Convergences in Reconstructive Surgery and Costume Making

Dr. Jennifer Letitia has a background as a hand surgeon and plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and presently consults with Miami-based Genetic Networks, Inc. Respected in her professional community, Dr. Jennifer Letitia presented at TED in Long Beach, California and then again at TEDxWoodsHole on "Reconstructing Creativity.”

In the talk, Dr. Letitia spoke about leaving her medical practice and shifting to the business and publishing world. This left a creative side of her unfulfilled and she began making costumes for her children in ways that put her reconstructive and plastic surgery skills to use.

As a first project, she applied felt to foam sheeting in making a candy corn Halloween costume for her daughter. This was similar to the way in which skin is harvested and reapplied in different parts of the body through skin grafting. Just as in the clinical office, she required specialized equipment to attach clothing, with Gorilla Glue the preferred material for adhering synthetic bones to a skeleton Halloween costume.

In a similar way to which staples are used in facelifts and knee reconstructions, staples, Gorilla Glue, and duct tape provided the perfect material for creating from a cardboard box a car Halloween costume that would keep its form and stay red and convertible. Structural support is another key aspect in both disciplines, with a costume of the Zoltar fortune telling machine requiring a functioning booth that had flashing lights and allowed money to go in and fortunes to come out.

Woods Hole Lab Heads Efforts to Understand Coastal Ecosystem Change

As a physician and business executive, Dr. Jennifer Letitia has held many roles throughout her extensive career. Continuing to explore new avenues, she is in the process of obtaining a certificate in functional and integrative medicine. Dr. Jennifer Letitia also brings her scientific and business acumen and concern for the environment to her position as a member of the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) Council. The lab brings together scientists from across the world to study the unique biology of the Massachusetts coast. 

Because of its coastal location, the MBL is well-placed to observe and research the effects of environmental change. Coastal areas are changing rapidly due to habitat destruction, declining water quality, the proliferation of non-native species, and other factors. Global increases in ocean temperature and changes in chemistry caused by higher levels of carbon dioxide have also had an impact. 

Preserving coastal ecosystems will depend on understanding these changes and responding appropriately, and the MBL is poised to contribute to that effort. The laboratory is working to analyze and synthesize environmental shifts using a holistic approach to examine the ecological, evolutionary, and functional effects of rapid change. Through the use of genetics, physiology, mathematical modeling, and other scientific tools and disciplines, the MBL hopes to bring some understanding to this difficult problem.

Citizen Scientists Provide Critical Water Data

Over the course of her diverse career, Dr. Jennifer Letitia has served as the executive director of an educational nonprofit and ran her own plastic and reconstructive surgery and hand surgery practice. Currently, she is working toward a certification in functional and integrative medicine. In her spare time, Dr. Jennifer Letitia is involved in many efforts to preserve and study the environment in her local area, the Massachusetts coast, through her work with groups such as the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition works to improve the land and water of the bay ecosystem through research, education, conservation, and advocacy. The organization accomplishes this via initiatives such as the award-winning Baywatchers program, which coordinates the efforts of citizen scientists who volunteer to monitor the health of the Buzzards Bay ecosystem.

The program began in 1992, and more than 1,000 area residents have volunteered to collect water health data. During the summer, volunteers spend one morning a week collecting and testing water samples to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and water clarity, and note general weather conditions. Creating a clearer picture of the health of Buzzards Bay, this data helps the coalition and local policy makers understand and identify region-wide pollution problems.

Drexel University College of Medicine - Woman One Award

Before becoming a consultant and medical advisor at Genetic Networks, Inc. in Westport, Connecticut, Jennifer Letitia attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she earned a bachelor of science in human biology, pre-med. Jennifer Letitia earned her MD from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, which has since merged with another medical school to become the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Drexel University College of Medicine offers a number of medical programs for students who desire a career in the medical field. Today, the Drexel University College of Medicine is recognized as a leading institution for training medical students. The college, also known for its diverse student body, supports women students via its Woman One Award.

Designed to encourage the education and training of women in the medical field, the Woman One Award helps to raise scholarships for minority women pursuing a medical career as well as women who want to work with disadvantaged communities. Woman One Awards have been as much as $80,000 over a four-year training program.

Continued Conservation with the Buzzards Bay Coalition

A medical advisor and consultant at Genetic Networks, Inc., in Westport, Connecticut, Jennifer Letitia, MD, has worked in medicine for over two decades. When not applying and/or developing her consulting skills, Dr. Jennifer Letitia enjoys being outdoors and supports multiple charities and foundations dedicated to preserving our natural resources, including the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

Formed in 1987, the Buzzards Bay Coalition was inspired when residents began to notice that shellfish beds were closing because of bacterial contamination and toxic pollution was spreading. Today, the membership-supported coalition works on sea and land via advocacy, conservation efforts, education, and research.

The biggest threat to the bay, nitrogen pollution turns the water cloudy and kills fish and other aquatic organisms. In an effort to prevent this, regulations are being put on septic systems and wastewater treatment plants are being upgraded to remove up to 90 percent of nitrogen from the output. Additional threats include oil spills, toxic pollution, and bacterial contamination.

A 432-square-mile area of land drains directly into the bay. The coalition works to conserve the forests, streams, and wetlands, making sure to maintain a high quality of life.

Baywatchers Advance the Work of the Buzzards Bay Coalition

A graduate of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Dr. Jennifer Letitia worked as a reconstructive surgeon for several years before moving on to several business enterprises, including Epiphany Mindworks and Iomics Pathways Initiative, LLC. Currently, she works as a consultant and medical advisor at Genetic Networks, Inc., in Westport, Connecticut. In addition to her professional pursuits, Dr. Jennifer Letitia supports the Buzzards Bay Coalition. 

For more than three decades, the Buzzards Bay Coalition has overseen various programs and activities to protect and improve the health of Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts. One of the organization's oldest programs is Baywatchers, which uses citizen scientists to monitor the health of the bay. 

Founded in 1992, Baywatchers has leveraged the work of over 1,000 volunteers to ensure that Buzzards Bay, as well as its coves, harbors, and rivers, remain healthy for years to come. Data collected through the program over the past 25 years has been critical to the mission of the coalition. 

In addition to monitoring the water weekly throughout the summer, Baywatchers serve as representatives for the coalition and help raise awareness about the importance of protecting clean water. To learn more about the program, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org.

Buzzards Bay Coalition to Hold 24th Annual Buzzards Bay Swim

A trained surgeon with a degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Dr. Jennifer Letitia serves as a medical consultant and business advisor with Genetic Networks, Inc., in Westport, Connecticut. Alongside her professional pursuits, Dr. Jennifer Letitia supports a number of nonprofit groups, including the Buzzards Bay Coalition. 

In its efforts to restore and protect Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts, the Buzzards Bay Coalition holds a variety of awareness, education, and fundraising events throughout the year. Currently, the organization is preparing for several upcoming events, including the Buzzards Bay Swim, which will be held Saturday, June 24, 2017. 

Now in its 24th year, the Buzzards Bay Swim is an annual swimming event that takes place in New Bedford and Fairhaven, Massachusetts. During the event, participants will navigate a 1.2-mile course under the guidance of US Coast Guard and local safety patrol members. At the end of the course, swimmers will be greeted with music, pancakes, coffee, and other treats. 

To take part in the 24th annual Buzzards Bay Swim, swimmers must pay a $25 registration fee and raise a minimum of $150. All money collected during the event will support the work of the Buzzards Bay Coalition. For more information, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org.