Date/Time
Thursday - Friday
30 Apr - 1 May 2015
Event Type
Conference
What is it to be a “person”?
What is “dementia”?
Can you lose your personhood because of dementia?
The neurosciences, behavioral sciences, and humanities have different ways to approach, if not definitively answer, these questions. Join us for the discussion!
Sponsored by the Program for the Medical Humanities.
Location: The film on Thursday evening (beginning at 7 PM) and the conference on Friday (beginning at 9 AM) are both in the Geballe Room of the Townsend Center (Stephens Hall on the UCB campus.)
This conference is full. There is no more seating available.
Schedule of events
Thursday April 30th
| 7.00 pm | Film and Discussion: |
| Alive Inside Directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett (2014)Alive Inside is a joyous cinematic exploration of music’s capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity. Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals around the country who have been revitalized through the simple experience of listening to music. His camera reveals the uniquely human connection we find in music and how its healing power can triumph where prescription medication falls short.This stirring documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, as he fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it. Rossato-Bennett visits family members who have witnessed the miraculous effects of personalized music on their loved ones, and offers illuminating interviews with experts including renowned neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks (Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain) and musician Bobby McFerrin (“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”).An uplifting cinematic exploration of music and the mind, Alive Inside’s inspirational and emotional story left audiences humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. with discussion led by Julene Johnson, Cognitive Neuroscientist and Professor at the Institute for Health & Aging and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco |
Friday May 1st
| 9.00 – 9.30 | Welcome and Introductions |
| 9.30 – 11.00 | Panel 1: Music and Memory |
| Short concert and discussion with members of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble | |
| Respondents: Julene Johnson, Cognitive Neuroscientist and Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, Institute for Health & Aging & Thomas Laqueur, Helen Fawcett Distinguished Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley; Co-Director, UC Berkeley Program for the Medical Humanities |
|
| 11.00 – 11.15 | Break |
| 11.15 – 1.00 | Panel 2: Religion and Philosophy |
| A Philosopher Looks at Personhood and Dementia John Perry, Professor of Philosophy, Stanford |
|
| A Buddhist View Robert Sharf, Chair, Center for Buddhist Studies, University of California, Berkeley |
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| Respondent: LaVera Crawley, Palliative Care Chaplain and Physician, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center | |
| 1.00 – 2.00 | Lunch Location: 470 Stephens Hall |
| 2.00 – 3.30 | Panel 3: Biomedical and Sociological Perspectives |
| The Biomedical View of Personhood and the Major Neurocognitive Disorder of Dementia Andrew Kayser, Assistant Professor of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco |
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| The Social View of Personhood and Dementia Patrick Fox, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, Institute for Health and Aging, and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco |
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| Respondents: Micheal Pope, Director, Alzheimer Services of the East Bay & Guy Micco, Clinical Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley – University of California, San Francisco Joint Medical Program; Co-Director, UC Berkeley Program for the Medical Humanities; Former Director, University of California, Berkeley Resource Center on Aging |
|
| 3.30 – 3.45 | Coffee Break |
| 3.45 – 5.15 | Panel 4: Portraiture and Personhood |
| The Portrayal of Memory Loss in Literature Marilyn McEntyre, Adjunct Professor of Medical Humanities, University of California, Berkeley – University of California, San Francisco Joint Medical Program |
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| The Self-Portraits of William Utermohlen Johanna Shapiro, Director, Program in Medical Humanities and Arts in Family Medicine, and Professor of Family Medicine, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine |
|
| 5.15 | Summary Statements & Discussion |
| Andreas Lazaris, Recent BA in Cognitive Science (Neuroscience Concentration) and Clinical Researcher/Study Coordinator at UCSF Memory and Aging Center & Kathleen Powers, PhD Candidate in Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley |
This event is sponsored by CSTMS.
Additional sponsorship comes from: Program for the Medical Humanities • Townsend Center for the Humanities
Townsend Center for the Humanities
Additional sponsorship comes from: Program for the Medical Humanities • Townsend Center for the Humanities