Jane Brody highlights Health Awareness Week events, Feb. 7-14

The 20th annual Health Awareness Week on the Cornell campus will be Feb. 7-14, and it features a free lecture on Feb. 9 by Cornell alumna Jane Brody, nutrition author and New York Times Personal Health columnist.

The annual week of health-related information and educational activities is sponsored by Gannett: Cornell Health Services' Clinical Volunteer Program and is co-sponsored by Cornell Fitness Centers. The theme for the week is "Take Charge of Your Health," focusing on preventative medicine and healthy lifestyles.

Cornell organizations from different sectors of the campus community are working together to offer a broad range of activities throughout the week to educate the community with current information on relevant health-related topics.

Kicking off the week on Monday, Feb. 7, is the fifth annual Health Fair, co-sponsored by the Gannett Clinical Volunteer Program and the Willard Straight Hall Program Board. The Health Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall.

More than 20 Ithaca-area community service organizations and alternative medicine specialists, as well as 20 campus groups, will present information, resources, hands-on-activities, games, free samples and many door prizes donated by campus and community businesses during the fair. Among the presentation topics to be covered are: nutrition; fitness; preventative health; dental health; sexual health; HIV/AIDS; women's health; men's health; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resources; alcohol and drugs; chiropractic; and massage. The Health Fair is free and open to all.

Jane Brody will speak Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. in the Statler Auditorium. Her talk is co-sponsored by the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Association and the Clinical Volunteer Program. Tickets are free and are available at the Willard Straight Hall ticket office on campus.

A 1962 Cornell graduate and a member of the President's Council of Cornell Women, Brody writes and lectures frequently on health, nutrition, medicine and other aspects of science. She has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows throughout the country. She received her B.S. degree in biochemistry from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell in 1962 and a master's degree in science writing from the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism in 1963. In 1965 she joined The New York Times as a full-time specialist in medicine and biology, and in 1976 she became the Times' Personal Health columnist. Her column appears each Tuesday in the Times and in more than 100 other newspapers around the United States. Among her nine books are: Secrets of Good Health; You Can Fight Cancer and Win; Jane Brody's Nutrition Book; Jane Brody's The New York Times Guide to Personal Health; and Jane Brody's Cold and Flu Fighter. The Cornell Campus Store will be selling copies of Brody's books in the Statler Auditorium lobby prior to her talk, and afterwards she will be available for a book signing.

Health Awareness Week events are coordinated by Cornell student co-chairs, seniors Krista Caiola and Lindsay Hower, and some 100 student clinical volunteers are planning, assisting, fund raising and preparing displays. For more information, call Janice Saidla, coordinator of the Clinical Volunteer Program, at 255-6935.

Health Awareness Week calendar

• 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room: Fifth annual Clinical Volunteer Program Health Fair. Door prizes, information, free stuff and more. Co-sponsored by Willard Straight Hall Program Board.
• 5 p.m., Faculty Commons, Martha Van Rensselaer Hall. "Loosing Weight by Dieting is a No-Win Game," presented by David Levitsky, professor of psychology and of nutritional sciences, and sponsored by the College of Human Ecology's Kappa Omicron Nu honor society and the College Agriculture and Life Sciences' Ho-Nun-De-Kah honor society.
• 8 p.m., Hollister Hall, McManus Lounge: "What's Going on This Weekend?" Open forum and speak-out about Cornell's social scene. Sponsored by Renaissance.
• 10 p.m., Helen Newman Hall: "Aerobics Night," sponsored by Cornell Fitness Centers.

Tuesday, Feb. 8:

• 6 p.m., Edwards Room, Anabel Taylor Hall: "Barriers to Healthcare for LGBT People: An Interactive Workshop," led by Monifa Bishop, a health educator with the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in New York City, which focuses on the LGBT community. This program is presented by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center.
• 7 p.m., Willard Straight Hall Art Gallery: "Willard Straight Hall Program Board Fireside Chat" titled "Just Say Know! Effects of Street Drugs on the Brain," presented by Ronald Harris-Warrick, professor of neurobiology and behavior.

Wednesday, Feb. 9:

• 5 p.m., 265 Martha Van Rensselear Hall: "Got Love? Your Health May Depend on It," by Cynthia Hazan, associate professor of human development, sponsored by the Human Ecology Health Careers Council.
• 8 p.m., Statler Auditorium: "Take Charge of Your Health," by Jane Brody '62. Brody will sign books in the Statler Auditorium lobby after her talk.

Thursday, Feb. 10:

• 7 p.m., 122 Rockefeller Hall: "Patient's Rights: Issues in Informed Consent," by Stephen Hilgartner, assistant professor of science and technology studies. The talk is presented by the Cornell Student Health Alliance.
• 9 p.m., Robert Purcell Community Center Auditorium: "Living Canvas -- Tattooing, Body Piercing and Branding," by Walt Hewitt RNC, BSN, Rutgers University. The talk is presented by Robert Purcell Community Center.

Friday, Feb. 11:

• 9 p.m., Uris Hall Auditorium: Cornell Cinema presents "Bringing Out the Dead," starring Nicolas Cage.

Sunday, Feb. 13:

• 3 p.m., Barnes Hall Auditorium: "The Vagina Monologues," Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning play presented by Cornell students, staff, faculty and community. Admission is $3 for students and $5 for all others. The performance is sponsored by Cornell Advocates for Rape Education.

Monday, Feb. 14

• 7:30 p.m., Barnes Hall Auditorium: "The Vagina Monologues." (See Feb. 13).