New Visions students learn from renowned medical experts

With a classroom located in a hospital and a curriculum centered on exploring a wide range of medical specialties, students in Career & Tech's New Visions: Health Careers programs at St. Peter's and Ellis Hospitals learn from top professionals in the field. In late 2007, Mr. Paravella's New Visions class attended a lecture by internationally recognized cancer expert Dr. Azra Raza.

New Visions: Health Careers student Maya Christie (Shenendehowa) wrote the following article about Dr. Raza's visit:

On November 9, 16 New Visions students and their teacher, Chuck Paravella, had the privilege of seeing a world-renowned oncologist and medical researcher by profession. She had come to Ellis Hospital to deliver a lecture entitled, "Are We Winning the Battle Against Cancer?" in honor of her deceased colleague of 20 years, Dr. George Valhides, a well known and loved doctor here at Ellis. Her name was Dr. Azra Raza, a woman who, through her decades of research, has brought us one step closer to discovering a cure for cancer. Born in Pakistan, Dr. Raza excelled in her academics, winning a merit scholarship for five years of medical school, in addition to receiving honors in physics, chemistry, and biology.

In America, Dr. Raza has worked in medical settings such as the University of Maryland Hospital, the Georgetown VA Medical Center and the Department of Hematologic Oncology. Dr. Raza is currently serving as a professor of medicine and the director of the MDS Center at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Raza also serves on numerous national and international panels as a reviewer, consultant and advisor. She has authored 226 full-length papers, 15 book chapters, 502 abstracts and has edited a book devoted to MDs.

Furthermore, she has served as the director of a dynamic basic research laboratory and sees approximately 300-400 new MD patients annually. Dr. Raza has spoken at several national, as well as international, conferences as the highly coveted keynote speaker. During her Grand Rounds presentation, she captivated the audience with a brief summary of her cancer research and stressed the importance of healing the "whole" patient, not just the physical aspect. She is currently researching and experimenting with ways in which to reverse the harmful side effects of chemotherapy radiation. "Amazing." "Phenomenal." "By far one of the best speakers Ellis has ever had." These were just a few of the positive comments from Dr. Raza's lecture, and we, as New Visions students, were given the once in a lifetime time opportunity to experience this life changing event.