Topic: disease awareness

By Eric Compton, Worldwide President, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc.

At Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (OCD), celebrating National Minority Health Month in April was an opportunity to shine a light on the health disparities affecting our country. While we are all at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and in some instances HIV, these diseases can affect minorities at a much higher rate. As a company and as part of the broader healthcare community, we encourage everyone to take control of your own health and Know Your Numbers; so we can stand together by preventing, diagnosing and managing chronic disease.

We’re proud to say that our cause recently benefited from some star power. Jamar Rogers, known for his incredible performances on NBC’s The Voice, visited OCD to share how a blood test result helped him decide to live with purpose. We were so inspired by his talk that we asked him to submit a blog so that everyone could benefit from his message.

Here is Jamar’s story:

Ever since I was a little boy, I loved singing and dreamed of doing it professionally some day. However, by the time I was a teenager, those dreams were becoming out of reach.

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By Joanne Vanak, Senior Director of Scientific Advocacy at Janssen

I play many roles in my life and in my work. I am part of the scientific advocacy team at Janssen Biotech. I’m a former oncology nurse. I am a member of Johnson & Johnson’s Veteran’s Leadership Council. And, I’m also the daughter, wife and mother of men who have served in our country’s military. These are just a few of the reasons I’m so proud and honored to help my company launch a new campaign — Show Your Stripes for Prostate Cancer Awareness — to educate and support veterans and their families about prostate cancer.

There are lots of reasons this campaign is important. Did you know:

• Among the general population, approximately one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. It’s the second most common cancer next to skin cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among American men.
• Approximately two-thirds of the cases of prostate cancer occur in men over the age of 65, or approaching it, and nearly two-thirds of male U.S. veterans are in this age group.
• And, prostate cancer not only impacts the men in our lives, but it can affect his family, friends, and loved ones.

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By Kelsey Ginck, Global Fellow, Corporate Communication, Johnson & Johnson

In honor of American Diabetes Alert Day, a one-day “wake up call” for learning your risk of diabetes, I asked my mom about her journey with diabetes — from her diagnosis and how it influenced her decision to become a diabetes educator at LifeScan Animas, to how her experiences have shaped where she is today, both personally and professionally.

Check out the full post over at JNJParents: http://jnj.me/14sSG4b

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From Bill Weldon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson & Johnson

Each Veterans Day, Americans take a collective pause to express our gratitude for those who so honorably serve in the Armed Forces. We say a silent thank you for all who sacrificed their lives in the cause of freedom, and applaud the heroism and bravery of returning veterans whose visible wounds often bear witness to their time on the front lines. But this Veterans Day, many of our young men and women in uniform are struggling with less visible wounds: traumatic injuries that don’t require a prosthetic or wheelchair – yet leave deep and lasting scars on the mind.

The challenge of treating and curing diseases and injuries to the brain is more critical than ever.  After nine years of frequent deployments, today’s combat veterans are increasingly suffering not only traumatic brain injuries but also the emotional and psychological wounds of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental conditions including addiction, depression and suicide. A 2011 study of returning soldiers conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that one in five active duty and more than four in ten reserve soldiers had been diagnosed as needing mental health treatment.

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Most of us are aware of the importance of protecting your skin from the sun. Whenever my family and I go to the beach, the first thing we do is slather on the sunscreen in an effort to shield our skin from UV-rays. But what about our eyes? UV-rays are just as harmful to our vision, and our eyes need to be protected as well.

According to the Vision Care Institute, a Johnson & Johnson company, only about 65% of Americans wear sunglasses to help protect their eyes from the sun’s rays, and only 39% make sure their children wear sunglasses. Since children have larger pupils, clearer lenses and oftentimes spend more time outside without protecting their eyes, it’s no surprise that it is estimated a large amount of lifetime exposure to UV rays may occur by age 18.

There are some helpful ways to help keep your eyes safe and healthy. For one, wearing sunglasses can help block UV rays. For most styles however, while they prevent UV rays from entering through the lenses, do not prevent rays from reading the sides, top and bottom of the glasses. Hats with brims also offer protection from the sun. However, they don’t protect our eyes from the rays reflected off surfaces like water, sand and pavement.

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From Shaun Mickus, Director, Product Communication, Internal Medicine, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Services

It is estimated that every minute of the year, at least one person in the U.S. develops a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), an unwanted blood clot in a deep vein (usually in the leg). If left untreated, part of a DVT can break off and form a pulmonary embolism (PE) – an unwanted blood clot that travels to the lungs. At least every five minutes, someone dies from a PE. 

