Dr. Andrew Weil to Debate Dr. Irving Kron During Free Public Event
Are popular preventive medicine strategies like meditation, exercise and eating fruits and vegetables really effective? Or should patients solely consider medical intervention therapies like coronary stents and coronary bypass surgery?
This is the focus of an upcoming debate featuring Andrew Weil, MD, founder and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, and renowned heart surgeon Irving Kron, MD,interim dean of the University of Arizona (UA) College of Medicine – Tucson. The two UA physicians will debate and discuss which approach can help achieve optimal health and wellness.
Hosted by the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, the debate, titled, “Prevention vs. Intervention,” is free and open to the public and will take place at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 23, at the UA Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719.
“We’re really hosting this event to educate the public—to share how best to achieve optimal health and wellness,” said Dr. Kron, who is also the senior associate vice president for the UA Health Sciences and a professor of surgery. “Oftentimes people will believe what’s out there on the internet and choose to use one strategy over the other without consulting a medical expert. That shouldn’t be the case.”
“Our challenge as a nation is to turn the enterprise of health care away from disease management and toward prevention,” added Dr. Weil.
The debate will be moderated by UAPresident Robert Robbins, MD, with Dr. Kron representing intervention strategies and Dr. Weil representing preventive strategies. After presentations by each side and rebuttals, a panel of expert UA scientists and physicians will weigh in.
Panelists include brain health expert Roberta Brinton, PhD, director of the UA Health Sciences Center for Innovation in Brain Science; GI (gastrointestinal) expert Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, chief of the UA Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology; general science expert and Dean of the UA College of Science Joaquin Ruiz, PhD; and heart health expert Nancy Sweitzer, MD, PhD, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center.
The debate will end with the physicians taking questions from the audience.
Please note:This is an open admission event at Centennial Hall. Attendees are encouraged to arrive as early as 6 p.m. to secure a seat; seating is limited. Centennial Hall now performs bag checks. Bags larger than 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches are not permitted.
For more information, visit https://medicine.arizona.edu.
