Pop singer Jessica Simpson is helping out the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Oncology Program raise money for breast cancer research.

Or at least Simpson is helping multimedia retailer QVC and the Fashion Footwear Association of New York raise the money.

U-M is one of nine institutions around the country planned to benefit from the 2009 QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale” to raise money for breast cancer research and education institutes. The fundraiser will sell donated footwear through the QVC TV network.

Simpson will be participating in public service announcements for the event, to be held Oct. 13, between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Tips to optimize memory at Wednesday seminar

Tips on how to optimize memory and delay cognitive decline will be discussed at a seminar on Wednesday led by geriatric medicine expert Alan Dengiz from Saint Joseph Mercy Health System.

Dengiz will talk about factors that affect memory change with normal aging, and provide an overview in Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.

The event will be held at The Quarter Bistro, 300 S. Maple Road, at 11:30 a.m. and costs $25, including lunch. Another lecture will be held at 6 p.m. that day and will cost $30, including dinner.

To register, call 734-712-5800.

Grand opening celebration

The Evangelical Homes of Michigan is celebrating the grand opening of its Memory Support Center in Saline this Sunday.

Located at Brecon Village, 200 Brecon Dr. in Saline, the Memory Support Center was created to serve residents, caregivers and the local community with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and memory loss. It has private apartments, cottages, adult day services, a resource library, gardens and other services.

Evangelical Homes of Michigan is a non-profit organization that provides healthcare, housing and community services to seniors.

The celebration will begin held at 3 p.m., featuring keynote speaker Michael Skupin, a Michigan native and former contestant on the reality TV show “Survivor: The Australian Outback.”

U-M study: Many heart patients with leaky valves not getting needed fixes

Half of heart patients who should be getting leaky heart valves repaired aren’t getting the necessary surgery, according to a recent U-M study.

Cardiologists often overestimate a patient’s surgery risk and underestimate the risk of not operating, researchers wrote in a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Called a leaking mitral valve, it can cause fatigue, abnormal heart rhythms and congestive heart failure.

“I think there remains something of a bias in medicine and cardiology that surgery is risky, and surgery is a failure of our ability to manage the patient medically,” said David Bach, lead researcher and cardiologist at U-M’s Cardiovascular Center in a release. “Mitral valve diseases are not as benign as they were once thought to be, and surgery is not as morbid as it was thought in the past.”

Tina Reed covers health and the environment for Ann Arbor.com. Get in touch with her at tinareed@annarbor.com or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.