Upcoming Events
Healthy Aging Public Lecture Series | June 27
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.
This lecture may be viewed in-person at UBC Robson Square or over Zoom.
Tuesday, 27 June 2023 - 6:00pmEasy 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 - 10:00amEasy 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 - 10:00amEasy 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 - 10:00amHealthy Aging Research Seminar | July 27
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.
Thursday, 27 July 2023 - 11:00amEasy Riders Cycling Group | Aug 4
EASY RIDERS - Vancouver Biennale Ride
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.
Friday, 4 August 2023 - 10:00am