UMANA holds its 37th Scientific Convention in Chicago (08/31/03)

UMANA holds its 37th Scientific Convention in Chicago

CHICAGO - The Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA) held its 37th Scientific Convention and 30th Assembly of Delegates on June 18-22, at the Allerton Crowne Plaza Hotel in Chicago. Ukrainian health care professionals from throughout the United States and Canada gathered on the "Magnificent Mile" to exchange the latest information regarding "Infectious Diseases in the New Millennium."

The conference and assembly are biennial functions of UMANA, held in various cities easily accessible to the association's members. In addition to allowing colleagues to meet socially, the Scientific Conference targets issues of importance to the general membership. The curriculum and faculty are chosen with the goal of informing the confreres at a professional, current and up-to-date level. The Assembly of Delegates is the highest administrative body of UMANA, fulfilling its responsibilities at the business meeting.

Ingalls Hospital, in Harvey Ill., co-hosted the sessions, allowing each attendee to obtain up to 10 Category I credits of Continuing Medical Education applicable to the AMA Physician Recognition Award.

The convention opened with a reception on Wednesday evening, allowing newly registered guests to meet with veteran members. Old friendships were rekindled, and new ones built.

On Thursday morning, Ihor Voyevidka, M.D., outgoing president of UMANA, officially opened the proceedings. He welcomed listeners as well as presenters, and wished the gathering a fruitful academic experience.

Thursday's first speaker, Daniel Hryhorczuk, M.D., M.P.H., presented an overview of the public health dilemma posed by the recent spread of the West Nile virus throughout the Western Hemisphere, predicting that we have not seen the last of this newly troublesome illness.

Bohdan Iwanetz, M.D., discussed the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for chronic bone infections. He described the center at Ingalls Hospital, Harvey, Ill., and suggested that difficult infections could be significantly helped by treating patients in chambers under increased pressure of oxygen. Myron Wojtowycz, M.D., reviewed the impact of radiological procedures not only on the diagnosis of infectious diseases, but also on therapy of abscesses in various parts of the anatomy.

Lydia Baltarowich, M.D., discussed the preparedness of the Emergency Department at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit as the initial site of impact in suspected or actual acts of bio-terrorism.

Thursday's final speaker, Peter Derkach, M.D., of Toronto, Ontario, presented a personal and very current overview of the epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) as experienced by the health profession at its epicenter in the Northern Hemisphere, Toronto.

Andrew Browar, D.D.S., opened Friday's sessions with presentation of evidence that periodontitis can possibly cause diseases that range far beyond the oral cavity to affect the body in general, adding new weight to the advice to clean and floss.

Boris Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H., revisited the topic of bio-terrorism, briefly reviewing its history, while emphasizing the effects such agents have on the largest organ in the body, the skin.

Marko Mychaskiw, R.Ph., Ph.D., explained the impact of infectious diseases on the health care economy, emphasizing methods used to calculate direct and indirect costs of such illnesses and their implications on health care policy.

Ulana Bodnar, M.D., reviewed the current status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine, as well as the United States, describing recent trends and the impact of medications and life style changes on the development of this malady.

Ihor Jastrembsky, D.V.M., approached the problem of infectious diseases from the standpoint of illnesses that can be spread from household pets and wild animals to the human organism, and what can be done to prevent such encounters.

The keynote speaker and special guest of the conference was John R. La Montagne, Ph.D., deputy director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health. Invited by his classmate, UMANA's Editor-in-Chief Roman Worobec, Ph.D., Dr. La Montagne presented a perspective on infectious diseases from the vantage point of the leading governmental institute of health care.

Dr. La Montagne received his Ph.D. in microbiology from Tulane University in 1971 and has devoted his career to the intricate relationship between infectious organisms and their effects on the human condition. He was chief influenza officer at NIAID for nearly a decade, and then organized the extramural AIDS program, serving as director in 1985-1987. He then was named director of the Microbiology and Infectious Disease Program NIAID, finally being appointed deputy director of NIAID in 1998. His special professional career interest is vaccine research and development.

