The Smoky Mountain Foot and Ankle Clinic, PA announces the addition of Dr. Gretchen Lawrence to its practice.

Dr. Lawrence is a native of Greensboro, N.C. She is a 2002 graduate of the University of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, where she graduated with a degree in Biology in an impressive three years.

Heart disease continues to be the most significant killer in North Carolina, even beating out various forms of cancer. But in honor of February Heart Health Month, we will be publishing informative articles about the heart and steps you can take to improve cardiovascular health. —Editor

Think you know about your heart?

Your doctor may disagree. Cardiovascular medicine faculty at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health say they’ve heard plenty of myths about heart disease — and patients who believe them may be at increased risk because of the misinformation.

In a paper published recently in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” Aziz Sancar, MD, PhD, the Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the UNC School of Medicine, and his colleagues have taken an important step in understanding the underlying molecular signals that influence a broad array of biological processes ranging from the sleepwake cycle to cancer growth and development.

Scientists who work in this field, known as chronobiology, have identified the genes that direct circadian rhythms in people, mice, fruit flies, fungi and several other organisms.

Hospitals serving both large and small populations face a number of challenges. Regardless of size, they all face the same regulatory demands. Federal, state and local agencies impose a number of requirements on all healthcare facilities. While attracting a sufficient number of board certified physicians is a challenge in all cities and towns, it is even more so in smaller communities.

Resort communities, like Highlands, face the additional problems of seasonal population swings. The hospital serves nearly 30,000 people during the spring and summer months.