Optimal Aging Colloquium Series
The Marymount Center for Optimal Aging (MCOA) serves as a central hub for research, education, practice, advocacy, and leadership. MCOA fosters innovative academic-community partnerships by connecting interdisciplinary teams of scientists, professionals, trainees, students, and stakeholders to properly address the needs and quality of life of older adults.
One mechanism to support the MCOA mission is our Virtual Colloquium Series. The specific goals of the Virtual Colloquium are to:
- Bring innovative leaders, researchers, and speakers from the field of optimal aging to Marymount University to share their expertise and experience with a broad community of individuals invested in optimal aging.
- Facilitate networking and collaborative opportunities among participants of the Virtual Colloquium series, to result in new partnerships for research, education, and advocacy/service activities for optimal aging.
- Inspire new and expanded initiatives for research in optimal aging for all attendees.
The MCOA Virtual Colloquium will be a regular event. Speaker announcements will be posted one month prior to the event and registration is required.
Upcoming Colloquiums
No events are found.
Previous Colloquiums
MCOA fellow Dr. Catherine Diaz-Asper provided an engaging presentation on some of the latest research on factors that affect brain health and discussed strategies to maintain cognitive function as we age.
Bridging the Racial Health Equity Gap
MCOA Researchers Mahederemariam Dagne and Elizabeth Terhune provided an insightful virtual presentation on racial health equity and dove into the critical intersections of healthcare and social justice for racialized populations. They explored the current understanding of what racial health equity is and discussed the recent work that has been done to center racial health equity in research.
AGING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: How Design Plays a Pivotal Role
During our 2023 Fall Virtual Colloquium, Tama Duffy Day, Principal and Health leader at Gensler discussed the pivotal role of design in shaping environments for an aging population. The audience engaged in thought-provoking discussions including thoughts and probes on their perceptions of design successes and failures.
ADDRESSING FALLS THROUGH COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS
In this colloquium, our speakers, Dr. Cathy Elrod and Dr. Sara Pappa shared key project elements and lessons they learned from the development of a collaboration between Marymount University and community-based senior-focused organizations to adopt and implement three evidence-based falls prevention programs, Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL), a Matter of Balance (MOB), and the Otago Exercise Program, in an area where none previously existed.
The Challenges of the Stigma of Alzheimer’s Disease and How It Delays Early Detection and Diagnosis
In this colloquium, Dr. Donna de Levante Raphael, a Gerontologist and the Director of the National Memory Screening Program at the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America presented her current research on the stigma of Alzheimer’s disease and how it creates barriers to early detection and diagnosis. Her work addresses how primary care physicians and other health care providers can begin to remove these barriers. Dr. Levante Raphael discussed the need for efforts to bring about social change to facilitate positive health outcomes and improve the quality of life for older adults experiencing cognitive impairment.
Community-Engaged Research to Advance Healthy Aging for Latino Populations
Dr. Erica Diminich, 2019 National Institute on Aging (NIA) Butler Williams Scholar and NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (AD-RCMAR) Research Scientist, presented her research on how chronic stress intersects with emotional responses and social, cultural, and contextual factors to influence health throughout the life course among Latinos.
