Upcoming Events

E.g., Mar 29, 2024

Event poster for Dr. Ryan Falck Lecture

Healthy Aging Research Seminar | June 21

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the 24-Hour Activity Cycle and Healthy Cognitive Aging
with Dr. Ryan Falck, postdoctoral fellow in the School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC

With one new case of dementia detected every 3 seconds, and no effective pharmaceutical cure yet available, we urgently need to identify lifestyle strategies which can reduce dementia risk. Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep are three behaviours which we all engage in daily and make up most of our 24-hour day (hence, the 24-hour activity cycle). Each of these behaviours are independently associated with cognitive health. However, most research has treated these behaviours as isolated with very little consideration for how people live each day (e.g., poor sleep likely impacts physical activity and vice versa). This seminar will discuss the growing evidence surrounding how the 24-hour activity cycle shares an interactive relationship with older adult cognitive health, practical applications of our current knowledge for clinical populations, and the meaning of life (the answer is of course 42).

Dr. Ryan Stanley Falck is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia – Vancouver. As a Michael Smith Health Research BC postdoctoral fellow trainee, his research examines how the 24-hour activity cycle (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep) impacts cognitive health and risk for dementia. His research also examines how different lifestyle factors (e.g., exercise training, pet ownership, etc.) can impact physical, mental, and cognitive health. He uses a combination of 1) innovative methodologies for observing physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep; 2) state-of-the-art structural and functional neuroimaging analyses for exploring the effects of these behaviours on brain health; and 3) novel analytic approaches (e.g., artificial intelligence and machine learning) for exploring how physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep are related to cognitive health. Outside of work, he can usually be found running with his dog Buddy.

This lecture may be viewed in-person at the Rudy North Lecture Theatre in the Centre for Brain Health at UBC or over Zoom.

Register Here

Wednesday, 21 June 2023 - 11:00am
Zoom or Rudy North Lecture Theatre
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Canada
Image of Dr. Habib Chaudhury

Healthy Aging Public Lecture Series | June 27

The Role of the Neighborhood Built Environment on Outdoor Mobility of People Living with Dementia
with Dr. Habib Chaudhury, Chair and Professor of the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University

Dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) aim to foster a supportive, inclusive and empowering environment that promotes equal rights and resources for people living with dementia and their care partners. Central to DFCs is promoting access and navigation of outdoor spaces and destinations in the neighbourhood. The “Dementia-inclusive Spaces for Community Access, Participation, and Engagement (DemSCAPE)” study aims to identify spatial and temporal patterns in activities undertaken outside home by people living with dementia, and ways in which the neighbourhood built environment affects their outdoor mobility and social participation. We engaged with 32 participants living with mild to moderate dementia or mild cognitive impairment in Metro Vancouver, and Prince George, British Columbia. Findings shed light on how people living with dementia understand and navigate the neighbourhood environment, and features that prompt recall of routes, places, and events, and support orientation and wayfinding. The study offers planners and designers awareness and insights into the lived experience of navigating the neighbourhood environment with the condition of dementia and guidance on adopting a dementia-friendly and inclusive approach in policy and practice.

Dr. Habib Chaudhury, Chair and Professor in the Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University has extensive research experience in the field of Environmental Gerontology. He conducts research in the following areas: role of physical environment for people with dementia in long-term care facilities, community planning and urban design for active aging, and dementia-friendly/inclusive communities. Dr. Chaudhury also offers evidence-based consulting with national and international organizations in planning and design of seniors’ housing and long-term care facilities. He is also affiliated with the Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia at the University of British Columbia. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Aging and Environment, and is a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Aging Advisory Board and the federal Ministerial Advisory Board on Dementia.

This lecture may be viewed in-person at UBC Robson Square or over Zoom.

Register Here

Tuesday, 27 June 2023 - 6:00pm
Zoom or UBC Robson Square
Room C485, Robson Square
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Canada
Photo of person where bike helmet looking with a view of the city

Easy Riders Cycling Group | June 28

EASY RIDERS  - Richmond Ride (West)

An enjoyable AAA ride (All Ages and Abilities). 

