MBB Calendar of Upcoming Community Events
To add events and opportunities to this page, please contact Shawn Harriman.
TALK SERIES OF INTEREST
Click here for a list of Psychology Department talks and seminars.
Click here for a list of Social Psychology Research Workshops.
Click here for a list of Human Evolutionary Biology Colloquium talks.
Click here for a list of Boston-Neurotalks.
Click here for a list of Child Mental Health Forum talks.
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS / OPPORTUNITIES
MONDAY, JUNE 3RD, 12 NOON
Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series, Brigham and Women's Hospital Neurology of Vision: Past, Present, and Future
Lucia Vaina, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Biomedical Engineering at Boston University
Carrie Hall Conference Room, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 15 Francis Street, Boston
Lunch will be served.
Target Audience: MDs, PhDs, residents, fellows and research staff interested in learning more about research and clinical developments in the Cognitive/Affective Neurosciences and related clinical disciplines. Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to (1) discuss the complexity of higher level visual-perceptual problems after stroke; (2) integrate basic science and functional neuroimaging to characterize and diagnose visual-perceptual deficits; and (3) describe how to measure the effect of plasticity and cortical reorganization after stroke. Continuing Education for Physicians: The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Continuing Education for Psychologists: This seminar is sponsored by Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program offers 1 CE credit per seminar to psychologists.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29TH, 6 P.M. AND 7 P.M. Artists in the Art and Science Immersive Media Court, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Sentient: A Full-Dome Immersive Experience Exploring the Creative Process, Perception, and the Unexplored Mind!
Boston Museum of Science, Charles Hayden Planetarium
Please RSVP at http://massartsci.wordpress.com/rsvp
We would like to invite you to Sentient, an original production by Artists in the Art and Science Immersive Media Course at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, taught by Nita Sturiale. Throughout the 2013 spring semester, the artists have been creating visuals and sounds for The Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science in Boston. Join us for one of the two free screenings on May 29th at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. More information about the class is available at http://massartsci.wordpress.com. And enjoy the teaser at https://vimeo.com/64914814!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1ST, 1:30-3 P.M.
Judge Baker Children's Center Child Mental Health Forum
The Brain Drain in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Controversy and Evidence
Daniel Dickstein (MD, FAAP, Director PediMIND Program, Bradley Hospital / Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry/Human Behavior and Pediatrics, Brown University School of Medicine)
Judge Baker Children's Center, 53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston
Limited free parking available.
Some studies suggest that increasing numbers of children and teenagers are being diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD). What do we know about pediatric BD? This talk will discuss the controversies and the data about pediatric BD, including data driven phenomenology and cutting-edge research. Target Audience: Physicians (psychiatrists, pediatricians, child neurologists), psychologists, social workers, other mental health clinicians and researchers, and students and trainees. Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to (1) understand controversy surrounding pediatric BD; (2) discuss evidence-based approach to diagnosing BD; and (3) describe recent studies about brain/behavior underpinnings of pediatric BD.
TUESDAY, APRIL 30TH,3:30 P.M.
Conte-CBS Colloquium on Mental Health
Neuroscience and Mental Health Mini-Symposium
Northwest Laboratories, 52 Oxford Street 3:30 p.m.: Undergraduate Thesis Research Poster Session (Northwest Cafe)
Featuring the findings of Harvard College seniors concentrating in Neurobiology and Psychology. Prizes awarded.
5 p.m.: Center for Brain Science Social Hour (Northwest Cafe
Light dinner and snacks served.
5:30 p.m.: Conte-CBS Colloquium on Mental Health (Northwest Room B-101)
Order and Disorder in the Emotional Brain
Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology & Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
To register, go to https://harvard.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6yV5vrNQgjUlmhD.
MONDAY, APRIL 22ND, 7 P.M.
