Monthly Lectures   

As we grow older, many of us begin to lose weight. In some cases, the amount of weight lost can be tremendous. This is the opposite side of the coin that many face in younger years, battling to keep the pounds off. Both the gaining of pounds and their loss is influenced by many factors, but our brain and its response to the hormonal signals coming from the body are major players. In this lecture, we will explore the interplay between brain and body, with special emphasis on unwanted weight loss in the later years.

Join us as we learn about how Parkinson's disease is diagnosed and treated. Kimmy Su is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and movement disorders specialist at the University of Washington and VA Puget Sound Healthcare System. She is also the medical director for the American Parkinson's Disease Association Northwest Chapter and is a strong advocate for empowerment through education.

This Brain Health lecture is open to all. Click here to pre-register on Zoom.

Join us as we learn more about how medications affect the health of your brain. Dr. Leigh Ann Mike is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the UW and is the Assistant Director for Education in the Plein Center for Geriatric Pharmacy Research, Education & Outreach. She completed her PharmD and PGY1 residency training at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is Board Certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) and as a Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP). Her current practice is as a Consultant Pharmacist at a Seattle-area assisted living community. Prior practice experiences include Drug Information Specialist at Grady Health System in Atlanta, Georgia and Critical Care Pharmacist at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.

In this lecture, we'll explore important nutrients and foods that support brain health and cognitive function, discuss simple and practical ways to incorporate brain supportive foods into our everyday diets, and review strategies to improve motivation and make lasting dietary changes for better health. Our guide for this discussion is Kelly Morrow, a registered dietitian nutritionist and an affiliate instructor at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Washington.

"No matter where you wander in Washington, you are never very far from the past and the evidence of the plants and animals that came before. You can find trilobites near the Idaho border, primitive horses on the Columbia Plateau, exquisite flowers in Republic, giant bird tracks near Bellingham, and curious bear-like beasts on the Olympic Peninsula. With abundant and well-exposed rock layers, Washington has fossils dating from Ice Age mammals only 12,000 years old back to marine invertebrates more than 500 million years old.

Join co-author David B. Williams as he discusses this amazing array of past life, which is featured in Spirit Whales and Sloth Tales: Fossils in Washington State. David will provide the background on what inspired him and co-author Dr. Elizabeth Nesbitt to write the first book ever on fossils in the state, why they chose the fossils they did, and some of the new science that has allowed paleontologists to tease out the 500-million-year long story of life in this region. In addition, he will highlight several of the fossils profiled in the book."

Join us to learn more about how the brain is affected by a stroke with David Tirschwell, medical director of comprehensive stroke care at the UW Medicine Stroke Clinic at Harborview and a UW professor of neurology. Tirschwell specializes in inpatient general neurology, stroke neurology, neuro-critical care and outpatient stroke neurology. 

With their ability to hover in place, fly upside-down or backwards, and cross seas without stopping, hummingbirds seem immune to the ordinary laws of physics. Their jewel-tone feathers flash in the sun brighter than rubies or emeralds. Their wings flap faster than the eye can see. Their courtship flights defy gravity. These tiny dynamos of the avian world both fascinate and flummox us. Find out more about one of the fiercest birds in the animal kingdom, as master birder Connie Sidles shows you the wonders of hummingbirds and tells you how to attract them to your garden.
 

Find out how products make it to market and what the FDA does once they’re on the shelf. Dave Hammond is an associate professor in biomedical regulatory affairs at the UW and a consultant to medical product companies interacting with the FDA. In 27 years of working in this field, he’s seen a lot of things go well and has funny stories of those that haven’t.