Dr. Omar Haqqani said prevention, awareness, treatment and healthy habits are all critical to maintaining one's physical and mental health in the long term.

On Tuesday night, University Health Services hosted Haqqani, chief of vascular surgery at Mid-Michigan Health and Central Michigan University associate professor of surgery, as part of the P.A.T.H. Series.

“There was a need for students to have consistent programming on health topics," Health Services Instructor Lori Wangberg said. "Since October, we have hosted a guest speaker each month who discussed something different. We have had speakers on nutrition, stress management and many others.”

Each month, these events have taken place in the Bovee University Center Auditorium to provide students with information from a professional’s viewpoint.

“We felt that students have needs to learn more, and it is essential to know how to make healthy lifestyles,” Wangberg said. “We have a variety of health topics and will be continuing the P.A.T.H. series next semester, starting in September.”

Haqqani presented "Life Choices: A Surgeon's Perspective," which highlighted everyday acts that people can partake in to prevent the common vascular surgeries he performs.

Haqqani’s hour-long presentation featured photos of his everyday patients and information regarding the issues at hand.

“Disregard the novel factors for a minute and concentrate on the traditional risk factors. Which of these can we prevent?” he said. “Age and family history not so much, but we can most definitely help prevent obesity, cigarette smoking, low HDL-C and diabetes mellitus.”

Following the factors that cause disease and surgery, Haqqani went more in-depth by describing and showing peripheral vascular disease, aneurysms, diabetic foot wounds and wet gangrene.

“Half the patients with peripheral vascular disease do not make it past five years with the disease. But, we spend a tremendous amount of money and time to help these people,” Dr. Haqqani said. “I have had patients that have paid $100 million to prevent this disease, and it just goes back to, what is the quality of life? It is all about life choices that can make the change.”

Haqqani made sure to keep the audience involved by asking open-ended questions throughout the presentation. He identified how people need to be involved and aware of what is happening in their bodies and how to prevent the major vascular surgeries from taking place.

“It is unbelievable what can exist in a human body when arteries are like metal pipes," he said. "Things can be done to help prevent this: diet, exercise, stop smoking, medications and education. We need to help patients by showing and explaining the lifestyle limitations."

Haqqani's lecture was well-received.

“The statistics and pictures were pretty interesting. It was an eye-opener (as to) how everyday choices are effecting people,” Jackson junior Kathryn Shafer said. “I really liked how it was informal. It was like I was having a conversation with someone who has experience. It was interesting to see pictures from his actual surgeries and to hear the methods we used.”

Mount Pleasant senior Joshua Krystyniak was able to draw a personal connection with the presentation.

“I want to be a cardiovascular surgeon. This presentation really connects to what I want to do,” Krystyniak said. “Heart disease runs in my family through the men, most do not live past 50. I want to help make a difference and change that.”