Coolidge Theatre Science on Screen Series
Film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly with neuroscientist Frank Guenther
Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA
In 1995, at age 43, Jean-Dominique Bauby, the successful and charismatic editor of Elle France magazine, suffered a massive stroke that left him with a rare condition called locked-in syndrome – mentally alert but unable to speak or move except for his left eye. With the help of a speech therapist, he learned to communicate by blinking that eye to signify letters of the alphabet. Blink by blink, letter by letter, he dictated a memoir, which became an international bestseller and the basis for artist and director Julian Schnabel’s fiercely beautiful film. Working with the brilliant cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Lincoln, Saving Private Ryan), Schnabel immerses us in Bauby's interior world — his memories, reveries, fantasies, loves and lusts — transforming a story of physical entrapment and spiritual renewal into exhilarating images. Join us before the film for a talk by Frank Guenther, a professor in the Departments of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences and Biomedical Engineering at Boston University, where he is also associate director of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. Professor Guenther uses a combination of brain imaging and computational modeling to characterize the brain networks involved in speech, and develops brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) that can restore speech and other capabilities to patients with locked-in syndrome. BMIs have produced astonishing laboratory demonstrations of locked-in patients controlling computers, speech synthesizers, and robotic arms using only their thoughts. Clinical trials are ongoing for several BMIs, promising a much more normal life for those with locked-in syndrome as these devices become widely available. Tickets are $10 general admission or $8 students and Museum of Science members. Coolidge Corner Theatre members get free admission. For more information, visit www.coolidge.org/content/diving-bell-and-butterfly.
SATURDAY, APRIL 20TH, 1:30 - 4:30 P.M.
Interdisciplinary Symposium on Alzheimer's Disease
hosted by Meredith Vieira
First Parish Cambridge Meetinghouse, 1446 Massachusetts Avenue (across from Harvard's Johnston Gate)
ticketing information at www.halzsymposium.eventbrite.com
The Harvard College Alzheimer’s Buddies welcome you to join us and to bring your friends and family to #Question, #Learn new things, find ways to #Act to bring an #EndtoAlzheimer's. We invite you to join us in an interdisciplinary event where experts across all fields who grapple with the challenges of dementia will briefly present their research, experiences, and perspectives on this complex issues in a TED-talk style.
MONDAY, APRIL 15TH, 11 A.M. - 1 P.M.
Mind, Brain, Health, and Education Course Lecture, Harvard University Extension School
Exercise, Emotions, and Cognition
John Ratey, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School)
1 Story Street, room 306
Professor Ratey will discuss how exercise helps to regulate our emotions and optimize our cognitive abilities. He will review clinical and neuroscientific research that demonstrates the benefits of an active lifestyle in keeping our brains young and healthy. In fact, these effects are hard wired into our brains and bodies; our biology expects us to be active. We will consider how important this knowledge is in our sedentary virtual world.
TUESDAY APRIL 9TH, 4:30-6:30 P.M.
Center on the Developing Child Distinguished Scholars Lecture Series: Advancing the Science of Learning, Health, and Behavior
The Neurobiology of Social Behavior Development
Pat Levitt, Ph.D., Science Director, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Provost Professor of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacy, Director of the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall, Harvard Yard
This lecture is co-sponsored by the Center on the Developing Child and the Conte Center at Harvard University and is free and open to the public.
Humans are highly interactive socially, and early in life must learn the meaning of cues in their environment that are essential for developing social skills and controlling emotions. But not all individuals develop these skills to the same extent. There are striking individual differences in the quality of social behavior in typically developing children and in those with neurodevelopmental disorders. There is also great diversity in the quality of social behavior across—and within—other species. But how does social behavior develop? Improved understanding of this developmental process can help us identify children who are at greater risk for a range of poor outcomes in school, at work, and in building healthy relationships with others—and to design innovative approaches that positively influence the development of social skills. This presentation will focus on research that examines the development of social behavior in humans and animals and how it relates to certain types of early learning, and will discuss how the research can chart a way forward to better understanding of the biological basis for individual differences. Read more about this event and the Distinguished Scholars Lecture Series at http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/students_eld/learning_opportunities/distinguished_scholars_lecture_series/.
MONDAY, APRIL 8TH, 11 A.M. - 1 P.M.
Mind, Brain, and Health, and Education Course Special Guest Lecture
Bryan Samuels (Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
1 Story Street room 306, Cambridge
Commissioner Samuels, who directs the Administration on Children, Youth and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will offer a special guest lecture on the Federal role in supporting well being for vulnerable children, youth, and families. In moving beyond the essentials of establishing safety and permanency for families, the ACYF is “...organizing many of its activities around the promotion of meaningful and measurable changes in social and emotional well being for children who have experienced maltreatment, trauma, and/or exposure to violence.” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). Why this new direction? Commissioner Samuels will speak of established and emerging science which is driving this essential policy change. He will also discuss historical and current issues influencing the development and implementation of policies in this area. Dr. Stephanie Peabody, Course Director for the Mind, Brain, Health, and Education course, is opening this lecture to the public. All are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to jvolkman@fas.harvard.edu, as a change of location may be necessary to accommodate all attendees.
