Best Doctors 2018: SLUCare Physicians Named To St. Louis Magazine List

by Maggie Rotermund

St. Louis Magazine has released its 2018 Best Doctors issue, revealing the area’s top physicians as selected by other doctors. The list includes physicians representing SLUCare Physician Group across more than 40 different specialties.

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Michael Lim, a SLUCare cardiologist, graces the cover of the 2018 Best Doctors issue of St. Louis Magazine. Photo by St. Louis Magazine.

In addition to the SLUCare doctors who made the Best Doctors List, the magazine also featured a number of stories about the research coming out of Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

George Grossberg, M.D., director of geriatric psychiatry at SLU, was interviewed for a story on new therapies for Alzheimer’s patients. The article highlighted SLU’s participation in a multi-center Phase II/III clinical trial which will test the safety and efficacy of an investigational drug’s ability to slow the decline of brain function and possibly delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease in those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease who do not yet have symptoms of the illness.

A story on how St. Louis is a leading location for cancer research featured Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology and physiology at SLU, and her team’s success in an animal model in turning off the excruciating pain that often accompanies a colorectal cancer drug. St. Louis Magazine also highlighted Salvemini’s work in finding relief for pain associated with bone cancer.

Terry Moore, M.D., director of the adult and pediatric Rheumatology divisions at SLU, was interviewed about his 30-year career researching arthritis.

Other SLU research highlighted in the Best Doctors issue of St. Louis Magazine included:

  • Findings from Sergey Korolev, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and his team that they have determined the structure of a key protein that is involved in the body’s inflammatory response. This finding opens the door to developing new treatments for a wide range of illnesses, from heart disease, diabetes and cancer to neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease.
  • The creation of  an Extended Stay Research Unit housed in Salus Center. The facility will allow SLU to take its vaccine research to the next level, said Daniel Hoft, M.D., Ph.D., director of SLU’s Center for Vaccine Development.
  • The SLU Memory Clinic, led by Max Zubatsky, Ph.D., provides support — including free screenings, counseling, and caregiver support groups— to Alzheimer’s patients and their families.
  • Photos of SLUCare physicians and 2018 Best Doctors Ken Haller, M.D., professor of pediatrics, and Michael Lim, M.D., professor of cardiology, were also included. Lim’s photo was chosen for the cover of the magazine.

The list is based on the annual “Best Doctors in America” database, which considers more than one million peer evaluations to create a directory of approximately 40,000 doctors, from 40 medical specialties and 400 subspecialities.

Founded by Harvard Medical School physicians in 1989, Best Doctors, Inc., helps identify outstanding physicians across a range of medical specialties.

Selected SLU Care Physicians in Pediatrics:

SLUCare Pediatrics, based at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, is dedicated to partnering with patients, their families and the community to meet children’s physical, emotional and developmental needs.

Pediatrics (General)

  • Matt A. Broom, M.D.
  • Ken Haller, M.D.
  • Donna R. Halloran, M.D.
  • M. Susan Heaney, M.D.
  • Gene LaBarge, M.D.
  • Jay E. Noffsinger, M.D.
  • Martin Schmidt, M.D.
  • Aline Tanios, M.D.

Click Here to Read the Full Article on Slu.edu News

Black Tulip Chorale Debut Performance – “You Come Too”

Join us at the Ethical Society of St.Louis (9001 Clayton Rd.) for the debut performance of St. Louis’ only LGBTQIA-friendly mixed voice ensemble welcoming all genders and orientations. In its inaugural season, the Black Tulip Chorale promotes social consciousness through the finest in choral repertoire.

General admission is $15. Tickets available via the link below at Brown Paper Tickets.



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Click Here to visit the Brown Paper Tickets event page.


If you are unable to attend this performance, please join us Sunday, July 1 at St. Paul United Church of Christ at 3510 Giles Avenue. That performance starts at 3 pm.

