By Christine Davis

Nelson Lazo, a chief executive at Baptist Health South Florida for 12 years, will soon be the new CEO of Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West in Palm Beach County. He will succeed Roger Kirk, who will retire in December.


Lazo will oversee the continued integration of the hospitals with Baptist Health following their 2017 merger. He also will oversee the expansion of Bethesda hospitals’ services.


7960893873?profile=originalUnder Lazo’s leadership as CEO, Baptist Health’s Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables became home to Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute, which recently opened the Miami Heat Sports Medicine Center in partnership with the basketball team.


The institute is the official sports medicine provider for the Heat, Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers, Florida International University, Miami Open tennis tournament, the Orange Bowl and the Miami Marathon.

Teens place a lot of emphasis on popularity and are aware of the difference between being liked and being popular, and when asked to choose, most opt for popularity. Prior research found two groups of popular adolescents: pro-social and aggressive popular teens.
But if you ask a teen about popularity, you might hear about a third group that is both feared and loved. 


Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and collaborators in Montreal put the idea of naughty and nice, Machiavellian-like teens to the test. In a new study, they followed 568 girls and boys in the seventh and eighth grades for two years.


Classmates identified those who were aggressive, pro-social and popular. Results of the study, published in the journal Child Development with FAU psychology professor Brett Laursen as a coauthor, identified three distinct types of teen popularity: pro-social popular; aggressive popular; and bistrategic popular or Machiavellian. 


The Machiavellian teens were the most popular and were above average on physical and relational aggression as well as pro-social behavior. Just like in the teen comedy Mean Girls, they are aggressive when needed and then “make nice” to smooth any ruffled feathers.


They maintain their popularity by offsetting the coercive behavior required to maintain power with carefully calibrated acts of kindness. These teens balance getting their way with getting along.

As dementia progresses, the ability to participate in exercise programs declines. But an FAU study found that more than 97 percent of older adults with advanced dementia could do chair yoga or other chair-based exercises and be fully engaged. The subjects showed improvement over time, while a group that undertook music intervention declined.


The study, with the results published in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias, intended to test the safety and effectiveness of these non-pharmacological interventions. JuYoung Park, associate professor in the School of Social Work, was lead author.


Both the chair yoga and chair-based exercise groups showed lower depression when compared to the music intervention group. The chair yoga group reported a higher quality of life score, including physical condition, mood, functional abilities, interpersonal relationships, and ability to participate in meaningful activities.

A new study by researchers in FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing showed that older African Americans, European Americans and Hispanic Americans are below the recommended levels of protein intake and are at risk for age-related changes in muscle, and that interventions may be needed to improve their diet and physical health.


The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics, examined differences in protein intake, nutritional status, and muscle strength and function in these groups. Sareen Gropper, registered dietitian and nursing professor, was the lead author.

Great Place to Work and Fortune named Baptist Health South Florida one of the country’s best workplaces for women — an organization that best provides resources and support to women. Baptist Health was No. 29 on the list.


“These winning companies are thriving because women have an equal seat at every table where critical decisions are made,” said Michael C. Bush, chief executive officer of Great Place to Work. “Organizations like Baptist Health South Florida know that creating a great workplace where everyone can succeed regardless of gender is not just the right thing to do, but a must-do if you want to be the very best of everything in the marketplace.”


Bethesda Hospital and Boca Raton Regional Hospital are part of the Baptist Health South Florida network.

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