UCI Health announces lineup for 2019-2020 Newport Beach Public Library lectures

Experts to address pain management, aging issues, mental and cognitive health, and rise in throat cancer

September 04, 2019

UCI Health is pleased to announce the lineup for the 2019-2020 Newport Beach Public Library Lecture Series – Medicine in Your Backyard, presented with the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation.  UCI Health experts in pain management, aging issues, mental and cognitive health, among others will address timely topics and answer questions.

Lectures will be held monthly in the Friends Room, Central Library, 1000 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach, 92660 on Monday evenings between September 2019 and May 2020. 

Admission is free and the doors open at 6:30pm and program is 7:00pm - 8:30pm and includes a question-and-answer session. No reservations required and free parking is available in the library lot and in the adjacent parking structure.

Sept. 23, 2019
The Use of Cannabis for Pain—Fact, Fiction, and Everything in Between
Brent G. Yeung, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCI Health Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care
Cannabis is being touted as a panacea for just about anything that ails you. Claims have been made that it lowers blood sugar, slows Alzheimer’s disease, and alleviates a wide range of psychological problems—from anxiety and depression, to PTSD and psychosis. But few studies have been done on cannabis. At this lecture, Dr. Brent G. Yeung will discuss the facts and fiction of the use of cannabis for pain. Yeung is a UCI Health anesthesiologist who specializes in the management and treatment of pain. His clinical interests include interventional procedures for chronic pain management and the use of cannabis for pain.

Oct. 28, 2019
Health Equity: Why the U.S. is Lagging Behind Other Countries
Cynthia Haq, MD, Clinical Professor and Chair, UCI Health Department of Family Medicine
Dr. Cindy Haq is a champion for primary health care, health equity and preparing health professionals to serve disadvantaged patients and communities. She has launched programs in Pakistan, Uganda, Ethiopia, with the World Health Organization, and with governmental and non-governmental organizations. Her illuminating lecture will touch on the importance of health equity, why the U.S. life expectancy is declining, and what you can do to promote health equity in Orange County and in the United States.

Nov. 18, 2019
Is Depression in Older Adults a Normal Part of Getting Older?
Robert Bota, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, UCI Health Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior
Depression is common in older adults, but is it normal? Dr. Robert Bota will share why many physical illnesses can significantly increase the risk of depression, and how implementing stress reduction techniques can improve the quality of life in older adults. He will also discuss Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS—a new approach to treating depression. Bota is passionate about combining the latest medical treatments with innovative clinical trials. Since 2017, Bota has been named a Physician of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association.

Jan. 27, 2020
The Secret Power of Music for Dementia
Joshua Grill, Ph.D., Director, UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND)
In the battle against Alzheimer’s disease, Joshua Grill invokes a deceased jazz singer, iPods and a 35,000-year-old vulture bone that cavemen fashioned into a flute. Grill is a neuroscientist whose research interests focus on clinical trials in neurodegenerative disease. He will explain how music is a powerful force and that can tap into the deepest recesses of the mind, stir emotions and conjure memories, and why music memory is one of the last things affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

Feb. 24, 2020
Healthy Heart for Life
Michael Rochon-Duck, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Cardiology, UCI Health Department of Medicine
More than 85 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. It remains the leading cause of U.S. deaths, claiming about 800,000 lives annually. Dr. Michael Rochon-Duck will discuss what you can do to maintain heart health as you age, and how new technologies for monitoring heart health can help forestall serious heart disease. Rochon-Duck is a cardiologist at UCI Health who is dedicated to the diagnosis, management and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

March 23, 2020
How to Keep Eye Problems at Arms-length As You Age
Ken Y. Lin, MD , Assistant Clinical Professor, UCI Health Department of Ophthalmology, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute
Lilangi Ediriwickrema, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCI Health Department of Ophthalmology, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute
What happens to our eyes as we age, and what can we do to improve our vision? At this lecture, Drs. Ken Lin and Lilangi Ediriwickrema will present on common age-related vision changes—from droopy eyelids, volume loss and wrinkles, to cataracts and glaucoma—and will discuss approaches to optimize your vision, while promoting a more youthful look. Dr. Ken Lin is a cataract and glaucoma surgeon whose research focuses on using endoscopic laser imaging and artificial intelligence to improve patient outcomes after glaucoma surgery. Dr. Lilangi Ediriwickrema specializes in oculofacial, orbital, and reconstructive surgery as well as neuro-ophthalmology.

April 27, 2020
HPV-related Throat Cancer: An Emerging Epidemic and Public Health Crisis
Allen M. Chen, MD, Chair and Professor, UCI Health Department of Radiation Oncology
Tjoson Tjoa, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCI Health Department Otolaryngology
Scientists have known since the 1990s that virtually all cases of cervical cancer can be linked to HPV infections. Now, an increasing number of throat cancers may be due to HPV infection. Drs. Allen Chen and Tjoson Tjoa will discuss the latest research and why HPV-related throat cancers are now considered an epidemic. Dr. Allen Chen is renowned for his research in head and neck cancers and has been named among Best Doctors in America® 10 years in a row. Dr. Tjoson Tjoa specializes in the surgical treatment of head and neck cancer, major reconstructive surgery, microvascular techniques, thyroid surgery, salivary gland surgery, and skull base surgery.

May 18, 2020
Improving and Preventing Hearing Loss in Older Adults
Hamid R. Djalilian, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCI Health Department of Head & Neck Surgery Director, UCI Health Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery Services
Hearing loss is considered a normal part of aging. But 200 years ago, there were no jet planes, no motorcycles, no lawnmowers, no rock concerts and no MP3 players to plug directly into our ears. Today, the assault on our ears comes from all directions and it is affecting our hearing. Dr. Hamid Djalilian will discuss ways to protect your hearing, how to recognize when are losing your hearing and what options are available if you are experiencing hearing loss. Djalilian is an expert in all conditions of the ear, including complex ear surgery, hearing loss and balance disorders.

UCI Health comprises the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, California. The 417-bed acute care hospital provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, and behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center features Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.