FRIDAY, APRIL 5TH, 7:30 A.M. TO 5 P.M.
Harvard Center on the Developing Child
Early Childhood Summit 2013
Federal Reserve Bank, Boston
NOTE: REGISTRATION REQUIRED AND NOW OPEN: earlychildhoodsummit2013.eventbrite.com
Registration is now open for the 2013 Early Childhood Summit in Boston, co-sponsored by the Boston Children's Museum, the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and Strategies for Children. This daylong summit will bring together neuroscientists, pediatricians, educators, business and museum professionals, and policymakers to develop a broad partnership dedicated to improving outcomes for children. The event will feature Center on the Developing Child director Jack P. Shonkoff as keynote speaker and a full roster of nationally recognized leaders in early childhood research, practice, and policy.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3RD, 1:30-3 P.M.
Child Mental Health Forum, Judge Baker Children's Center
Immigrants Raising Citizens: Undocumented Parents and their Young Children's Development
Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Ph.D., Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Academic Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education
53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston
Limited free parking available.
This talk is based on Hirokazu Yoshikawa’s 2011 volume Immigrants Raising Citizens: Undocumented Parents and Their Young Children. The book is the first large-scale study to examine the implications of parent undocumented status for the development of young children. Based on a longitudinal study of families from three immigrant groups – Chinese, Mexican and Dominican –Immigrants Raising Citizens shows that undocumented parents share three sets of experiences that distinguish them from legal-status parents and may adversely influence their children’s development: poor work conditions with high rates of wages below the legal minimum; reluctance to enroll their citizen children in programs that help their development; and psychological stress. Compared to documented low-income parents, undocumented parents experience significantly more exploitive work conditions, including long hours, inadequate pay and raises, few job benefits, and limited autonomy in job duties. Fearing deportation, undocumented parents often avoid accessing valuable resources that could help their children’s development—such as public programs and agencies providing child care. Recently arrived undocumented immigrants also tend to have fewer reliable social ties to assist with child care or share information on child-rearing. Despite these parents’ considerable skills and commitment to support their children’s learning, undocumented status is a risk for lower levels of optimal development that are recognizable in children as young as two years old and can negatively impact their future school performance and well-being. Implications for mental health practice, service delivery and immigration policy will be discussed. Target Audience: Physicians (psychiatrists, pediatricians, child neurologists), psychologists, social workers, other mental health clinicians and researchers, and students and trainees. Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to (1) understand demographic data concerning undocumented parents and their young children in the U.S., (2) understand how parent undocumented status can affect young children’s development, and (3) engage more effectively with low-income immigrant families with young children.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2ND, 5:30 P.M.
Conte-CBS Colloquium on Mental Health
Novel Brain Imaging Techniques to Study Drug Abuse and Mental Illness
Scott E. Lukas, Ph.D., Director, McLean Imaging Center and Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory / Professor of Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School
Biological Labs room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
Food and Drink at 5 p.m.
Register at http://conte.harvard.edu/events/
MONDAY, APRIL 1ST, 12 NOON
Brigham and Women's Hospital Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series
Listening to Neurons: Intracortical Neural Interfaces for the Restoration of Communication and Mobility
Leigh Hochberg, MD, PhD, Associate Neurologist, Massachusetts General Hospital / Associate Neurologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital / Visiting Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Monday, April 1st at noon, Carrie Hall Conference Room, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 15 Francis Street, Boston
Lunch will be served
Target Audience: MDs, PhDs, residents, fellows and research staff interested in learning more about research and clinical developments in the Cognitive/Affective Neurosciences and related clinical disciplines. Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to (1) describe the details of Brain-Computer interfaces; (2) identify the ongoing trials of intracortically-based brain-computer interfaces for people with paralysis; and (3) apply the potential role of neuronal ensemble analysis in the diagnosis and management of epilepsy. Continuing Education, Physicians: The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Continuing Education, Psychologists: This seminar is sponsored by Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program offers 1 CE credit per seminar to psychologists. Dr. Hochberg has no conflicts of interests or financial relationships with commercial entities to report.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6TH, 1:30-3 P.M.
Judge Baker Children's Center Child Mental Health Forum
Self-Regulation Development as a Focus for the Integration of Neuroscience and Education: Executive Function, Stress, and Poverty in Children
Clancy Blair, PhD. Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, New York University
Judge Baker Children's Center, 53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02120
Limited free parking available.
