Fairfield University presents events on pressing healthcare issues | Press Releases

Drug discovery for autism spectrum disorders, and applying “lean thinking” to improve healthcare quality while reducing rising costs are subjects of two free talks for the public.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (February 18, 2015) – Fairfield University is launching a series of free and public events about essential healthcare issues, including autism spectrum disorders and applying “lean thinking” to cut rising costs. The events are sponsored by the Integrated Nursing and Health Studies Initiative (INHSI) at Fairfield University.

On Monday, February 23 at 7 p.m. , Orest (Orry) Fiume ’64, retired vice president of Finance and Administration and a director of the West Hartford, Connecticut-based The Wiremold Company, will address the application of lean thinking to healthcare at a free lecture in Fairfield University’s Kelley Center Presentation Room, in the Aloysius P. Kelley S.J. Center. The talk, “ Applying Lean Thinking to Healthcare ,” will explore how the management of healthcare institutions, which is inherently complex, can be improved by applying “lean principles” to improve quality while counteracting rising healthcare costs. For further information, contact the School of Nursing at 203-254-4150.

An expert in applying lean principles, Fiume led Wiremold’s conversion to lean accounting in 1991. Today, he leads workshops on Lean Leadership for senior executives around the world and serves on the Board of Directors of The Lean Enterprise Institute, the leader in lean thinking and lean education as well as The Thedacare Center for Healthcare Value, the leader in promoting lean thinking in healthcare.

On Tuesday, March 3 at 4:30 p.m. in Fairfield University’s Kelley Center Presentation Room, Lawrence W. Fitzgerald ’86, Ph.D., MBA, will present, “ Opportunities and Challenges in Drug Discovery for Autism Spectrum Disorders. ”

Dr. Fitzgerald is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Mend Therapeutics, Inc., a nonprofit pharmaceutical company dedicated to the treatment of diabetes and its complications by promoting prevention and early detection, expanding access to quality medical care, and developing life-changing therapies, especially in emerging markets.

Dr. Fitzgerald is an accomplished “drug hunter” with more than 19 years of drug discovery and research leadership experience in the neurosciences in both large pharama and small start-up biotech settings. His teams in aggregate have advanced more than 15 drug candidates into clinical development. He has also co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed research articles and is a editorial advisory board member for the journal, Technology, Transfer and Entrepreneurship. This event is free and open to the public and sponsored by INHSI, the School of Nursing, and the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Directions to campus can be found at http://www.fairfield.edu/directions/ .

PHOTO: On Monday, February 23 at 7 p.m., Orest (Orry) Fiume will deliver a free lecture at Fairfield University entitled, “Applying Lean Thinking to Healthcare.”