Emeran Mayer, MD, PhD, a pioneering medical researcher into brain-gut interactions, and Helen Lavretsky, MD, an expert in brain aging and treatment, will speak at the 2nd Annual Patrick and Marguerite Sung Symposium at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 26, 2019, in Room 117 of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health (SMHS). After the lectures, there will be a panel Q&A with the speakers and other experts in the field. A reception will follow to continue the discussion.
Presented by the GW Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, the symposium will focus on brain health and wellness, which is categorized as anything that affects thinking, feeling, playing, working, and memory. The revolution in our understanding of the brain-gut connection, the gut microbiome, and complementary medicine, has some serious implications for optimal health and wellness. Opportunities for maintaining brain health are growing as we gain a better understanding of brain-gut interactions in gastrointestinal disorders, including functional and inflammatory bowel disorders and obesity.
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences designates this live activity for a maximum of 3.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Dr. Mayer is recognized as one of the leading investigators in the world of brain gut microbiome interactions in GI disorders, including functional and inflammatory bowel disorders and obesity. He is a Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Psychiatry, Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Mayer is also the Executive Director of the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience (CNSR) and Co-Director of CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center at UCLA.
A gastroenterologist and neuroscientist by training, Dr. Mayer has a career-long interest in clinical and research aspects of brain body interactions, with a longstanding focus on the bidirectional communication between the brain and the gut in health and disease. His research has been continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has published more than 320 peer reviewed scientific articles, including 100 chapters and reviews, co-edited four books, and organized several interdisciplinary symposia in the area of mind body interactions and chronic visceral pain.
Dr. Mayer is the bestselling author of The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health. In August 2018, he published research on the link between gut bacteria and eating for pleasure, as opposed to hunger. He is this year's Theodore and Cynthia Birnbaum Memorial Speaker. Learn more about him here.
Dr. Lavretsky, an eminent geriatric psychiatrist, is an expert in brain aging and treatment. She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA, Director of the Late Life Mood, Stress, and Wellness Research Program at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, a NIH-funded research program in geriatric depression and integrative mental health.
She is a recipient of the Career Development award from the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health and other prestigious research awards. Her research interests are Geriatric Psychiatry, mood disorders, psychopharmacology, Integrative Medicine, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Her current research studies include investigations of psychopharmacological treatment of geriatric depression, mild cognitive impairment and the use of Tia Chi and yoga for treatment and prevention of late-life mood and cognitive disorders. She is the Semel Scholar in Integrative Mental Health and the Director of the Late-life mood, stress and wellness program. Learn more about her here.
Free admission for GW faculty, students, alumni, and staff. General admission is $20, CME is $50. Register today!
For more information, please contact Janette Rodrigues, Administrative Director, jrodrigues@gwu.edu or 202-994-7462.
ABOUT THE PATRICK AND MARGUERITE SUNG SYMPOSIUM
The Patrick and Marguerite Sung Symposium, featuring the Theodore and Cynthia Birnbaum Memorial Speaker, promotes the use of Integrative Medicine. This approach adopts a holistic approach to patient care with the widest array of evidence-based health, wellness, and disease prevention and treatment options available. Integrative Medicine goes beyond treating symptoms and works to find the root cause of illness and disease to engage the patient in prevention and treatment. This annual continuing education event teaches health care providers and consumers about Integrative Medicine and promotes research into the benefits of combining conventional and evidence-based complementary approaches to promote health and wellness.
ABOUT THE GW OFFICE OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE AND HEALTH
The Office of Integrative Medicine and Health (OIMH), at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), leads professional development, education, scholarly activities, and community outreach in the field of Integrative Medicine in the D.C. metropolitan area. OIMH ensures excellence and sustainability of Integrative Medicine through commitments to high-quality education and training, community engagement, strategic partnerships, evidence-based practice, and patient-centered care.
