YOUR PREMIER REGIONAL MAGAZINE - MAY 2021 - UPMC
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MAY 2021
YOUR PREMIER REGIONAL MAGAZINE
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Special Women in Business Section
Women Taking More Active Role in
Craft Brewing Industry
Page 12
Skin Cancer Awareness Month:
Exploring Prevention and Treatment Advanced Surgical
Treatments Are Closer to
Page 24
Unique Businesses, Sense of
Home at UPMC Passavant
Community, Make Millvale a
Must-visit Destination
Page 38
Page 19
YOUR PREMIER REGIONAL MAGAZINE
Published by:
Our mission... To provide informative,
educational and upbeat articles that will
have a positive impact on our readers.
We focus on people, businesses,
Left to right: Melanie Ongchin, MD, Samer Tohme, MD, and David Geller, MD, robotic liver education, area resources, community
cancer surgery team, UPMC Passavant–McCandless. events, health and fitness, pets, travel,
and home and garden.
In this issue: NHM is published 12 times per year
by Nourish PGH, LLC, Post Office Box
60066, Pittsburgh, PA 15211.
WOMEN IN BUSINESS: PERSPECTIVE:
Loyal Customers, Ability to Adapt Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s NHM is available free of charge to
Helps Women-Owned Businesses Health Provides Care throughout
all area residents. Mail subscriptions
Survive Pandemic ................................ 4 Reproductive Lifespan....................... 28
By Hilary Daninhirsch
may be purchased for $24 per year by
By Shari Berg
contacting our sales office.
Creativity, Passion Drive Therapy Cat Provides Comfort,
‘Foodtrepreneur’ Businesses............... 8 Life Lessons at Crisis Center North.... 30 Mailing Address: Post Office Box
By Hilary Daninhirsch By Vanessa Orr 60066, Pittsburgh, PA 15211
Women Taking More Active Role Unique Museums Highlight Owner and Publisher:
in Craft Brewing Industry................... 12 Innovative Art, Exceptional Max McCrory
By Kathleen Ganster Collections......................................... 33 max@nhmmag.com
By Vanessa Orr
Women’s Business Organizations Executive Editor:
Support Members, Larger North Park Bluebird Box Vanessa Orr
Community......................................... 16 Project Contributing to vanessa@nhmmag.com
By Terri Marshall Conservation Efforts .......................... 36
By Kathleen Ganster Account Executive:
New & Notable.................................. 18 Janis Walsh
Unique Businesses, Sense of janis@nhmmag.com
COVER: Community, Make Millvale a
Advanced Surgical Treatments Must-visit Destination........................ 38 Holly Anne Conti
Are Closer to Home at By Erica Cebzanov holly@nhmmag.com
UPMC Passavant................................ 19 Worship Directory.............................. 40
Proofreader:
Skin Cancer Awareness Month: Hilary Daninhirsch
Exploring Prevention and FIRST PERSON:
Treatment........................................... 24 North Pittsburgh Greeting Co........... 11 Graphic Design:
By Terri Marshall Trina Asterino-Nous
trina@nhmmag.com
Don’t Worry, Be hAPPy: the
Best Apps for Reducing Stress.......... 26 Publisher:
412-913-4032
By Jennifer Monahan
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ON THE COVER: 724-719-2119
UPMC Passavant–McCandless
www.nhmmag.com
©2021 by Nourish PGH, LLC
Advanced Surgical Treatments Are
Closer to Home at UPMC Passavant
Left to right: Kelly Linn, RN, Robert Edwards, MD,
a surgeon and chair of the UPMC Department of
Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive
Sciences at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, and
Julie Freehling, CRNP, are helping patients fight
www.nhmmag.com NHM, May 2021 19
ovarian cancer.
Advanced Surgical Treatments Are
Closer to Home at UPMC Passavant
UPMC Passavant provides a wide range of advanced, award-winning health
care at two convenient campuses in McCandless and Cranberry Township.
From the most common to the most complex surgical procedures, the experts
at UPMC Passavant leverage state-of-the-art technology to offer patients the
top, advanced surgical treatment options.
Kevin Garrett, MD, a surgeon and chair of the UPMC Department of General Surgery at UPMC Passavant, specializes in large robotic general
surgeries focusing on hernias, the gallbladder, and soft tissue, as well as emergency general surgical procedures.
SURGEONS ROBOTICALLY REPAIR HERNIAS, which are minimally invasive procedures that require only small
REMOVE GALLBLADDERS incisions to evaluate the organs,” adds Dr. Garrett.
