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Cruise Conference Planning For Your Association

Cardiometabolic Disease, Mental Health, and Communications

Currently Sold out-- Book for Next Year

12-Night Best of Japan Cruise
Round-trip Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan
October 12 - 24, 2023
<em>Celebrity Millennium</em>
Celebrity Millennium
21.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
21 ACPE Credits
21.0 (part II) MOC points in medical knowledge in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program
21.0 Contact Hours
Course Fees
$1095 for Physicians, Attorneys, Psychologists, Doctors of Pharmacy, & Dentists
$850 for Physician Assistants
$695 for Nurses, Residents, Students & Others

Target Audience
Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists
Program Purpose / Objectives

The purpose of these lectures is to provide an experienced clinician's perspective on the delivery of individualized, patient-centered care and to identify and treat important problems in primary care medical practice. Participants are expected to learn new skills and techniques in medical interviewing (e.g., taking appropriate sexual and spiritual histories), diagnostic reasoning (e.g., determining when to perform imaging studies in individuals with headache, appropriate diagnostic work-up of patients complaining of chronic fatigue), clinical skills (e.g., appropriate methods of determining accurate blood pressure readings), medication management (e.g., managing side effects of testosterone) and health counseling (e.g., encouraging proper dietary practices and exercise).

  • Obesity and Cardiometabolic Syndrome
    • Describe the pathophysiology of the cardiometabolic syndrome
  • The Mediterranean diet and other heart healthy diets
    • Describe the evidence supporting the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet. Confusion exits regarding optimal diets for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
  • Hypertension-new treatment recommendations
    • Outline the major changes in the new AHA/ACC guidelines regarding the treatment of hypertension
  • Erectile Dysfunction-The hard evidence
    • Explain the prevalence and the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction.
    • Describe three treatment strategies for ED
  • Statin intolerance-the tricks of the trade
    • Describe the prevalence of statin intolerance Describe three treatment strategies for statin intolerance
  • Explain the pharmacologic mechanism of PCSK9 inhibitors in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia
  • Pre-Operative evaluation for noncardiac surgery
    • Explain the risk stratification for patients anticipating noncardiac surgery.
  • Congestive Heart Failure-Update
    • Describe a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to the medical management of congestive heart failure
  • Consider the use of new medications that significantly reduce mortality and morbidity due to heart failure
  • Health Promotion: Encouraging a Healthy Body, Mind, and Spirit
    • Assess the patient's current state of physical, psychological, and spiritual health.
  • Treatment of Migraine, Tension-Type, and Cluster Headaches
    • Effectively treat patients with migraine headache using non-pharmacologic means, abortive medications, and preventive medications.
    • Consider that tension-type and cluster headaches are discrete sub- types of headache, each of which requires a specific diagnostic approach
  • Diagnosing and Managing Depression: Overcoming the Blues
    • Sustain initial treatment for depression for six months after remission of symptoms to lower risk of relapse
    • Recognize that depression is a common, but often misdiagnosed illness, which can be treated effectively by primary care physicians using medical therapy, psychotherapy, and adjunctive treatment
    • Utilize the following adjunctive treatments where appropriate:
      • Patient education (“bibliotherapy”)
      • Diet (limit sugar, simple CHOs, caffeine)
      • Exercise (150 min/week)
      • Behavioral activation (pleasant activities)
      • Light (10,000 lux for 30 min daily)
      • Support (“iatrotherapy”)
      • Spirituality
  • Get Me Out of Here!: Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia in Primary Care
    • Elicit and assess symptoms of panic disorder and agoraphobia
    • Apply appropriate lifestyle modification and stress management skills, including muscle relaxation, breathing control, thought-stopping, and cognitive restructuring
  • Somatoform Disorders: Illness as a Way of Life
    • Recognize the key symptoms, signs, and clinical presentation of somatizing patients.
  • Communication: Becoming a Healer
    • Consider the clinician's role from the personal and psychosocial aspects of care their clinicians
  • The Faith Factor: Practicing Spiritually- Sensitive Care
    • Elicit a spiritual history in an ethically-appropriate manner. Spiritually-sensitive care enhances the clinician-patient relationship and may positively influence health care outcomes.
  • Conference Sessions generally take place on days at sea (as itinerary allows), giving you plenty of time to enjoy your meals, evenings and ports of call with your companion, family and friends.
    IMPORTANT NOTE: All conferees, their families, and guests must book their cruise within the University at Sea® meeting group through University at Sea® at 800-926-3775 or by registering online. This ensures our company can provide conference services and complimentary social amenities to all meeting participants and their guests. Thank you for your cooperation.
    Faculty