Friday evening concluded with a pleasant reception held at the neighboring Consulate General of Ukraine and hosted by Consul General Borys Bazylevskyi and his staff. Consul Bazylevskyi warmly greeted his guests, and UMANA's outgoing president, Dr. Voyevidka, thanked the consul general for his hospitality and graciousness.

New officers elected

The UMANA Assembly of Delegates met in formal session at the biennial business meeting on Saturday morning. A multitude of routine housekeeping tasks were completed, and formal reports were submitted and accepted by the relevant committees.

The following officers were elected for the upcoming 2003-2005 term: Dr. Bohdan Iwanetz, president; Dr. Andrew Iwach, president-elect for the 2005-2007 term, Dr. Ihor Fedoriw, vice-president; Dr. Ariadna Czartorysky, secretary; and Dr. Boris Leheta, treasurer.

Canadian colleagues encouraged

As a measure of solidarity and collegiality toward their colleagues across the border in Canada, the UMANA Assembly of Delegates voted to accept dues payments to UMANA from Canadian members in Canadian dollars beginning in 2004. This motion underscores the flexibility and responsiveness of the UMANA board to issues that involve individual members or chapters of the association, and further confirms the educational, professional and altruistic mission of UMANA. The board is encouraging increased activity by health care professionals in Canada. Using the approach applied to the SARS experience, UMANA believes it continues to fairly and competently represent Canadian interests in the international arena.

Tour of Ukrainian Village

Saturday afternoon UMANA members from outside Illinois toured Chicago's Ukrainian Village, with stops for lunch at the headquarters office located in the Ukrainian Cultural Center. The newly repainted office greeted visitors with shelves of medical literature, as well as modern computer equipment for running the daily affairs of the association.

Members also visited the recently expanded Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago, as well as the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. The excursion ended with a walk through the local neighborhood, viewing the many local Ukrainian boutiques, businesses and places of worship that make up this vibrant Ukrainian American community.

Awards dinner

That evening UMANA held its awards banquet, honoring two deserving UMANA members. Dr. Voyevidka was praised for his dedicated service for the past two years, and Dr. Roxolana Horbowyj was applauded for her exemplary work organizing and collecting data on the problem of HIV/AIDS in Ukraine. Her work culminated with the release of a bilingual CD ROM disc with the latest available information for distribution throughout Ukraine and the United States, including via the Internet.

The highlight of the evening was a talk on "Bio-terrorism: the Past, Present and Future" by well-known Canadian author Richard Sherbaniuk from Edmonton. His first book, "The Fifth Horseman - A Novel of Biological Disaster" has the fictional agent Mike Zammit fighting the evil of environmental bio-terrorism. This action-suspense novel has met with supportive reviews, and there is a hint of Hollywood interest in the air.

Mr. Sherbaniuk, who has worked as advisor to governments and corporations on environmental issues, instructively informed his listeners about developments in this serious field. He reviewed the history of biological warfare and its current status, and offered his prognostications about the future.

Evening of humor and art

The evening concluded on a lighter note with UMANA's own humorist Dr. Evhen Steckiw of the Florida Chapter, entertaining the crowd with his trademark humorous routines and rhymes. Members lingered into the night, viewing the art exhibit highlighting the creative talents of several health care professionals. In addition to their substantial medical and dental skills, Dr. Eugene Kovalsky, Dr. George Saj, and Dr. Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna exhibited their creations from the artistic side of their professional realm.

The 37th UMANA Scientific Confe-rence gathered together members from New York to California, Michigan to Florida, and from Canada to Ukraine. The convivial atmosphere supported the exchange of ideas and new knowledge. Convention participants departed for their respective homes and professions on Sunday, hoping to meet again in two years for a continuation of this educational and social tradition.

For further information on UMANA readers may call (773) 278-6262.

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