Summer Lecture Series
Join Us for the 2012 UBThisSummer Lecture Series: Exploring UB’s Engagement in Health and Wellness!
Each year, the University at Buffalo features an outstanding lineup of prominent UB faculty members who share their enthusiasm and knowledge about an amazing array of topics. These free public lectures are an excellent opportunity to learn from a diverse selection of faculty from across our campus.
This year, we will be featuring our broad engagement in Health and Wellness in our Community. Bringing together faculty in fields as diverse as history, art, molecular biology, and medicine, the 2012 Lecture Series will showcase an exciting cross-section of innovative activities on our campus and in our community.
All lectures are free and open to the public.
Dates and Time
- Wednesdays, June 6th through August 1st (with the exception of July 4)
- 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
- Doors open at 3:30 p.m.
- Lecture begins promptly at 4:00 p.m.
NEW LOCATION for 2012!
- Davis Hall (1st floor, Agrusa Auditorium).
Join us and explore our newest North Campus facility — Davis Hall, the new home of Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering.
Lecture Schedule
- June 6, 2012
- Beauty and the Beast: From Skin Development to Disease
- Strategic Strength in Molecular Recognition in Biological Systems and Bioinformatics
- Satrajit Sinha, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry
The skin is the largest organ of the human body. Acting as a protective barrier against various outside threats, skin cells are constantly changing as they mature, become specialized, and finally die in order to do their critical job. How does the body control these changes? What happens when the signals and cues regulating this process go haywire? New technology and sophisticated genetic approaches are providing important insights into skin biology and disease, offering hope for the future.
- June 13, 2012
- Precision Diagnostics: Right Test, Right Patient, Right Time, Right Cost
- Strategic Strength in Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan
- John E. Tomaszewski, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences
It is said that 70% of all of the information that impacts medical decision making comes from the clinical laboratories. Everyone who uses the health system receives laboratory testing. The challenge of 21st century diagnostics will be to maximize lab effectiveness by choosing the right test, for the right patient, at the right time, and at the right cost. The discussion will focus on the use of lab data in predicting patient outcomes.
- June 20, 2012
- The Medicine of Art: UB’s Arts in Healthcare Initiative
- Strategic Strength in Artistic Expression and Performing Arts
- Katherine Trapanovski, Program Director, and Thomas B. Burrows, Executive Director
By engaging individuals in creative activities, enhancing the healthcare experience, and encouraging physical and emotional well-being, the arts have been shown to transform the hospital environment. UB’s innovative Arts in Healthcare Initiative brings arts programming to the patients, visitors, and staff of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. Comprised of ten professional Artists in Residence, the Initiative brings together individuals with extensive experience in writing, music, dance, theater, and the visual arts; some of the artists will be on hand to discuss their work in the hospitals and lead the audience in a participatory activity.
- June 27, 2012
- West Side Wellness: The Case of Diabetes Self-Management
- Strategic Strength in Civic Engagement and Public Policy
- Linda S. Kahn, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine
Racial and ethnic minority groups, especially those living in poverty, experience a high prevalence and burden of diabetes. Currently, little is known about how diabetes affects the increasing numbers of refugees in the United States. Dr. Kahn’s research explores the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs that inform how people of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds live with diabetes in Buffalo’s West Side.
- July 4, 2012
No Lecture Scheduled.
- July 11, 2012
- Nanomedicine: Transforming Healthcare with Nanotechnology
- Strategic Strength in Integrated Nanostructured Systems
- Paras Prasad, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Executive Director, Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics
Nanomedicine, created through the fusion of nanotechnology (think really small), science, engineering, and medicine, has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of a range of health issues. This lecture will look at this emerging field, highlighting UB’s leading role. A thought provoking concept of rejuvenation therapy, with the potential to extend the potential human lifespan to 1,000 years, will also be presented.
- July 18, 2012
- “It ain’t civil and it ain’t right.” Health, Wellness, and Disability Rights in 20th Century United States
- Strategic Strength in Cultures and Texts
- Michael Rembis, PhD, Associate Director, Center for Disability Studies
What effect has the long disability rights movement had on our modern ideas of health and wellness? Looking at policy formation, delivery of services, and popular consciousness over the course of the 20th Century, Dr. Rembis will introduce the history of the disability rights movement, and discuss its impact on the world around us.
- July 25, 2012
- Innovation in Health Informatics: How Human-Centered Design is the Key
- Strategic Strength in Information and Computing Technology
- Ann Bisantz, Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Computer-based health information systems play a large role in modern health care delivery. Providing new tools to better treat patients and to prevent future health issues, these new systems could revolutionize health care, lowering costs and greatly improving safety and quality of care. Dr. Bisantz will show how a human-centered approach to designing these critical systems will help us meet our goals in improving US healthcare.
- August 1, 2012
- Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Strategic Strength in Extreme Events: Mitigation and Response
- Steven Dubovsky, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Stress affects all of us in a number of ways. But, what happens to those who experience traumatic events, ones where they are put under abnormally high levels of stress? Dr. Dubovsky will discuss the emotional and physical reactions to stress, as well as the long term consequences of these experiences including, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and depression. Finally, Dr. Dubovsky will outline the various methods of treatment currently available.