    Dale A. Matthews, MD, FACP

    Dale A. Matthews, MD, FACP
    Dale A. Matthews, MD, FACP
    Associate Professor of Medicine (retired)
    Georgetown University School of Medicine
    Executive Healthcare Services (retired)
    Dale A. Matthews, MD, FACP has served on the faculties of Yale University, the University of Connecticut, and Georgetown University and has lectured at over 30 medical schools. He gives lectures on primary care general internal medicine, the doctor-patient relationship, and the psychological and spiritual dimensions of medicine, including the role of religion, faith, and prayer in clinical care. He is the author of The Faith Factor: Proof of the Healing Power of Prayer (Viking, 1998), a four-volume research work (The Faith Factor: An Annotated Bibliography of Clinical Research on Spiritual Subjects), three documentaries, and over 65 peer-reviewed scientific articles, book chapters, and other publications. Dr. Matthews is a graduate of Princeton (AB, cum laude, Romance Languages, 1976) and Duke University School of Medicine (1980). His internship and residency in internal medicine took place at the University of Connecticut (1980-3) and he completed the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar Program and Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology at Yale (1983-5). In 1989, he was named the George Morris Piersol Teaching and Research Scholar of the American College of Physicians. He has received many awards for his compassionate patient care, including Washingtonian Magazine Top Doctor recognition. He has appeared on numerous television shows, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, and Good Morning America. He lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Demetra, a certified public accountant. He has two adult children and three grandchildren. He enjoys family and church activities, Bible study and teaching, golf, baseball, piano, singing, songwriting, ballroom dancing, travel, and photography.

    George P. Rodgers, MD, MACC

    George P. Rodgers, MD, MACC
    Dr. Rodgers received the Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Cardiology Award in 2017

    Associate Professor of Medicine 
    Associate Chief of Cardiology 
    The University of Texas Dell Medical School
    Austin, TX.
      Dr. Rodgers is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Associate Chief of Cardiology for Education at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. He led the development of the cardiovascular curriculum for the new medical school. Dr. Rodgers teaches medical students, residents and cardiology fellows on a regular basis. Beyond medical education, he has a particular interest in prevention the early detection of heart disease, team-based care and innovative value based care for the safety net population.

    Dr. Rodgers received his medical education at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He completed his fellowship training in cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He began his cardiology practice in Austin in 1989. Dr. Rodgers has been very active in the American College of Cardiology over the last 25 years. He has served as the Chair of the Board of Governors, the Board of Trustees and as Co-chair Leadership Council of the Cardiovascular Team.

    He has also served on a number of other committees and writing groups within the College He received the Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Cardiology Award in 2017. This year he was awarded Master of the American College of Cardiology.

    Our staff can assist you with all your travel arrangements.

    Questions? Call us at 800-422-0711.
    We can assist you with all your travel arrangements. We'd be happy to help you plan your flights, hotels or tours before and/or after your cruise conference.

    Cruise Itinerary

    DATE PORT OF CALL ARRIVE DEPART
    Thu Oct 12 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan
    - 7:00 pm
    Fri Oct 13 Shimizu (Mt. Fuji), Japan
    7:00 am 3:00 pm
    Sat Oct 14 Kobe, Japan
    11:59 am -
    Sun Oct 15 Kobe, Japan
    - 5:00 am
    Sun Oct 15 Kyoto (Osaka), Japan
    8:00 am -
    Mon Oct 16 Kyoto (Osaka), Japan
    - 4:00 pm
    Tue Oct 17 Kochi, Japan
    7:00 am 5:00 pm
    Wed Oct 18 *At Sea - Cruising
    - -
    Thu Oct 19 Busan (Pusan), South Korea
    7:00 am 4:00 pm
    Fri Oct 20 *At Sea - Cruising
    - -
    Sat Oct 21 Hakodate, Japan
    9:30 am 8:00 pm
    Sun Oct 22 Aomori, Japan
    7:00 am 4:00 pm
    Mon Oct 23 *At Sea - Cruising
    - -
    Tue Oct 24 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan
    6:30 am -
    *Tentative course schedule, actual class times may differ.

