Region more hospitable with degree program

BUZZ on BUSINESS

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

The College of Southern Maryland announced the creation of a new hospitality management degree program to local business leaders Nov. 5.

Degree requirements include components in general education as well as business. Students select courses in subjects including hotels, travel, recreation and tourism, while communication skills are also emphasized.

Upon completion of the program, students receive an associate degree in hospitality management and a certificate in hospitality operations from the American Hotel and Lodging Association's Educational Institute.

The classes, held at the La Plata campus, will include young people embarking on a career as well as current workers seeking new skills, said program coordinator Bill Williams.

"We're going to have a good mix of traditional students coming out of high school ‘tech prep' programs. Those particular students would already have a chosen interest in food service and/or a service-oriented career path. The [addition] to that would be incumbent workers who are in the workforce and are looking for job skills," Williams said. "A week ago there was clear consensus — [companies] have employees they want to have take part in the program. That was encouraging for us."

Those who have lost jobs and are seeking a new career could also take the classes, he said.

The program, which is currently pursuing accreditation, includes students ranging from a 17-year-old girl who is still in high school to a 38-year-old woman seeking to start a career now that her husband is considering retirement, Williams said.

"That's typical. The other people in the room, just by minority, there's a blend of male and female, minority and traditional, and that pretty much defines the normal classroom experience," he said.

For information about the program, go to www.csmd.edu/BAT/BUS/HospitalityManagement.htm or e-mail Williams at whwilliams1@csmd.edu.

Hospital introduces new type of surgery

Earlier this month, Southern Maryland Hospital Center announced the introduction of a less-invasive surgical method.

The hospital now offers a form of laparoscopy called "single incision laparoscopic surgery." Using the SILS procedure, surgeons perform surgery through a single incision in the navel, potentially leaving the patient with no visible scar, according to a press release from the Clinton hospital.

Laparoscopic surgery differs from traditional "open" surgery because surgeons insert a small camera into the patient and work through a small cut instead of a larger one.

Open abdominal surgery typically leaves a 6- to 8-inch scar, requires a three- to four-day hospital stay and involves significant post-surgical pain and a correspondingly long recovery. Traditional laparoscopic surgery is much less invasive than open surgery, but it does involve multiple half-inch incisions that may leave scars, according to the release.

Using the new technique, surgeons can make a single small incision through the belly button, minimizing the pain that may be associated with the entry sites. According to general surgeon Hitesh Amin, the procedure is popular with physicians and patients alike.

"Patients love the operation because it's a potentially scarless surgery. They can get right back to their lives. We are seeing surgical outcomes that are the same or better than traditional laparoscopy," Amin said in the release.

Tower Radiology has new equipment

Tower Radiology, an outpatient medical imaging center in White Plains, now has MRI and CT scan capability.

Board-certified radiologist Dr. Dalia Fadul opened Tower Radiology earlier this year, according to a release announcing the new equipment. Fadul received a medical degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., completed her residency training at the hospital there, and subsequently completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. Fadul remains an adjunct faculty member at Hopkins.

"Having grown up in Southern Maryland helps me appreciate what a wonderful place it is to practice medicine," Fadul said in the release . "It has been a delight to work with the doctors and patients of Southern Maryland in the past year, and the addition of these new capabilities allows us to truly offer convenient, full-service medical imaging for all needs."

Tower Radiology is in the Fairview Professional Park.

Bank wins Web design award

Community Bank of Tri-County announced earlier this month that it has been awarded the Best in Class Web Site Award in the 2009 Interactive Media Awards for its Web site, www.cbtc.com.

The Interactive Media Awards recognize excellence in Web site design and development and honor individuals and organizations for their achievements, according to a release. The Best in Class award is the highest honor, representing the best in planning, execution and professionalism.

"We are honored to be recognized by the Interactive Media Awards as the Best in Class," Marketing Manager Diane Deskins Hicks said in a bank press release. "We worked very hard in developing a site that would deliver an exceptional online customer experience. We want to exceed expectations in everything that we do. We are very proud of this achievement."

The awards were created in 2004 by the Interactive Media Council, a nonprofit organization of Web designers, developers, advertisers and other Web-related professionals. Competition judges are leaders in these and related fields.

Community Bank of Tri-County has 10 branches throughout Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's counties.

emitrano@somdnews.com