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Miss Fisher Fair Queen Shelby Simmons and Miss Champaign County Fair QueenMadison Frerichs joined forces last weekend to fight breast cancer. The ladies participated in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.

SIU School of Medicine students

Four area students from the Class of 2018 began training in August at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The students participate in a "white coat ceremony" that welcomed them into the medical profession.

During the ceremony in Carbondale, the students received their first white coat from the president of the School's Alumni Society, Dr. James Cunnar, a family medicine physician in Naperville and a 1994 graduate. The School's Alumni Society provided the coats. Students also received a lapel pin that reads "Compassion, Respect, and Integrity" from the SIU Foundation.

The area students are: Sian Best, daughter of James and Mary Best of Champaign; Mathew Brewer, son of Mike and Cheryl Brewer of DeLand; Mathew Kresca, son of Jim and Karen Kresca of Champaign; and Gordon Ruan, son of Zhong-Jin and Lian Ruan of Champaign.

Volunteers recognized

The Family Service Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) celebrated 42 years of senior volunteerism with a luncheon at the Round Barn Banquet Centre in Champaign. More than 200 guests attended the 42nd Annual RSVP Volunteer Recognition Luncheon.

Karen Bodnar, RSVP director, and Sheryl Bautch, Family Service executive director, presented awards to RSVP volunteers for outstanding service at the event.

The Vicki Stewart Spirit of Courage Award was given to Joyce Hilgert for her longtime service to RSVP, the Stevick Senior Center and many other local nonprofit organizations.

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Neighbors: Recognizing accomplishments in our communities

Penn State Career Services is preparing to assist those interested in possibly jumpstarting their post-baccalaureate education.

Graduate and Professional School Week begins today and runs through Thursday in Alumni Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., hosted by Career Services.

Each day is assigned to the three types of post-graduate schools graduate school, medical school and health-related programs and law school, Career Fair Planning Team Event Coordinator Deena Ryan said.

The different fairs are casual and students of any level are eligible to stop in at any time throughout the duration of the fairs, Ryan said.

More than 100 graduate schools will be present during todays fair as well as 80 schools for both the law and medical school presentation days, she added.

Prior to attending Graduate and Professional School Week, students are encouraged to research the available programs and courses each school provides, Career Fair Planning Team Lead Career Fairs Coordinator Sherry Rice said.

[Graduate and Professional School Week] is a great opportunity for students to maximize the number of schools theyre able to touch base and connect with, Rice said.

A variety of workshops applying to each different school will also be available prior to the sessions held in Alumni Hall this week and beyond, Ryan said.

Today at 4 p.m. in 103 Bank of America Career Services Center a workshop focusing on selecting a medical school, as well as a workshop at 5:15 p.m. regarding MCAT testing updates and changes will be available, she added.

Ryan said Wednesdays workshop at 4 p.m. will discuss law school selections and a workshop at 4 p.m. on Oct. 28 will pertain to writing personal statements.

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Graduate and Professional School Week begins today

Cal Snowden knows exactly how he got fat: No activity, and high calorie intake.

But the 67-year-olds tale has a back story, starting in the 10th grade, when he joined the Roosevelt High School football team. The native Washingtonian had a knack for the sport, and he kept on playing at Indiana University. His pre-med plans fell apart when he attempted to tackle organic chemistry. So instead of medical school, Snowden wound up going to the NFL.

At 225 pounds, the 6-foot-3 rookie was a smallish defensive end. I struggled to maintain even that, Snowden says, but his coaches insisted he get heavier. A beer-and-carb diet did the trick. By the time he retired in 1973 (after playing five seasons for St. Louis, Buffalo and San Diego), Snowden tipped the scales at more than 250 pounds.

These days, hes aiming for that same target only from the opposite direction. In April, he weighed 335 pounds and had borderline hypertension and prediabetes. In other words, he looked like a typical retired professional football player.

Studies have shown that NFL alumni have a much higher risk of obesity than the rest of the population. They start out bigger. And although they may enjoy exercising, lingering injuries and the shift to a sedentary daily life often prove to be a dangerous combination.

Just ask Archie Roberts, a former NFL quarterback and heart surgeon. When youre young and forceful and vital, its hard to believe that could ever change, he says. But, he put on weight over the years, and his blood pressure and cholesterol went up. Im supposed to know what that all means, notes Roberts, now 71, who ignored the mounting warning signs until the day he had a stroke.

