Celebrate Princeton’s LGBTQIA+ community on Friday, June 3 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Princeton Shopping Center. The special event will include music, games, activities, giveaways, and more. Rain date is June 5.
Families of all ages are welcome to participate. There will be a bubble show by OMG Bubbles, hula hooping with Color Me Hoopy, yoga, a community mural, and live tunes from DJ Mona of Mon Amie Events NYC. more
Daily movement and exercise are central components of a healthy and active lifestyle. A strong heart and cardiovascular system have been shown to prevent a range of physical and mental degenerative diseases. With that being said, it is important that daily activity is balanced with stretching, hydration, and adequate rest.
Did you know that a sprain is an injury to the joints of your body caused by the over-stretching or tearing of ligaments? The good news is the physicians at Princeton Primary & Urgent Care Center (PPUCC) can spot a sprain almost immediately and will be able to recommend a recovery plan that includes elevation of the injury and regular icing. more
Join the 17th annual ETS Firecracker 5K, which will be held June 1-15. Participants are welcome to walk, run, or ride at their own pace throughout the two-week period. Proceeds from this event will support YWCA Princeton’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women through programs and resources that address inequity by creating opportunities for personal and professional development, wellness, and connecting with others. more
On Saturday, June 18 at 5 p.m., get ready to race in the Watershed Solstice Trail Run in Pennington!
Back and bigger than ever, the trail run offers both a 5K (3.1 miles) and 10K (6.2 miles) distance. Participants can run or walk virtually or in person. The in-person competitors will have the chance to enjoy the signs of early summer at the Watershed Reserve. more
Mercer Center for Implants and Periodontics at Princeton
Interview by Laurie Pellichero
Where is your practice located, and what is your specialty?
Mercer Center for Implants and Periodontics at Princeton is in a unique, environmentally friendly building at 601 Ewing Street, Suite B-15. I am the only board-certified periodontist and implant surgeon practicing in Princeton in a specialty practice setting. I have more than 30 years of clinical experience and have served as a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and Implant Surgery since 2006, and recently I was successfully recertified by the American Board of Periodontology. We are proud to be part of the Princeton community. We serve patients from the greater Central New Jersey area, as well as Philadelphia and New York City. We also have patients flying in from Texas and the United Kingdom for treatment.
What is your professional background?
I come from a dentistry family; my father and brother are orthodontists. Along with a DMD, I earned a Doctor of Science in Oral Biology and taught at Boston University and the University of Pennsylvania. I have always been very committed to education, as a scientist on bone, connective tissue, and cancer cells; an author of scientific articles and book chapters; a teacher for 11 years to many successful dentists and periodontists for periodontal and implant surgical treatment; and as a clinician for 30 years who has performed more than 10,000 procedures and served more than 5,000 patients. My unique scientific background and extensive clinical experience direct my treatment approach for the best possible care and outcomes for our patients, using less invasive techniques with lifelong and comfortable results. more
The Annual Big Red Race at The Lawrenceville School’s campus will take place on Sunday, May 1. The 5K (3.1 mile) race is mostly a flat, twisting course in and around the campus of The Lawrenceville School, located at 2500 Main Street in Lawrenceville. All proceeds from the race will go directly to support Lawrence Township children who have been selected to attend the School Camp, a summer camp serving underprivileged youth for over 100 years. Pre-register for the race here: https://www.raceforum.com/bigred more
Join author Clifford Zink for a walking tour outside Princeton University’s eating clubs. Learn about the architecture, origins, and development of the 16 Classical and Gothic-style clubhouses, which date from 1895 to 1928. more
It’s the summer conundrum that every parent faces — what camp do I sign my child up for this summer? While there are seemingly unlimited options for every interest in greater central New Jersey, one all-inclusive program that might appeal to your child is Rutgers Preparatory School Summer Programs. From in-classroom science classes to lacrosse coaching, Rutgers Prep has a variety of camp programs for different age levels. more
An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, according to the American Thyroid Association, ranging from function issues such as underactive or overactive conditions to cancer. These conditions, once diagnosed, can usually be successfully treated with either monitoring; medication; or surgically, usually through a minimally invasive procedure that may or may not require an overnight stay. more
An Appreciation
By Donald Gilpin | Photography by Weronika Plohn
“America’s nurses are the beating heart of our medical system.”
