The power of a dream and the possibilities of making it happen. International Women's Day Doodle 2016: #OneDayIWill

Those of us who constantly search the internet have
come across google's doodles.  Something to lighten up the day!



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The power of DNA testing in personalized medicine.

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Imagine your family free of the possibility of illness... finally having your health in your hands and making informed decisions to treat an illness that does not appear to have a cure.  Our guest speaker certainly provided hope in the realm of personalized medicine. Karen Possemato, Chief of Staff at iIlumina, presented concrete evidence on how DNA testing can help treat a specific disease; leaving no doubt on how the field of genomics is becoming more utilized and creating more impact in the way illness is treated today.

Changes in technology, as in pretty much everything in our lives, are only a couple of decades old; in comparison with all the technological and scientific advancements throughout our history.  To put the speed of technology and science adoption --specifically genomics-- in context, Mrs. Possemato discussed how the activation of T cells treated President Carter's melanoma.  She also discussed the potential of GMO's to fight hunger in impoverished countries…
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Honoring one of our own during Palliative Care & Hospice month!

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She is affectionately called the 'mother of hospice' in San Diego.  She has influenced hospice and palliative care nationally.  And in honor of her work, she has been named "Woman of Wonder" by the CHEERS Foundation.  She has addressed the La Jolla Women's Club on the adventures of creating a hospice organization in San Diego.  Just recently, the California State Institute of Palliative Care named in Dr. Howell's honor an award given to individuals that advance palliative care in our community and beyond.


She has done so much more!  She is the reason why Soroptimist International of La Jolla founded the Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women's Health Research.  And she is, quite frankly, a star in our organization.

She has dedicated her career to ensuring women are empowered with information on women's health to make sure we become our best health advocates. She works tirelessly on efforts to light the curiosity of young minds to pursue a career in wo…
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What DOES it take to be happy? Save the Date: September 29, 2016

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"The purpose of our lives is to be happy”.   –Dalai Lama 
Did you know...  
Over 70% of people report living in a state of chronic stress? Happiness results from the strength of your neurological pathways and strengths are more powerful than weakness? Your emotions have executive power in your brain?
There is not one strategy that leads to happiness; it results from dedication to a holistic—or mind, body, and spirit—approach. It takes focus, effort, and intention on a daily basis.

Life then, becomes a happiness journey, not a destination to attain. 

Everyone wants to be happy. In fact, most everything we do is because we believe on some level it will make us happy.  We have been led to believe that when we are unhappy or stressed, all we need to do is change the way that we think and we will be happier. Or is it?

The Happy Map is a result of two decades of researching and applying the best of conventional and unconventional strategies for happiness.  In The Happy Map, Drs. Stokes an…
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Organization's throughout San Diego supporting smoke out day!

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On my way out from my doctor's appointment today at the Naval Base Hospital, I ran across these two wonderful ladies promoting 'smoke out' day.  Bottom line is that smoking affects more than just the smoker. Here are the benefits of 'smoking out':

20 minutes without a cigarette stabilizes heart rate and blood pressure. After 24 hours, smoker's breath disappears and oxygen levels normalize. In 2-3 days, breathing is easier.  The sense of taste and smell improve. Take deep breaths and smell the roses!  In just one month, blood circulation levels improve and exercise becomes easier.  One year after quitting, one significantly reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. The risk of heart disease is the same as a non-smoker after 10 years of kicking the habit. After 10 years, the risk of lung cancer is cut in half.After 10 years, the average of savings from quitting is estimated at 40,000.   Unfortunately, I did not catch their names. But putting things into persp…
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Women and Alzheimer's: Facts and figures we ALL need to know.

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It is often thought that Alzheimer's disease is indiscriminate of age, race and gender.  However, diagnosis in women goes beyond the fact that women live longer than men.  Recent research is showing that more women are diagnosed with the disease than men.
In support of Alzheimer's awareness month, a summary of the most relevant information below.






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About the Doris A. Howell Foundation:

The Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women’s Health Research is committed to keeping the women we love healthy, advancing women’s health through research and educating women to be catalysts for improving family health in the community.

The organization does so by funding scholarships to students researching issues affecting women’s health; providing a forum for medical experts, scientists, doctors, and researchers to convey timely information on topics relevant to women’s health and the health of their families through i…
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Two things to keep in mind when discussing your health: Intermittent fasting and sedentary behavior.

