HonorHealth Research Institute

Join us at 8 a.m. Nov. 2 at ASU’s football stadium for the inaugural Steppin' Up Against Pancreatic Cancer, a community walk raising awareness and funding for groundbreaking research in the fight against pancreatic cancer, presented by HonorHealth Research Institute and the Seena Magowitz Foundation. Participants will gather that Saturday morning to help battle one of the nation’s most devastating cancers. Pancreatic cancer this year will take the lives of more than 50,000 Americans, making it the third most deadly malignancy after lung and colorectal cancers. To register, go to: https://lnkd.in/gMDMA6FV. Funds raised from this walk will directly support pancreatic cancer research initiatives at HonorHealth Research Institute, where innovative clinical trials and cutting-edge treatments are being developed to provide new hope and longer lives for patients. “We are making progress, with more pancreas cancer patients surviving to pursue longer lives, gaining more quality time with friends and family,” said Erkut Borazanci, M.D., Medical Director of the Oncology Research Division at HonorHealth Research Institute. "The Seena Magowitz Foundation has been instrumental as a source for both advocacy and supporting groundbreaking research for patients with pancreatic cancer."

This past weekend, the HonorHealth Research Institute team attended the 2024 Walk from Obesity at Papago Park, hosted by the TREO Foundation. ?? Obesity is a complex, life-long disease that affects millions of people and is often misunderstood. This walk helps raise critical funds for research, education, and access to treatment—steps that are essential to combating this widespread health issue. We walk to support those impacted, advance knowledge, and promote solutions. #WalkFromObesity #ObesityAwareness #CommunitySupport #ResearchForChange

A new clinical trial at HonorHealth Research institute for children ages 10-17 with type 2 diabetes was featured on AZ Family, which includes Phoenix-area television channels 3 and 5. James Swain, M.D., medical director of the GI/Bariatrics Research Division at HonorHealth Research Institute, described for AZ Family reporter Micaela Marshall how a new treatment may enable these children to control their disease with just one injection a week. If diet and exercise changes aren’t enough to get blood sugars under control, Dr. Swain explained, a type 2 diabetic child may need insulin injections that require multiple doses a day. “If you can cut that down from 10, 15, 20 times a week, to once a week, that would be amazing,” Dr. Swain told the reporter. “The goal of the trial is to see if we can do something that will keep their sugars stable over a week’s period of time instead of having to dose multiple times a day and you know to take a shot. Nobody likes to have that, but especially kids. So, if we can limit that to once a week then that would be spectacular.” Children participating in the study, and their parents, would both be compensated. For more information about HonorHealth Research Institute clinical trials, call: 480-323-1292. Watch: https://lnkd.in/ge2tjWKf

Yesterday, Kiersten Rundio and Amy Mirabella PhD, RN, CHPN proudly presented their poster at the Arizona Health Equity Conference, held at the Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix. Their poster focused on actions of Health Literacy to address health equity, focused on using evidence-based practices to promote equitable healthcare for all. By highlighting key actions that bridge gaps in health literacy, their work demonstrates a powerful commitment to advancing health equity within our communities.

David G. Rizik, M.D., Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Research Division of HonorHealth Research Institute, today penned a personal reflection on the occupational hazards and health risks of low-level radiation over his 35-year career in interventional cardiology. Writing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Rizik summarized the risks of cancer and orthopedic injury that could result from years of repeated exposure to low-level-radiation X-rays that are used to help guide catheters through the body of patients undergoing heart-related treatments that do not require open-heart surgery. “When I started my career in interventional cardiology, I never assumed that I was placing myself at personal risk, and, therefore, I did not perform the difficult calculus of balancing the benefits to my patients against the risks to myself,” said Dr. Rizik, who narrated and co-produced a documentary, “Scattered Denial,” recently broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. “Fortunately, there is reason for optimism. Innovative technologies now offer an enhanced safety environment,” said Dr. Rizik, referring to radiation shields being deployed in operating rooms that can reduce the amount of radiation exposure to near undetectable levels. In September, HonorHealth announced that its hospitals will soon be among the nation’s first equipped with advanced radiation protection shields at all of its campuses that perform cardiovascular interventions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gKiMM7G9

Patient stories, a documentary launch, a new podcast, events, and more. Innovation and advancements continue at the Research Institute in the month of September. #HRIAdvances

October is health literacy month ?? ?? At HonorHealth Research Institute, we believe that health literacy is key to empowering patients and allowing them to guide their health journey. That's why we have dedicated the first episode of our new podcast, Innovation Insights, to this important topic. Tune in as Amy Mirabella PhD, RN, CHPN discusses the evolving landscape of health literacy and the growth happening at the Research Institute with Michael Gordon, M.D.. https://lnkd.in/gv3qBRWs #Healthliteracymonth

HonorHealth Research Institute wants our patients to be safe and to feel safe. This week, we celebrated Fall Prevention Week. Our patients get the support they need throughout the clinic. We offer our patients an extra hand on days they feel unsteady on their feet. Check out what our team has been doing to mark this week. ? "Yellow Band-ana Day" helps emphasize screening at check ins, yellow bands for communication of risk, and assistance throughout their visit. ? "Let's Not Fall Y'all Raffle," where raffle tickets were handed out to patients and staff which included fall prevention information. ? "Going the Distance" marked a marathon theme, with a message of "We are going the distance to prevent falls."

James Swain, M.D., medical director of the GI/Bariatrics Research Division at HonorHealth Research Institute, described for KJZZ radio a new clinical trial for children ages 10-17 with Type 2 diabetes that may enable them to control their disease with just one injection a week. “Any time a patient has to take an injection, that’s not the funnest thing in the world for adolescents," Dr. Swain told KJZZ reporter Bridget Dowd. "So, in order to better control their diabetes, we can also limit their times that they actually have to poke themselves, which will decrease pain, bruising, insertion site infections — all those different things.” A medication, LY3209590, would strive to keep these children’s blood-sugar levels more stable, avoiding the fluctuating blood-sugar levels that can result with daily injections of currently FDA approved Type 2 diabetes medications. The new shot has already proven to be safe and effective for adults with Type 2 diabetes. To qualify for the trial, participants must have HbA1c levels (a long-term indicator of blood sugar levels) of between 6.5% and 9.5%, and not have taken insulin within the past three months. Families would be compensated for their participation in the trial. For more information about HonorHealth Research Institute clinical trials, call: 480-323-1305.

HonorHealth Research Institute is one of the few sites in the nation — and the first in Arizona — to offer a new treatment for cancer that has spread to the liver as a result of a rare eye cancer called uveal melanoma. Like other melanomas, uveal melanoma originates in pigmentation cells; in this case the cells in the back of the eye. When uveal melanoma metastasizes, or spreads, it is most often found in the liver. Metastatic uveal melanoma historically has had few treatment options and poor overall outcomes. The treatment, known as the HEPZATO KIT, relies on a proven chemotherapy developed in the 1960’s but whose use in patients is limited due to side effects. HEPZATO limits these side effects and toxicity by circulating the chemotherapy only to the liver, where the cancer resides. Following treatment, the chemotherapy is filtered out of the liver and cannot cause side effects in other parts of the body. “One of the challenges of treating uveal melanoma is that it often spreads to the liver, which until now has presented few good options,” said Justin Moser MD, an associate clinical investigator in the Research Institute’s Oncology Research Division, and a recognized specialist in treating uveal melanoma.