The Medicine Show – Ken Haller at the Kranzberg Studio

 

Ken Haller
“The Medicine Show”

July 20-21, 2018

8pm

$25 General Admission


In the Kranzberg Arts Center
Produced by The Presenters Dolan

Ken Haller’s The Medicine Show peddles miracle cures compounded by Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Stephen Sondheim and other noted practitioners of the healing arts. In song and story, Ken shows us how becoming a doctor is just the first step in becoming a healer.

“In this 65-minute show of stories and songs, I look at what captivated me about medicine and the realization that being a doctor is not the same thing as being a healer. I will be accompanied by my brilliant Music Director, Marty Fox, and I hope you will join us for this very personal show.”  ~ Ken Haller


Here’s what the critics have to say about Ken Haller:

 

Cabaret Scenes critic Chuck Lavazzi calls “The Medicine Show,” “…fast and funny… truly moving” and adds “Haller delivered the goods with that combination of theatrical smarts and vocal authority that has made him one of our town’s principal cabaret exports.”

(Read the full review here: http://cabaretscenes.org/2017/05/03/ken-haller-the-medicine-show/ )

“Pediatricians have many talents—Ken is a dear friend and a wonderful pediatrician—and he does a moving and delightful cabaret show with songs and stories about families and growing up—and turning into yourself.” – Perri Klass, MD, New York Times columnist

BEST ST. LOUIS CABARET PERFORMER! The GO! List, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sunday, April 26, 2015:

“Cabaret performers come and go, but Ken Haller, a pediatrician by day, is a St. Louis legend. If you’re interested in what makes the Great American Songbook great, you owe it to yourself to give this man a listen.” – Calvin Wilson

MAMA’S BOY

“Tender, loving…hilarious. A great show from a great guy.” – Katie Dunne McGrath, KDHX.org

“A stellar performance…an extraordinary cabaret performer.” – Lois Caplan Miller, The Jewish Light

SONG BY SONG BY SONDHEIM

“Haller’s show is a gem… His sincerity and authority carry the day in this very personal creation. This is a terrific show. It’s a model of what cabaret should be!” – Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle, HEC-TV

“Haller is a charming and talented performer with a voice as smooth as a brandy Alexander… A Classy Act. A Classy Guy.” – Robert Alan Mitchell, KDHX.org

THE TV SHOW!

“…a tremendously entertaining and often extremely funny romp through TV land… fun for the whole family!” – Chuck Lavazzi, KDHX.org

“…a sheer delight…a pleasant trip down memory lane…touching a nerve with all of us who experienced this golden age.” – Chris Gibson, BroadwayWorld.com

Acting Like a Doctor: Strengthening Doctor-Patient Relationships Through Theatre at SLU

Dr. Ken Haller, professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University, leads first-year medical students in a writing exercise during his Acting Like a Doctor class.

ACTING LIKE A DOCTOR: STRENGTHENING DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THEATRE AT SLU

by Emily Hellmuth

The doctor-patient relationship is one that we all face at some point in our lives. It is also one that can be challenging given the sensitive nature of the conversations, particularly if we do not understand each other. Ken Haller, professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University and A&E board member, is using theater with his medical students to improve that relationship.

“In addition to anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, we put a great deal of emphasis at SLU Medical School on nurturing mindfulness and empathy in our students as we prepare them to see patients in the real world,” Haller explained.

Part of that preparation is developing the softer skills required of being a doctor, something Haller aims to do in the Acting Like a Doctor elective he teaches with first-year medical students.

“While not that many medical students have been actors, every med student has seen actors at work and knows how powerful their work can be,” he added.

One recent class meeting began with students identifying their greatest fears in becoming doctors.

“I’m afraid of not having the answer, but that’s why my communications skills are so important,” one student explained. “I need to have the right words to comfort even if I don’t have the actions.”

This is the kernel of Haller’s class – using theatre and acting techniques like role play and improv to teach students how to empathize with their patients and their families and how to play the role of doctor even when they don’t feel like it.

