Month: December 2022

Beyond barbells: Seniors require more to improve overall health

Some seniors run marathons. Others have difficulty getting up from their chairs. Most possess a level of physical fitness that falls somewhere between these two extremes.

“Medicare Advantage plans need to realize that a one-size-fits-all fitness solution no longer works. The needs of a generation that is in their eighties are so different from those aging into Medicare,” said Vince Pozinski, Head of Government Product, Optum Health Solutions. “When the 75- to 85-year-olds were younger, the YMCA is where they were able to work out and use the pool. It was also where they had their social connections. So, they still want to use these facilities, but there is a new generation of Medicare members who want more options.”

Seniors in their 60s have started working out at small boutique studios that offer yoga, cycling, Pilates or other specialized classes. And individuals suffering with certain diseases such as Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis require programs that address their unique needs.

Some seniors simply don’t want to visit a gym or take an exercise class. Providing other activities such as community-based walking or pickleball clubs could help these members stay active.

In addition, health plans can make it convenient for seniors to exercise by offering home strength, yoga and dance kits that that include equipment and instructional materials.

Going digital
Online options are increasingly becoming the preferred choice for many members. “Mobile apps and live streaming classes speak to many of the members who are just now aging into Medicare Advantage plans,” Pozinski said.

The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to the increased demand for digital content. During COVID, people grew accustomed to connecting with others virtually. For example, many older adults connected with their grandchildren online – and want to continue to enjoy virtual activities with them.

“It’s important for plans to offer content that enables members to share experiences with others. Creating that meaningful family impact is one of the things that plans can do to differentiate themselves from others,” he said.

Just as with in-person programs, health plans should offer a variety of digital programs to meet seniors’ differing needs. For example, Optum offers more than 35,000 pieces of digital content that not only addresses the needs of different groups of seniors, but of people of all ages.

Food matters
Health maintenance doesn’t start and stop on the exercise mat. Healthy eating is also important. “Nutrition is part of the equation. Health plans need to bring it into the conversation as they look more holistically at what they offer to members,” said Brett Hanson, Head of Market and Product Development, Optum Health Solutions.

To help seniors improve their nutrition, health plans could offer education related to healthy eating. “Members might just be looking to improve their overall wellness, or they might have a certain condition like cancer or diabetes that requires a specific diet. Having knowledge about the right meals and the right nutrition can help,” he explained.

Health plans can even help bring healthy food to the table. Optum’s One Pass, for example, offers free delivery of dietitian-designed meals, which are prepared with high-quality ingredients and tailored to support nutrition for common health conditions and dietary preferences. The program also offers free grocery delivery from various stores.

All about choice
Ultimately, health plans can keep seniors on track by providing an array of choices. “Members don’t necessarily want to go to the same gym, do the same activity or watch the same digital content each and every day,” Hanson concluded. “One day they may want to do a 10-minute digital yoga class, and the next, they might want to do an intense in-person strength or cardio class. In addition, to develop our fitness benefits, we try to look at what the topline holistic needs of the population are – not just at their levels of mobility and physical activity.”

Health plans should offer many different activities and services to better accommodate every member’s unique needs and situations. Considering the varying needs of different generations who may be participating in a Medicare Advantage plan, health plans with the flexibility to offer both online and in-person education, fitness experiences and opportunities for social connection will be better poised to succeed.

Palo Alto Networks Announces Medical IoT Security to Protect Connected Devices Critical to Patient Care

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As healthcare providers use digital devices such as diagnostic and monitoring systems, ambulance equipment, and surgical robots to improve patient care, the security of those devices is as important as their primary function. Today, Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) announced Medical IoT Security — the most comprehensive Zero Trust security solution for medical devices — enabling healthcare organizations to deploy and manage new connected technologies quickly and securely. Zero Trust is a strategic approach to cybersecurity that secures an organization by eliminating implicit trust by continuously verifying every user and device.

“The proliferation of connected medical devices in the healthcare industry brings a wealth of benefits, but these devices are often not well secured. For example, according to Unit 42, an alarming 75{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} of smart infusion pumps examined on the networks of hospitals and healthcare organizations had known security gaps,” said Anand Oswal, senior vice president of products, network security at Palo Alto Networks. “This makes security devices an attractive target for cyberattackers, potentially exposing patient data and ultimately putting patients at risk.”

