Wellness Lecture Series Features Nationally Known Speakers

Four-part series to be hosted by The College of Wooster in McGaw Chapel

WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Wooster Community Hospital, and Dunlap Hospital will join forces again this year to sponsor the third annual Wellness Lecture Series. The four-part series was established to draw attention to the importance of well-being and health. The sessions, which are free and open to the public, will be held in McGaw Chapel (340 E. University St.) beginning at 7 p.m. A reception in Freedlander Theatre will follow each presentation.

"All four speakers have a national reputation," said Dan Dean of The College of Wooster's Wellness Center. "We are very fortunate to have people of this caliber on campus to talk about health issues that affect such a wide range of people. I think that those who attend the lectures will come away with a better idea of how to take care of themselves and their family."

The series opens on Wednesday, Jan. 20, when Michael F. Roizen, M.D., presents "Why the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Program is Good For You." Roizen has founded six companies and co-invented a drug approved by the FDA. He also co-wrote a medical bestseller and four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. He still practices anesthesiology and internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, and uses his RealAge metric to motivate his patients. Widely known for his appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Today," "20/20" and "Good Morning America," Roizen has produced several PBS fundraising specials, including "The RealAge Makeover" and "You: On A Diet."

The second lecture will feature Stephen Post addressing "It's Good to be Good: Happiness, Health, and Giving" on Thursday, Jan. 28. A professor of preventive medicine and director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University, Post has written seven scholarly books on such issues as altruism, compassionate care, and love. He also is the editor of nine other books, including Altruism & Health: Perspectives from Empirical Research, and Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy and Religion in Dialogue. Committed to conveying important ideas in the wider culture, Post has appeared on a number of television programs, including "Nightline" and "20/20."

The third lecture will be delivered by Deborah Madison, founding chef of San Francisco's Greens restaurant and the author of 10 cookbooks. She will present "Cultivating Food Literacy for Our Pleasure, Well Being, and the Good of the Environment" on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Her publications include Local Flavors, Cooking and Eating from Americas Farmers' Markets, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and What We Eat When We Eat Alone. She also contributes to such magazines as Martha Stewart Living, Fine Cooking, Organic Gardening, and Saveur. She also sits on the board of the Seed Savers Exchange and is co-director of the Edible Kitchen Garden in Santa Fe, N.M. A long-time member and leader in Slow Food, she has a long-abiding passion for farmers' markets, good eating, and good health.

The series concludes on Wednesday, Feb. 17, when Heidi Adams presents "Young Adults and Cancer: When Two Worlds Collide." A 14-year survivor of Ewing's sarcoma, Adams is the director of Grassroots Engagement for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and founder of Planet Cancer, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a community of young adults with cancer in their 20s and 30s, and to raising awareness about their unique medical and psychosocial needs. She is also the advocacy co-chair of the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance, a national coalition of more than 100 organizations and institutions working together to improve survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer.

Additional information about the Wellness Lecture Series is available by phone (330-263-2299) or e-mail.