Route: Meet at 10:00am on the Middle Channel dyke at the Olympic Oval, Richmond. Depending on conditions we will circuit clockwise or counterclockwise, including the WEST and SOUTH Dykes and the Railway Greenway. Estimated length of ride 25 Kms, Partners and e-bikes are welcome

Any emeriti (and/ or partners) interested in joining this ride please contact group convenor Graeme Wynn (wynn@geog.ubc.ca) for further details.

Wednesday, 28 June 2023 - 10:00am
Olympic Oval
Richmond, BC V6A 3Z7
Canada
Photo of person where bike helmet looking with a view of the city

Easy Riders Cycling Group | July 12

EASY RIDERS  -  Deer Lake

An enjoyable AAA ride (All Ages and Abilities). 

Route: Meet at 10:00am at Hillcrest Park -Ontario St; 10th Avenue East; Grandview; Still Creek; Kensington; Deer Lake (coffee) Deer Lake Parkway,; Moscrop; 29th; Earles; Duchess; 37th Hillcrest Park.
Estimated length of ride 25 Kms, Partners and e-bikes are welcome

Any emeriti (and/ or partners) interested in joining this ride please contact group convenor Graeme Wynn (wynn@geog.ubc.ca) for further details.

Wednesday, 12 July 2023 - 10:00am
Hillcrest Park
Vancouver, BC V6A 3Z7
Canada
Photo of person where bike helmet looking with a view of the city

Easy Riders Cycling Group | July 24 - POSTPONED

Postponed due to weather - new date tbd
EASY RIDERS  -  Vancouver Biennale installations on English Bay and Downtown

An enjoyable AAA ride (All Ages and Abilities). 

Route: A cycle tour of Vancouver Biennale installations on English Bay and Downtown (Plus visit to Crab Park). Start and end at Hastings Mill Store (Dunbar Street and Point Grey Road) This will be about 20-25km of riding with 12-15 stops to view various outdoor/ public art installations along the way.  We could stop for light lunch along the way (to be discussed) Estimated duration is 3.5 hours (with lunch stop up to 5 hours . Departure at 10:00am

Newcomers interested in participating should contact Graeme Wynn wynn@geog.ubc.ca at least three days in advance.

Monday, 24 July 2023 - 10:00am
Hastings Mill Store
Vancouver, BC V6A 3Z7
Canada
Poster for Dr Katie Lunnon

Healthy Aging Research Seminar | July 27

Epigenetic Studies in Dementia
with Dr. Katie Lunnon, Dementia Genomics, University of Exeter

In recent years genome-scale studies have identified many genetic variants associated with various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, these do not account for all of disease incidence, with environmental and epidemiological factors also contributing to disease risk. Epigenetic mechanisms are one way in which genes and the environment can interact, leading to altered transcriptional activity. Dr. Lunnon's group has been exploring the role of different epigenetic processes, such as DNA modifications in AD, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Huntington’s disease (HD), identifying dysfunctional methylation signatures and networks in the brain and blood. In addition to discussing the findings of these epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of DNA modifications, Dr. Lunnon will also discuss the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in AD, showing the results of our recent meta-analysis of miRNAs in post-mortem brain tissue and identifying altered ncRNA networks driving altered gene expression in disease.

Dr. Katie Lunnon is a Professor in Dementia Genomics in the Complex Disease Epigenetics Group at the University of Exeter where she leads the dementia genomics team, consisting of 12 research scientists, who are all focused on understanding the role of genomic regulation in dementia and neurodegenerative disease. Her team are performing genome-scale analyses of genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic variation in post-mortem brain samples to identify new disease mechanisms and in blood samples to identify novel biomarkers. The group are integrating these distinct molecular level datasets to identify disease signatures that cut across different layers of genomic regulation. She has 85 publications and was recently senior author on the first cross-tissue meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) in Alzheimer’s disease brain samples, which was published in Nature Communications in 2021. She has received a number of awards for her research, including the 2019 Cavanagh prize, the 2017 Alzheimer’s Research UK Young Investigator of the Year award, and a 2015 Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Research Leaders award. Katie has been a member of the Alzheimer’s Research UK grant review board since 2017 and has chaired the panel since 2020.

This lecture may be viewed in-person at the Rudy North Lecture Theatre in the Centre for Brain Health at UBC or over Zoom.

Register Here

Thursday, 27 July 2023 - 11:00am
Zoom or Rudy North Lecture Theatre
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Canada

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