While a Zero Trust approach is critical to help protect medical devices against today’s innovative cyberthreats, it can be hard to implement in practice. Through automated device discovery, contextual segmentation, least privilege policy recommendations and one-click enforcement of policies, Palo Alto Networks Medical IoT Security delivers a Zero Trust approach in a seamless, simplified manner. Medical IoT Security also provides best-in-class threat protection through seamless integration with Palo Alto Networks cloud-delivered security services, such as Advanced Threat Prevention and Advanced URL Filtering.

The new Palo Alto Networks Medical IoT Security uses machine learning (ML) to enable healthcare organizations to:

  • Create device rules with automated security responses: Easily create rules that monitor devices for behavioral anomalies and automatically trigger appropriate responses. For example, if a medical device that typically only sends small amounts of data unexpectedly begins to use a lot of bandwidth, the device can be cut off from the internet and security teams can be alerted.
  • Automate Zero Trust policy recommendations and enforcement: Enforce recommended least-privileged access policies for medical devices with one click using Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls or supported network enforcement technologies. This eliminates error-prone and time-consuming manual policy creation and scales easily across a set of devices with the same profile.
  • Understand device vulnerabilities and risk posture: Access each medical device’s Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and map them to Common Vulnerability Exposures (CVEs). This mapping helps identify the software libraries used on medical devices and any associated vulnerabilities. Get immediate insights into the risk posture of each device, including end-of-life status, recall notification, default password alert and unauthorized external website communication.
  • Improve compliance: Easily understand medical device vulnerabilities, patch status and security settings, and then get recommendations to bring devices into compliance with rules and guidelines, such as the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and similar laws and regulations.
  • Verify network segmentation: Visualize the entire map of connected devices and ensure each device is placed in its designated network segment. Proper network segmentation can ensure a device only communicates with authorized systems.
  • Simplify operations: Two distinct dashboards allow IT and biomedical engineering teams to each see the information critical to their roles. Integration with existing healthcare information management systems, like AIMS and Epic Systems, helps automate workflows.

Healthcare organizations are using Palo Alto Networks products to secure the devices that deliver cutting-edge care to millions of patients all over the world.

“Establishing and maintaining acute situational awareness of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) environment is paramount to establishing an effective enterprise cybersecurity program. The ability to accurately detect, identify and respond to cyber threats is critical to ensuring minimal operational impact to clinical operations during a cyber event,” said Tony Lakin, CISO, Moffitt Cancer Center. “Palo Alto Networks IoT capability seamlessly integrates with our continuous monitoring processes and threat-hunting operations. The platform consistently provides my teams with actionable information to allow them to proactively manage the threat surface of our medical device portfolio.”

“With thousands of devices to manage, healthcare environments are extremely complex and require intelligent security solutions capable of doing more. Palo Alto Networks understands this requirement and is leveraging machine learning (ML) for Medical IoT security. Adding intelligence will enable providers to improve operational efficiency, which will enhance patient and practitioner experience and alleviate the burden of an ongoing IT skills shortage,” said Bob Laliberte, principal analyst, ESG.

“Healthcare providers continue to be high-value targets for attackers. This reality, combined with the diversity of medical IoT devices and their inherent vulnerabilities, points to a real need for device security that is purpose-built for healthcare use cases. The ability to defend against threats targeting critical care devices while maintaining operational availability and strengthening the alignment of device governance responsibilities between IT and Biomed engineering teams is quickly becoming a necessity for the protection of patient data and lives,” said Ed Lee, research director, IoT and Intelligent Edge Security, IDC.

More Information

  • Learn more about Medical IoT Security here.
  • Read the Medical IoT Security announcement blog here.
  • Register to attend the Palo Alto Networks Ignite Conference on December 12th – 15th, 2022, here.
  • Follow Palo Alto Networks on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Availability

Medical IoT Security will be available in January 2023.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is the world’s cybersecurity leader. We innovate to outpace cyberthreats, so organizations can embrace technology with confidence. We provide next-gen cybersecurity to thousands of customers globally, across all sectors. Our best-in-class cybersecurity platforms and services are backed by industry-leading threat intelligence and strengthened by state-of-the-art automation. Whether deploying our products to enable the Zero Trust Enterprise, responding to a security incident, or partnering to deliver better security outcomes through a world-class partner ecosystem, we’re committed to helping ensure each day is safer than the one before. It’s what makes us the cybersecurity partner of choice.