The development of self-regulation is increasingly becoming the focus of clinical and educational attention. What have we learned about its role among our most disadvantaged and vulnerable children? The talk will focus on the effects of psychosocial stress on child development and describes mechanisms through which early stress in the context of poverty affects executive functions and self-regulation development in early childhood. Effects of early experience on executive functions and on early school achievement will be examined with data from a population-based sample of children and families followed from birth through school entry. NYU Professor Clancy Blair, PhD, is an international leader in the integration of neuroscience research and education. He will discuss the role of self-regulation and executive function and their impact on child functional outcomes. Target Audience: Physicians (psychiatrists, pediatricians, child neurologists), psychologists, social workers, other mental health clinicians and researchers, and students and trainees. Upon completion of this activity, participants will have a better understanding of ways in which poverty affects self-regulation in children through effects on stress physiology.
TUESDAY, MARCH 5TH, 7 P.M.
Harvard Book Store Author Talk and Discussion Series
Lawrence J. Friedman, Love's Prophet: The Lives of Erich Fromm
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store and Amnesty International are pleased to welcome LAWRENCE J. FRIEDMAN for a discussion of his new biography, The Lives of Erich Fromm: Love's Prophet. Erich Fromm was a political activist, psychologist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, and one of the most important intellectuals of the twentieth century. Known for his theories of personality and political insight, Fromm dissected the sadomasochistic appeal of brutal dictators while also eloquently championing love -- which, he insisted, was nothing if it did not involve joyful contact with others and humanity at large. Admired all over the world, Fromm continues to inspire with his message of universal brotherhood and quest for lasting peace. The first systematic study of Fromm's influences and achievements, this biography revisits the thinker's most important works, especially Escape from Freedom and The Art of Loving, which conveyed important and complex ideas to millions of readers. The volume recounts Fromm's political activism as a founder and major funder of Amnesty International, the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, and other peace groups. Consulting rare archival materials across the globe, Lawrence J. Friedman reveals Fromm's support for anti-Stalinist democratic movements in Central and Eastern Europe and his efforts to revitalize American democracy. For the first time, readers learn about Fromm's direct contact with high officials in the American government on matters of war and peace while accessing a deeper understanding of his conceptual differences with Freud, his rapport with Neo-Freudians like Karen Horney and Harry Stack Sullivan, and his association with innovative artists, public intellectuals, and world leaders. Friedman elucidates Fromm's key intellectual contributions, especially his innovative concept of "social character," in which social institutions and practices shape the inner psyche, and he clarifies Fromm's conception of love as an acquired skill. Taking full stock of the thinker's historical and global accomplishments, Friedman portrays a man of immense authenticity and spirituality who made life in the twentieth century more humane than it might have been.
TUESDAY, MARCH 5TH, 5:30 P.M.
Conte-Center for Brain Science Colloquium on Mental Health
Development of Emotion Regulation: From Human Imaging to Mouse Genetics
BJ Casey, Ph.D., Director of the Sackler Institute Weill Cornell Medical College
The Biological Labs, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge Food and drink at 5 p.m.
Register at http://conte.harvard.edu/events.
MONDAY, MARCH 4TH, 3 P.M.
Department of Human Evolutionary Biology Seminar Series
Comparative Cognitive and Endocrine Development in Bonobos and Chimpanzees
Dr. Victoria (Tory) Wobber (Department of Psychology, Harvard University, http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~wobber/)
Biological Labs Lecture Hall, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
The aim of Dr. Wobber's research is to investigate the evolutionary origins and underlying mechanisms of human social behavior. She utilizes a comparative approach to investigate behavior, cognition, and neuroendocrinology, using inter-disciplinary methods from psychology, anthropology, and biology.
MONDAY, MARCH 4TH, 12 NOON
Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Functional specificity in the human brain
Nancy Kanwisher, Ph.D., Walter A. Rosenblith Processor, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Investigator, McGovern Institute for Brain Research
Carrie Hall Conference Room, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 15 Francis Street, Boston
Lunch will be served.
Target Audience: MDs, PhDs, residents, fellows and research staff interested in learning more about research and clinical developments in the Cognitive/Affective Neurosciences and related clinical disciplines. Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to (1) identify different schools of thought regarding the functional organization of the brain with respect to highly specialized vs. distributed processing; (2) demonstrate how functional MRI has been used to address the question of specialization vs. distributed processing, and (3) identify selected examples of functional specialization of brain regions for higher-level cognitive processing. Course Directors: Scott McGinnis, M.D. and Jane Epstein, M.D. Continuing Education, Physicians: Physicians: The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Continuing Education, Psychologists: This seminar is sponsored by Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program offers 1 CE credit per seminar to psychologists.
