2008 Healthy Environment Forum Series

The Healthy Environment Forum series brings health professionals and environmentalists together to learn about emerging issues, to exchange views openly and honestly, to build understanding and cooperation, and to forge consensus about the linkages between some of Oregon’s most difficult environmental and health challenges. The series is designed for physicians and other health care providers, especially those in Family Medicine and Pediatrics, and for environmental professionals and interested citizens.

This program is approved by the OHSU School of Nursing for 2.0 Continuing Education contact hours per session with a possible total of 8.0 Continuing Education contact hours for the complete series.

Continuing education credit is available from the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Examiners. Participating practitioners are eligible for 2 hours of general credit per event.

RESERVATION INFORMATION

All events are from 6-8 pm at the Doubletree Hotel-Lloyd Center (1000 NE Multnomah, Portland) and include heavy hors d’oeuvres. Please note the new location for this event.
Cost is $35 per event ($25 for OEC members and employees of nonprofit or governmental agencies). Please register no later than four days in advance of the event. Late registrants cannot be guaranteed food.
Make reservations by selecting a ticket option from the events below.

PAST EVENTS IN THIS YEAR'S SERIES

Matters of the Heart: The Emerging Field of Environmental Cardiology

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Heart health is increasingly being linked to the health of our environment and has even led to the emergence of a new discipline, environmental cardiology. The implications of environmental cardiology are potentially huge, as environmental pollutants and toxins are ubiquitous and have a major impact on cardiovascular disease. This event will feature Aruni Bhatnagar, PhD, who will share the latest research findings and discuss the implications for patient care and public health. Dr. Bhatnagar is a professor in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine at the University of Louisville. Dr. Bhatnagar is credited with having spearheaded this field and is recognized as a leader nationwide.

Interested in getting a copy of Dr. Bhatnagar's presentation? Click here.

Packing on the Compounds: How Exposure to Common Chemicals Is Fueling the Obesity Epidemic

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Obesity is generally thought of as an individual problem, an offshoot of the couch-potato syndrome, in which people eat too much while exercising too little. But now scientists are asking about the ways that exposure to low levels of contaminants may predispose people to obesity. Research from an increasing number of studies suggests that minute exposures to common chemicals might pre-program people to be obesity-prone. The term “obesogens” has been coined to refer to such chemicals. Obesogens don't cause mutations or birth defects. Rather, they interfere with gene expression at critical times in development, programming the body to have ever-hungry fat cells. Bruce Blumberg, PhD, associate professor of developmental and cell biology at UC Irvine, will discuss the latest research connecting chemical exposures to the rising rates of obesity.

Interested in getting a copy of Dr. Blumberg's presentation? Click here.

The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls: What We Know and Need to Know

May 22, 2008

Girls get their first periods today, on average, a few months earlier than did girls 40 years ago, but they get their breasts one to two years earlier. Over the course of a few decades, the childhoods of U.S. girls have been significantly shortened. What does this mean for girls today and their health in the future? Early puberty is caused by a combination of factors. The interactions among these factors can be quite complex. As an example: We know that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are a possible cause of early puberty, but we also know that exposure to these chemicals in utero or early in life can also lead to low birth weight and obesity, which are themselves possible causes of early puberty. Sandra Steingraber, PhD, distinguished visiting scholar in the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies, Ithaca College, and author of "Consequences of Early Puberty in U.S. Girls - Implications for Learning" will share recent findings in this area and to discuss the policy actions that are needed to address this problem.

For more resources about Dr. Steingraber's presentation visit:

Drugs in the Water: How our Medicine Cabinets are Contaminating Nature

June 19, 2008

Have you ever wondered what happens to those pharmaceuticals that you flush down the toilet? What about the hospitals and nursing homes that do the same or the effect of the effluent that streams from the plants that manufacture them? Ilene Ruhoy, MD will discuss why prescription drugs go unused, how prescription drugs enter the environment and the potential consequences of their presence, how these pollutants affect us as well as fish and other species and what we need to start thinking about to address this issue. Dr. Ruhoy is an Associate Professor at Touro University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Las Vegas and a researcher with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation on pharmaceuticals in the environment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

PRESENTING SUPPORTER

SUPPORTERS

Multnomah County Health Department

Special thanks to:
School of Community Health, PSU

Keith Lowenstein, MD, and Shelley Lowenstein, MD

Partner organizations:

American Lung Association of Oregon

Medical Society of Metropolitan Portland

Health Care Without Harm

Learning Disabilities Association of Oregon

Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians

Oregon Asthma Network

Oregon Center for Environmental Health

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Oregon Department of Human Services

Oregon Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Program

Oregon Medical Association

Oregon Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Program

Physicians for Social Responsibility, OR Chapter

Rachel’s Friends Breast Cancer Coalition

Upstream Public Health

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