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1st Annual Jerry Wayne Summers Memorial Bike Run and Car Cruise
Sunday, November 1st 2009
Please join us on November 1st, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. for the 1st Annual
Jerry
Summers Memorial Bike Run and Car Cruise.
This event honors the
memory of Jerry Wayne Summers who passed away on February 6, 2009 from
complications due to Lupus.
The event will include a scenic 42 mile trek up to The CROSS at
Jumonville
Christian Retreat and Camp in Hopwood, Pa., as well as dinner, music and
fellowship.
Registration is $25 per motorcycle/car and $5 for each additional rider.
For information and pre-registration please click here.
3rd Annual Partners for Lupus Research Golf Outing Another Great Success!
On Saturday, September 26 at the Castle Hills Golf Course, 138 golfers teed off to participate in the Partners for Lupus Research charity golf outing. Golfers were greeted at
7 a.m. with doughnuts and coffee and by 10 a.m. were given hot dogs and hamburgers to warm them up before the luncheon that completed the day. The lunch was held at the First United Methodist Church in New Castle and was complete with door prizes, raffles and a silent auction. While they are still tallying the results, it is estimated that this year's event raised over $10,000 for the Lupus Center's research.
Coordinated each year by the Nugent family, this event is one of the largest to benefit the Lupus Center of Excellence. Curtis Nugent is a patient of the Center and he and his family wanted to give something back as a thank you for the amazing treatment Curtis received at the Lupus Center. The result - this annual golf outing. Father Joe, mother Janet, and girlfriend Melissa make it all possible, as well as other immediate and extended family members. This year's event was sponsored by UPMC Health Plan enabling more funds to come back to the Center.
Special thanks to our staff who helped - Suzie Ward and Donna Hope for volunteering and to Jeannine Navratil who spoke to the group at the luncheon explaining the Lupus Center's amazing progress in research.
For the past three years this event has raised over $30,000 for the Lupus Center of Excellence. This speaks volumes to the commitment of the Nugent family, their friends, family and community of New Castle. THANK YOU NUGENT FAMILY! May Curtis and all of our patients continue to live well with lupus. A cure is within reach. Every dollar raised will help us get there!
Pittsburgh Walk For Lupus Now
We are delighted to report that he 1st Annual "Walk for Lupus Now" to benefit the Lupus Center of Excellence was a huge success!
On September 13th, over 500 walkers including patients, families and friends attended to show their support in conquering this devastating disease. PNC Park's River Walk became a symbol of courage, hope and strength. Patients carried butterfly (the symbol for lupus) signs and participants designed and wore t-shirts on behalf of their loved ones battling this disease. We were truly inspired by seeing and hearing of the many patients who are successfully overcoming their battle with Lupus. Their positive energy and the support of their friends and family was truly amazing.
This event raised nearly $50,000. The Lupus Center of Excellence will receive one half of the proceeds for continued cutting-edge research. What a tribute to our cause, the Lupus Center of Excellence and our constant efforts to find a cure!
A special thanks to the Lupus Foundation of America who coordinated the event, Sally Wiggin of WTAE who was our host, and to all those who participated, pledged, coordinated virtual walks, volunteered, or just came out to support their loved one, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! Every dollar raised brings us closer to a cure!
Dr. Susan Manzi and the staff at the Lupus Center of Excellence
to raise much needed funds and awareness for this
devastating disease.
Saks Fifth Avenue/Armani Fashion Show a "Model" Fundraising Event
On October 1st the second floor of Saks Fifth Avenue turned into a New York
High Fashion Runway for an exclusive Armani fashion show. Spectacular fall/winter fashions and accessories worn by Armani models
were the evening's highlight. Guests received an exclusive gift from Armani and enjoyed sampling Armani Dolci chocolates and champagne.
This event benefited the Foundation for the Lupus Center of Excellence and was attended by donors, friends, Saks customers and the community.
With a final attendance of 74, the event raised $14,400 which included
sponsorship, ticket sales and donations. A special thanks to Saks Fifth
Avenue for choosing the Foundation for the Lupus Center of Excellence
as the benefactor of this event.
Lupus Lecture Series 2009 has been canceled
Center's Reach Growing
The Lupus Center now supports patients from 28 states and 11 countries, whether in person or by consultation with their local rheumatologists. Elaine Scanlon, Lupus Patient Concierge, recently coordinated care for patients from Rhode Island, Louisiana, and California, not to mention a patient who traveled from Columbia, South America, to visit the Center.
Golf Outing Stirs Support for Lupus Research
More than 140 golfers took part in the second annual Lupus Research Golf Outing in September in New Castle, Pa. The day began as a rainy one, but a rainbow emerged just as the golfers teed off, providing a fitting backdrop for a day designed to raise hope, awareness, and much needed funds for lupus research.
The event is a labor of love for Joe and Jan Nugent, who organize the annual outing in thanks for the care that their adult son, Curtis, has received at the Lupus Center of Excellence. The Nugents already have set the date — Saturday, September 26 — for the 2009 event.
Lupus Center Welcomes New Physician,
Appoints Patient Concierge
Kimberly P. Liang, MD, board-certified rheumatologist, has joined the Lupus Center of Excellence at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, further strengthening the Center's position as the premier multidisciplinary center in the region and the world for patients with lupus and other autoimmune diseases.
A native of Bradford, Pa., Dr. Liang comes to the Center from the Mayo Clinic, where she recently completed a rheumatology fellowship and served as an instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine. Her focus is patient care and research in the treatment of patients with lupus and other autoimmune diseases.
In addition, the Center has appointed Elaine Scanlon as its first patient concierge. Whether referring a new or returning patient, Ms. Scanlon assists physicians and support staff in making appointments to see subspecialists at the Lupus Center and coordinates patient evaluations with other specialists at UPMC deemed necessary by Lupus Center physicians. Ms. Scanlon's also coordinates visits for patients traveling to the Center from other states or even other countries.
"These changes are intended to enhance the overall quality of care that patients receive here," says Fotios Koumpouras, MD, director of medical operations.
Our Mission
The Lupus Center of Excellence will accelerate discovery of a cure for Lupus. This will be accomplished by supporting and uniquely serving a cooperative, diverse and focused group of outstanding physicians and researchers to allow free expression of their scientific and clinical skills. These physician scientists will work together to conduct superb basic and clinical research and to provide the highest quality clinical care and education, which will be unsurpassed nationally and internationally.
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