Students at Wake Forest University School of Medicine will sponsor a “Share the Health” fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 20 at Marketplace Mall, 2101 Peters Creek Parkway. The health fair will include screenings for cholesterol, glaucoma, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, lung function, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell anemia and hepatitis B. Admission is free.
Members of Wake Forest University athletic teams will be on hand to sign autographs, and speakers from the medical school faculty will discuss topics such as pediatric obesity, nutrition, exercise and diabetes.
Last year, a record 625 people participated in the fair; this year co-chairs Blair Simpson and Lindsay Chaney are hoping for more than 1,000 participants.
Visitors to the fair will get a chance to learn their body mass index (BMI), which is computed from weight and height. In addition, there will be car safety seat demonstrations, a separate exhibit for kids, focusing on obesity and poor growth, and an exhibit devoted to diabetes education. Bike and helmet safety demonstrations also will be offered, as well as photo IDs and fingerprinting of children.
Volunteers for the “Share the Health” include local physicians affiliated with Wake Forest University in addition to medical and physician assistant students. Spanish translation will be provided.
Funding for the fair is raised by the medical students and through support from several student organizations. Additional funding is from the Northwest Area Health Education Center, the American Medical Association, and the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.
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Media contacts: Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, or Shannon Koontz , shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, at (336) 716-4587.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. U.S. News & World Report ranks Wake Forest University School of Medicine 18th in family medicine, 20th in geriatrics, 25th in primary care and 41st in research among the nation's medical schools. It ranks 35th in research funding by the National Institutes of Health. Almost 150 members of the medical school faculty are listed in Best Doctors in America.
Media Relations
Main Number: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587