Fort Bend Black Nurses Association Hosts Cardiology Symposium

Approximately 200 health care professionals attended an April 6 cardiology symposium presented by the Fort Bend County Black Nurses Association, an organization whose membership includes many nursing professionals who work at Texas Medical Center institutions. The symposium provided nurses an opportunity to update their knowledge and skills in cardiology. Primary areas of focus were hypertension, hyperlipidemia, heart failure, EKG interpretation, pharmacological agents, and new technologies. Attendees received six professional education contact hours. Twenty vendors were present, and free blood pressure and blood cholesterol screenings were provided.

Speakers included: Isaac Lee Smith, nurse manager of the medical intensive care unit at Harris-Ben Taub General Hospital, who spoke about EKG strip interpretation; Dr. Joseph Swafford, associate professor, director of clinical cardiology, and director of the noninvasive laboratory at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and president-elect of the American Heart Association’s Houston division, who spoke about echocardiology and hypertension’s role in heart failure; Dr. Ryan C. Neal, medical director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center and associate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine’s lipid and arteriosclerosis section, who spoke about hyperlipidemia; and Dr. Wayne Franklin, cardiology fellow at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, who spoke about new technologies in cardiology.

All four speakers provided state-of-the-art information with an emphasis on the African-American population. A panel discussion and question-and-answer session followed.

Lola Denise Jefferson, nursing supervisor at St. Luke’s, and founder and president of the organization, emceed the symposium. The opening prayer was delivered by Elizabeth Phashe, association chaplain. Vice president Diane Barber welcomed the group, along with Dr. Bettye Davis-Lewis, national first vice president of the Black Nurses Association.

Sponsors included Dr. Adebayo J. Adesomo, Lawana Agullard, Dr. Mary Holt Ashley, Bennie Blake, Lois Bradley, COR Therapeutics, Lucretia Crowe, Pharm D, Dr. Bettye Davis-Lewis, Ethicon, Beryl Grady, Lola Denise Jefferson, Johnson & Johnson, Rachell Anglin-Kay, Zelda Jones, Beverly McGowan, Raynold & Ester Richardson, Jenifer Tillery, and Orange Wyatt.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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