4 HEALTH • Spring 2016
C E N T R A L M A S S A C H U S E T T S
Executive Editor
Brad Kane, bkane@wbjournal.com
HEALTH Editor
Emily Micucci, emicucci@wbjournal.com
Contributors
Edd Cote, Livia Gershon, Christina P. O'Neill
Susan Shalhoub
Research Director, Stephanie Meagher,
smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com
Research Assistant, Heide Martin,
hmartin@wbjournal.com
Production Director, Kira Beaudoin,
kbeaudoin@wbjournal.com
Art Director, Mitchell Hayes,
mhayes@wbjournal.com
Senior Accounts Manager
Matt Majikas, mmajikas@wbjournal.com
Custom Publishing Project Manager
Christine Juetten, cjuetten@wbjournal.com
Marketing & Events Manager
Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com
Chief Financial Officer, Mary Rogers,
mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Accounting Assistant, Valerie Clark,
vclark@nebusinessmedia.com
Collections Manager, Raki Zwiebel,
rzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com
Human Resources, Kim Vautour,
kvautour@nebusinessmedia.com
Publisher, CEO, Peter Stanton,
pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com
Associate Publisher, Mark Murray,
mmurray@wbjournal.com
Group Publisher, Joseph Zwiebel,
jzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com
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A division of:
HEALTH
{ From The Editor }
M
uch to the joy of everyone here at New England Business
Media, HEALTH Editor Emily Micucci gave birth to her second
child – her first girl, Julia – in January. I am happy to report
mother and daughter (and the whole family) are doing very
well. Luckily for us, Micucci used her considerable expertise to do a rough
sketch of the content for this issue of Central Massachusetts HEALTH before
she left on maternity leave.
Using Micucci's framework as a base, we were able to build this issue in her
absence, exploring the themes of aging, fitness and nutrition, and cancer care.
That doesn't mean it wasn't quite the adventure putting this issue together.
As substitute editor, I got my first full taste of the healthcare world during an interview of oncologist
Dr. David Shepro at Saint Vincent Cancer and Wellness Center. In the middle of a conversation,
Shepro was interrupted by a phone call from the husband of a patient with pancreas cancer, who
wanted to know how best to make his dying wife comfortable. Shepro handled the matter in stride; I
couldn't stop thinking about it for days. It was quite the change from the usual financial reports and
corporate announcements that come with my day job as Worcester Business Journal editor.
Eye-opening conversations aside, we were fortunate to have a great slate of writers who had written
for HEALTH previously and ensured a smooth transition.
Our cover story for this issue – "A nurse's soul-nourishing work" by Livia Gershon – dives into the
interesting life of Susan Papalia, a cardiovascular research nurse at UMass Memorial Medical Center,
who manages studies like those using stem cells to regrow parts of the heart after a heart attack.
Papalia also volunteers throughout New England, particularly at the medical tents of road races, such
as the upcoming Boston Marathon.
Gershon also looked at the newest weapon in the fight against lung cancer, which is the second-
most prevalent cancer and, by far, the most deadly. In her feature on page 16, Gershon looks at how a
new detection method is catching the cancer at earlier stages, which is leading to better outcomes.
On the fitness side of this issue, the "Fighting childhood obesity" feature on page 18 by Taryn
Plumb casts a watchful eye on the money, volunteers and programs being used to provide children
and their parents with good nutrition and exercise habits.
Lastly, in one of the biggest issues facing the healthcare insurance industry, Susan Shalhoub found
several innovative ways Central Massachusetts insurers are encouraging senior citizens to stay active
and healthy, such as offering centers for them to get exercise or aid to help them stay out of costly
nursing homes as long as possible.
This issue now marks the start of year two in the publishing of Central Massachusetts HEALTH.
The inaugural year went fantastically, as the new concept of a regional health publications designed
for patients, providers and benefits administrators was embraced strongly by the community. We have
plans to make HEALTH bigger and better than ever next year, providing the quality content you need
in an ever-changing healthcare landscape.
- Brad Kane, interim HEALTH editor
This issue was quite the adventure
Central Massachusetts HEALTH is published 4
times a year by New Engand Business Media LLC.
