Dr. Andrea Peterson of Fairfield (left) and Dr. Eric Mazur of Weston
co-host Health Talk, a popular health show on Cablevision Local
Programming.
Norwalk Hospital physicians Dr. Eric M. Mazur of Weston and Dr. Andrea Peterson of Fairfield serve important roles that directly impact patient care at Norwalk Hospital. Dr. Mazur is Vice President and Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Peterson is Associate Chief, Section of Hospital Medicine, and a Hospitalist Clinician Educator.
They play another role - on television - where they strive to help people stay healthy. The doctors cohost Health Talk, a popular health show on Cablevision Local Programming Channel 84. The show debuted in 2002 and 345 half hour Health Talk shows have been produced to date.
Health Talk airs daily, Sunday through Saturday, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. It includes interviews with physicians and health professionals on important health issues and wellness topics. According to Dr. Mazur, the objective of our show is to promote wellness and early detection. “We are pleased to be able to bring forth important health information for local residents.”
In addition to his local fame, Dr. Mazur is nationally respected as a physician leader. He received the prestigious Laureate Award of the Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Physicians for “demonstrating an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education and research, and in service to his community, the Chapter and the College. He later served as Governor for the Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Physicians.
His leadership efforts at Norwalk Hospital have concentrated on achieving measurable excellence in resident education and patient care, in part through the implementation of computerized physician order entry systems and automated clinical decision support. He led the development of a novel teaching hospitalist program that has received widespread recognition and has been profiled in several national publications. Norwalk’s hospitalist program was one of the first such programs in the State of Connecticut.
Born and raised in Fairfield, Dr. Mazur graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a B.S.E. degree in aerospace and mechanical sciences. After graduation, he entered medical school and received his MD degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his first two years of internal medicine residency at the Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester, returning to Connecticut in 1977 as a resident and fellow at Yale. During four years at Yale, Dr. Mazur completed the final year of his internal medicine residency and a three-year hematology/oncology fellowship.
Dr. Peterson graduated from Amherst College and received her M.D. degree from the University of Colorado. She completed her internship and residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcok Medical Center, where she was also Chief Resident.
In addition to being Associate Chief, Section of Hospital Medicine and a Hospitalist Clinician Educator at Norwalk Hospital, she chairs the Ethics Committee. She is a Clinical Instructor in Medicine at Yale University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College.
Dr. Peterson is very interested in palliative care, hospice, communication in medicine, and the doctor-patient relationship, which have been topics of some of the Health Talk shows.
She has published two short essays for the "On Being A Doctor" section of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Upcoming topics on Health Talk include:
Guest physicians, Dr. Sandra Wainwright and Dr. Robert Lincer, and several patients will discuss “Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care”, during the week of July 3rd.
“Back Pain” will be explained by Dr. Scott Sanderson and Dr. Robert Brady during the show that airs the week of July 10th.
“Diabetic Limb Preservation” will be the topic the week of July 17th featuring Dr. Andrew Rice.
Dr. Vicki Smetak, Dr. Lewis Kass and Dr. Katherine Michael will explain “ADHD” during the program broadcasting the week of July 24th.
Dr. Christopher Manfredi will be the guest for a show on “Sleep Disorders” the week of July 31st.
Dr. Robert Weiss will discuss “Advances in Sinusitis” the week of August 7th.
Robert Bepko, Rph, will be back on the show to discuss “Medication Safety” the week of August 14th.
Couples that Volunteer, Martha and Martin Rosenfeld and Eileen and Jack Shaughnessy will share their volunteer experiences on Health Talk during the week of August 21st.
Peter McKnight, RD, and Cindy Sherlock, RD, will discuss the role of plant foods in the prevention of cancer, during the week of August 28th.
Dr. Stephen Winter and Margie Haggerty, APRN, will discuss Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD, during the week of September 4th.
Dr. Josh Frank will explain “Rotator Cuff Tears” during the show airing the week of September 11th. A patient will join the doctor to share the patient perspective.
To suggest upcoming topics for Health Talk, e-mail healthtalk@norwalkhealth.org.
