the great work health clubs are doing in their communities to help more people make exercise part of their daily lives. Thousands of participants have already used the hashtag #WhyGetActive on social media to share why they exercise.  For more information on #whygetactive, click here. Dr. Maryam Navaie, President and CEO of Advance Health Solutions, shares her reasons for staying active in support of the Why Get Active public awareness campaign led by the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) headquartered in Boston, MA. Juleon Rabbani, Research and Client Relations Associate at Advance Health Solutions , shares his reasons for staying physically active in support of the Why Get Active public awareness campaign led by the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) at IHRSA’s 2014 Annual Convention.
  
• Advance Health Solutions and other sponsors who lend support to the Armed Forces Foundation’s valuable mission to serve military service members, veterans and their families were featured by the media giant, Bisnow, who covered this month’s Congressional Gala in Washington, DC.  To read the news story, click this link and scroll to highlights describing participants at the Armed Forces Foundation Gala details.
• Advance Health Solutions was one of more than 40 co-sponsors partnered with the Armed Forces Foundation (AFF) at AFF’s prestigious 10th Annual Congressional Gala which was held to raise awareness and programmatic support for our service members, veterans and their families on April 9, 2014 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC.  The Master of Ceremonies at the Gala was Brian Kilmeade, Television Host of “Fox and Friends.”  Attendees included Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Sonia Sotomayor; more than 50 Members of Congress representing constituents in the following states: WV, MI, PA, FL, CA, OH, RI, IL TX, TN, AZ, NM, WA, NV, NC, KA, OK, MS, SC, and NE; nearly 100 top leaders from the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force along with agency officials from the White House, the Pentagon, and the VA; many sports and entertainment personalities; key media figures from TNT, ESPN, Fox News, NBC, NASCAR, Fox Sports, and CNN; and an estimated 250 military service members and their families. For more information about the Armed Forces Foundation and its organizational partners, click here.
• Colleagues from Advance Health Solutions' Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, and San Diego, CA offices begin planning for the launch of several collaborative research projects with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) aimed at improving chronic disease management by enhancing physical activity in multiple patient populations with neurologic, and musculoskeletal conditions as well as orthopedic/sports/athletic injuries.
• Salahadin Abdi, M.D., Ph.D. from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Center in Houston, Texas presented a collaborative research study entitled "From Pain to Relief: Investigating the Application of Stellate Ganglion Block for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) held from April 4-6, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Co-authors included Advance Health Solutions' President and CEO, Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H. and Health Professional Advisory Board Members Anita H. Hickey, M.D. and Robert McLay, M.D., Ph.D. as well as Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the Washington, DC Department of Mental Health.To view the presented poster, please click this link.
• Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., President and CEO of Advance Health Solutions presented findings from a collaborative research study at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (ASRA) held from April 3–6, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The research focused on the use of stellate ganglion block to advance treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Collaborators  included Advance Health Solutions' Health Professional Advisory Board Members Anita H. Hickey, M.D., Robert McLay, M.D., Ph.D., and Salahadin Abdi, M.D., Ph.D. and staff Morgan S. Keefe, B.A., as well as Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H. from the Washington, DC Department of Mental Health. To access the presentation, please click this link and enter the following log-in information: Username= ASRA, Password = ASRAS2014. Dr. Maryam Navaie delivered a moderated session to physicians and researchers with interest in an innovative application of a regional anesthesia technique for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder at the 39th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting in Chicago, IL
• Advance Health Solutions was invited to participate at a National Press Club Conference by Senator Elizabeth Dole on behalf of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in support of military caregivers. Dr. Maryam Navaie, President and CEO of Advance Health Solutions supported the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and The RAND Corporation by serving as a subject matter expert reviewer on research commissioned by Senator Dole that focused on profiling military caregivers and their unmet needs. The Press Conference gathering shed light on military caregivers as unsung heroes whose invaluable sacrifices deserve national recognition.
• Advance Health Solutions partners with the Armed Forces Foundation (AFF) as a co-sponsor of their 10th Annual Congressional Gala to be held at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC on April 9, 2014. The conference themes will focus on the AFF’s signature programs which focus on increasing awareness about and direct services to military service members, veterans and their families who battle Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. For further information about the Congressional Gala, please click this link.

