JUNE 2025
Mount Carmel to welcome Paul McClelland as new Foundation president
On July 14, Paul McClelland, MA, CFRE, CFRM, will join the Mount Carmel Foundation as its new president. Paul was selected based on a national search which began when current president Deanna Stewart announced she’d be retiring from the role she’s held for the past decade.
“Mission drew me to Mount Carmel,” says Paul. “Everywhere I’ve gone in my career, I’ve given deep consideration to it being the right place, both personally and professionally. Mission and faith were central throughout the interview and selection process at Mount Carmel. To a person, everyone demonstrated that Mount Carmel is mission-driven and purposeful about the care and services they provide.”
“I am excited to take on this role and continue the great work that Deanna and her team have done,” says Paul. “I’m going to listen and learn as much as possible as I begin working in this new position. It’s a privilege to contribute to furthering this vital work.”
Throughout his 25-year career, Paul has led record-breaking capital campaigns and major gift initiatives for healthcare and education organizations. Most recently, Paul served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Muskingum University, where he oversaw all philanthropic efforts and more than doubled fundraising productivity. Before that, he worked in a variety of roles supporting many great causes, including the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, and a regional healthcare system. Paul and his wife, who is a nurse practitioner, also spent time overseas, in Peru, in non-profit development work, organizing volunteers and collaborating with local communities to address health issues.
As President of the Mount Carmel Foundation, McClelland will oversee all philanthropic efforts, including major gifts and community fundraising campaigns. He will work closely with donors, the foundation team and Mount Carmel leaders to support critical programs and services, capital projects and patient-centered initiatives.
Men’s Health Month – Screening can identify prostate cancer early, when it is curable
Recent headlines about President Joe Biden’s and Scott Adam’s prostate cancer diagnoses have raised questions about what can be done to prevent finding this cancer in advanced stages, when it may already have spread to bone or elsewhere.
“We hope to identify cancer with screening, rather than when a man has symptoms,” says Ronney Abaza, MD, FACS, Department of Surgery Chair, Mount Carmel Dublin. Dr. Abaza is a member of the Central Ohio Urology Group and subspecializes in robotic prostate cancer surgery. “Having localized prostate cancers has no symptoms, he says. “The vast majority are caught by a simple blood test.”
A PSA test (prostate-specific antigen test) is a blood test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer. It measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen in the blood, which is a protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous tissue in the prostate. While high PSA levels can indicate a higher risk of prostate cancer, they do not definitively mean cancer is present, and further testing may be required.
“There are general guidelines for screening, but you should rely on your physician to help assess your risk. Most men are screened beginning at age 50, but if you have a family history or are African American, you may want to start screening at 40 or 45,” says Dr. Abaza. “Normal PSA is different for men by age. If your PSA is more than one at age 45, you may be at higher risk and should screen more often.”
There is no fixed, upper age limit when screening should end. Dr. Abaza advises that generally healthy older men who are expected to live another 10 years or so should continue to get screened.
Prostate cancer is the most common, non-skin cancer among men. Approximately 180,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. About one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes. When caught early, it is generally curable.
Learn more about Mount Carmel’s expertise in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Culinary medicine is integrated into training for new physicians and nursing students
Good nutrition can improve your overall health and help manage some of the chronic diseases that are all too prevalent in our society, like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity.
At Mount Carmel, we are helping to train a new generation of physicians and nurses with more intensive and extensive experience in how nutrition can positively impact health. Resident physicians in our Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs receive hands-on training in culinary medicine, a program led by Aimee Shea, RDN, CCMS, LD, associate professor, Mount Carmel College of Nursing.
“I think the most important thing students learn is that eating healthy can be quick, easy and delicious,” says Aimee. “Our students report having increased confidence about connecting patients to nutrition resources and sharing nutrition education.”
Residents have four to five sessions annually that include an educational lecture on a specific nutrition topic, followed by a hands-on cooking demonstration which is supported by generous donors to the Mount Carmel Foundation. Physicians learn to modify recipes to make them healthier, as well as more affordable and accessible. The doctors then use their knowledge and experience to counsel patients and incorporate nutrition in treatments plans for chronic disease management and other health benefits.
Nursing students, both in undergraduate and graduate-level programs, have opportunities to participate in culinary medicine education with hands-on cooking demonstrations. Special instruction on how nutrition can impact the management of chronic disease is provided, too.
Some of the feedback Aimee has received on these courses include:
- “I enjoyed learning how to cook and seeing the specifics of these recipes for a balanced diet. It made cooking a healthy diet more appealing.”
- “I have learned new ways of choosing nutritious food for myself and patients during pregnancy.”
GME culinary medicine programs are held at the von Zychlin Healthy Living Center on Mount Carmel’s Franklinton Campus. The Center offers a free, online library of healthy recipes that you can visit for inspiration to boost your nutrition with tasty, easy-to-prepare dishes.
Nutrition expertise at Mount Carmel is shared with our community
As part of Mount Carmel’s commitment to building healthier communities, the von Zychlin Healthy Living Center offers a variety of courses, lectures and experiences to teach community members about growing, using and preserving healthy foods. Last week, individuals gathered to learn about growing, using and preserving herbs.
Fan-favorite lecturer Timothy McDermott, DVM, an assistant professor at OSU’s College of Food Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, gave an hour-long educational program highlighting topics from selecting plants/seeds, fertilizer, water and sunlight needs, to harvesting, cooking with and preserving all types of herbs.
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“His lectures are so good,” said Clintonville resident, Debbie, who attended the most recent session. An hour just flies by. It’s almost not enough time.” Debbie found the von Zychlin Healthy Living Center through her father, who is a member of the Mount Carmel Health Plan, Medigold. Along with Debbie and her dad, her two sisters are frequent visitors to the Center, too. “The cooking demonstrations are great. It’s so fun and hands-on. They have great recipes and I’ve learned a lot about how to properly cook and eat well. It’s wonderful.”
Herbs are loaded with impressive health benefits, some of which include fighting inflammation, being rich in antioxidants, alleviating pain and supporting health skin, hair and bones as well as boosting your immune system.
“Herbs are great pollinator plants, too,” said Dr. McDermott. “If you’re trying to attract pollinators to your garden, herbs can help with that.”
Mount Carmel Program Specialist Josh Edwards, MSW, LSW, prepared and shared samples of healthy dips and an herb-infused tea for the participants to enjoy during the presentation. Programs at the von Zychlin Healthy Living Center are supported by donors to the Mount Carmel Foundation and are available to participants at no cost.