FRIDAY, MARCH 1ST, 2 P.M.
Doctoral Dissertation Defense, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology
The Evolution and Development of Inequity Aversion
Katherine McAuliffe, Ph.D. Candidate
Haller Hall, room 102, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Public presentation of doctoral dissertation resaerch. All are welcome to attend.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 7 P.M.
Book Discussion: Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People
Mahzarin Banaji, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics (Psychology/FAS)
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138
Harvard Book Store is pleased to welcome Harvard psychologist Mahzarin R. Banaji for a discussion of her book, Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, co-authored with Anthony G. Greenwald. I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality. "Blindspot" is the authors' metaphor for the portion of the mind that houses hidden biases. Writing with simplicity and verve, Banaji and Greenwald question the extent to which our perceptions of social groups-without our awareness or conscious control-shape our likes and dislikes and our judgments about people's character, abilities, and potential. In Blindspot, the authors reveal hidden biases based on their experience with the Implicit Association Test, a method that has revolutionized the way scientists learn about the human mind and that gives us a glimpse into what lies within the metaphoric blindspot. The title's "good people" are those of us who strive to align our behavior with our intentions. The aim of Blindspot is to explain the science in plain enough language to help well-intentioned people achieve that alignment. By gaining awareness, we can adapt beliefs and behavior and "outsmart the machine" in our heads so we can be fairer to those around us. Venturing into this book is an invitation to understand our own minds. Brilliant, authoritative, and utterly accessible, Blindspot is a book that will challenge and change readers for years to come.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH, 3 P.M.
Department of Human Evolutionary Biology Seminar Series
The Ecology and Evolution of Foraging Cognition in Chimpanzees, Bonobos, and Humans
Dr. Alexandra Rosati (Department of Psychology, Yale University, http://scholar.harvard.edu/rosati )
Biological Labs Lecture Hall, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
Dr. Rosati's research integrates biological and psychological approaches to examine the evolutionary origins of human cognition. She studies the cognitive abilities that primates use to solve problems, with particular focus on comparisons between humans and our closest phylogenetic relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, 3 P.M.
Department of Human Evolutionary Biology Seminar Series
Chimpanzees and the Evolution of Human life History
Dr. Melissa Emery Thompson (Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, http://www.unm.edu/~memery)
Biological Labs Lecture Hall, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
Dr. Thompson's research focuses on interactions of ecology, health, reproduction, and behavior in apes and humans. A key goal of her research is to better understand the sources of variation in life history within and between species as a way of reconstructing the changes that have taken place during the evolution of the unique human life history.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH, 3 P.M. Department of Human Evolutionary Biology Seminar Series
The Macroecology of the Human Niche
Dr. Marcus Hamilton (Sante Fe Institute and Department of Anthropology, U. New Mexico, http://www.unm.edu/~marcusj/home.htm
Biological Labs Lecture Hall, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH, 7 P.M.
Book Reading and Discussion: The Lives of Erich Fromm: Love's Prophet
Lawrence J. Friedman, Professor Emeritus, Indiana University
Harvard Cooperative Society (Coop), 3rd floor, Harvard Square
Professor Friedman will speak on his recently released biography of psychologist Erich Fromm, the first systematic study of Fromm's influences and achievements. Additional information on the book is available at http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-16258-6/the-lives-of-erich-fromm.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH, 3 P.M.
Department of Human Evolutionary Biology Colloquium Series
Cooperation and competition among kin and the evolution of sociality in primates
Dr. Markus Port (Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/412032.html)
Biological Labs Lecture Hall, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH, 1:30-3 P.M.
