The 23rd annual Omaha Women's Health and Wellness Conference is Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the conference will be held online via Zoom.
General attendance for the conference is free. Continuing nursing education credit is available for select sessions at a cost of $30.
The conference theme is "Pouring From an Empty Cup: Prioritizing Self-Care While Caring for Others," and features three main sessions, six health education breakout sessions and a closing session. The conference offers health insights, as well as encouraging and empowering messages and meaningful information that attendees can immediately apply in their own lives.
The conference is hosted by the Olson Center for Women's Health, UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and The WellBeing Partners.
Three keynote presentations feature:
· Sheritta Strong, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry and UNMC Office of Inclusion, whose talk is titled, “Losses Due to COVID-19: What Stages of Grief Are You In?” Dr. Strong will address the current state of affairs surrounding COVID-19, in particular, the dimensions of wellness and ways to cope with grief and loss.
· Meghan McLarney, Nebraska Medicine Outpatient Nutrition, who will discuss what a plant-based diet is, tips to use plants in your diet and how this may benefit health conditions. Her talk is titled, “The Power of Plants: How Eating ‘Plant-based’ Can Fight Disease.”
· Ashley Farrens, Nebraska Medicine Trauma Program, and Charity Evans, MD, UNMC Department of Surgery, who will discuss the behavioral and physiologic changes traumatic experiences have on the body, brain and health outcomes and how to promote empathetic and caring experiences in our lives. The talk is titled “Understanding Trauma Informed Care, Resiliency and Your Health.”
Conference attendees can choose two of six breakout sessions.
Rachael Schmidt, DNP, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, and Gwen Reiser of the Munroe-Meyer Institute Hereditary Cancer Clinic, will discuss common risk factors of cancer among women including the role genetics plays in the session “Cancer Risk and Prevention: What Women Need to Know.” Speakers also will discuss prevention and management options for at-risk women.
In a session titled “Midlife Mood Swings: Connecting Perimenopause and Mental Health,” Dana Raml, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry, will address menopause transition and how it can impact mental health, including risks, symptoms and potential treatment options.
In “Pouring From an Empty Cup: Can CAM Help You to Help Others?” Ally Dering-Anderson, PharmD, UNMC College of Pharmacy, will talk about complementary alternative medicine therapies and remedies. This program will explore several therapies and discuss their safety, including: yoga, acupuncture, massage and essence oils, among others.
“The Nourished Life – Finding Health at Every Size” by Emily Estes of Sage Nutrition, LLC, will discuss the emerging philosophy encouraging the health care industry to promote safe, equal opportunities and a judgement-free environment for patients of all body types. The talk will define the principles of “Health at Every Size” and offer strategies for clinicians and patients to utilize in defining health.
Depression affects one in five women in postpartum, with nearly half of women experiencing symptoms even during pregnancy. “This is Not What I Expected: When Depression Affects Pregnancy and Postpartum,” by Marley Doyle, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry, will discuss the prevalence, symptoms and treatment of depression in pregnancy and postpartum.
Christine Allmon of UNMC’s iEXCEL Visualization Program, will talk about the importance of using technology in a constructive and targeted way in “Technology for Women, by Women.” She will provide resources that women can use to advocate for their own health and understand the myriad of changes experienced throughout the lifetime.
The closing session speaker, Chad Boukal, is a husband, father and caregiver. In a talk titled, “The Alchemy of Turning Courage into Water,” Boukal will discuss his experience in helping his wife through breast cancer.
Platinum financial sponsors of the conference are the Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine, P.C., Country House Residence, Conceive Nebraska and The Meriwether.
Register for the conference online at https://www.nebraskamed.com/womens_conference. For more information, contact the Olson Center for Women's Health at 402-559-6345.