“When you’re seeing patients, you have to act like a doctor even when you don’t feel like a doctor. This, of course, is what actors do: If we act like this person we are portraying, and the audience believes us in that role, we become that person,” Haller, an actor himself, explained.

The students in the elective are all in their first year of medical school, before they being patient interactions, but Cynthia Morris says the class still finds its way into her practice as a pediatric neurology resident.

“I am more comfortable standing and speaking in front of a group and I learned good ways to handle some more difficult patient scenarios, especially how to speak kindly and patiently with families who do not want things that I feel are very important for their child,” she explained.

Monica Goodland, a MD/PhD candidate at Saint Louis University, adds the elective gave her the tools she needs to understand her patients.

“If I can quickly assess that history from my patient – Do they seem guarded? Do they seem like they are not giving me the whole story? Is there someone else in the room who may be influencing the dynamic of the visit? – I can really be the physician my patient needs,” Goodland said.

As Haller explains during a recent session, the theatre elective is about more than silly role play scenarios. It is about how doctors relate to their patients and learn to trust themselves in the role of doctor so that they can think on their feet and better understand – and, ultimately, heal – their patients.

To read more about how the arts foster connections and promote a vibrant St. Louis, click here.

Protect your child from overheating in a hot car

JULY 22, 2015, BY

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – Every summer we hear tragedies of children dying in hot cars. The extreme heat, even with the windows cracked, makes locked cars dangerous places for young kids.

This summer is no different.

SLUcare pediatrician at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center Dr. Ken Haller joins FOX 2 with some helpful reminders for parents.

Tips to remember:

  • ‘Look Before You Lock’ – Get in the habit of always opening the back door to check the back seat before leaving your vehicle. Make sure no child has been left behind.
  • Create a reminder to check the back seat.
  • Make sure you have a strict policy in place with your childcare provider about daycare drop-off.
  • Keep vehicles locked at all times, even in driveways or garages.
  • Keep car keys and remote openers out of reach of children.
  • If a child goes missing, immediately check the inside passenger compartments and trunks of all vehicles in the area very carefully, even if they are locked.
  • If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. Call 911 immediately. If the child seems hot or sick, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible.
  • Use drive-thru services when available (restaurants, banks, pharmacies, dry cleaners, etc.) and pay for gas at the pump.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE ON FOX2NOW.COM

Why are colds common during winter months?

JANUARY 8, 2015, BY

(KTVI) – Here comes the freezing temperatures… and the cold and flu symptoms? While it’s never been scientifically confirmed, Winter is typically known for being the season of sickness. According to SLUCARE Pediatrician Dr. Ken Haller, there seems to be good reason for that.

A recent study looked at how quickly viruses grow in different temperatures, particularly in the nose where body temperature tends to be lower since that’s where air comes in from outside.

Haller says the study showed that in lower temperatures, viruses tend to grow more so as people outside in the freezing temperatures, breathing in the cold air, their bodies are more susceptible, making it not just easier for viruses to grow there but also harder for your body fight off the virus.

Dr. Haller has some advice if you want to try to prevent winter sickness. First, drink lots of water. He says hydration is very important, and we should actually be drinking more water in the winter than in the summer. Next, try using a salt water nasal spray a few times a day to give your nose some extra protection and to keep your mucous membranes moist.

Song by Song by Sondheim 2018

This will be the Year of Stephen Sondheim in St. Louis, as he is honored with the prestigious 2018 Saint Louis Literary Award. To salute the master lyricist and composer, Ken Haller is thrilled to reprise his critically-acclaimed debut cabaret show:

“Song by Song by Sondheim”
Fri & Sat, April 6-7, 2018, 8:00 PM
Tickets at https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/presenters-dolan-ken-haller-song-by-song-by-sondheim

Weaving songs as sentimental, witty, lacerating, sweet, and rollicking as “Not a Day Goes By,” “Everybody Says Don’t,” “Losing My Mind,” “Not While I’m Around,” “Marry Me a Little,” and his own unique take in “Send in the Clowns” into a “wonderful… funny… terrific… intimate” 65-minute narrative, Ken, accompanied by his Music Director, Marty Fox, displays the gifts that led the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to name him Best St. Louis Cabaret Performer 2015.

