The BC Brain Wellness Program invites you to join our annual celebration of World Brain Day! The World Federation of Neurology has selected the theme "Brain Health and Prevention” for this year, which aligns with our vision and mission at the Brain Wellness Program. Join Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell, Cynthia Friesen, and Tara Gaertner as they share their expertise regarding various topics surrounding brain health, lifestyle, music, and research, as we explore the ways in which we can protect our future.
More details below!
Details:
Date: Wednesday, July 24th, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Location: This event will be offered online on Zoom and in person in the lower auditorium of Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health on UBC Vancouver Campus. (Address: 2215 Wesbrook Mall)
*To access the lower auditorium, take the stairs on the left when entering the building or the elevator ahead. You will see BC Brain Wellness Program banners leading you to the auditorium.
Events Schedule:
12:00 The Importance of Lifestyle for Brain Health
Join co-founder Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell as she shares insights into the importance of a healthy lifestyle on brain health and prevention. More details to come!
12:30 Virtually Together: Do You Hear What I Hear? A Singing Collective Unites
Join Cynthia Friesen and Dr. Tara Gaertner as they share findings from a research study regarding a virtual singing collective conducted at the BC BWP. The study was a 2-year partnership with the UBC School of Music and Department of Music Education, funded through a sub-grant from The Singwell Project at Toronto Metropolitan University within their SSHRC Partnership Grant. This presentation will reveal the transformative power of synchronous collective online group singing with the implementation of emerging technologies during this study. Join to explore the impacts of online collective singing on social connectedness and overall wellbeing when in-person participation is not feasible, highlighting the strength of music as a wellness intervention.
1:00 Interactive Music Session
Join us in the Lower Atrium of the building for this interactive music session led by Cynthia Friesen. The interactive session is going to see us breathing, humming, sounding. Work your magic with the alignment of what those practices gift us: belonging, holistic wellness, stress relief.
1:30 Refreshments and Social
Join us in the Lower Atrium of the building for refreshments and social time!
Speakers
Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell
Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell is a movement disorder neurologist and Associate Professor for Medicine/Neurology at the University of British Columbia. She holds the Marg Meikle Professorship for Research in Parkinson’s disease and directs the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre at UBC. Her research focusses on the role of the microbiome in Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders, nutrition and other lifestyle interventions as well as non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s and is a leader in the use of ultrasound guidance for botulinum toxin injections in movement disorders. She is the founding director of the BC Brain Wellness Program and previously served as the president of the Canadian Movement Disorder Society and as the Director of the Canadian Residents Course for Movement Disorders. She is the recipient of a 2022/2023 UBC Killam Teaching Award.
Cynthia Friesen
Having grown up in a musical family, Cynthia Friesen pursued her ARCT in performance as a student at the conservatory in Toronto, studying both piano and voice. Throughout her years as a professional in television and radio production, exploring music was a part of daily rhythms but it wasn't until the opportunity came to conduct a children’s choir at her church that she was mobilized to return to teaching. She is delighted to balance a coaching practice of voice students at her home studio with two community music partners. Facilitating the music classes for the BC Brain Wellness Program offers opportunities to support creative aging and life enrichment for participants. In addition to leading the BCBWP Creative Expression Team, Cynthia conducts the Junior Choral Program for St. James Music Academy, sits on the board for Room 217 Music Care and the Community Programming Advisory Committee for UBC’s Chan Centre for the Arts.
Dr. Tara Gaertner
Tara Gaertner is a neuroscientist, psychiatrist-in-training, and music educator. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music from McGill University, a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas, Houston, and an M.D. from the University of British Columbia. She has taught piano, flute, and children’s music classes for over twenty years. She taught neuroscience for over fifteen years at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. She is currently a resident doctor in the Research Track in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. With her background in neuroscience research and her experience as a music teacher, Tara is passionate about understanding how our brains process and learn music, and about how we can harness the power of music to prevent and treat mental health conditions.