Flex Spending Account deadline reminder 

Those enrolled in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA-Health and Dependent Care) in 2023, have until March 31, 2024 to submit any expenses incurred in 2023 for reimbursement: http://goer.ny.gov/program-information. Participants will be able to use up to $610 of monies remaining in the 2023 Health Care Spending Account toward eligible expenses incurred during the 2024 calendar year, as long as the account has been open as of Dec. 31, 2023. In addition, participants will now be able to use the remaining balance in the 2023 Dependent Care Advantage Account toward eligible expenses between Jan. 1 to March 15, 2024. Claims must be submitted by the March 31 deadline.

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Tranquility Tuesdays with Kaushal Nanavati, MD

Tranquility Tuesdays are held every Tuesday from 12:30 to 1 p.m. on the second floor (stadium seating area) of Nappi Wellness Institute, and virtually. Each session offers a unique experience in meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing, and relaxation. To join via Zoom, use Meeting ID: 407 812 4814 and Password: wellness. For more information, email Dr. Nanavati at NanavatK@Upstate.edu.

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Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offers Black History Month events Feb. 22 and 27

The Upstate Office of Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will offer a series of events in celebration of Black History Month.

• A session on Structural Racism and Health is planned for 1 to 2 p.m., Feb. 22 in 2331 Weiskotten Hall, featuring Brittany Taylor, community impact director of the American Heart Association.
• Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Personnel panel presentation from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Feb. 27 in 4414 Academic Building. Featured panelists are Davie Bey, managing principal at DKON Consulting; Jamie Lyn Perry, assistant professor of management at Syracuse University and Gwen Webber McLeod, president of Gwen Inc.

Also on tap for Black History Month is the Black History Month Gala Feb. 24 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Crowne Plaza, 701 E. Genesee St., Syracuse.

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Yoga for All is Feb. 23, and March 1

Yoga for All is facilitated by Upstate clinicians trained in Trauma Adapted Yoga, a form of yoga based on trauma research, evidence-based yoga therapy and body-based methods with gentle exercises for self-management of common symptoms and reactions. No experience is necessary and all are welcome. Questions? Email KhouryN@Upstate.edu. The schedule is as follows:

• Feb. 23 from 12:40 to 1 p.m. in 8405A Upstate University Hospital
• March 1 from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. in the Performance Center at Upstate Golisano
• March 1 from 8:15 to 9 a.m. at Community (exact location forthcoming)

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Registration for Bowl-a-Thon to support Joey’s Wish ends Feb. 25

The second annual Bowl-A-Thon to support Joey’s Wish will be held March 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Flamingo Bowl, 7239 Route 57, Liverpool. Tickets are $20 each and include two hours of bowling, shoe rental, pizza, and soda. Joey’s Wish raises funds to support research that aids in ending the addiction crisis. To register, email Ann Morrell at MorrellA@Upstate.edu or visit: http://www.joeyswish.org/upcomingevents. Registration ends Feb. 25.

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Trauma Adapted Yoga training applications due Feb. 25

Trauma Adapted Yoga (TAY) training will be held April 29, 30 and May 1 in person at Upstate; and April 5 and Aug. 23 virtually. Training is open to those who are willing to lead or co-lead TAY classes for a minimum of one year. Applications are due Feb. 25. A $25 donation to the Upstate wellness fund is required for participation. Training fees beyond the donation are paid for by the Upstate Foundation. For an application and more information, email Christine Podolak at PodolakC@Upstate.edu. TAY is a type of trauma-sensitive yoga designed for individuals in psychiatric care. TAY emphasizes self-compassion, interoceptive awareness and choice. At Upstate, TAY is being studied as an adjunctive treatment for adolescents in outpatient psychiatry and is now part of programming for adolescents on 7W psychiatric unit. TAY is also offered to Upstate staff.

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Blood drive is Feb. 28

An on-campus blood drive will be held Wednesday, Feb. 28 from noon to 5 p.m. in the atrium of Setnor. To schedule an appointment, visit: lxxm.nhfilmexpo.com/blood. 

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Workshop on designing academic posters is Feb. 28

A workshop on designing academic posters will be held Feb. 28 from noon to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom. BioRender will offer actionable tips and techniques for designing research posters, how to create individual figures for posters, experimental methods, biological pathways, and an introduction to BioRender software. To register, visit: http://biorender.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_whPoiDjjSVOyVZIvZD8RbQ. For more information, email Shaunna Arnold at ArnoldSh@Upstate.edu.

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Voya to host financial wellness workshop Feb. 28 and March 1

Voya will host a financial wellness workshop Feb. 28 at noon in 9295 Weiskotten Hall and March 1 at noon in Classroom A/B at Community. The principles of financial wellness, goal setting, protection, spending and saving, maximizing employer benefits, and retirement planning will be discussed. A snack and drink will be provided. To register, visit: http://boblaferriere.timetap.com/#/ and choose the preferred location.

