Helen Lavretsky, MD, a leading researcher in brain aging and mind-body medicine, gave a lecture on "Mind-body Interventions for Brain Health in Older Adults" at the 2nd Annual Patrick and Marguerite Sung Symposium on Friday, April 26, 2019, at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health (SMHS).

Dr. Lavretsky, an eminent geriatric psychiatrist, is an expert in brain aging and treatment. She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA, Director of the Late Life Mood, Stress, and Wellness Research Program at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, a NIH-funded research program in geriatric depression and integrative mental health. She is a recipient of the Career Development award from the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health and other prestigious research awards. Her research interests are Geriatric Psychiatry, mood disorders, psychopharmacology, Integrative Medicine, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She is the Semel Scholar in Integrative Mental Health and the Director of the Late-life mood, stress and wellness program.

Presented by the GW Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, the symposium focused on brain health and wellness, which is categorized as anything that affects thinking, feeling, playing, working, and memory. The revolution in our understanding of the brain-gut connection, the gut microbiome, and complementary medicine, has some serious implications for optimal health and wellness. Opportunities for maintaining brain health are growing as we gain a better understanding of brain-gut interactions in gastrointestinal disorders, including functional and inflammatory bowel disorders and obesity.

For more information, go to: https://smhs.gwu.edu/oimh/