HOLYOKE — Holyoke Health Center is celebrating Children’s Dental Health Month by hosting a two-day event called “Dental Adventure” on Feb. 17 and 18 to raise awareness for Pediatric Oral Health. The American Dental Assoc. recognizes the month of the February as National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) to increase awareness of the importance for children’s oral health. The Dental Adventure event will be held on all floors of Holyoke Health Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the two days.

The event will include activities that engage participants in oral-health education, dental exams, and creative oral-health crafts. The health center will provide pediatric dental services including oral exams, X-rays and imaging, sealants, and fluoride treatments. Throughout this event, young participants will get the opportunity to experience all the dental-health services provided at Holyoke Health Center by participating in a scavenger hunt throughout the facility, with tasks including oral-health education, dental-themed crafts, and an oral exam, with prizes and giveaways for completing each task.

“At our health center, we are proud to offer affordable medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral-health and community programming,” said CEO Jay Breines. “Our approach is to look at the whole health of the person and their life beyond the walls of our health center. By focusing on prevention and partnering with local, community-based organizations, we can give our patients the right tools to stay healthy and productive, and out of the hospital.”

To learn more about Holyoke Health Center, visit www.hhcinc.org.

SPRINGFIELD — Dr. Charlotte Boney, a nationally recognized pediatric endocrinologist and physician educator, has been named to the position of Tufts University School of Medicine chair of Pediatrics at Baystate Health and vice president of the Pediatric Service Line at Baystate Children’s Hospital.

Before coming to Baystate Children’s Hospital, Boney was director of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology in the Department of Pediatrics at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, and professor of Pediatrics at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

“I am thrilled to be joining Baystate. Baystate Children’s Hospital has a proven track record in delivering state-of-the-art clinical care, but it is the department’s commitment to serving the community’s children and their families, and to training future pediatricians, which really attracted me to this position,” she said.

Boney attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. and the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, where she was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed her internship and residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joined the faculty at Brown University in 1994 and became program director of the fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology in 2003 and director of the Division of Endocrinology in 2005. She received numerous teaching awards at Brown, including the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award every year from 2004 to 2011 and again in 2013.

Boney also has a distinguished research career, supported by National Institutes of Health funding, during which she focused on the biology of adipocyte (fat-cell) development. She has also conducted clinical research in pediatric obesity and diabetes. Additionally, she has served on numerous hospital, university, regional, and national committees.

Boney’s professional memberships include the Endocrine Society, the Pediatric Endocrine Society (for which she served on the board of directors), the Society for Pediatric Research, the Obesity Society, and the American Pediatric Society. She recently joined the sub-board in pediatric endocrinology at the American Board of Pediatrics. She has also authored some 40 scholarly publications, including peer-reviewed journals and abstracts, and is the author of several textbook chapters. She also serves as a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism.

“It is my hope in my new role at Baystate Children’s Hospital to expand clinical programs, strengthen education programs, and generate new knowledge in pediatric medicine,” she said.

WESTFIELD — Upon recommendation of its presidential search committee, the Westfield State University board of trustees has officially ratified Diversified Search of Philadelphia to help manage the search process for the selection of the university’s 20th president.

Diversified Search is woman-owned, top-10 executive-search firm with specialties in the areas of education and not-for-profits. Throughout the firm’s 40-year history, Diversified has always sought leaders that have not only strong character and credentials, but also different perspectives and views. The presidential search committee met on Jan. 5 to review proposals and conduct search-firm interviews, and selected Diversified from among four firms who submitted a request for proposal.

“Diversified Search was the strongest choice due to its extensive experience in higher education,” said Steven Marcus, co-chair of the search committee. “Diversified will help the search committee, the board of trustees, and the entire Westfield State community develop the values, characteristics, and alignment of purpose needed to conduct a successful search.”

With the search firm approved, a timeline will be developed, and meetings with the members of the campus community will be convened to share their opinions on what traits and characteristics the next Westfield State president should possess. Two days of open forums, moderated by Diversified Search, are scheduled for Feb. 11 and Feb. 12.