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Dr. Dorothy Sears, Associate Professor of Medicine from UCSD came to speak at the Howell Foundation's luncheon last May with pretty interesting research on 2 key concerns and how they, for sure, improve or undermine our health: intermittent fasting and sedentary behavior.

Turns out our parents were right: Eat your fruits and vegetables and exercise!  With the just released information from the CDC regarding the obesity epidemic in the US --now at 40% for women-- it is more than clear that type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease are also on the rise.  The benefits of a lifestyle makeover are clear: not only does it help to improve our health and reduce the risks of a life-changing disease, but also minimizes the adverse effects of medication while promoting healthy aging.

One of the largest studies conducted throughout a 20-year span followed over 3000 participants with pre-diabetic conditions.  Individuals were divided into 2 groups; one would be characterized through…
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Not because we are old, but because we will eventually get there! Let's make our journey easier!

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Have you ever wondered what steps we can take to prepare ourselves for healthy aging? Do we even know where to start? What resources are available to us to ensure a happy aging process? What do we need to consider if we are taking care of a family member?

The Howell Foundation will celebrate its last luncheon of the year on November 11 with a topic that concerns us all: 'Intelligent Aging".  We have the honor of hosting two experts that can give us a in-depth perspective on the intelligent steps to to take in our aging journey.

Claudia Kawas, MD, Professor of Neurology, UCI School of Medicine, and lead investigator of the “The 90 + Study” (as seen on 60 Minutes) is dedicated to advancing knowledge about the cognitive and physiological changes that occur in aging.  Since 1989, hundreds of older adults have contributed their time and effort to helping scientists explore healthy brain aging.

Claudia Kawas, MD, Professor of Neurology, UCI School of Medicine, is a geriatric neuro…
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Honoring the Women you love this holiday season!

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Have you considered honoring a loved one with a donation to the Howell Foundation?

Why should you?

Because we ARE different, genetically, anatomically and psychologically. So what leads many to believe that women and men should be diagnosed and treated the same when it comes to our health?

The complexity of gender differences and the greater health incidences a women faces --especially in the latter years of her life-- make women’s health research even more necessary than ever.   And by gender differences I mean going beyond the various roles ascribed to us because of our boobs and vaginas.   As best described by Carol Vlassoff, “Gender refers to the array of socially constructed roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes, behaviors, values, relative power and influence that society ascribes to the two sexes on a differential basis.”

We do not have heart attacks the same way.

We do not face stress the same way.

We do not react to Ambien the same way.

We don’t even get dep…
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Howell -UCSD 2016 Scholar on Ovarian Cancer: A Personal Experience Turned to Research.

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Jaidev Bapat, one of  the recipients of the Mirandon Foundation Scholarships is focused on a form of cancer--ovarian.  Jaidev's work in the lab will focus on ovarian tumor metastasis and on understanding how it acquires drug resistance, as well as alternate approaches for treatment. Jaidev's project, "Exploring the Effects of Heterozygous Deletion of BECN1 and MAPILC3B Genes in Ovarian Cancer Cells," centers around understanding how either initiation of autophagy or inhibition of autophagy alters growth dynamics of ovarian cancer cells.

Jaidev is a second year student at John Muir College majoring in molecular biology.  Jaidev is specifically interested in cancer because many of his family members have suffered from various forms of cancer. The Howell Scholarship has enabled him to center his research in the area of ovarian cancer.  He finds oncology a fascinating field of research; he believes the experience that he will gain from this research project will help him…
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Howell-UCSD 2016 Scholar and her interest in preventing breast cancer

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Tiffany Lee received one of three scholarships awarded by the Mirandon Foundation for Hope, indicating an interest in cancer, especially of the breast. Tiffany Lee's project title is "Dissecting the Molecular Basis of Breast Cancer Metastasis Dormancy." Since most cancer-related deaths are due to metastasis--when, after primary tumor removal, disseminated tumor cells enter a dormant state and then reactivate cell proliferation to form metastatic outgrowth.  Dr. Jing Yang's laboratory has established a breast cancer metastatic dormancy mouse model to monitor the disseminated tumor cells and characterize dormant tumor cells at distant organs.  Tiffany's project aims to perform histological and molecular characterization of this novel tumor dormancy mouse model.

In her personal statement, Tiffany describes this particular story of her childhood, told by her mother, which defines her today.  "When I came home, I found her chewing on a whole apple with her six or…
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