Thinking Outside the Box - New Perspectives in Alzheimer's Research
| Event Name | Thinking Outside the Box - New Perspectives in Alzheimer's Research |
|---|---|
| Start Date | Mar 20, 2019 6:00 pm |
| End Date | Mar 20, 2019 7:15 pm |
| Duration | 1 hour and 15 minutes |
| Description | Click here to register or call Menzies on 6226-7700. Increasing rates of Alzheimer’s Disease are causing concern around the globe. Novel approaches by researchers at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, School of Medicine and Wicking Dementia Research & Education Centre at the University of Tasmania, are shedding new light on how Alzheimer’s disease changes the brain and how this might translate to prevention and treatment. Hear about their exciting work in this fascinating public talk. Speakers: Dr Owen Marshall is a Senior Research Fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, where he leads a team of six researchers and students investigating the packaging of DNA within cells and its role in human disease. Owen’s team seeks to answer questions such as: What happens to neurons in the brain during Alzheimer's Disease progression? How are memories formed and preserved? And, what changes occur in the brain during the ageing process? To answer these questions, Owen’s team is looking to the humble vinegar fly. Dr Brad Sutherland is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Medicine at the University of Tasmania. Brad leads a neurovascular lab that aims to understand how blood flow is regulated in the brain and how this becomes dysfunctional in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. In 2018, Brad was awarded an NHMRC Boosting Dementia Research Leadership Fellowship and this was followed up with an NHMRC Project Grant in 2019 to investigate the role of pericytes, a cell that controls capillary blood flow, in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Dr Juanita Westbury is a pharmacist, researcher and Senior Lecturer in Dementia Studies at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre. Her work focuses on the mental health of residents of Australian aged care homes. Juanita has developed a multi-strategic six-month program, called RedUSe, which promotes the appropriate use of psychotropic medications in aged care homes through audit and feedback, staff education and interdisciplinary review. This multi-award-winning program was first trialled in Tasmania in 2008 and has since significantly reduced antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use, with high degrees of health practitioner satisfaction. Tea and coffee from 5.30pm. The event will start at 6pm. |