UK Chandler Hospital Hosts First National Wear Red Day Symposium

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 5, 2015) — Women spotted in red at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital on Feb. 6 aren't celebrating Valentine's Day early. Rather, they're signifying their support of heart health awareness as part of National Wear Red Day, celebrated on the first Friday of every February, and the inaugural National Wear Red Day Symposium.

Sponsored by the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, the symposium brings together UK HealthCare experts from pharmacology and nutrition, cardiology, the Gill Heart Institute, and internal medicine to discuss the impact of heart disease on women. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease or stroke account for the deaths of one in three women every year. Fortunately, 80 percent of cardiac events can be avoided with health care education and lifestyle changes.

The National Wear Red Day Symposium, held from 10 a.m. to noon in MN 563 UK Chandler Hospital, will include presentations from the following UK HealthCare experts:

•      Dr. Susan Smyth, medical director, Gill Heart Institute

•      Dr. Lisa Cassis, interim vice president for research, University of Kentucky

•      Dr. Allison Bailey, director of ambulatory and preventive cardiology and associate             professor of medicine

•      Debra K. Moser, professor and Linda C. Gill Endowed Chair, College of Nursing

•      Dr. Florin Despa, associate professor, Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional        Sciences

The symposium is free and open to the public. Experts will highlight lifestyle changes to prevent cardiac events, which include checking cholesterol, increasing exercise and working with a doctor on a cardiac health plan. Participants are encouraged to wear red. Following the symposium, attendees can participate in an open round table session with lunch provided and a photo shoot.  

This event is celebrated in conjunction with Go Red for Women Day, which was initiated in 2003 as a campaign to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke in women. For more information about heart health for women, visit www.goredforwomen.org. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Adams, elizabethadams@uky.edu