At Palo Alto Networks, we’re committed to bringing together the very best people in service of our mission, so we’re also proud to be the cybersecurity workplace of choice, recognized among Newsweek’s Most Loved Workplaces (2021), Comparably Best Companies for Diversity (2021), and HRC Best Places for LGBTQ Equality (2022). For more information, visit www.paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks and the Palo Alto Networks logo are registered trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. Any unreleased services or features (and any services or features not generally available to customers) referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available (or are not yet generally available to customers) and may not be delivered when expected or at all. Customers who purchase Palo Alto Networks applications should make their purchase decisions based on services and features currently generally available.

SOURCE Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Leveraging consumer brands to bring healthy lifestyle options to seniors

At one time, the business of healthcare might have seemed impenetrable to outsiders. If an organization wasn’t directly connected to medicine, research, pharmaceuticals, health insurance and the like, there was no place for it. However, as stakeholders have recognized the assets those outside of the field can contribute, there has been a surge of collaborations and integrations that strengthen healthcare delivery, quality and outcomes.

For example, while physicians have long touted the benefits of physical activity, health plans also understand the value of including gym memberships or fitness programs as a benefit. Today, senior fitness programs are a popular benefit for Medicare Advantage enrollees and plans, offering members a cost-effective way to improve and maintain their health. SilverSneakers®, the leading fitness program for older adults, promotes greater health engagement and accountability through regular exercise and social opportunities, and has been proven to improve overall health and lower healthcare costs.

Leveraging consumer brands

In recent years, recognizable, consumer-facing brands have entered the fold as both consumers and healthcare experts have recognized a need for opportunities for healthcare services to be more integrated in typical consumer experiences. Today, meal delivery services, ride-sharing services, retailers and tech brands are seeking new ways to reach consumers with solutions to improve their health and well-being. It’s no secret that many consumers use fitness and healthcare apps, but it may be surprising that leading technology companies are also recognizing the potential to support the senior population through virtual and mobile solutions.

SilverSneakers understands the potential to leverage technology and recognizable consumer brands to enhance its own offerings. SilverSneakers recently announced that, starting in 2023, members in participating health plans are eligible for an Apple Fitness+ subscription at no additional cost. With a Fitness+ subscription, these SilverSneakers members will have access to 3,000-plus workouts and meditations, which will join SilverSneakers’ virtual suite of live and on-demand fitness and holistic health offerings, interest-based social connection opportunities, mental enrichment, personalized member content and a network of up to 22,000 fitness locations. The result is more opportunities for more members to experience the mental and physical benefits of exercise and meditation.

Apple Fitness+ enables SilverSneakers members to move how they want, where they want, using familiar technology. They can choose from workouts and meditations ranging from 5 to 45 minutes across 11 workout types, including dance, Pilates, strength and yoga, along with video and audio guided meditations to support cognitive health and stress relief. There are also workout programs with custom content, including Workouts for Older Adults, which helps users stay active at any age with a focus on strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and mobility.

The power of collaboration

So, as SilverSneakers becomes a more comprehensive program through its latest offering of Apple Fitness+, a brand that people know and love, it becomes even more enticing to health plans and their members, with greater potential to improve senior health. But what’s the benefit for Apple Fitness+? SilverSneakers has 18 million eligible members nationwide. With 10,000 people turning 65 every day, today’s seniors expect tech-enabled health options for everything from doctors’ appointments to wellness. Apple Fitness+ is committed to being the world’s most inclusive fitness subscription service, recognizing that today’s older adults are active and connected.

Fitness+ is designed to be welcoming and inclusive to all and to help users live a healthier day – no matter where they are on their fitness journey. The workouts and meditations are led by a diverse team of trainers, curated for a range of abilities, skill levels, ages and interests. Every Fitness+ studio workout includes modifications to accommodate all fitness levels, along with options for closed captioning and subtitles in six languages.

SilverSneakers has been a leader in the senior wellness space for 30 years and understands the unique needs and fitness preferences of older adults. Through this new offering, it is furthering its commitment to accessible fitness for seniors. SilverSneakers is the only senior fitness program that will offer Fitness+ in January through select Medicare Advantage plans.