The experience inspired him to found the Living Heart Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to the health of retired athletes. Its latest initiative is a program called HOPE (Heart, Obesity, Prevention, Education), funded with support from the NFL Players Association. It started with a research study at Temple University in Philadelphia two years ago and has since expanded to other sites.

One is the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. Snowden was one of seven players who participated in a six-month intervention that wrapped up there last week. And its why, as of today, Snowden is at 300 pounds and dropping.

HOPE welcomes a customized approach, says GWs Melissa Napolitano, a clinical health psychologist and one of the investigators on the study. So her team adapted the schools existing diabetes prevention protocol, which involves food logs, weigh-ins and regular meetings to discuss strategies and offer support.

For the football players, researchers tacked on a 30-to-45-minute physical activity at the end of each chat. The exercises varied but emphasized hand-eye coordination and balance. One skill they learned? Juggling. The goal wasnt to work up a sweat so much as it was to form connections.

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Retired NFL players team up to lose weight

FORT MOHAVE A physician who cared for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords immediately after an assassination attempt has joined Valley View Medical Center as a general surgeon.

Dr. Marcie Leeds was the chief resident on call at University Medical Center in Tucson when Giffords and 18 others were shot in January 2011, gravely injuring Giffords and killing six.

Were fortunate to have someone with Dr. Leeds clinical skills and background not just as a member of the Valley View medical staff, but available to serve patients from the entire Tri-State area, said Valley View interim CEO Fred Capozello.

Leeds completed her residencies at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and Maricopa Integrated Health Services in Phoenix. She received her M.D. from Ross University School of Medicine in New Jersey.

For the care she provided both Giffords and her husband, astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, Leeds received a VIP invitation to attend Kellys launch aboard the final mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavor several months later.

In surgical residency, when we are trained in trauma, we are taught a recipe of sorts, a structured way of examining every patient, every time, so that no injuries are missed and details are not overlooked, she wrote in a California Lutheran University alumni publication after the shooting. Although I was stunned by the sudden tragedy I was now part of, the training kicked in.

Leeds general surgery practice will include a wide range of procedures, from hernias and gallbladders to lumpectomies and mastectomies. Her practice is Valley View General Surgery, located in The Medical Offices at Valley View, 5300 Highway 95 in Fort Mohave. Her office phone is 928-768-2330.

Her pre-med work was done at California Lutheran University, where she graduated cum laude with a BS in biology, and Cal-State Northridge, where she graduated with a masters degree in biology and genetics. Capozello said Leeds is an example of someone who made an educational and career change because of an influential teacher. A high school biology teacher made an impression on her, and she went into the sciences.

The career change she made was dramatic, both literally and figuratively. Through high school, Leeds had been a television and film actress. She had many roles, but her best known role was in 1988 as 11-year old Hillary Whitney playing the young version of Barbara Hersheys character in the Academy Award-winning film, Beaches. To put patients at ease, her office and waiting area have some of her film and TV promotional posters.

The New York native grew up in Simi Valley, in suburban Los Angeles.

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Giffords doc hired as surgeon at Valley View

In addition to the football game, tailgate and dance, Smith-Cotton homecoming festitivies include the recognition of Dr. Alan Braverman, the 2014 Distinguished Alumni, as named by the Sedalia School District Foundation.

Braverman was the 1979 valedictorian of Smith-Cotton High School, participating in soccer, swimming, golf, marching and jazz bands, and several theater productions. Thirty-five years later, he is spending his weekend in Sedalia celebrating with his alma mater.

Its a tremendous honor for me, I was very surprised and humbled to receive this award, he said. Having graduated 35 years ago Im sure there are many others as deserving or more deserving than me. I have family still in Sedalia and they are so much a part of the community. Being a product of that system makes me very proud to be the recipient this year.

After Smith-Cotton, Braverman went on to graduate with Distinction from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1984 with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology. In 1985 he earned his M.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School and also served as Chief Medical Resident. He also completed cardiology fellowship training at Brigham and Womens Hospital.

He now is a faculty member at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he is the Alumni Endowed Professor in Cardiovascular Diseases and Professor of Medicine and the director of the Inpatient Cardiology Firm at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

My passion is in my career specialty, diseases of the aorta, Braverman said. I became interested in that when I was at Smith-Cotton, my father died of a tear in his aorta, and when I was in college we learned my oldest brother, David, had the condition (Marfan syndrome). I started a clinic at Washington University, and Im involved in helping patients with the rare disorder across the country. It became my specialty.

