Maryssa Gordon, Author at

Mental Illness on the Rise in the Visually Impaired

March 9, 2022March 22, 2022 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Depression and anxiety impact the daily lives of millions of Americans, heightened this past year by the challenges of dealing with isolation during the pandemic. New studies now indicate that mental health symptoms among those with vision loss are being diagnosed five times higher than the national average. Hadley, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and the nation’s leader in distance and online learning for visually impaired adults from all 50 states and more than 100 countries continue to experience a surge in enrollment for workshops, podcasts, and discussion groups designed to…

Reducing the Risk of Dementia Through Better Air Quality

March 2, 2022March 22, 2022 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: < 1 minute Improving air quality may improve cognitive function and reduce dementia risk, according to several studies by the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021. Previous reports have linked long-term air pollution exposure with the accumulation of Alzheimer’s disease-related brain plaques, but this is the first accumulated evidence that reducing pollution, especially fine particulates in the air and pollutants from the burning of fuel, is associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Both increasing levels of air pollution and increasing cases of dementia are worldwide public health crises. While…

Reducing Carbon Emissions by Going Virtual

February 26, 2022March 22, 2022 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes An independent study comparing the carbon emissions impact of on-site vs. virtual events, commissioned by 6Connex and conducted by WSP — a leading engineering and consulting firm, indicates that in-person events would have generated an average of 40 times more emissions than their virtual counterparts. “We’ve always known that by virtue of our products we are uniquely positioned as catalysts for a greener future. Virtual events, after all, naturally produce drastically lesser waste and lower carbon emissions compared to their in-person counterparts,” said Ruben Castaño, CEO of 6Connex, the leading global…

Revolutionizing Cancer Diagnostics

February 19, 2022March 22, 2022 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: < 1 minute Cergentis, a genomics company that develops and commercializes kits and services based on its proprietary Targeted Locus Amplification (TLA) technology, announced the completion of a successful analytical validation study in lymphoma to show the benefits of TLA for the detection of clinically relevant translocations in tumor biopsies. The results of this study, performed in collaboration with researchers from Hubrecht Institute and lymphoma experts of 5 Dutch pathology labs (UMCU, Amsterdam UMC, UMCG, LUMC, and LabPON), have now been published in Nature Communications. The FFPE-TLC approach promises to revolutionize lymphoma diagnostics and…

Granting Wishes Regardless of Vaccination Status

February 12, 2022March 22, 2022 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Make-A-Wish’s recent decision regarding how to begin to lift some restrictions for wishes involving air travel and large gatherings was made to protect the health of children with critical illnesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision has generated misinformation and falsehoods on social media and in some media outlets. Here are the facts: Make-A-Wish has not, does not, and will not deny wishes to children who are not vaccinated. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Make-A-Wish has safely granted over 6,500 wishes to children and families – regardless…

93% of US Adults Set Health Goals

January 29, 2022March 22, 2022 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Medifast, the global company behind one the fastest-growing health and wellness communities, OPTAVIA, today released findings from a nationally representative study on consumer health priorities and motivators. In a survey from December 2020, the company found 63% of Americans had adopted new, positive health routines amid the pandemic, 96% of whom planned to continue embracing healthy habits in the new year. This new study, which surveyed 1,230 U.S. adults, found that almost all U.S. adults (93%) have health and wellness goals and 84% are actively working toward achieving them. Health Goals: Many of…

Protecting Rideshare Drivers

January 16, 2022March 22, 2022 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes The law firm LegalRideshare LLC is establishing the Driver Safety Fund in an effort to protect rideshare drivers from an increasingly dangerous environment. The mission of the Driver Safety Fund is to provide gig workers with the tools they need to stay safe and to bring alleged perpetrators of violence to justice. LegalRideshare LLC co-founder and attorney Bryant Greening said his firm will donate $10,000 to purchase dash cameras for Chicago-based gig workers. The firm will allocate an additional $40,000 as rewards for the convictions of persons who assault or carjack gig workers. “We refuse to sit by…

Teaching All Students Code

January 7, 2022March 22, 2022 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Getting educators bought into the importance of future-ready skills for their students is a no-brainer. They already know it’s important to make sure their students are equipped with STEM skills that benefit them now and in the future, but making the jump to how to do so in their classrooms with the resources they have on hand is much easier said than done. The Youth Coding League set out to bulldoze those obstacles to make coding skills for middle and junior high students attainable for teachers and schools. This extracurricular program empowers…

Wearing a Mask Still Matters

July 12, 2021 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Pandemic Action Network, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Union, 3M, and over 50 global, regional, and local partner organizations announced the launch of World Mask Week 2021 (July 12-18) — a global campaign underlining a universal truth: masking in public, in combination with handwashing and physical distancing, is still one of the best ways we can protect ourselves and others against COVID-19, especially our most vulnerable community members as countries race to vaccinate their populations. According to WHO, 2021 is already a deadlier year in…

How the Pandemic has Affected Life

May 31, 2021 Maryssa Gordon

Reading Time: 2 minutes More than half (55%) of Americans have packed on some pandemic pounds according to a healthinsurance.com national survey. Pandemic life left many stressed, drinking more alcohol, gaining weight, and in need of a break. The one thing nearly a majority can agree on – they are ready for summer vacay. 45% say they are for sure taking a summer vacation, while an additional 20% want to, but haven’t booked it yet. Pandemic Life Everyone has dealt with pandemic life in their own way, and it hasn’t all been health-related. 55% report gaining weight over the last…