“Developing a timeline and criteria will be critical for this search. We do not want the search to drag on, but we do want to take the time we need to select the very best candidate possible,” said Terrell Hill, co-chair of the presidential search committee.

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank Foundation awarded a total of $1,518,133 in grants to nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Vermont during 2014. The grants supported important education and community development initiatives as well as health, human-service, and cultural programs. In addition, Berkshire Bank provided $500,622 in community sponsorships, raising its total contributions in the community to over $2 million.

“We are so pleased to continue providing critical funding to hundreds of nonprofit organizations across our footprint,” said Lori Gazzillo, vice president and director of the Berkshire Bank Foundation. “Our 2014 grants have supported programs and projects that are enhancing economic opportunities and improving the quality of life for members of our communities. On behalf of our entire Berkshire Bank team, we are honored to be able to give back in such a significant way.”

The bank’s charitable foundation and bank sponsorships fund nonprofit organizations and programs in communities that Berkshire Bank serves. While the foundation’s funding priorities are education and community and economic-development projects, it also supports youth, cultural, and human-service organizations. The bank also maintains an annual scholarship program for high-school seniors, which recently launched for 2015.

Meanwhile, recognizing that being a good corporate citizen and community partner is about more than writing a check, Berkshire administers an employee volunteer program called the X-Team, which provides employees with paid time off to volunteer during regular business hours. Through the program, more than 70% of Berkshire Bank’s employees donated in excess of 40,000 hours of service to benefit community organizations across the bank’s footprint.

Berkshire Bank’s philanthropic and community volunteerism efforts were honored in 2014 with the Capital Region Community Impact Award, the United Way Agar Volunteerism Award, two New England Financial Marketing Awards, and being named by the Boston Business Journal as one of Massachusetts’ Most Charitable Companies for the second consecutive year.

Berkshire Bank accepts requests for financial support at www.berkshirebank.com/giving. All requests must be submitted through the online system in order to be considered. Organizations interested in seeking funding are encouraged to read the foundation’s funding guidelines prior to applying for support. Complete guidelines for those seeking grants or bank community sponsorships are available on the website.

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Medical Center’s Mini-Medical School, which begins its spring session on March 19, will give area residents a reason to come out of hibernation from the long, cold, snowy winter and join others interested in the expanding field of medicine.

Mini-Medical School program is an eight-week health education series featuring a different aspect of medicine each week. Classes this spring will include sessions on various medical topics, such as surgery, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, pathology, and several others. Many of the ‘students,’ who often range in age from 20 to 70, participate due to a general interest in medicine and later find that many of the things they learned over the semester are relevant to their own lives.

The goal of the program, offered in the hospital’s Chestnut Conference Center, is to help members of the public make more informed decisions about their healthcare while receiving insight on what it is like to be a medical student — minus the tests, interviews, and admission formalities. Each course is taught by medical-center faculty who explain the science of medicine without resorting to complex terms. Baystate Medical Center is the Western Campus of Tufts University School of Medicine and is the region’s only teaching hospital.

All classes are held Thursday nights starting at 6 p.m. and run until 8 or 9 p.m., depending on the night’s topic. No basic science knowledge is needed to participate. Each participant is required to attend a minimum of six out of eight classes in order to receive a certificate of completion. Among the topics and speakers slated for the spring semester are:

• March 19: “Hey, I Finally Got into Medical School!” with Dr. Michael Rosenblum, director, Internal Medicine Residency Program (includes a general tour of the medical center).
• March 26: “Surgery,” with Dr. Richard Wait, chair, Department of Surgery (includes a tour of the Baystate Simulation Center and the Goldberg Surgical Skills Lab).
• April 2: “Cardiac Surgery,” with Dr. John Rousou, chief, Cardiac Surgery.
• April 9: “Pathology,” with Dr. Richard Friedberg, chair, Department of Pathology (includes a tour of the lab).
• April 16: “Anesthesiology,” with Dr. Michael Bailin, chair, Department of Anesthesiology.
• April 23: “Psychiatry,” with Dr. Benjamin Liptzin, chair, Department of Psychiatry.
• April 30: “Stroke/Rehabilitation,” with Dr. Edward Feldmann, vice president and medical director, Neurosciences & Rehabilitation.
• May 7: “Emergency Medicine,” with Dr. Joseph Schmidt, vice chair and chief, Emergency Medicine (includes a graduation ceremony).

