Assistant surgeon general to be keynote speaker at UMANA gathering (10/22/06)

Assistant surgeon general to be keynote speaker at UMANA gathering

CHICAGO - Dr. Boris D. Lushniak, rear admiral and assistant surgeon general in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, will be guest speaker at a regular meeting of the Illinois Branch of the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA) on Sunday, November 5.

UMANA Illinois Branch President George Kuritza, M.D., said members, colleagues and the general public are invited to hear and meet Dr. Lushniak. "Dr. Lushniak will be visiting his childhood home, and is looking forward to seeing his friends, acquaintances as well as the sights," Dr. Kuritza added.

The meeting will be held at 2 p.m. in The Signature Room at the 95th at the John Hancock Center on Chicago's trendy North Michigan Avenue.

Chicago's Ukrainian American medical community is vibrant and growing - nearly 200 active, retired and student UMANA Illinois Branch members form a key chapter in the North American association. Under the capable leadership of Dr. Kuritza and his administrative team, UMANA-Illinois Branch members meet regularly to expand their medical knowledge directly from experts like Dr. Lushniak.

In a new development, the Illinois Branch has spearheaded a medical mission to Ukraine involving a number of branch members donating supplies and time to the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Hospital.

Newly arrived Fourth Wave physicians are joining UMANA and many are certifying their medical credentials to become active members in the Ukrainian American medical community.

Dr. Lushniak, a physician who also holds a master's degree in public health, will speak to his colleagues on "Pandemic Influenza - Preparing for the Unknown." Previous outbreaks of pandemic influenza have shown that pandemics are unpredictable and inevitable.

Dr. Lushniak will review the basic biology of influenza, the conditions necessary for a pandemic and the preparedness planning that is being undertaken at the federal level to protect the public's health in the event of a pandemic. He will explore the cornerstones of pandemic preparedness, which include the development of vaccines, the use of antivirals and general community public health measures.

In conjunction with this event, the board of directors of UMANA, as well as the board of directors of the UMANA Foundation, will hold meetings on Saturday morning, November 4, at the national office in the Ukrainian Village. With many guests and UMANA members from across North America coming to Chicago to celebrate the centennial of St. Nicholas Cathedral Parish with a gala banquet and dance on Saturday evening, as well as a pontifical divine liturgy on Sunday morning, the weekend will be a busy and informative one.

Further information is available from the UMANA office, 773-278-6262.

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