JAZZ, EQUITY, AND BRAIN HEALTH Live Virtual Event Announced June 15

Music, science and social justice will converge in 'Jazz, Equity and Brain Health,' the latest offering from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center (UCSF MAC) and Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association, set to take place on Tuesday, June 15 at 1 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET.

This live virtual program will explore key concepts of othering and belonging; community building; and the power of empathy, listening, and inclusion through the lenses of jazz music and neuroscience. Presenters will also consider the ideas of resilience, empathy, improvisation, and equity-as well as the social and genetic determinants of brain health-and how they relate to jazz, a musical genre that welcomes and celebrates individual diversity and freedom.

"There are profound aspects of the human experience which are only conveyed and perceived through music," said SFCM President David Stull. "A startling truth is our ability to retain our relationship with this art form, even when we encounter the immense challenges associated with cognitive decline. With this project, we seek to explore these questions, and to understand how we can bring new strategies for treatment to all of our communities."

The event will feature talks and performances from an interdisciplinary group of leaders in science, music, and social justice, including David Stull (President, SFCM), Bruce Miller, MD (Co-Director, GBHI, Director, UCSF MAC), Victor Valcour, MD, PhD (Executive Director, GBHI), Maria Carrillo, PhD (Chief Science Officer, Alzheimer's Association), Amelie Anna (Percussionist, Vocalist, Composer; SFCM), Jennie Gubner, PhD (Ethnomusicologist, University of Arizona, GBHI), Jason Hainsworth (Director, Roots, Jazz, and American Music; Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Jazz Saxophone, SFCM), Kai Kennedy, PT, DPT (Physical Therapist, UCSF, GBHI), Josh Kornbluth (GBHI), Serggio Lanata, MD (Neurologist, UCSF, GBHI), and Jennifer Yokoyama, PhD (Neurogeneticist, UCSF, GBHI).

"It's important to consider all aspects of diversity to maximize our understanding of different brain health outcomes," said Yokoyama, associate professor of neurology at UCSF MAC. "If we could see the world through a scientific lens, we would realize we're one community."

Jazz, Equity and Brain Health is the fourth event in a series produced by SFCM, UCSF MAC and GBHI exploring the dynamic relationships of music, science and brain health. It will take place during Addressing Health Disparities, a virtual conference to promote diverse perspectives across Alzheimer's and dementia research hosted by the Alzheimer's Association. June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month.

"People with dementia are our society's underdogs," said Miller, co-director of GBHI and director of the UCSF MAC. "There is still too much misunderstanding and stigma around brain change. Science and medicine help us to understand and explain what is going on, but art helps us express that and share it with the world in an accessible way that unites and connects people."

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 by Zoom

1-2:15 PM PT / 3-4:15 PM CT / 8-9:15 PM GMT

Register for free at www.gbhi.org/events/jazz-equity-brain-health

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