While the exclusivity of healthcare may have served it well at one time, today, harnessing the strengths of disparate entities has the power for transformation. In this case, by linking two brands that are respected in their categories and have a shared vision, fitness can be a more approachable, accessible and fun pursuit for seniors. And when seniors embrace opportunities to be more physically and mentally well, everyone wins.

To learn more about SilverSneakers, visit www.tivityhealth.com/brands/silversneakers/.

Sponsored by

Leveraging consumer brands to bring healthy lifestyle options to seniors
At Tivity Health, we help adults improve their health and support them on life’s journey by providing access to in-person and virtual physical activity, social, and mental enrichment programs. Our suite of services supports health plans nationwide as they seek to reduce costs and improve health outcomes. At Tivity Health, we deliver the resources members need to live healthier, happier, more connected lives. Learn more at www.tivityhealth.com.

7 Day Healthy Meal Plan (Dec 5-11)

posted December 2, 2022 by Gina

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

A free 7-day, flexible weight loss meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas and a shopping list. All recipes include macros and links to WW recipe builder to get your personal points.

7 Day Healthy Meal Plan

I love to bake- so does my mom and my aunt and I am so glad that not only do both my daughters love to bake- but that they love to bake together!! Those are memories that will last a lifetime! As Christmas and holiday season start to draw near,  so do cookie swaps, gingerbreads and one of my favorites- Cranberry Bliss Bars! Or try these chocolate pistachio biscotti. Here is a fun holiday project to do with your kids (young or old!), DIY Gingerbread Tree Ornaments! I promise your house will smell amazing!!

With grocery prices soaring, many of us are having to adjust, scale back and/or get more creative with our meals. One of the absolute BEST ways to stay within a budget and maintain healthy eating habits is to MEAL PLAN. You can get more 5-day Budget Friendly Meal Plans by signing up for Relish+ (get a 14-day free trial here!)

Ultimate Skinnytaste Meal Planner

Skinnytaste Ultimate Meal Planner

I’m also excited to share the Skinnytaste Ultimate Meal Planner is now available! The 52 week spiral bound meal planner has weekly meal planning grids you can tear out and put on your fridge if you wish, a 12-week meal plan, 30 (15 new) recipes, and tear-out grocery lists. I love starting my week with gratitude, affirmations and intentions, so I included a space for that as well. I hope you will love this as much as I do!

Skinnytaste Ultimate Meal Planner

Buy the meal planner here:

A note about WW Personal Points:

I no longer provide points since they vary on the new Weight Watchers plans but I do provide links to WW Personal points recipe builder for all recipes. Look for the orange button in the recipe card says my WW personal points. Click on that and it takes you to the Weight Watchers website where you can see the WW points and add it to your day (US only, you must be logged into your account). All cookbook recipes in the cookbook index are also updated!

About The Meal Plan

If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing these free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc. or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. Depending on your goals, you should aim for at least 1500 calories* per day. There’s no one size fits all, this will range by your goals, your age, weight, etc.

There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.

Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing! If you wish to get on the email list, you can subscribe here so you never miss a meal plan!

Meal Plan:

Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan.

MONDAY (12/5)
B: High-Protein Zucchini Omelet
L: Taco Salad Meal Prep
D: Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Bowls

Total Calories: 1,181*

TUESDAY (12/6)
B: Pineapple Chia with Cottage Cheese
L: Taco Salad Meal Prep
D: Shrimp Scampi Tacos with Caesar Salad Slaw with Cauliflower Leek Soup
Total Calories: 1,030*

WEDNESDAY (12/7)
B: Pineapple Chia with Cottage Cheese
L: Taco Salad Meal Prep
D: Air Fryer Chicken Thighs with Mediterranean Quinoa Salad and String Beans with Garlic and Oil

Total Calories: 1,066*

THURSDAY (12/8)
B: High-Protein Zucchini Omelet
L: Taco Salad Meal Prep
D: Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and a green salad**
Total Calories: 1,096*

FRIDAY (12/9)
B: PB & J Yogurt
L: Tuna Egg Salad over 2 cups arugula
D: Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetables (recipe x 2) with ¾ cup brown rice
Total Calories: 1,084*

SATURDAY (12/10)
B: PB & J Yogurt (recipe x 4)
L: Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup with Everything Parmesan Crisps (recipe x 2)
D: DINNER OUT

Total Calories: 514*

SUNDAY (12/11)
B: Cottage Cheese Egg and Sausage Frittata over 2 cups arugula
L: LEFTOVER Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup with LEFTOVER Everything Parmesan Crisps
D: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Stew with ½ cup brown rice
Total Calories: 966*

*This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate
your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits,
snacks, dessert, wine, etc.
**Green salad includes 6 cups mixed greens, 2 scallions and 1/2 cup each: tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and
chickpeas with ¼ cup light vinaigrette.