—Barack Obama
In a job that’s never been easy, nurses found themselves in March 2020 at the epicenter of a deadly pandemic, on the front lines in battling a mysterious new virus, COVID-19.
For nurses, altruism and hard work are a way of life, every single day. Princeton Magazine asked several area nurses in different fields in a variety of settings and facilities around the area to share thoughts about themselves and how they have stayed positive in facing the challenges of their profession, especially during the pandemic.
Caring, helping, teamwork, persevering, and touching people’s lives were themes that recurred over and over.
Ashley Ferrante, RN
The Pediatric Group
Ashley Ferrante has worked as a registered nurse at The Pediatric Group for 12 years. She is currently back in school to further her education and she plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 2023.
“I adore working with kids,” says Ferrante. “It is rewarding to provide them with medical care and watch them grow from birth to adolescence.
“Juggling family, school, work, and dealing with the anxiety of COVID can be highly stressful. I stay positive by spending my free time with family and friends. Devoting time to my garden and hiking in the woods with my fiancé and six rescue dogs are some of my favorite ways to relieve stress.”
By Anne Levin
In a video that debuted last November, 55 people join together on Zoom to sing the song Louis Armstrong made famous, “What a Wonderful World.” Most of them suffer from aphasia, a language disorder that often develops after a stroke or brain injury. As an introduction to the song, several of the participants talk — some more haltingly than others — about the frustrations of their condition. “Aphasia is difficulty speaking,” says one. “Makes me slow,” says another. “Aphasia is lonely.” “Aphasia is complicated.” “Aphasia is not being able to talk to my children.” And so on.
But once they begin to sing, all of the hesitancy disappears. Words so difficult to speak appear to flow effortlessly when set to music. The singers are members of the International Aphasia Choir, drawn from different aphasia choirs on five continents. They are visual and aural proof of the Hans Christian Andersen quote: “Where words fail, music speaks.”
Prominent among these choirs is the Bridgewater-based Sing Aphasia, founded by Westminster Choir College graduate Gillian Velmer during her doctoral studies in speech language pathology at Kean University. As part of her doctoral program, Velmer built a website, singaphasia.com, for aphasia choir resources. During the pandemic last year, she was approached by Trent Barrick, a music therapist in Florida. He had discovered the site, and wondered if she’d be interested in helping him put together an international aphasia choir video.
Gillian Velmer
“I said yes right away. I loved the idea,” says Velmer, 34, who has a day job as a speech language pathologist in the South Plainfield Public Schools. “Aphasia can be so isolating. If you are all of a sudden not able to communicate the way you used to, it’s just devastating. And it doesn’t affect just one person. It really affects the whole family and friends and community of the person as well.”
A native of Bridgewater, Velmer has always loved to sing. At Westminster, “choir was a huge and very fulfilling part of my life,” she says. “My time there inspired me to look into the field of speech language pathology. My senior year, I had classes on anatomy and physiology of the voice, which I found so interesting.”
As a prerequisite for her master’s degree, Velmer took a course on aphasia. “That was the first time I had heard of it, or even heard the word,” she says. “But that’s not really unusual. Statistics say that less than 15 percent of Americans know about aphasia, yet nearly two million in this country are living with it. I was so fascinated by that. Somehow, doing the research and having my musical background, I thought, ‘What about music for aphasia?’ ”
Velmer made aphasia choirs around the world the topic of her master’s thesis. After earning her degree and working in public education for a few years, she returned to Kean to pursue a doctorate. “I knew I wanted to continue my research,” she says.