Braverman has been married for 21 years to his wife Becky, who he met while she was a registered nurse at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He also has two daughters, Emily, a senior at Clayton High School, and Jenny, a sophomore. Along with his work with Marfan syndrome in the medical field, he and his wife also started a fundraiser seven years ago called Heartworks St. Louis to help benefit the Marfan Foundation. To date, Braverman said the black tie dinner, dance and fundraiser has raised about $1 million.

Braverman participated in Fridays homecoming parade, and he said he plans on attending most of this weekends festivities.

I still have lots of friends and classmates in Sedalia, and its fun getting emails from classmates around the country, people Ive stayed in contact with, he said. I really think its been fun since the school district Connections letter comes out I think it really helps us stay connected, its one of the greatest things to happen to me since I left to Sedalia to stay in touch, see all those pictures when they come out.

Braverman said he remembers nights under the Jennie Jaynes Stadium lights, and he said hes excited to be part of the last Smith-Cotton homecoming at the beloved stadium before moving to the new athletic complex.

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Braverman receives alumni honor

The University of Louisville Alumni Association has named Dr. Robert C. Hughes of Murray the 2014 Alumnus of the Year, and he will be honored this weekend during the universitys homecoming festivities.

Hughes is a managing partner and co-founder of Primary Care Medical Center in Murray, where he practices family medicine with his wife, Dr. Joyce M. Forsthoefel Hughes. He currently serves as chair of the U of L Board of Trustees, and he said he was re-elected as chair at last months board meeting. He said board members are eligible to serve as chair for two one-year terms.

Im deeply honored, Hughes said Thursday morning on his cell phone while driving to Louisville to speak at that evenings Alumni Awards dinner. Ive been on the board nine years and Im an alumnus of the School of Medicine, and theres 134,000 alumni out there, many of whom I assume are probably maybe more worthy of such (awards). I dont know, but obviously, Im deeply honored by it. Its the biggest honor the university gives out to their alumni.

Alumni Fellows are also honored by 11 schools and colleges every year, but Alumnus of the Year covers the entire university. The U of L Alumni Association established the Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award and the Alumni Fellows program in 1983 to recognize graduates who have distinguished themselves in their chosen fields and are exemplary ambassadors for the university and their college or school, the alumni website said.

According to the website, Hughes served as the boards vice chair for two years and has been on the executive committee for six years. He has been active on the board of numerous medical and civic organizations and also chaired the U of L Foundation and the academic and student affairs committee.

Hughes received his M.D. from the U of L School of Medicine in 1981. In 1982, he completed an internship in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the School of Medicine, and served in 1984 as chief resident in the department of family practice and as an assistant clinical professor.

Hughes also holds degrees from Prestonsburg Community College and Transylvania University. In 1996, he completed a physician entrepreneurship at the Kellogg Graduate School of Business executive program and a fellowship in disease management from the Medical College of Virginia in 2000.

As part of the weekend festivities, Hughes will come out with U of L President Dr. James R. Ramsey on the 50-yard-line during halftime at Saturdays football game against North Carolina State University. Banners with Hughes photo were also draped on the side of a building on the main Belknap campus and at the School of Medicine.

Hughes said he believed this was the first time that anyone living outside the Frankfort, Louisville and Lexington area often referred to as the golden triangle had been board chair and Alumnus of the Year. He said things were going very well at U of L right now, and he credits that to Ramsey, his administration and the faculty.

They make the job of chair easy by what they do, he said.

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Murrays Hughes named 2014 U of L Alumnus of the Year

Homecoming candidate shares life after ESU

Brittany Collins Former ESU Homecoming candidate Ashley Vogts-Jowers and Stephen Jowers still stay involved with the school by volunteering at the ESU fair booth.

Emporia State alumni, previous Associated Student Government president and 2011 Homecoming candidate, Ashley Jowers, is continuing her education, but still loves everything ESU.

Jowers is now working on her masters degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She hopes to become a school occupational therapist or work in the geriatric population at a skilled nursing facility.

As an alumni, I always come to Homecoming festivities, Ashley said. And I have to admit that I drive around during move-in day. This last year is the first time I didnt have a sibling or cousin or anybody moving in so I was just like, Im going to drive around the campus and see. Its just so funny because everyone is so excited for school to be starting.

Jowers was nominated by her sorority, Chi Omega, and by student government for Homecoming queen in 2011. Her sisters knew her as Ashley Vogts at the time.

