Health and Medicine – Page 2

The Future of Autism Research

Nothing about us without us.

The autism community has made it clear that research must be participatory and co-designed by them. Sir Simon Baron-Cohen examines how this stance has changed the course and focus of autism research. In addition, he examines the current tension between neurodiversity and disability and how to better protect the human rights of autistic people. He encourages the scientific community to embrace these challenges as opportunities to explore and expand what we can know.

Becca Lory Hector joins the conversation to provide perspective from an autistic adult. She addresses the “nothing about us without us” axiom from a personal point of view and with an eye to how research should focus on bettering the lives of those on the spectrum. The discussion also looks at the rate of suicide and depression affecting the community and how mental health should be supported.

Michelle McGowan shares the perspective of parents with autistic children and asks important questions about how science can support children as they grow into adulthood. She also explores how parents, educators, and education systems can better understand and communicate with non-neurotypical children.

This important conversation was the keynote presentation at the Autism Tree Project Foundation Annual Neuroscience Conference.

Watch Autism Research & Neurodiversity: The Changing Culture with Sir Simon Baron-Cohen.

Better Sleep Means Better Health

Sleep is an essential function of our lives. Sleep enables us to grow, it regulates our metabolism, and heart and lung functions, it solidifies our memories and clears toxins from the brain. Yet 35% of Americans are considered sleep deprived, getting fewer than seven hours of sleep a night. And nearly half of American adults suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia.

So how can we learn to sleep better and improve our physical and mental health? Dr. Ellen Lee, UC San Diego Assistant Professor of Psychology, discusses what happens when we sleep, common disorders like insomnia, how COVID-19 has impacted our sleep, and effective treatments for sleep issues.

Watch Sleep Better, Feel Better: How Sleep Affects Our Mental and Physical Health with Ellen Lee.

Orthopaedics: Optimizing Wellness

Injuries and degenerative conditions affect us all and can result in pain, dysfunction and decreased quality of life. When we lose our mobility, our overall wellness suffers. What can we do to keep our body running at its best, help it recover when it gets injured, and maintain an active lifestyle? Presented by leaders in their field from the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, this series explores how to optimize wellness and not let aches and pains get you down.

Topics include:

Conservative Management of Low Back Pain

Injuries to the Female Athlete and the Creation of the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at UCSF

Hip Pain: When Your Hip Won’t Let You Hop!

Ouch! My Aching Feet: Common Ailments of the Foot and Ankle

Hand Lumps, Bumps and Everything in Between

Living Longer and Healthier with Exercise

Browse more programs in Orthopaedics: Optimizing Wellness.

The Magic of Mushrooms

Presented by the Berry Good Food Foundation, the Future Thought Leaders series is an engaging portfolio of multidisciplinary programs that present varying viewpoints on sustainable food-related topics. For their 10th program with UCTV, the focus is mushrooms.

Mushrooms play a crucial role in our natural ecosystem; they have been used medicinally by indigenous cultures for centuries, their nutritional value and hearty fiber make them an excellent meat substitute for chefs, and the mainstream medical community is evaluating psilocybin benefits in combating PTSD, anxiety, addiction, and other conditions.

Michelle Ciccarelli Lerach hosts spiritual healer Matthew Alvarado, Mindful Mushrooms owner Ivo Fedak, CEO of M2 Ingredients Jan Hall, Mark Kalia, M.D., Gordon Saxe, M.D., Ph.D., UCSD, environmental scientist Danielle Stevenson, and co-owner and chef at The Plot and Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub Davin Waite for a discussion on the amazing impacts of mushrooms. Learn how mushrooms are grown, how modern medicine is embracing their many uses, and how cutting-edge chefs are imagining how they appear in restaurant dining rooms.

Watch The Magic of Mushrooms: Revolutionizing the Future of Food, Farming and Medicine – Future Thought Leaders Series Presented by the Berry Good Food Foundation .

Healthy Aging in the Era of Pandemics

The UC San Diego Center for Healthy aging envisions a world where older adults enjoy the highest level of well-being, through innovative science, inter-professional collaborations, and community partnerships. The center’s research encompasses medicine and healthcare as well as technology, housing, the built environment, and more.

In November 2021, the center hosted a day long symposium focused on healthy aging in the era of pandemics. True to the times, the symposium was held over Zoom allowing researchers from across the country to join and share their latest work. Topics included wisdom and social connections, healthy lifestyle and physical exercise, getting a good night’s sleep, technology for seniors, electronic psychotherapies, and magnetic brain stimulation.

Symposium Highlights:

Loneliness vs. Wisdom in the Era of Pandemics with Dilip V. Jeste
Can wisdom be a safeguard for physical and mental health during difficult times? Dilip V. Jeste, MD explains the biological and cognitive roots of wisdom and how it can be harnessed to combat loneliness.

Electronic Psychotherapies and Cognitive Remediation
How can new technologies be used to help anxiety and depression? Tarek Rajji, MD shares recent findings from trials combining brain stimulation with cognitive remediation. John Torous, MD, MBI takes a deep dive into mental health apps and how to evaluate their effectiveness and utility.

The Role of Exercise and Nutrition in Healthy Aging: From Fall Prevention to Inflammation
Can virtual classes help seniors with fall prevention and staying fit? What are the impacts of diet on inflammation and mental health? Jeanne Nichols, PhD and Mark Rapaport, MD detail their respective work in mental and physical well-being.

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep: How Sleep Affects Our Mental and Physical Health; Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep is essential to our physical and mental health. Renowned sleep experts share insights into how to get better sleep as well as current sleep therapies. Ellen Lee, MD explains the biological importance of sleep, its impact on health and aging, and how to improve your sleep habits. Atul Malhotra, MD discusses the impacts of sleep deprivation on your daily life and current treatments for obstructive sleep apnea including the use of CPAP technology.

Aging in Marginalized Communities
María Marquine, PhD shares research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults age 50+, noting the differential impact by race/ethnicity in the US. Lauren Brown, PhD discusses the unique stress experience of black older adults.

Technology for Seniors
How are seniors using technology to stay connected and healthy? Ramesh Rao, PhD hosts Tom Kamber and Eric Granholm, PhD for a discussion of technology for seniors including mental health interventions.

Magnetic Brain Stimulation
What is magnetic brain stimulation and how can it be used to improve our health? Dhakshin Ramanathan, MD, PhD and Zafiris “Jeff” Daskalakis, MD, PhD join Jyoti Mishra, PhD to discuss how and why to use therapies such as TMS and MTS to treat depression.

Browse all programs in Healthy Aging in the Era of Pandemics.