*Google doc

Biden Signs Medical Marijuana Research Bill

President Joe Biden turns the Healthcare Cannabis Research Bill into legislation, modifying how American experts can do investigate on marijuana.

As predicted by Marijuana Second final week, the White House announced on Friday that President Biden signed the Health-related Cannabis and Cannabidiol Study Enlargement Act, “which establishes a new registration approach for conducting investigation on cannabis and for production cannabis solutions for analysis functions and drug development.”

The bipartisan invoice was launched in July, rapidly passed in the House in the very same thirty day period, and unanimously accredited by the Senate in November.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Democrat), who sponsored the bill, unveiled a joint press assertion together with Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Barbara Lee (Democrat), Dave Joyce (Republican), and Brian Mast (Republican) stressing the importance of this kind of achievement.

“For decades, the federal government has stood in the way of science and progress—peddling a misguided and discriminatory solution to hashish. These days marks a monumental action in remedying our federal hashish legislation. The Healthcare Cannabis and Cannabidiol Analysis Growth Act will make it much easier to examine the impacts and possible of hashish,” the statement reads.

Moreover, the Reps highlighted how fundamental is health care investigation on cannabis to realize the full medicinal probable of the plant to address a huge array of health care conditions and pledged to do the job on ending the war on medicines through a collection of approaching proposals that will reshape the standing of cannabis at the federal stage.

The legislation substantially eases the life of experts who want to research marijuana for health-related uses, as they experienced to observe strict laws that could delay their investigation.

The new laws removes federal restrictions in order to ease research from researching the plant and speeds up the software course of action to approve cannabis-relevant scientific experiments.

Less than the new law, the federal federal government has to make sure an adequate, uninterrupted provide of marijuana accessible to scientists for studies on clinical cannabis.

Thus, scientists will be equipped to master much more about the plant’s health care qualities and request big quantities of marijuana to use for analysis.

In actuality, the laws now demands that inside of 60 times of getting a researcher’s application, the U.S. Lawyer General has to approve it, request much more facts, or deny it specifying the good reasons. If scientists submit extra facts upon request, the Lawyer Common has 30 times to make a decision.

Universities and exploration establishments will now be able to obtain U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license to mature, manufacture, distribute, dispense and possess cannabis for investigate uses, with advice from the Section of Wellbeing and Human Solutions (HHS) and the U.S. Foodstuff And Drug Administration.

Scientists who want to do marijuana investigation may well update their protocol with no informing the DEA if the quantity and variety of cannabis, the resource, and the storage circumstances of the product would not modify.

The laws also encourages the Fda to produce cannabis-derived medications and addresses the HHS to determine the opportunity healthcare added benefits of cannabis or cannabidiol (or CBD) as a drug.

The Health care Cannabis and Cannabidiol Investigation Growth Act also intervenes in the medical doctor-affected individual marriage by letting medical professionals to talk about the at the moment acknowledged opportunity harms and gains of cannabis cannabinoids, these as CBD, as a therapy or the recognised achievable damages and rewards of cannabis and its compounds.

Even so, the legislation doesn’t allow for scientists to attain marijuana from point out-operate dispensaries and is not going to reschedule marijuana at the federal stage.

In actuality, marijuana will keep on being illegal at the federal stage below Agenda I of the Controlled Substances Act.

Nonetheless, the laws represents a important stage ahead for professional medical exploration on cannabis in the U.S.

Prior to the new law, undertaking investigate on marijuana was incredibly tough in the U.S. as researchers required approval from various organizations to perform scientific studies, which could often consider many years.

On top of that, experts were only allowed to use marijuana developed by the College of Mississippi, although the DEA has a short while ago awarded 6 other marijuana cultivation licenses for investigate to U.S. organizations.

Biden’s signature of The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Investigate Expansion Act follows the executive order in Oct pardoning about 6,500 persons convicted for marijuana possession at the federal degree.