Judge Baker Children's Center Child Mental Health Forum
The Vermont Family Based Approach: Treating and Preventing Psychopathology and Promoting Health across the Family Pedigree
Jim Hudziak, MD, Professor, Departments of Psychiatry, Medicine & Pediatrics and Director of Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families, University of Vermont College of Medicine
Judge Baker Children's Center, 53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston, MA (limited free parking available)
Being a kid can be a tough job. Being a kid can be a great job. Children have almost no control over the factors that affect their early lives. Children do not get to choose their parents (or genes), their siblings, where they live, who they live with, who their peers are, or what type of schools they go to. They often have little say on their diet, whether or not they have access to sports, music, or other health promoting activities. In short, a child’s development can be viewed as a series of interactions between their biology (genetics) and their environment, neither of which they can control. Dr. Hudziak will present data on genetic and environmental influences on common child behavioral problems and wellness. He will argue that these gene-environment interactions are manifested in the brain and ultimately in behavior. He will discuss research from his work at the University of Vermont as well as from his international collaborations with the Vrije University in Amsterdam, Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, and the Montreal Neurologic Institute. In an attempt to explain how environmental factors influence genetic function, and ultimately brain development, this lecture will focus on the science of genetic and environmental influences on developmental psychopathology and wellness with special emphasis on the Vermont Family Based Approach (VFBA), a health care reform model developed at University of Vermont. Target Audience: Physicians (psychiatrists, pediatricians, child neurologists), psychologists, social workers, other mental health clinicians and researchers, and students and trainees. Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to (1) outline how genetic and environmental factors affect brain development, physiology and function; (2) outline how gene-environment interaction plays a role in the development of child psychopathology and wellness; and (3) describe the Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families' approach to treating child psychopathology – the Family Based Approach.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH, 5:30 P.M. Conte-CBS Colloquium on Mental Health
The Role of Hormones in Anorexia Nervosa
Elizabeth A. Lawson, MD, MMSc, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School / Staff Physician, Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
Biological Labs, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
Food and drink at 5:00 p.m.
Register at http://conte.harvard.edu/events
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH, 3 P.M. Department of Human Evolutionary Biology Colloquium Series Dr. Virpi Lummaa, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield (http://www.huli.group.shef.ac.uk/virpi-personal.html
The ecological causes and evolutionary consequences of variation in reproductive success, longevity and life-history strategies
biological Labs Lecture Hall, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH, 12 NOON Brigham and Women's Hospital Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series
Cancer Treatment and Cognitive Dysfunction: Evidence from patient report, neurocognitive performance, and structural and functional brain imaging
James Root, PhD, Assistant Attending Neuropsychologist, Neurocognitive Research Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute
Carrie Hall Conference Room, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 15 Francis Street, Boston
Lunch will be served.
Target Audience: MDs, PhDs, residents, fellows and research staff interested in learning more about research and clinical developments in the Cognitive/Affective Neurosciences and related clinical disciplines Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to (1) identify cognitive sequelae associated with cancer treatment; (2) utilize data from relevant empirical studies of neuropsychological and behavioral outcomes following cancer treatment in order to better target cognitive remediation; (3) utilize data from relevant empirical neuroimaging studies following cancer treatment to better target potential pharmacologic interventions. Continuing Education for Physicians: The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Continuing Education for Psychologists: This seminar is sponsored by Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program offers 1 CE credit per seminar to psychologists. If you would like to subscribe to the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series e-mail distribution list, please contact ryaffe@partners.org.
MONDAY, JANUARY 28TH, 7 P.M.
Coolidge Corner Theatre’s Science on Screen Series
Special Film Screening: Rushmore
Guest Speaker Steven Schlozman, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard Street, Brookline
The Coolidge Corner Theatre Science on Screen series presents a special screening of director Wes Anderson’s 1998 coming-of-age tale Rushmore. Rushmore chronicles a year in the life of Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), Rushmore Academy’s most extracurricular, but least scholarly, student. Max’s world is thrown into turmoil when he’s put on academic probation and falls in love with first-grade teacher Rosemary Cross. To win her heart, he enlists the help of self-made millionaire industrialist and Rushmore benefactor Herman J. Blume (Bill Murray). When Max learns that his friend Blume is dating Miss Cross, he declares all-out war. It’s hard not to squirm at the stark and vivid mirror of adolescent desire that Jason Schwartzman’s character portrays. Max Fischer is at times shockingly mature but at other times surprisingly dense. He is courageous, brilliant and ambitious – but also boneheaded, impulsive and vindictive. What is it about Max Fischer’s brain that makes him of all these seemingly contradictory things at the same time? Well, he’s an adolescent. But from a neurobiological perspective, what exactly does “being an adolescent” mean? Before the film, Dr. Schlozman will use Rushmore and other references to popular culture to illuminate current understanding of the adolescent brain and mind. Steven Schlozman is the Associate Director of Training for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Program in Child Psychiatry and Co-Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry for Harvard Medical School. He is Board Certified in General Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry. In 2009, he spoke about the neurobiology of zombies in conjunction with a screening of The Night of the Living Dead at the Coolidge Corner Theatres’ Science on Screen program. Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for students and Museum of Science members, and free for Coolidge Corner Theatre members. For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.coolidge.org. Tickets are also available at the Coolidge Corner Theatre box office, 290 Harvard Street, Brookline. Phone: 617/734-2500.