Critical raves for Ken Haller and “Song by Song by Sondheim”

“Haller’s show is a gem… Haller gives [Sondheim’s] songs a new, very intimate context, that lets them work in the same way they do in the original shows, [and] his sincerity and authority carry the day in this very personal creation. This is a terrific show. It’s a model of what cabaret should be!” — Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle, HEC-TV

“Ken Haller once again delights a St. Louis audience with his very special evening of songs by Stephen Sondheim. He first presented this masterfully-crafted cabaret evening some seven years ago at the Kranzberg. Since then he performed it in New York. Thoughtful, lonely, funny, loving – [This] show is well worthy of revival. – Steve Callahan, kdhx.org

“Saw this and it was wonderful! Grab a ticket while you can.” — Gail Pennington, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Ken Haller combines amazing warmth and intimacy, in an act that sets him far above nearly everyone else in town.” — Richard Green, TalkinBroadway.com

“Haller is a charming and talented performer with a voice as smooth as a brandy Alexander… A Classy Act. A Classy Guy.” — Bob Mitchell, kdhx.org

“Ken Haller’s cabaret show is terrific. There are some really beautiful moments. The whole show is Sondheim, and it’s such a good song list! Extremely funny but also extremely personal and warm and emotional.” — Scott Miller, Artistic Director, New Line Theatre

With a rise in flu cases, what can be done to prevent, treat it?

 

The St. Louis County Department of Public Health reports 1,282 cases of influenza in the first week of January. The illness is also causing a low blood supply at local hospitals.

On Monday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh discussed why the flu is so prevalent in St. Louis. Joining him for the discussion was Ken Haller, SLUCare pediatrician at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and professor at Saint Louis University.

Haller addressed how to navigate the flu including the symptoms, treatment and prevention, period of contagion and effectiveness of the flu vaccine.

Q: Why has it been a bad flu season?

A: Frankly, this is a particularly bad strain of flu. This strain is called H3N2 and it seems to be the bad one hitting us this year. Unfortunately, the vaccine that was created for the United States does not hit that one directly.

Q: Does that mean that this year’s vaccines are ineffective?

A: It’s not totally ineffective and we still recommend getting it. The thing is, even if you get the H3N2 strain, [the shot] will make your illness less severe. While the vaccines change from year to year because the strains change from year to year, the immunity you get each year does tend to have a shadow effect for a few years after that. Even though you’re getting vaccines against certain strains this year, that will still give you some protection if those strains show up again in the future.

Q: How to prevent catching the flu if it’s in the air?

A: Do things that will keep your body’s defenses up. Drinking lots of fluids, getting lots of sleep, using saline spray in the nose to keep things nice and moist, that’s the kind of stuff that will be really helpful.

Q: What about treatment?

A: In terms of just treatment, listen to what your body is telling you. Cytokines, chemical messengers [in the body,] will give you those feelings of feeling sick. One of those reasons that they do that is that they tell you to stop, just be quiet, don’t run around, don’t go shopping, don’t go to work, just stay home and drink lots of fluids and do the things your body is telling you to do. Once you have the flu, try to take care of yourself and get plenty of sleep. Chicken soup is good; people will often crave fruits that have a lot of fluid in them like citrus fruits, listen to what your body is telling you. It’s also not a good idea to lay down all the time; it’s still a good idea to get up and move around because what happens with the flu is your body is producing a lot more mucus. If you just lay in one position that mucus will settle in the lungs which can block up air passages and bacteria will not be able to work their way out and can fester up and cause pneumonia.

Listen to the full discussion: Host Don Marsh discussed why the flu is so prevalent in St. Louis and what can be done to prevent and treat it.

St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary EdwardsAlex Heuer and Lara Hamdan give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.