Kevin Garrett, MD, a surgeon and chair of the UPMC Dr. Garrett’s team of four general surgeons use tiny surgical
Department of General Surgery at UPMC Passavant– instruments and a high-definition 3D camera as part of the
McCandless, specializes in large, robotic general surgeries robotic da Vinci® Surgical System. Rather than make a large
focusing on the hernia, gallbladder, and soft tissue, as well as incision to perform surgery, doctors make small cuts to insert
emergency general procedures. Dr. Garrett and his team utilize the camera and tools. With robotic surgery, the surgeon can
robots in multiple minimally invasive surgeries to repair complex make more precise movements, while maintaining complete
ventral (abdominal wall) and inguinal (groin) hernias and remove control over each one.
gallbladders.
Robotic-assisted surgery benefits patients as well because the
“Additional advanced surgical treatments we perform include minimally invasive technique can lead to fewer complications,
emergency open and laparoscopic abdominal operations, faster recoveries, and less time spent in the hospital.
20 NHM, May 2021 www.nhmmag.com
The surgical team also collaborates with a colorectal
surgeon and surgical oncologists—providing patients with
comprehensive care, right in their neighborhood.
MINIMALLY INVASIVE NEUROSURGICAL PROCEDURES
Matt El-Kadi, MD, PhD, chief of Neurosurgery at UPMC
Passavant and director of the UPMC Spine Center, says his
team offers patients a wide spectrum of treatments ranging
from conservative approaches, to minimally invasive surgery,
to the most complex interventions, such as spinal fusion and
stabilization.
“Our minimally invasive surgical procedures include a
microdiscectomy where patients are able to go home the
same day,” says Dr. El-Kadi. This procedure treats patients with
“pinched” nerves in the spinal column caused by herniated or
ruptured discs.
The UPMC Passavant team performs another minimally invasive
procedure called kyphoplasty to treat compression fractures
and abnormal configurations typically caused by osteoporosis.
The surgery has high success rates for:
• Stopping pain caused by fractures
• Stabilizing the bone
• Restoring some or all vertebral body height lost due to
compression
Robert Bailey, MD, a neurosurgeon in the UPMC Department
of Neurosurgery, specializes in the surgical management of
degenerative spine disease of the cervical (upper), thoracic
(middle), and lumbar (lower) spine, utilizing both traditional and
minimally invasive approaches.
“Whenever possible, we select the least invasive procedures
that would result in the greatest outcome for the patient—
focusing on greatly improving their symptoms,” says Dr.
Bailey. “For example, a microdiscectomy or foraminotomy,
a decompression surgery, may be preferred rather than
proceeding initially with a multi-level instrumented spinal
fusion.”
FIGHTING CANCER WITH INNOVATIVE
SURGICAL TREATMENTS
At UPMC Passavant, patients have access to UPMC’s renowned
Hillman Cancer Center physicians and care—without having
to travel to the city. They also have more treatment options, Top: Matt El-Kadi, MD, PhD, is chief of Neurosurgery at UPMC
thanks to advanced robotic-assisted technology. UPMC Hillman Passavant, which offers a wide variety of surgical interventions to help
Cancer Center is proud to offer one of the world's largest and repair spine health.
most comprehensive programs in robotic cancer surgery.
Bottom: (Left to right) The UPMC Department of Neurosurgery’s
In 2020, UPMC Passavant introduced a minimally invasive Jessica Sullivan, PA-C, Robert Bailey, MD, and Anne Cully, PA-C,
alternative to traditional open surgery for liver resection provide complex spine surgeries at UPMC Passavant.
procedures, which entails cutting out the liver to cure liver
cancer.
“This technology means more patients can receive the benefits Even though the surgeons utilize a minimally invasive technique,
of minimally invasive surgery. In general, they have less pain, liver surgery is a very complex procedure that requires the
enjoy a shorter hospital stay, and experience faster recovery,” collaboration of a group of experienced surgical oncologists,
says David Geller, MD, director of the UPMC Liver Cancer nurses, technicians, and anesthesiologists working together in
Center. the operating room (OR).
Several features contribute to a more precise and efficient “It takes a lot of orchestration in the OR to perform. We work as
surgery: a team to take care of the patient,” says Melanie Ongchin, MD,
chief of surgical oncology at UPMC Passavant.