MONDAY, JANUARY 7TH 12 NOON Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Blast-Exposed Combat Veterans and a New Blast Neurotrauma Mouse Model
Lee Goldstein, MD, PhD / Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Neurology, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Ophthalmology, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boston University School of Medicine, College of Engineering & Photonics Center
Carrie Hall Conference Room, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 15 Francis Street, Boston
Lunch will be served
Target Audience: MDs, PhDs, residents, fellows and research staff interested in learning more about research and clinical developments in the Cognitive/Affective Neurosciences and related clinical disciplines. Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to: describe the pathophysiology of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and variant disorders; identify the mechanistic relationship of impact/blast-related neurotrauma to CTE; describe emerging diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for TBI and CTE. Course Directors: Scott McGinnis, M.D. and Jane Epstein, M.D. Continuing Education, Physicians: Physicians: The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Continuing Education, Psychologists: This seminar is sponsored by Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program offers 1 CE credit per seminar to psychologists. Seminar e-list: If you would like to subscribe to the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series e-mail distribution list, please contact ryaffe@partners.org.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2ND, 1:30 - 3 P.M.
Judge Baker Children's Center Child Mental Health Forum
Childhood Obesity: Risk Factors, Co-Morbidities, and Potential Targets for Intervention
Elsie M. Taveras, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Population Medicine / Co-Director, Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School / Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Director, One Step Ahead Program Boston Children's Hospital
Judge Baker Children's Center, 53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston (limited free parking available)
In the past three decades, rates of overweight and obesity among adults and children have substantially increased worldwide with all but the poorest countries now struggling with an obesity epidemic. Obesity is associated with multiple short- and long-term consequences, many of which are silent, including adverse mental health and quality of life outcomes. The underlying causes of obesity are modifiable risk factors; these risk factors represent major causes of socially determined health inequalities worldwide and makes prevention of obesity a global health priority. This presentation will cover risk factors in early childhood for obesity, obesity-related co-morbidities, and potential targets for intervention in childhood.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 2 P.M.
Human Evolutionary Biology Colloquium Series
How Culture Drove Human Evolution
Dr. Joe Henrich (Departments of Psychology and Economics, University of British Columbia, http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~henrich/)
Biological Labs, room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
MONDAY, DECEMBER 3RD, 12 NOON Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series, Brigham and Women's Hospital Brain Rhythms and Cognition Earl Miller, Ph.D., Picower Professor of Neuroscience, Associate Director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Carrie Hall Conference Room, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 15 Francis Street, Boston
Lunch will be served.
Target Audience: MDs, PhDs, residents, fellows and research staff interested in learning more about research and clinical developments in the Cognitive/Affective Neurosciences and related clinical disciplines. Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to (1) apply an understanding of the neural mechanisms of executive brain functions to the evaluation and treatment of patients with brain-based disorders; (2) integrate investigative data on synchronized neural oscillations ("brain waves") into the care of their patients; and (3) develop new ways of evaluating brain function via monitoring of brain waves during cognitive testing and training. Course Directors: Scott McGinnis, M.D. and Jane Epstein, M.D.. Continuing Education for Physicians: The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Continuing Education for Psychologists: This seminar is sponsored by Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program offers 1 CE credit per seminar to psychologists.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5TH, 1:30-3 P.M.
Child Mental Health Forum (Judge Baker Children's Center)
When and Why Money Matters for Parent and Child Mental Health: Implications for Clinical Practice in Uncertain Economic Times
Eric Dearing, PhD, Associate Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology, Lynch School of Education, Boston College
Judge Baker's Children's Center, 53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston MA
This talk will provide a synopsis of empirical work on links between economic and psychological well-being for parents and children. The presentation will highlight empirical evidence from longitudinal within-family studies of economic changes, specifically focusing on the consequences of losing or gaining income for parent depressive symptoms and, in turn, child behavior problems. Points of focus will include: (1) the ways that family structure, employment dynamics, and parent perceptions of work can alter the harm of lost income or the benefit of gained income and (2) disentangling processes of social selection (where mental illness leads to a downward drift in social class) versus social causation (where low social class status leads to mental illness). The implications of this work for clinical practice during uncertain economic times will be discussed.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, 5:30 P.M.
Conte-CBS Colloquium on Mental Health
Dissecting the Circuitry of Autism
Mustafa Sahin, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School & Boston Children’s Hospital
The Biological Labs, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
Food and Drink at 5:00 p.m.; Discussion Session at 6:45 pm.
