Baltimore magazine - Health

Medical Marvels

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:59:39 +0000

Two new hospitals provide a comfortable setting for young patients.

By Evan Serpick

Baltimore already has some of the best hospital facilities in the country, but in the last few months, both Johns Hopkins Medicine and Sinai Hospital opened new buildings that will make local health-care options even better, particularly for children.

Mission To Marsden

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:43:54 +0000

After leaving WMAR-TV, Mary Beth Marsden chose to take on a new cause—the fight for her daughter and other children with autism.

By Jane Marion

On December 2, 2009, and after 21 years as anchor at WMAR-TV, Mary Beth Marsden signed off for one final time at the end of the 6 p.m. newscast.

It was a bittersweet moment for the Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, who, after months of stressful negotiations, had taken a buyout from the ABC affiliate.

A History of Recovery

Evan Serpick — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:06:58 +0000

After 40 years, Glenwood Life has become an institution for addicts.

By Evan Serpick

It’s late on a crisp fall afternoon at the Glenwood Life Counseling Center in Govans. This is typically the quietest time of day, but there is still a small crowd chatting by the front door. One by one, individual clients duck inside, check in with the front desk, and go to one of three booths in the medication room where they receive a dose of Methadone, the synthetic opioid used to treat recovering heroin addicts.

Top Gyms 2012

Max Weiss — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:40:38 +0000

Into pilates? Rock climbing? Boxing? Free weights? Has Baltimore got a gym for you!

By Beth Arsenault, Jess Blumberg, Ken Iglehart, John Lewis, Suzanne Loudermilk, Amy Mulvihill, and Evan Serpick. Edited by Max Weiss. Photography by Bryan Burris.

Yes, we know it's January—month of those dreaded resolutions—and no, we're not trying to guilt trip you. (Okay, maybe just a little.) But seriously, there's no excuse not to join a local gym at this point. You say you have no time? There are plenty of 24-hour gyms in the region. Afraid to be around the body-beautiful people? There are lots of gyms that cater to an older, more laid-back, or even out-of-shape clientele. Think you can't afford the fees? At least two of our featured gyms are $10 a month. Basically, whatever your particular version of a perfect gym might be, it's out there.

The Curious Case of Dr. Q

Evan Serpick — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:15:00 +0000

How a migrant farm worker and illegal immigrant became a Hopkins neurosurgeon

By Evan Serpick

It's almost 8 a.m. and Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa—universally known as Dr. Q—is racing through the tunnels beneath The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

"I usually walk this way, because if I walk upstairs, through the hallways, it takes too long," he says, adding his signature high-pitch laugh. "Everybody wants to stop and talk."

Top Doctors 2011: Tales From the E.R.

Ken Iglehart — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:43:33 +0000

Stories of amazing medical derring-do.

By Ken Iglehart

Home for the Holidays

Tiny Molly gets a second chance at life

For obstetrician/gynecologist Andrea Collerius and her patient, Jill Wipfield, there seemed nothing unusual about the pregnancy, Wipfield’s first.

Wipfield, 29, went into labor on Sunday, Dec. 19, and the next day, doctor and patient were at St. Joseph Medical Center, ready for the birth of a baby girl, following an epidural injection. She was to be named Molly.

Top Doctors 2011

Evan Serpick — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:13:10 +0000

Our invaluable annual list of doctors chosen by their peers.

By Ken Iglehart and Evan Serpick. Research Assistance By Johanna Anderson.

Welcome to the results of our 2011 Top Doctors peer survey, the most selective such list in the region and, for that reason, a resource on which our readers have relied for 25 years.

Addiction

Glenn J. Treisman
The Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N. Wolfe St., Meyer 119
410-955-6328

Jack Wapner
11100 Liberty Rd., #F, Randallstown
410-655-2740

Christopher J. Welsh
UMMC, 22 S. Greene St., P-1-H-10
410-328-3716

Young and Afflicted

Evan Serpick — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:56:58 +0000

A local group becomes a national leader in helping young adults with cancer.