Tuition is $95 per person and $80 for Senior Class and Spirit of Women members. Register for the spring semester of Mini-Medical School by calling (800) 377-4325. For more information, visit www.baystatehealth.org/minimed.

WEST HATFIELD — Dr. Teresa Pianta has joined Cooley Dickinson Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and the Cooley Dickinson Hospital medical staff. Pianta, who is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, joins a team of physicians, surgeons, and therapists who treat musculoskeletal problems, including management of spine disorders, joint replacement, trauma, sports medicine, hand and arthritis care, and pain management.

Pianta earned her doctorate of medicine from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. She completed her orthopedic-surgery residency at the University of Connecticut and her hand-surgery fellowship at the Philadelphia Hand Center at Thomas Jefferson University. Her medical interests include orthopedic surgery with specific training and interest in hand surgery, including the operative and non-operative management of hand and upper-extremity conditions in children and adults, including trauma, fractures, arthritis, carpal tunnel, and tendinitis.

“No one seeks the care of a surgeon because they are feeling well; they are injured, in pain, and often anxious and scared,” Pianta said. “People who come to see me want the benefit of my expertise as a surgeon, but they also need reassurance that I can heal their injuries, relieve their pain, and quell their fears. I do my best to carefully explain diagnoses and describe the range of appropriate treatment options, both surgical and non-operative. More broadly, however, I work to treat the whole person by making patient education and open dialogue a central part of my practice.”

In addition to the 4 West St., West Hatfield location, Hampshire Orthopedic & Sports Medicine physicians see patients at 35 Turkey Hill Road, Belchertown; the UMass Amherst Clinic; 33 Riddell St., Greenfield; and 65 Springfield Road, Westfield. Pianta welcomes new patients at Cooley Dickinson Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. For information, call (413) 586-8200.

HOLYOKE — Thrive, a one-stop financial success center for local college students and residents, will conduct a grand-opening celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 10 a.m. in room 309 in the Frost building at Holyoke Community College.

Thrive, a collaborative effort between HCC, PeoplesBank, and United Way of Pioneer Valley, will offer financial literacy and coaching, workforce-development services, and public-benefits screening and enrollment. Thrive will provide a valuable support system for anyone in the community (along with necessary skills to achieve long-term financial goals), but especially college students, who may be experiencing financial independence for the first time in their lives.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that most college students don’t have a lot of money and that those who choose to attend community college often do so because of its affordability and their own financial limitations,” said HCC President William Messner.

“What we see, year after year, is that managing money is a huge challenge for students. That financial anxiety is an issue that often impedes their academic performance and sometimes even leads them to drop out of school. Anything we can do to eliminate or at least reduce those financial concerns is going to help our students succeed in the classroom. Healthy financial skills will aid them not only during their college days, but also after they move on, so we are very happy to provide this new resource here at HCC not only for our students, but for members of the community who might also be facing financial issues.”

PeoplesBank has been working to increase financial literacy for years by supporting seminars in the community and teaching personal finance in area public schools.

“Academic excellence and community vibrancy are core principles of our corporate-responsibility efforts,” said Douglas Bowen, president and CEO of PeoplesBank. “Supporting Thrive gives us the opportunity to expand on our financial-literacy education efforts. It also provides our associates with another way to volunteer to improve the community and help our future workforce by teaching classes at Thrive.”

Financial literacy is also one of the four impact areas that United Way of Pioneer Valley focuses its fund-raising efforts on, because of the long-lasting results that can be attained with the proper skills and training.

“We’re here to help hardworking families build assets for a successful future,” said Dora Robinson, president and CEO of United Way of Pioneer Valley. “Our partnership with HCC and PeoplesBank has made it possible for our community to ‘Thrive.’”