Troiani-Sweeney Endowed Fund Lecture Series on October 22 Focuses on Improved Health Outcomes in Alzheimer’s Persons

Sunnie Kenowsky

Posted by: admin on October 12, 2020, No Comments

Yvonne Troiani-Sweeney ’78 always had passion for the well-being of her patients. She dedicated her life to her nursing career that spanned 30 years after earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) and a graduate degree in nursing from Villanova. Her colleagues and patients became her second family. Nursing led her to leadership roles at what is now the Lehigh Valley Health Network, Franklin Square Hospital in Maryland, Albert Einstein Medical Center, and the Geisinger Health System. Wherever her occupation led her, she became an inspiration to others for the incredible level of care she delivered every day.

All of that changed nine years ago for Sweeney and her family, who live in Mountain Top, Pa. Diagnosed with a form of early onset dementia called posterior cortical atrophy, she set aside her career and focused her energy on the daily challenges she faced, alongside her loving husband, Chris, and her two sons, Christopher III and Michael.

Support came in many ways from Sweeney’s family. Her sister, Linda Niedbala ’83, with the help of her husband, Sam Niedbala ’82, started the Troiani-Sweeney Endowed Fund Lecture Series at ESU, which kicked off in March 2014. The Niedbalas wanted this initiative to be a lasting tribute to Sweeney’s devotion to others while making a significant contribution to the education of health care professionals and the community-at-large about the cognitive impairment associated with dementia and other diseases of a similar nature.

The lecture series will continue, for the eighth year, on Thursday, October 22 with a keynote address by Dr. Sunnie Kenowsky, titled “Comprehensive, Individualized, Person-Centered Management (CI-PCM) Improves Health Outcomes in Alzheimer’s Persons.” Dr. Kenowsky currently holds a faculty position at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and is the co-director of the Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Alzheimer Disease Education and Research program. The niece of late Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher, Dr. Kenowsky conducts Alzheimer’s research with a goal to change the standard of care by determining the added value of an individualized care management program for Alzheimer’s persons receiving Memantine. She is an experienced Dementia Care specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the health care industry. Skilled in elder care, healthcare, clinical research, Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders, Dr. Kenowsky has developed strategies that empower persons living with dementia to regain skills and abilities they are losing, as well as helping caregivers to manage care. The Troiani-Sweeney Endowed Fund Lecture Series will be held virtually this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. followed by a live question and answer session. The event is open to the general public at no cost.

“This endowed lecture series is a tremendous gift to the university and to our medical community,” said ESU Interim President Kenneth Long.

To register for the event, please visit www.esufoundation.org/Nursing-Lecture-Series. Space is limited for this event. For more information about the lecture series, please contact the College of Health Sciences at (570) 422-3425 or kwachelka@esu.edu. Those interested in making a gift to the Troiani-Sweeney Endowed Fund Lecture Series may contact the ESU Foundation at esufoundation.org/givenow or call 570-422-3333.