By Evan Serpick

Each of the 22 cubicles at the Infusion Therapy Center at the University of Maryland's Greenebaum Cancer Center is filled today, as patient navigator Elizabeth Saylor takes a slow lap around the room.

This is where cancer patients come for chemotherapy. The small spaces include comforts like recliners and televisions, along with seats for guests, but there is no way to evade the deep unpleasantness of the task at hand.

Home Delivery

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:54:32 +0000

Some local moms rave about the home-birth experience—and might even break the law to have one.

By Bethany Taylor

"My fondest memory is being in my own bed with nowhere to have to relocate to," says Pam Mandell, a Baltimore mom who gave birth twice in her own home. "It was so peaceful and intimate." ¶ Most pregnant women, when that fateful day finally arrives, lumber to their cars amid contractions with a bag that's been packed for weeks, and make the uncomfortable trek to the hospital. They will fill out paperwork and see dozens of nurses, doctors, and technicians before their baby arrives.

Balanced Diet

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:11:31 +0000

Medifast’s Michael McDevitt is Baltimore’s CEO-next-door.

By Julekha Dash

It was April 4, and Michael McDevitt had just watched the Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers during their home opener. To celebrate, he and a buddy headed to Porters of Federal Hill, ordered some beers, and started chatting with fellow patrons. Then, as so often happens in this country where an estimated 68 percent of adults are overweight, the talk turned to dieting. A woman in her late 40s was raving about the weight-loss plan developed by Owings Mills-based Medifast that had recently helped her shed a few pounds.

2011 Top Dentists

Ken Iglehart — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:45:00 +0000

We found 188 dentists who will work hard for your healthy smile.

Edited By Ken Iglehart. Survey Research By Johanna Anderson And Ken Iglehart.

If you're looking for a dentist, or maybe just looking for a different dentist, we've done the homework for you.

We surveyed 2,500 DDSes in Baltimore and the five surrounding counties over the course of three months to find out whom they would send a member of their family to. Then, we broke the results down into geographic areas because, you know, nobody's going to drive an hour for a cavity.

Palace of Pain

Ken Iglehart — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:15:00 +0000

Our mission: Find out who would go to a museum of dentistry—and why.

By Ken Iglehart

If you have a serious phobia about that guy with the drill, you might want to sidestep the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry.

Located in the University of Maryland Medical Center complex on the hallowed grounds of the world's first dental school (founded in 1840), its 40,000 objects tell a history rich with painful trial and error.

When a Reviewer Has Cancer

Suzanne Loudermilk — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:04:29 +0000

Dining out can be daunting when you're going through chemo—or maybe not.

By Suzanne Loudermilk

Who knew that reviewing Baltimore's restaurants over the past year and a half would happen during a challenging time in my life—and that our local chefs would help me get through it without even realizing it?

Digital Lifelines

Baltimore magazine — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:00:00 +0000

An increasing number of patients are writing blogs to stay in touch, aid in treatment, and even raise money.

By Evan Serpick

Spirited, high-pitched yelps of Norwegian are coming from the game room at the Hackerman-Patz House across the street from Sinai Hospital.

"He's playing Donkey Kong," explains Silje Lokeng, whose five-year-old son Martin has quickly mastered his latest obsession. "Just before he had the surgery, he saw a commercial for Donkey Kong. And the first thing he said when he woke up was 'Donkey Kong!'"

Healthy Families, Healthy Kids

Baltimore magazine — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0000

An autism specialist’s personal experience inspires a new way to tackle childhood obesity.

By Evan Serpick

Eleven years ago, Dr. SungWoo Kahng moved to Baltimore with his wife to join the staff of the neurobehavioral unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Kahng became so engrossed in his work, treating some of the most severely autistic children in the country, that at first he didn't notice when he started to pile on the pounds.