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Rare Disease Awareness Month event to feature gold-medal winning Paralympian Feb. 29

Paralympian gold medalist Allysa Seely will speak Feb. 29 at 6 p.m. in 2231 Weiskotten Hall to mark Rare Disease Awareness Month. Dinner will be provided and seating is limited. R.S.V.P. here. For more information, email Allysa P. Kemraj at kemraja@nhfilmexpo.com. Seely, an Arizona native, was diagnosed in 2010 with Chiari II malformation, basilar invagination, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. She won the gold medal in the paratriathlon at 2016 Summer Paralympics and the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Rare Disease Month focuses on raising awareness and generating change for the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease, their families and caregivers. Seely’s presentation is sponsored by the Upstate Student Government, Campus Activities Governing Board, Accessible Upstate, and GENEius Club.

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Advanced Practice Grand Rounds is March 5

Dana Lonis, FNP-BC, will present Glucommander: Improving Outcomes March 5, from noon to 1 p.m. For more information, email Tiffany Senke at senket@nhfilmexpo.com. CME credit will be available for participants. To join, visit: http://upstate.webex.com/upstate/j.php?MTID=me7f296be95dd611e2cfa09cf3ddd58a5.

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HealthLink on GI issues is March 7

Jeffrey Albright, MD, will discuss the most common types of stomach issues, treatments, and nutritional guidelines for prevention March 7 from 6 to 7 p.m. via WebEx. Dr. Albright will also discuss in-person and at-home options for colon cancer screening. To register, visit: http://upstate.webex.com/weblink/register/rf187f7e9fb8e6e4ce536ee90011743c8.

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HealthLink on tremors is March 12

Johnathan Miller, MD, will discuss medical conditins that can cause tremors, treatment strategies, and deep brain stimulation surgery March 12 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. via WebEx. To register, visit: http://upstate.webex.com/weblink/register/r931ce34f4e11a6facb52d6567b16507d.

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Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds is March 13

William Meurer, MD, University of Michigan, will present What’s Cooler than Being Cool? The ICECAP Trial in 2024 Wednesday, March 13 from 1 to 2 p.m. at EMSTAT, 550 E. Genesee St. The event will also be available via Zoom. Meurer is principle investigator for the Influence of Cooling Duration on Efficacy in Cardiac Arrest Patients (ICECAP) trial. Upstate is a participant in this SIREN multi-center, NIH-funded study. The Upstate community is welcome. To join via Zoom, visit: http://upstate.zoom.us/j/93163933149?pwd=ZFhIMmJIZE56LzlRQWNvdzBTRUFwZz09. Questions? Call Lauren Pacelli at 315-464-6201.

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Team Upstate seeks participants for St. Baldrick’s Day March 24

Team Upstate seeks participants to help raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which directly funds pediatric oncology research. The St. Baldrick’s Day event will be held March 24 at Spinning Wheel, 7384 Thompson Rd, North Syracuse. The Upstate community, family and friends are all welcome to join Team Upstate, fundraise, and volunteer to have your head shaved. Participants who sign up prior to March 5 will receive a Team Upstate shirt. Instructions on where to meet will be emailed to registered participants a week prior. For more information, email Abigail Venskus at VenskusA@Upstate.edu. To join the team or donate visit: http://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/TeamUpstate.

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Advocates to accept applications for grant funding

The Advocates for Upstate will accept applications for grant funding through Feb. 29. All departments and programs affiliated with Upstate on all campuses are eligible to apply for funding to be used between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. Advocates for Upstate’s mission is to improve patient care and satisfaction, support medical education and enhance community health. Items or services that can be funded through department budgets are not eligible for Advocates Grant Funding. Detailed overview and guidelines along with application forms are available on Advocates for Upstate’s website. For more information, contact Jonathan Adler at adlerj@nhfilmexpo.com or 315-464-5610.

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The Informed Patient podcast

The Informed Patient podcast recently featured interviews with these specialists about electronic screens and infants, simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplants, and urban food foraging.

• Infants and toddlers need uninterrupted human interaction, and electronic gadgets are interfering with this, explains Upstate physical therapist Danielle Hoose, DPT. She was part of a team that researched this topic and found that new parents are often unaware of how their use of phones, computers and TVs, or a small child’s use of them, can interrupt a vital part of development.
• Pancreas transplants can help some patients with Type 1 diabetes, and the operation may be performed in tandem with a kidney transplant. Upstate transplant surgeon Matthew Garner, MD, discusses why.
• Syracuse and other cities hold edible plants, which can be harvested. Explaining this process and local efforts to encourage it are two Syracuse University professors, Anne Bellows, PhD, and Sudha Raj, PhD, both of Falk College’s department of nutrition and food studies.

The Informed Patient podcast and HealthLink on Air radio show are produced by Upstate Marketing and University Communications. The Informed Patient interviews are available through various podcast platforms, including YouTube. HealthLink on Air is broadcast on WRVO Public Media at 6 a.m. Sundays. Audio and transcripts of the podcasts and the radio shows are also available at nhfilmexpo.com/informed.

To suggest an Upstate expert or topic for a possible podcast, email Amber Smith at SmithAmb@Upstate.edu.