• A magnified 3D view of the patient’s anatomy
According to Samer Tohme, MD, a surgical oncologist who
• The ability to use tiny arms and instruments in the leads the program at UPMC Passavant–McCandless, the team
procedure has completed 30 procedures since August 2020.
• The robotic arms never become fatigued Dr. Geller adds, “We’re providing a full-scale service for liver
evaluation, surgery, and follow-up care. And it’s right in our
patients’ backyard.”
www.nhmmag.com NHM, May 2021 21
DETECTING LUNG CANCER
MORE PRECISELY
In 2020, UPMC Passavant–
McCandless became the first
hospital in the Pittsburgh
area to use the Monarch™
robotic bronchoscopy system.
Since then, the hospital has
completed more than 125
surgeries utilizing this cutting-
edge tool in the battle against
lung cancer, the leading cause
of cancer-related deaths in the
United States.
With robotic bronchoscopy,
doctors can more easily
maneuver into the lung’s tiniest
passages to inspect suspicious
lesions and collect tissue
samples to determine whether
they are cancerous or benign.
The technology combines
the latest advancements in
robotics, software, and data
science with minimally invasive
endoscopy, which uses small
cameras and tools to enter
the body through the patient’s Ryan Levy, MD, chief of Thoracic Surgery at UPMC Passavant, with the robotic bronchoscopy system.
mouth—allowing for earlier,
more precise detection of
cancer.
“Early diagnosis is critical,” says Ryan Levy, MD, chief of His research focuses on ovarian cancer and how to better
Thoracic Surgery at UPMC Passavant and thoracic surgeon with design treatments that combine surgery, chemotherapy, and
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. “When lung cancer is detected immunotherapy to prevent cancer from coming back. “Whether
at an earlier stage, we’re able to offer our patients more it’s making a first attempt at removing the disease using surgery
treatment options—meaning patients have better outcomes or performing surgery after reducing some of the cancer with
and increased cancer-free rates.” chemotherapy, we can usually get about 80 percent of patients
cancer free,” says Dr. Edwards.
Dr. Levy adds that UPMC Passavant is now using the robotic
bronchoscopy platform to evaluate and treat pulmonary When it comes to gynecologic cancer surgery, more than 50
nodules and various lung lesions. Pulmonary (lung) nodules are percent of the cases are laparoscopic.
very common and can be benign or cancerous. Approximately
half of smokers over the age of 50 will have nodules present “Ovarian cancer is unique amongst solid tumors in that it can be
on a computerized tomography (CT) scan of their chest. removed by surgery, particularly at the first signs of it, and may
Dr. Levy and his partner, Nicholas Baker, MD, a surgeon require several hours to extract the tumor,” says Dr. Edwards.
in the UPMC Department of Thoracic Surgery, utilize the
bronchoscope technology to pinpoint these nodules and Patients who undergo minimally invasive procedures like this
conduct immunofluorescence dye marking of the lung lesions typically experience the following advantages:
to facilitate a resection surgery that removes the lesions.
• Less bleeding and scarring
In addition to liver and lung cancer operations, UPMC Passavant
surgical oncologists leverage robotic techniques in various • Reduced pain
procedures, such as:
• Shorter hospital stays
• Pancreaticoduodenectomy, also known as a Whipple
procedure, to treat pancreatic cancer • Quicker recovery
• Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion to treat • Earlier returns to normal activity
peritoneal carcinomatosis, a rare type of cancer that can
develop when gastrointestinal or gynecologic cancers spread • Smaller scars
HIGHLY SPECIALIZED SURGICAL SERVICES FOR WOMEN In addition to delivering high-end surgical treatments for
patients with gynecologic malignancies, UPMC Passavant’s
At UPMC Passavant, UPMC Magee-Womens Specialty Services four gynecologic oncologists provide comprehensive care in
offer comprehensive women’s health care, including state-of- offering the latest in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis,
the-art surgery. other treatments, such as chemotherapy, and staging, as well as
access to experimental treatment options and clinical trials.
Robert Edwards, MD, is chair of the UPMC Department of
Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UPMC Dr. Edwards adds, “With the team-based cancer care,
Magee-Womens Hospital, co-leader of the UPMC Gynecologic UPMC Passavant is very impressive.” n
Cancer Program, and a surgeon at UPMC Passavant. He sees
patients at both UPMC Passavant locations and in Oakland at * Monarch™ is a trademark of Auris Health, Inc.
UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.
** Da Vinci® is a trademark of Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
The information in this article was provided by UPMC.
22 NHM, May 2021 www.nhmmag.com
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