It was just an honor to be nominated and then not only to be nominated to be one of the chosen five to get to do all the festivities, Jowers said. Its kind of unexplainable because youre just up in the moment. I cant really put it into words.

Jowers says during her time at ESU she was really into all things leadership. She was a member of student government, a Leadership Education and Development leader, a swarm leader and she worked in the leadership department for three years.

I had the opportunity to sit on the search committee for the new president. Jowers said. That alone was like an experience of a lifetime. I got to meet distinguished alumni and current faculty members and I got to be the voice for the students.

(Jowers) was such a natural-born leader on the court, in the classroom and basically everywhere she went, said Allison Fowler, one of the bridesmaids at Ashleys wedding. Ashley is always 100 percent genuine and never afraid to be her goofy self or speak her mind. She is such a beautiful person, inside and out, and Im so proud of all she has accomplished.

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Flash back to 2011

This year's Dalhousie Alumni Award recipients (left to right): Dr. Ronald Gilkie, Dr. Dale Ells, Dr. Roberta Barker, Dr. Christy Sutherland, Dr. Colin Van Zoost.

At Thursday night's Alumni Dinner, Dalhousie celebrated four outstanding alumni and one of its exceptional teachers with the Dalhousie Alumni Awards for 2014.

The awards, presented by the Dalhousie Alumni Association, honour members of the Dalhousie community to celebrate these notable achievements and the diverse ways that alumni contribute to the university and to society.

They include four awards for alumni for lifetime achievement, volunteerism to Dalhousie, volunteerism to the community and for early career accomplishments as well as the university's top award for teaching.

Here are the citations for this year's award recipients:

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes alumni for exceptional accomplishments in career and community service.

Growing up in his familys boatyard in Melville Cove, Nova Scotia, Dr. Ronald Gilkie (BSc60, BEng62, MEng64) says you were always expected to go above and beyond.

My dad said if someone gave you a job, you shouldnt just do it -- you should do it well, says Dr. Gilkie. That attitude sort of gets ingrained in you.

He was inspired to teach at just six years old, when he recognized that even the most difficult teachers were trying to make him a better person. When he was a senior engineering student at Dalhousie, one of his professors saw a spark in him.

He kept finding excuses for why he couldnt do the tutorial, and hed say, Would you mind taking it from me today, Ron? recalls Dr. Gilkie. He was grooming me to be a professor someday, although I didnt realize it at the time.

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Celebrating exceptional impact: Dal's 2014 Dalhousie Alumni Award winners

The Washington alumni hall of fame adds 11 inductees this week. Published Oct. 15, 2014 at 2:35 p.m.

Eleven accomplished alumni of Milwaukee Public Schools' Washington High School will be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame on Friday.

Inductees include a medical school professor, a popular radio host, a Marine veteran and championship NFL player, a restaurant owner, a member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, a longtime educator, a physician and medical researcher, a Broadway wardrobe supervisor, a well-known entertainer, a financial adviser once played by actor Will Smith and a scientist who worked on the famed Manhattan Project atomic bomb research.

Dr. Glen Barbaras, the Manhattan Project scientist who graduated from Washington in 1937, will appear via video conference at the Friday program set for 9:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 17 at MPS' Washington High School of Information Technology, 2525 N. Sherman Blvd.. Media are invited to attend and should contact MPS media manager Tony Tagliavia to indicate interest.

In addition to Dr. Barbaras, new inductee and member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors Mark Sain is expected to attend. Past inductee and former U.S. Rep. Abner Mikva is also scheduled to be present. Three of the inductees are being honored posthumously.

Each of the 11 new honorees will be inducted by a current student at Washington High School of IT. The school offers Information Technology coursework, college-level Advanced Placement courses, the acclaimed Project Lead the Way pre-engineering curriculum and a culinary program along with extracurricular programming including a robotics team and athletic teams.

The Washington High School Alumni Scholarship Foundation, which set another new record this year for the number of scholarships it provides to Washington grads, created the Hall of Fame.

"Our aim has always been to let current students know that other successful men and women have walked the halls of Washington," WHS Alumni Scholarship Foundation President Steven Brown said.

"The Hall of Fame and the Alumni Scholarship Foundation are impressive and important reminders to our students that, in addition to our educators and our students' families, there is another community of individuals who are committed to seeing them succeed," Washington Principal Tonya Adair said.

This year's inductees are:

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Manhattan Project scientist among 11 Washington alums set to join Hall of Fame