March 2014

• Paul M. Gordon, M.P.H., Ph.D., FACSM joins the Health Professional Advisory Board at Advance Health Solutions (AHS). Dr. Gordon is Professor and Chair in the Department of Health, Human Performances and Recreation at the Baylor University School of Education in Waco, TX.  Dr. Gordon is a decorated researcher and scholar who brings extensive expertise in the areas of physical activity and chronic disease management, obesity, and associated lifestyle disorders to benefit AHS' diverse project portfolio in these subject matters.
• Paul L. Hebert, Ph.D. joins the Health Professional Advisory Board at Advance Health Solutions (AHS). Dr. Hebert is Research Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle, WA  as well as Investigator in the Department of Health Services Research and Development at the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System also in Seattle, WA. By joining AHS, Dr. Hebert brings his wealth of expertise in working with complex datasets including Medicare and Medicaid, performing advanced econometric modeling and health economics studies, and research examining health disparities across a wide range of therapeutic areas to benefit AHS' diverse clients.
• In honor of Women’s History Month, March 2014, past and present women who have been remarkable role models and legendary leaders were featured as part of the empowering women series sponsored by PageantryLIVE.  The reigning Mrs. Eastern States International, Amber Wandtke, was of one of the selected women in the televised broadcast.  When asked who she viewed as her present day female role model, Amber highlighted Advance Health Solutions' President and CEO, Dr. Maryam Navaie. To view the full broadcast, click this link.
• Navy service member and Mrs. Eastern States International, Amber Wandtke, is featured on the cover of this month’s Health Journal in which she shares her choice of selecting "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) awareness" as her platform which is being sponsored by  Advance Health Solutions. To read the article, click here.
• Advance Health Solutions' colleagues (Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., Leighla Sharghi, .B.S.N., M.P.A., and Juleon Rabbani, M.P.H.) and collaborators from the University of California San Diego (Drs. Theodore Ganiats, M.D., Erik Groessl, Ph.D., and Steven Tally, Ph.D.) join health promotion and policy leaders from the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) at IHRSA's annual convention, March 12-15, 2014 in San Diego, CA, to discuss conducting research that demonstrates the health benefits of exercise. 
• Advance Health Solutions expands its offices nationally at its fifth location in Boston, MA. A series of welcome receptions were held for our firm's regional board members, clients and newly hired colleagues.Natalie R. Hasbani, M.P.H. and Sabrina C. Selk, Sc.M., Sc.D. in the lobby of Advance Health Solutions' new Boston office at 225 Franklin Street, Suite 2600, Boston, MA 02110
• A research abstract co-authored by Advance Health Solutions' colleagues (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. was accepted 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”.

February 2014

• Advance Health Solutions' colleagues including Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., Leighla H. Sharghi, B.S.N., M.P.A., Soojin Cho-Reyes, Ph.D., and Benjamin A. Howie, M.P.H., in collaboration with Health Professional Advisory Board Members, Gavin Setzen, M.D., FACS, FAAOA from Albany ENT & Allergy Services in Albany, NY, and Michael Keefe, M.D., FACS, from Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group in San Diego, CA, submitted several abstracts for research presentation at various clinical conference venues including the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to be held in Chicago, IL from May 30-June 3; the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNSF) to be held in Orlando, FL from September 21-24, 2014; and the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) to be held in New Orleans, LA from November 15-19, 2014.  All research presentations will focus on disparities in the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas.
• A research abstract co-authored by Advance Health Solutions' staff (Maryam Navaie, Dr.P.H., Morgan S. Keefe, B.A., Sabrina Selk, Sc.M., Sc.D.) 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 submitted for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) to be held in New Orleans, LA from November 15-19, 2014. The abstract is entitled “A Systematic Review of Stellate Ganglion Block for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Implications for Advancing Research and Practice”.
• US. Navy Service Member, Amber Wandtke, who is being sponsored by Advance Health Solutions who is her leading corporate sponsor during her reign as Mrs. Eastern States International 2014 at Advance Health Solutions' Washington, DC offices. Amber Wandtke, Mrs. Eastern States International 2014, advocates for her platform which is PTSD awareness
• Advance Health Solutions' colleagues (Dr. Maryam Navaie and Amber Wandtke) begin collaborative discussions with the Armed Forces Foundation to raise Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) awareness nationally. Dr. Maryam Navaie, President ad CEO of Advance Health Solutions, Amber Wandtke, Mrs. Eastern States International 2014 meet with Brian Cooke, Chief of Staff and Matt St. Jean, Program Associate, from the Armed Forces Foundation, Washington, DC.

January 2014

• With corporate sponsorship from Advance Health Solutions, Amber Wandtke, Operations Specialist First Class Petty Officer and the new Mrs. Eastern States International 2014, starts her year-long national advocacy campaign for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with emphasis on increasing awareness on the needs of military caregivers. 
• Dr. Maryam Navaie, President and CEO of Advance Health Solutions, Amber Wandtke, Mrs. Eastern States International 2014 who is being co-sponsored for her national Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) awareness campaign by Advance Health Solutions and other patient advocates were interviewed by Dr. David DeRose, Host and Executive Producer of the national radio broadcast American Indian Living. The 60-minute radio show focused on Complementary and Alternative Treatment modalities for PTSD. American Indian Living can be heard on some 100 stations throughout the country as well as on internet live streams hosted by LIfeTalk Radio, Native Voice One, Family First Radio and Radio 74. To listen to the radio broadcast, click here.