    Ports of Call

    Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan - Tokyo is a city that's unlike any other. For a first-time visitor, arriving in Japan's capital is an almost otherworldly experience. From a western point of view, there are few places on earth that are quite this foreign. The land of the rising sun is known for maintaining a wonderful balance of modernity and tradition, and nowhere is this harmonious contrast more apparent than in Tokyo. Japan's most populous city is made up of several districts that each have their own unique atmosphere, not dissimilar to New York City's boroughs. From the serene and traditional Ueno to the super-chic shopping districts of Harajuku and Aoyama to the pop culture and technology mecca of Akihabara, Tokyo really does have something for everyone. Be sure to take advantage of the city's supremely efficient public transportation system; no need to limit your time in Tokyo to a single district when the Metro allows you to travel between them with ease. But no matter where you are in the city, there are a few things that can always be found within walking distance: outstanding food, fascinating architecture, and exceedingly polite locals. To truly take in the scale of Tokyo, view this sprawling cityscape from above. While many tourists visit Tokyo Skytree or Tokyo Tower for a chance to see the skyline, more shrewd travelers tend to favor the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building's Observatory. Of course, a stay at the Ritz-Carlton also offers a spectacular view from the privacy of your room.

    Shimizu (Mt. Fuji), Japan - On clear days, particularly in winter, Mount Fuji (Fuji-san in Japanese) is visible from as far as Tokyo, 60 miles away. When Japan's highest mountain is capped with snow, it’s a picture-postcard perfect volcanic cone. One of the best-known symbols of Japan, this iconic mountain has been considered sacred since ancient times and was even forbidden to women until the early 1900s.

    Kobe, Japan - Perched on a hillside overlooking the sea, Kobe is one of Japan's most attractive and cosmopolitan cities. Home of the heralded Kobe beef, this small city is easily navigated. Visit the Hatsukura Sake Brewery Museum for a tour or dine in one of the area's incredible restaurants.

    Kyoto (Osaka), Japan - Japan's past and traditions are well preserved in the former imperial capital. Your cultural exploration can include temples and shrines, elegant and peaceful gardens, palaces and museum. Bring an appetite to enjoy the city's famous cuisine.

    Explore Kyoto’s ancient architecture, including the stunning Golden Pavilion and the mystical red torii gates of the Fushimi Inari shrine. Savor the city’s culinary scene, from hole-in-the-wall ramen joints to Michelin-starred restaurants.

    Kochi, Japan - Kochi is the capital of Kochi Prefecture on the southern coast of Shikoku. The city is small and friendly, with a casual atmosphere and a dose of southern flair. Kochi boasts several attractions of interest to travelers, including a well-preserved, original hilltop castle from the feudal period in Kochi's downtown.

    At Sea - Cruising - Cruising

    Busan (Pusan), South Korea - Find stillness at some of the largest Korean Buddhist temples, including Beomeo-sa, first constructed in the year 678 and home to over one thousand monks-it also contains seven different registered national and cultural treasures. Near the port, explore the famous Jagalchi fish market or the city's renowned beach resorts. Journey to the Dongnae area to soak in the city's healing hot springs.

    Hakodate, Japan - Hakodate is perhaps the most underrated Japanese city between the trio of Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and Yokohama, but that’s a good thing. Exploring here is laid back, and the city teems with great views and international influence. The overlook from Mount Hakodate and the area’s fresh seafood in particular are certainly worth your while! Explore the Western-style forts of Motomachi, which is surrounded by 19th century-influenced architecture. They’re a symbol of the port’s openness during a time when Japan isolated itself from international trade. Take a romantic stroll at night while the trees glitter with string lights. No matter what you choose, there’s plenty to do in Hakodate, whether that’s savoring a traditional tea ceremony or seeing the cherry blossoms at Fort Goryokaku.

    Aomori, Japan - Aomori, a prefecture in the northern part of Japan’s main island of Honshu, is known for natural landscapes including volcanic mountain ranges. Towada-Hachimantai National Park, near the southern border, has hot springs, autumn foliage in Oirase Gorge, skiing at Mount Hakkōda and lava domes around Lake Towada. Aomori, the capital, is a laid-back port that hosts the Nebuta summer festival.

    Our staff can assist you with all your travel arrangements.

    Questions? Call us at 800-422-0711.
    We can assist you with all your travel arrangements. We'd be happy to help you plan your flights, hotels or tours before and/or after your cruise conference.
    SHORE EXCURSIONS
    Please note that our shore excursions are operated separately and
    independently of those offered by the cruise line.
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