On May 14, the Atwood Avenue BankRI branch welcomed representatives from the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation and the RI Ovarian Cancer Alliance when it hosted “An Evening of Women’s Wellness.”

The first presentation of the night, which focused on the importance of early detection of ovarian cancer, was delivered by Dr. Don Dizon. Dizon is the head of Women’s Cancers at Lifespan Cancer Institute and director of Medical Oncology at Rhode Island Hospital. He received his training in medical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. From 2003 to 2009, Dr. Dizon was the Director of Medical Oncology for the Program in Women’s Oncology at Women & Infants Hospital. During his time there, he founded the Center for Sexuality, Intimacy, and Fertility for women with cancer – the first program of its kind in Rhode Island. Earlier in 2018, Dr. Dizon was named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Laura Nevel, MD, a gynecologist in private practice in Cranston, and who is affiliated with local hospitals, including The Miriam Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, and Women & Infants, gave the event’s second presentation. She is also a clinical assistant professor of OBGYN at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Nevel’s presentation highlighted the genetics of breast cancer from a clinician’s perspective, along with discussing the criteria used to determine genetic testing and the role of family history linking predisposition to other cancers with an increased risk of breast cancer. She is involved with the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.

Throughout the evening, guests had access to representatives from each partnering organization and joined in the Q &A session on a variety of women’s health topics.