Register at http://conte.harvard.edu/events/.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH, 5:30 P.M.
Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments Special Event
Go Ask A.L.I.C.E.: A Panel Discussion
Science Center 469
Please join us for a panel discussion about artificial intelligence, Turing Test and Thinking machines. We have a great panel composed of Daniel C. Dennett (Tufts University), Fox Harrell (MIT), John Searle (UC Berkeley), Peter Galison (Harvard), Jonathan Zittrain (Harvard) and Sophia Roosth (Harvard). Following the event refreshments will be served, and you will be able to (re)discover our current exhibit Go Ask A.L.I.C.E.: Turing Tests, Parlor Games & Chatterbots (see http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hsdept/chsi_goa.html).
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH, 2 P.M.
Human Evolutionary Biology Colloquium Series
The Role of ancestral Social Structure in Producing Cumulative Culture
Professor Kim Hill (Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University, http://www.public.asu.edu/~krhill3/Index.htm)
Biological Labs Lecture Hall, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, 12 NOON
Department of Human Evolutionary Biology Colloquium Series
Evolution of the Neocortex in Apes and Humans
Professor Chet Sherwood, George Washington University, http://departments.columbian.gwu.edu/anthropology/people/173
Haller Hall, Geological Museum Room 102, 24 Oxford Street
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH, 1:30-3:00 P.M.
Child Mental Health Forum
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Children, Adolescents, and Families
Lisa W. Coyne, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of the Early Childhood Research Clinic (ECRC), Suffolk University,
Judge Baker Children's Center, 53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a functional contextual approach to human behavior that has a growing evidence base across a number of different disorders and clinical presentations. However, the application of ACT to a younger population requires thoughtful and flexible adaptation. Dr. Lisa Coyne will discuss the use of ACT with children, adolescents, and their parents, and will review the evidence base for ACT with these groups. Functional contextual assessment strategies, case conceptualization and treatment planning from an ACT perspective will be discussed. Specifically, the presenter will demonstrate through experiential exercises how the six core components of ACT can be tailored for use with youth and parents. Clinical examples will be used to illustrate therapeutic techniques. Time permitting, participants will also have opportunities to participate in experiential exercises to further demonstrate the approach.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH, 5:30 P.M. (food and drink at 5 p.m., discussion session at 6:45 p.m.) Conte-CBS Colloquium on Mental Health
Resuscitating Psychiatric Drug Discovery
Steven E. Hyman, Director, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, the Broad institute / Distinguished Service Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University
The Biological Labs, Room 1080, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
register at http://conte.harvard.edu/events/
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5th, NOON (lunch served)
Brigham and Women's Hospital Center for Brain/Mind Medicine Seminar Series
Co-Morbid Mild TBI and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Lessons Learned from Returning Veterans
Jennifer Vasterling, PhD, Chief of Psychology Service, VA Boston Healthcare System / Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine / Lecturer, Harvard Medical School
Carrie Hall, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 15 Francis Street, Boston
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 1:30-3:00 P.M.
Child Mental Health Forum
Is There Hope? Bringing School-based Mental Health Into the 21st Century
Gil G. Noam, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School / Founder and Director, Program in Education, Afterschool and Resiliency (PEAR) at McLean Hospital
Judge Baker Children's Center, 53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston
This presentation will begin by outlining the importance of school and afterschool-based mental health interventions. Services can be provided to students who otherwise would not receive them. They can be delivered more economically and reduce stigmatization. Done well, school-based mental health can also lead to a whole new way of melding funding streams, and to positive educational, health and socio-emotional outcomes. The reality of school-based mental health, however, is part of a highly fragmented and systemically disordered structure. A whole-child approach requires a whole-system response, but we are far from such a system, except in some model cases. Thus, problems get assessed too late and often become chronic -- school years are lost to children and families because of the lack of screening, prevention and early intervention. Updating the knowledge and skills of professionals in charge of student support constitutes a massive goal and will become even more challenging with the decline of school budgets. The presentation will turn to a Harvard-based model of training, technical assistance and coaching offered to districts and large youth-serving organizations, as well as networks of afterschool and summer programs. This model builds on a theory of youth development, as well as the public health pyramid of promotion, prevention and intervention. We will discuss the curriculum of a certification program, the assessment tools used, as well as intervention strategies put in place. A discussion will follow on the strengths and challenges of this approach. Target Audience: Physicians (psychiatrists, pediatricians, child neurologists), psychologists, social workers, other mental health clinicians and researchers, and students and trainees.