Wednesday evenings,
October 19 - November 23, 2011
|
DATE |
TOPIC |
SPEAKER |
|---|---|---|
| October 19 | Embryology: Where Babies Come From and What Happens When Things Go Wrong Today, it is not enough to choose your parents (i.e. your genes) well. Our traditional views of normal human development at the start of life are being challenged by new technologies including personalized genome sequencing, the ability to diagnose diseases in the early embryo, gene and stem cell therapies, and assisted reproductive technologies. The lecture will also discuss how such factors as our grandmother’s diet and the prenatal environment can influence important conditions in adulthood such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. |
Dr. Jacquetta Trasler |
| October 26 | Cardiology: From Infancy to Adulthood Advances in the treatment of congenital heart disease has resulted in survival to adulthood, leading to a new population of patients requiring lifelong care. |
Dr. Ariane Marelli |
| November 2 | Obesity and Diabetes: An Expanding Epidemic. Can We Stop It? The problem of obesity leading to diabetes is taking on enormous proportions and is still growing. Our genes, our physiology, our minds and our environment have all to be taken into account in a multi-pronged approach if we want to stop this epidemic. |
Dr. Hans H. Zingg |
| November 9 | Infectious Disease: Who is really 'in charge'? Microbes have shaped both human history and human biology. The worst are 'hit and run' pathogens that infect us only once: leaving us either dead or immune. Others treat us more gently and may be essential for 'educating' our immune systems. Some of the most interesting can infect us for life, influencing everything from cancer risk to behaviour.
|
Dr. Brian Ward |
| November 16 | Alzheimer's Disease: Where We Are and What the Future Holds The population is aging and chronic brain diseases of the elderly such as Alzheimer’s Disease will become both increasingly common and a huge burden on the medical system in the future. This talk will review basic questions about dementia and Alzheimer’s: what we think they are; who is likely to get these illnesses, how they can be detected; how they are currently diagnosed and treated. We will also discuss what people can do to prevent memory loss as they age. Furthermore, we will look into the future, particularly at the possibility of preventing Alzheimer’s disease before it starts. Current directions of research, and our hopes for new developments, will be discussed as well.
|
Dr. Howard Chertkow |
| November 23 | Brain Mend?: The challenge of nerve regeneration The brain is, arguably the most complex of our organs. It is made of billions of interconnecting cells that process the information we need to feel, think and act. They rule behavior and hide the secrets of what we are as human beings. Following brain or spinal cord injury or disease, new cells as well as the re-growth and reconnection of damaged ones may be required to restore function. Advances in research show this may be possible. |
Dr. Albert Aguayo |
Lectures will be presented in English.
6:00 PM - Registration and refreshments
6:30 - 8:00 PM - Lecture