DVTs can affect people of any age and health status, and this March marks the sixth annual DVT Awareness Month. Public and health care professional awareness of DVTs, including signs and symptoms, has increased over the years, yet more education about clots and risk factors is needed.

To coincide with DVT Awareness Month, Ortho-McNeil, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – the Johnson & Johnson company that I work for – is posting a five-part “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’ video series on the Johnson & Johnson Health Channel on YouTube to educate about the prevalence, signs and symptoms, risk factors, prevention and diagnosis of DVTs.

The DVT videos feature several stories of people who have been impacted by a DVT, including a 25-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y.

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From William N. Hait, MD, PhD, Global Therapeutic Area Head, Oncology, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development

Cancer. It’s a disease that affected an estimated 15 million people in 2010. That number is projected to rise dramatically to 27 million by 2030, according to the World Health Organization. These numbers are indicative of a public health concern that deserves to be a priority.

Throughout Johnson & Johnson, there are people who are working to combat cancer and its effects, whether through innovative products or collaborations, such as a recent partnership between Veridex and Massachusetts General Hospital, to develop technology to capture, count and characterize tumor cells found in patients’ blood. This collaboration, which also involves Ortho Biotech Oncology Research & Development, a unit of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, has been discussed on JNJ BTW before…it aims to develop a next-generation, automated diagnostic test that’s can detect a cancer cell from a billion blood cells. The test will be strong enough to reveal the biology of cells at the DNA, RNA and protein levels.

In all segments of our business, pharmaceuticals, consumer and medical devices & diagnostics, we are using our expertise to address cancer.

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From Craig Stoltz, Director, Product Communications, Immunology, Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc.

Earlier this year, I received a very interesting voicemail message from someone I didn’t know, but it was a voice that I instantly recognized.  It belonged to renowned Saturday Night Live actor and comedian, Jon Lovitz, who was calling with a proposition: help him raise awareness for a disease that he’d suffered with for nearly a decade – severe plaque psoriasis.  Thankfully he had recently worked with his dermatologist to find a treatment that worked for him and he now had his psoriasis under control.  Basically, Jon wanted to use his comedy to raise awareness about psoriasis, without making fun of having the disease. 

This week, we are launching a disease awareness campaign with Jon, called Are You Serious?^TM, following several months of telephone and in-person creative meetings, production shoots, editing sessions, and coast-to-coast trips between Philadelphia and Los Angeles. I was also fortunate to be a part of a few very serious meet-and-greets with Lovitz and his longtime friend, Hollywood director Jerry Zucker (the legendary director behind hit movies including AIRPLANE!, The Naked Gun series, and Ghost) who worked with us on the campaign’s public service announcements. 

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From Michael Yang, General Manager, Veridex

Last year, the Veridex team met Jesica Harrington, a young mother and fifth grade teacher from Castle Rock, Colorado.  Jesica’s story as a breast cancer survivor, mother and advocate for others fighting this disease inspires us and makes us proud to be part of an organization that is changing the way we think about managing cancer.

Jesica is one of 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States.  Further complicating an already devastating diagnosis was the fact that she was pregnant at the time she was diagnosed with the disease.

As we described in Johnson & Johnson’s 2009 annual report, Jesica learned about the CELLSEARCH^®Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Test, a blood test to capture and detect CTCs, from her father, and she and her doctor made the decision to use the test as a tool that helped to determine her prognosis during her treatment regimen.

Today, a year after she finished treatment, Jesica is cancer-free and is celebrating the birth of a healthy baby boy.  Based on her experience battling the disease, she is sharing her story in the hope that other women will understand the power of knowledge in the fight against cancer. 

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Running on a brisk October day in 2008, Keith Krause wiped the sweat from his face as he pushed through the last few miles and crossed the finish line, completing his second marathon.  An astounding feat for most people (I for one get winded running two miles), Keith’s accomplishment had extra special meaning.  Only three years earlier, he lay in a hospital bed wondering if he would ever be able to complete a marathon again.

Keith is just one of approximately 500,000 people in the United States suffering from ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic disease that affects the digestive tract.  I talked to him earlier this week about his experience dealing with UC. 

Diagnosed in December of 1988, Keith has used exercise to as a way to keep up his strength and exert control over his condition.  However, in 2005, his UC symptoms were so severe he had to be hospitalized twice, at one point being told he would need to try another treatment strategy to control his symptoms.

After determining a course of treatment with his doctor, Keith finally started to get control of his symptoms.  As he regained his strength back, he looked ahead to running another marathon. 

“I wanted to do a marathon to give me closure from the sickness,” Keith said. 

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