She began looking into the question of whether singing can help with word-finding. “Over a five-week period, we did find an improvement,” she says. “There is definitely more research needed in this area, and that’s what Sing Aphasia hopes for in the future.” more
At the end of October 2021, Penn Medicine opened the doors to its 1.5-million-square-foot future-ready pavilion. The 17-story building on Penn Medicine’s West Philadelphia campus houses 504 private patient rooms and 47 operating rooms. The pavilion will play host to the latest inpatient care for cardiology, cardiac surgery, medical and surgical oncology, neurology and neurosurgery, and transplant surgery. It will also be the site for Penn Medicine’s new emergency department. more
On Sunday, November 21 from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve will lead a unique and relaxing nature therapy walk. These guided walks are an immersive and slow-paced experience with proven health benefits. Inspired by the Japanese practice of forest bathing and led by certified nature and forest therapy guide Linda Domino, guests will explore the land of the Preserve and awaken their senses to its sounds, creatures, textures, and beauty. more
The CEA School of Flemington presents the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K on Thursday, November 25. Winding through the historic streets of Hunterdon County, the race is an inspiring and uplifting way to celebrate a season of thanks, goodwill, and gratitude.
Since 1993, the CEA Turkey Trot has attracted upwards of 6,000 runners and walkers, all in benefit of the CEA’s employment programs, which bring much needed jobs to individuals with disabilities. The CEA School, located at South Hunterdon Regional High School ,was established to meet the needs of Hunterdon County’s students in a more inclusive environment. The CEA School is a New Jersey Department of Education approved private school located within a public school setting serving middle and high school aged students with disabilities. more
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that health is precious and the nation’s health care system can buckle under the strain of a pandemic. While COVID-19 proliferated throughout much of the world, the 2020 flu season was noticeably mild due to the implementation of mask wearing, social distancing, and extra hand sanitizing. This makes sense since the coronavirus and influenza are both spread by respiratory droplets. Both illnesses can go undetected until the actual symptoms set in, meaning that you can test positive for the flu, but you may not feel ill until two, three, or even four days later. more
New Jersey’s historic marathon returns to the boardwalks and beachside roadways of coastal New Jersey and Atlantic County on October 17.
Established in 1958, the Atlantic City Marathon is the third oldest marathon in the United States. The course is noted for being flat and fast, a great qualifier for both the Boston and Chicago marathons. With eight miles of boardwalk running, the scenic landscape is decidedly beachy and a beautiful setting for a fall race. more
COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida significantly impacted available blood supply in New Jersey. As such, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) and Sky Zone Hamilton are partnering to host a blood drive on September 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sky Zone Hamilton, located at 17 Quakerbridge Plaza, Unit B in Hamilton.
“Sky Zoe Hamilton has always been committed to our #DoGood mantra as well as being a strong community partner” said Joshua Harry, general manager of Sky Zone Hamilton. “When we heard there was a need of blood in New Jersey, we reached out right away to our community partners.” more
Noah A. Goldman, MD, a gynecologic oncology specialist who has taught at five medical schools during the past two decades, has joined Penn Medicine Princeton Health as the new medical director of cancer programs.
As medical director, Goldman will collaborate with administrative and medical staff leaders at Princeton Health and Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center to foster development of a comprehensive cancer program for central New Jersey.
Goldman also will see patients in Princeton Health’s new oncology suite in the Medical Arts Pavilion, adjacent to Princeton Medical Center (PMC). He is board certified in gynecologic oncology and obstetrics and gynecology. To schedule appointments in the oncology suite, call 609.853.6590. more
Montclair State University will receive more than $1.4 million from the state of New Jersey to support programs that help to address the impacts of COVID-19 on postsecondary students.
Gov. Phil Murphy and Secretary of Higher Education Brian Bridges announced the grants on July 12, with Montclair State among 35 public and public-mission private institutions receiving $30 million in state aid to implement vetted best practices that increase college completion, address barriers to student success, and develop sustainable systemic reforms. more
Escape from daily life at 4 Elements Wellness Center in Princeton. Whether you have 5 minutes or several hours, 4 Elements is a place where nature and cutting-edge science are combined for improved health and positivity.
Designed to embrace your curiosity and lift your spirits from the moment you enter their doors, 4 Elements offers a wealth of rejuvenating services. One of the most cutting-edge is Cryotherapy. 4 Elements offers full-body, localized, and Cryo facial therapy. Their Pagani Cryo T-Shock has been used in Europe since 2014 to kill fat cells, reduce cellulite, tighten loose skin, and slow the overall signs of aging. more
