Physician joins Northwest Health in Chesterton Dr. Artemii Lazarev recently joined Northwest Medical Group in Chesterton, according to a release. Lazarev is accepting new patients at the Medical Offices at Northwest Health – Chesterton, 650 Dickinson Road. Lazarev cares for the health needs of adults at every stage of their lives, the release said. He comes to Northwest Health from Mount Sinai hospital in Chicago. Before practicing medicine Lazarev was previously the Chief Researcher at the High Performance Sports Laboratory at Moscow Witte University in Moscow, Russia, the release said. He also provides medical coverage for the University of Illinois – Chicago Flames men’s soccer and women’s basketball and for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. For information, call 219-926-2133. Purdue University Northwest Professor of Physics Neeti Parashar has been elected as a 2024 Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). (Photo courtesy of Purdue Northwest) PNW physics professor earns fellowship Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Professor of Physics Neeti Parashar has been elected as a 2024 Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), according to a release. Parashar, a faculty member since 2005, is recognized by APS “for outstanding mentorship, teaching and leadership over two decades by creating and providing groundbreaking research and educational opportunities for minority students and young physicists from many nations, and for wide ranging contributions to the Compact Muon Solenoid program and its pixel detector at the Large Hadron Collider,” the release said. APS recognizes society members who have made advances in the field of physics through original research and publication, made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology, made remarkable advancements in the teaching of physics, or displayed exemplary service and participation in APS activities, the release said. NIPSCO employees complete 14th Charity of Choice campaign Throughout September, more than 300 Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO) and NiSource Inc. employees volunteered more than 1,200 hours at 33 local non-profit organizations as part of the company’s 14th annual Charity of Choice campaign, according to a release. Organizations supported in September included: American Heart Association, Chesterton; Boys & Girls Club of LaPorte County, LaPorte; Challenger Learning Center, Hammond; City of LaPorte Park and Recreation, LaPorte; Crisis Center, Gary; Cultivate Food Rescue, South Bend; Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center, Highland; Family Service Association of Howard County Inc., Kokomo; Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, Crown Point; Fremont Youth and Community Outreach Inc., Fremont; Griffith Youth Baseball League, Griffith; Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana, Lake Station; Hammond Hispanic Community Committee, Hammond; Hilltop Neighborhood House, Valparaiso; Humane Indiana, Munster; Junior Achievement of Chicago, Gary; Latinos Count, Lake County; Leon’s Triathlon, Chesterton; Little River Wetlands, Fort Wayne; Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana, Hebron; Monarch Joint Venture, Syracuse; Opportunity Enterprises, Valparaiso; Save the Dunes, Porter; Silverstray Social, Gary; Sojourner Truth House, Gary; St. Jude House, Crown Point; The Nature Conservancy, East Chicago; The Salvation Army – Munster Office, Munster; The Salvation Army of Michigan City, Michigan City; The Wetlands Initiative, Gary; TradeWinds Services Inc., Hobart; White County United Way, Monticello. Learn more at NIPSCO.com/NIPSCOGivesBack. NIPSCO employees volunteer for a trash pick-up event at the Wetlands Initiative in Gary as part of the company’s month-long Charity of Choice campaign. (Photo courtesy of NIPSCO) Arts group opens new Valparaiso gallery The Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, represented by Board Chair Nick Larson, was recently joined by Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas and Artists’ Guild of Valparaiso board members Peter Steeves, Michelle Steeves and Colleen Zana, to commemorate the completion of the Artists’ Guild of Valparaiso’s new “Gallery 255” with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a release. The recently renovated building is capable of  displaying the artwork of the 70-plus artists who are members of the Artists’ Guild of Valparaiso, the release said. Visitors may also purchase the artwork. New displays are planned monthly. The gallery is located at 255 Indiana Ave. and 257 Indiana Ave., or on Facebook @agvgallery, Instagram @agofvalpo, and at www.agofvalpo.com. Gallery 255 is open from 4-8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; Wing 257 is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Hospital earns national emergency department accreditation Franciscan Health Crown Point’s emergency department recently became one of 13 in the nation to receive the American College of Emergency Physician’s Pain and Addiction Care in the Emergency Department (PACED) Gold Level accreditation, according to a release. PACED, an ACEP-governed national accreditation program, seeks to improve pain management for patients in the emergency department. Led by a collaborative multidisciplinary team within the hospital and community, Gold Level PACED accreditation recognizes emergency departments with a comprehensive program to provide optimal care for patients suffering from pain and/or addiction through advanced management-specific treatment, protocols, training and resources, the release said. The accreditation will remain in place for three years.