PROVIDENCE – The Women & Infants Hospital’s Program in Women’s Oncology will hold its annual Ritz conference, “Contemporary Issues in Health Care,” on Nov. 7 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Providence-Warwick, focusing this year on the theme “Everything We Thought We Never Needed to Know About Sex.”
The event, which started out 22 years ago at the Ritz Hotel in Boston, has evolved into an evening symposium that blends sessions on the latest trends and research in medicine with an original play, music and other forms of art.
In the past, the conference has explored such topics as cancer genetics, palliative care, international health care and alternative therapies, all with the goal of stimulating and exchanging ideas on current health care topics that could affect the choices health care professionals and patients can make.
This year’s sessions will include “The Female Sexual Response – An Update and What’s Coming” with Dr. Sandra Carson, director of the Women & Infants Center for Reproduction and Infertility and editor in chief of the Journal of Sexuality, Reproduction and Menopause; “The Penis Knows – The Mystique of ED, Disease, Detection and Prevention,” with Dr. Martin Miner, director of the Men’s Health Center at Miriam; and “Getting Better,” a panel discussion and question-and-answer session with Dr. Doreen Wiggins, a breast surgeon and co-director of Women & Infants Center for Sexuality, Intimacy and Infertility.
There will also be a chance to try a daVinci surgical robot similar to the one used at The Miriam Hospital for gynecologic oncology and urological surgeries.
In addition, the event will feature a dance competition pitting the best in-house dance teams from both Women & Infants and The Miriam Hospital, a tango demonstration, and music and dancing for all, plus an original play, “Cassandra’s Hideaway,” performed by staff of the Program in Women’s Oncology to illustrate the importance of intimacy in people’s lives.
The event runs from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Registration is $60 per person and includes hors d’oeuvres. To register or for more information, call Diane Almeida-Tootell at 274-1122, ext. 7241, e-mail her, or visit the Women & Infants Web site.
