Specialists from Washington at Ceylinco Diabetes Centre's public seminar

Two leading American medical experts will conduct a public seminar on diabetes and related complications in Colombo on Saturday, September 8 for the Ceylinco Diabetes Centre, a centre specialising in screening for and the management of diabetes.

Dr. James Howard, Endocrinologist and Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Dr. Barbara Howard, Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University and Howard University are the resource persons for this seminar at which participation is free, the Centre said.

The husband and wife duo will make presentations on 'Aggressive risk factor management to prevent heart attacks and strokes in individuals with diabetes' and on 'How can we stem the world-wide epidemic of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease?'

"This seminar will be invaluable to people afflicted with diabetes and their family members," the Ceylinco Diabetes Centre's Senior Medical Officer Dr. Samanthi de Silva said. "It will also be very useful to those who may be at risk of developing diabetes."

Participation will be restricted to the first 100 persons who register for the seminar by calling the Ceylinco Diabetes Centre on 2392929, she said. Registration closes on 3rd September for the seminar which takes place a week later at the Galadari Hotel's Salon Anthurium.

Dr. James Howard is an endocrinologist specialising in the treatment of cholesterol problems. He is currently Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Washington Hospital Centre and a member of the Adult Treatment Panel III of the National Cholesterol Education Program in the USA.

Dr. Barbara V. Howard Ph.D. holds faculty appointments in the departments of Medicine at Georgetown University and Biochemistry at Howard University. The current Chairperson of the American Heart Association's Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, she has won numerous awards and medals for her research into nutrition and arteriosclerosis and serves on the editorial boards of several prestigious scientific journals.

Established three years ago in affiliation with the Washington Hospital Centre, the Ceylinco Diabetes Centre is a comprehensive private stand-alone facility offering access to medical specialists in many fields of medicine associated with complications arising from diabetes, a disease that afflicts one in seven Sri Lankans, or 14 per cent of the population.

As a highly specialised outpatient clinic for screening, detection and management of diabetes and its complications, the Centre conducts clinics in Diabetology, Cardiology, Ophthalmology, Neurology, Dermatology, Podiatry and Diet and Nutrition and has a specialised wound clinic.