On that situation, he also requested the Secretary of the HHS and the Legal professional Typical to “initiate the approach of examining how marijuana is scheduled beneath federal legislation.”

Despite the fact that the new regulation doesn’t put into practice much more reform at the federal level, it might pave the way for new federal legislation on cannabis, these types of as the Risk-free Banking Act, that may simplicity the federal limitations on the cannabis industry.

Huntington Medical Research Institutes to Host Holiday Open House Commemorating 70th Anniversary

Milestone anniversary celebrates Pasadena-based organization’s huge contribution to transforming medicine and saving millions of lives

PASADENA, Calif., December 02, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI), a leading biomedical research organization in Southern California, is celebrating its 70th anniversary by opening its doors to the public this Saturday, December 3, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for its Holiday Open House.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221202005288/en/

Huntington Medical Research Institutes to Host Holiday Open House Commemorating 70th Anniversary

HMRI 70th Anniversary Holiday Open House (Graphic: Business Wire)

The event is free to attend (registration requested) and offers:

  • Hands-on science activities for kids

  • Information on HMRI’s summer 2023 education programs for high school and college students

  • Talks with HMRI scientists on their latest discoveries about Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness, heart health, Covid-19 and more

  • Games, music, art and food trucks

“We’re celebrating 70 years of groundbreaking science and we are not done yet,” reflected Julia E. Bradsher, PhD, MBA, president and CEO of HMRI. “We have many more important discoveries in our future as we grow and continue to develop as a leading research institution. We look forward to celebrating many more innovative discoveries in our focus areas of cardiovascular, neurovascular and neuroscience research.”

HMRI began as an outgrowth of two separate institutes: Pasadena Foundation for Medical Research, established in 1952, and the Institute of Medical Research of Huntington Memorial Hospital, founded in 1953. The establishment of a third in 1961, the Neurovascular Research Foundation, formed a triumvirate in Pasadena. After a series of mergers over the course of three decades, in 1982, HMRI as we know it today was born.

For 70 years, the research facilities have generated a multitude of leading-edge innovations that have transformed the way people around the world protect their well-being and improve their health. Some of the noteworthy innovations from HMRI include:

  • Cerebrospinal fluid shunt valve system developed for hydrocephalus, “water on the brain.” The Pudenz valve system is still commonly used today.

  • Retractable seatbelts invented through study of preventing head traumas in car accidents in the 1950s.

  • Early research into prostate cancer cells, resulting in an immortalized cell line which is now widely used to test new prostate cancer drugs.

  • Demonstrating the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) in medical practice.

  • Perfecting magnetic resonance spectroscopy for diagnosing brain and heart conditions.

Currently, HMRI’s researchers are exploring new therapies and diagnostic methods that may transform the way we care for our hearts and brains.

HMRI’s mission is to advance scientific discovery through innovative biomedical research to improve health outcomes and inspire the next generation of scientists. “Within 10 years, we aim to become one of the leading biomedical research organizations in the United States,” stated Bradsher.

In addition to scientific discovery, HMRI has a long history of providing research opportunities for postdoctoral scientists and training undergraduate students in laboratory techniques.

“HMRI has welcomed postdoc and student researchers for years now,” explains Nicole Purcell, PhD, scientific director of education programs for HMRI. “We’re teaching research methods to students who are learning in a science lab for the very first time. We want HMRI to be recognized as a destination of choice for the next generation of scientists.”

Members of the media are invited to attend the holiday open house and speak with HMRI’s leading scientists about current research projects and how they see the world of medicine evolving as we approach 2023. Media may register here: https://bit.ly/HMRI70-Media.

Members of the public can register to attend the event here: https://hmri.org/70years/.

About HMRI

Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) is an independent, nonprofit organization located in Pasadena, California. Since its beginnings in 1952, HMRI research has led to the development of diagnostics, medical devices and therapies that improve the lives of millions of patients worldwide. HMRI conducts life-changing studies of the heart, the brain and the vascular intersection between the two. The institute’s scientists seek solutions to daunting cardiovascular and neurological challenges, like heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, migraine and mental illness. For more information, visit HMRI.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221202005288/en/

Contacts

Media Contact
Audrey Chittick
mPR on behalf of HMRI
audrey@mpublicrelations.com