Surgeon to keynote Go Red for Women Sept. 21

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women. In the United States, cardiovascular diseases and stroke cause one in three women's deaths each year, according to the American Heart Association.

To raise awareness about heart disease in women, the American Heart Association in 2004 kicked off the Go Red for Women social and educational initiative, which includes an annual fundraising luncheon bringing women together to learn more about the disease so they can empower themselves.

Beebe Healthcare will sponsor the 10th Annual Go Red for Women Luncheon and Fashion Show Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the clubhouse at Baywood Greens in Long Neck. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and lunch will be served at noon. The cost is $30 per person. This year's luncheon will raise monies for the American Heart Association of Southern Delaware.

The keynote speaker will be thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon Christopher M. Genco, MD, who joined Beebe Healthcare earlier this year. He arrived  from the Michigan Cardiovascular Institute where he practiced for over 24 years in the Saginaw-Midland-Bay City area. Genco was one of the top 5 busiest surgeons in Michigan, performing between 200 and 350 open heart surgeries per year as well as numerous vascular and thoracic cases. He has performed well over 5,000 open heart procedures in his career. He was also instrumental in starting the first Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement programs in mid-Michigan.

Genco completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame in 1980, and earned his medical degree from SUNY Stony Brook in New York. He completed his general surgery residency at SUNY Stony Brook and by 1992 completed his cardiothoracic fellowship in Boston at Tufts New England Medical Center. In 2008 he received additional training in endovascular surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

While in Michigan, Genco participated in numerous clinical research projects and published articles in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of American College of Cardiology and the Journal of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery. He is a past president of the Saginaw County Medical Society. Board certified in thoracic surgery, Genco is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgery and the American College of Phlebology.

His scope of practice includes all forms of adult cardiac and thoracic surgeries including aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair, replacement as well as coronary artery bypass surgery, lung resections for lung cancer, carotid endarterectomies, as well as abdominal and thoracic aneurysm repairs. Genco see patients at Beebe Cardiac Surgery at 400 Savannah Road in Lewes. He also is affiliated with the Beebe Vein Center.

Community health nurses from the Beebe's Population Health Department will be providing free blood pressure screenings at the event from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. for those attending the luncheon.

Event co-hairs are Pat Sandy of Beebe Medical Center Auxiliary and Lynn Toth, RN, MSN, NP-C, a cardiovascular medical specialist and chairwoman of the Stroke Program at Beebe Healthcare. For tickets, contact either Pat Sandy at 302-236-1537 or Muriel Pfeiffer at 302-947-2640.

Checks, for $30 per person, are to be made to the American Heart Association of Southern Delaware. They should be sent to Muriel Pfeiffer, 13 Apache Ave., Millsboro, DE 19966. Donations are welcome.