The 18th annual Omaha Women’s Health and Wellness Conference will be held Friday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the La Vista Conference Center, 12520 Westport Parkway.
The conference, which is open to the public, offers a day of new health insights, encouraging and empowering messages, health screenings, exhibits, and fun.
The conference — “Stepping Stones to a Healthier You!” — will feature three keynote presenters and six health education sessions from which to choose. It will kick off with a continental breakfast and a morning health fair hosted by Nebraska Medicine with more than 40 vendors offering health screenings, education, demonstrations, massage, consultation, and products available for purchase.
Registration deadline is Oct. 23. The cost of the conference is $59, which includes lectures, exhibits, breakfast, lunch and refreshments. Continuing nursing education credit is available at an additional $30.
Low cost screenings including lipid profile, glucose profile and complete blood count will be available for $17, and a thyroid-stimulating hormone test will be available for $7. Flu shots will be offered for $20.
Keynote speakers are:
Ally Dering-Anderson, Pharm.D., whose talk, “What Every Woman Should Know about Vitamins and Minerals,” will offer useful and practical suggestions for multiple vitamins and address the most common questions as they relate to women’s health. Dr. Dering-Anderson is a clinical assistant professor in the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy.
Rachel Bonnema, M.D., in her talk, “An Ounce of Prevention: Navigating the Healthcare Guidelines for Women,” will give women insight into a number of changes in recommendations for health care prevention. She will share some of the most important preventive guidelines for women and what to discuss with a doctor. Dr. Bonnema is an associate professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine.
The closing keynote presentation will feature an inspirational talk, “A Journey Through the Hearts,” by Sarah Prenosil, two-time heart transplant recipient.
Women will choose from these afternoon sessions:
- “Urinary Incontinence: Common is Not the Same as Inevitable,” Elizabeth Hopkins, D.P.T., will teach women what they can do to reduce and prevent urinary leakage and urgency. Dr. Hopkins is a physical therapist at Nebraska Medicine.
- “Secrets to a Good Night’s Sleep,” Michael Summers, M.D., will share ways to improve sleep quality and address the most frequently encountered sleep disorders and how best to evaluate and treat them. Dr. Summers is an assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep & Allergy and medical director of the Nebraska Medicine Sleep Disorders Center.
- “It’s a ‘Gut Feeling,” Rebecca Beaudoin, will focus on the role of nutrition, probiotics, immunity and the foods that make the grade. She is a dietitian and trained health coach with Hy-Vee.
- “Promoting Bone Health in Post-Menopausal Women,” Nancy Waltman, Ph.D., will tell women how to keep bones healthy to prevent osteoporosis, specifically in post-menopausal women. Dr. Waltman is a professor in the UNMC College of Nursing Lincoln Division.
- “Wellness, Stress Management, and You: How’s Your Amygdala Today?” Steven Wengel, M.D., will teach simple but effective strategies for managing stress. Dr. Wengel is chair and professor of the UNMC Department of Psychiatry.
- “All I Want is a Peanut Butter Sandwich,” Sara May, M.D., will discuss the risks for developing a peanut allergy, management of peanut allergy and recent developments in prevention of peanut allergies. Dr. May is an assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep & Allergy.
The conference is hosted by the Olson Center for Women’s Health, UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, University of Nebraska at Omaha and WELLCOM. Platinum plus sponsor is Essentials Natural Family Health. For more information and registration, call 402-559-6345 or go to http://omahawomenshealthandwellness.org/agenda.
We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.