Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn is Director of Wellness Institute
Staff Writer
Bill Flagg, director of community relations and development at Cary Medical Center in Caribou has announced that Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., director of the Wellness Institute at the famed Cleveland Clinic will keynote the first annual Siruno Stroke Prevention Conference on Friday, June 11, from noon – 5 p.m. at the Caribou Inn and Convention Center.
The conference, which is open to all health professionals, is being presented in honor of the late Cesar Siruno, M.D., a longtime general surgeon at Cary Medical Center. Dr. Siruno suffered a major stroke in 2008 and subsequently was diagnosed with cancer and died Jan. 1, 2009. The Siruno family established the Siruno Stroke Education Center in his memory to educate professionals and the general public on stroke prevention.
Kris Doody, R.N. and CEO at Cary said that Dr. Siruno was much loved and respected by his peers and this conference will be great tribute.
“It is very hard to believe, even now, that Dr. Siruno is no longer with us,” said Doody, who will offer welcoming remarks at the Stroke Prevention Conference. “He was such a talented individual, a skilled surgeon, great father and husband. His death was a great loss certainly for his family but also for the entire medical community here in The County. The establishment of the Siruno Stroke Education Center will certainly be a great tribute to him and we are very grateful to his family for making this conference possible”.
Dr. Esselstyn has served as president of the medical staff at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest private medical establishments in the world. He attended Yale University, earned his medical degree at the Western Reserve University, completing his surgical residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and at the St. George Hospital in London.
Esselstyn also was awarded a Bronze Star as a battlefield surgeon in Vietnam and won an Olympic gold medal at the 1956 Summer Games, as a member of the U.S. rowing team. In April, 2005, he became the first recipient of the Benjamin Spock Compassion in Medicine Award and has been named among “America’s Best Doctors.”
Dr. Esselstyn has authored a book, “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,” in which he describes a 20-year study of patients with severe cardiac disease who participated in a nutrition program that, through clinical evidence, stopped and reversed their heart disease. It is the longest study of its kind ever conducted. Dr. Esselstyn believes that stroke may be prevented by using a similar approach.
In addition to Dr. Esselstyn, Raveendran Meleth, M.D., board certified internist and full professor at the University of Alabama Medical Center, will speak on hypertension and its relevance in stroke prevention. Meleth, who has special training in neurology, will also review current practice in hypertension management. He currently manages a “Memory Clinic” at Cary Medical Center.
A third presenter, Danielle Louder, is a cardiovascular disease specialist with the Maine Department of Human Services associated with the Maine Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention, Cardiovascular Health Program. She will discuss a statewide effort to establish consistent approaches to both the prevention and management of stroke.
Flagg, whose office is coordinating the event, said that the Siruno Stroke Prevention Conference presents a great opportunity for area health care professionals. “We are very fortunate to have Dr. Esselstyn as our keynote presenter at this conference. The work he has done in the field of cardiovascular health and bringing that experience to a discussion of Stroke Prevention will make for a very dynamic session.
“We are also pleased to have our other speakers which will make for a comprehensive program,” Flagg added, “all health care professionals in the region, including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and dietitians, should take advantage of this program.”
Pre-registration for the June 11 program is required and the cost of registration, which includes lunch, is $60 ($15 for students). Application has been made for up to 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Certificates of Attendance will also be available.
For more information or to pre-register contact Kim Parent at 207-498-1112 or go to carymedicalcenter.org.
