OBI Public Talk: Nurturing the Developing Brain

What’s good for the body is good for the brain, from our formative days to our more senior years. The ‘Nurturing the Developing Brain’ talk, part of the 2024-25’s Brain Health Across the Lifespan series, will present what researchers know about the brain from investigation into neurodevelopmental conditions and offer an overview of a relational science approach to brain health. It will also explore the intersections of Indigenous ways of knowing and Western concepts of neuroscience in childhood brain development, focusing on early years until the age of 25.

A panel of experts in research, advocacy and outreach, and delivery of care will offer different perspectives on ways to support positive outcomes in cognitive development and health and wellbeing in young people.

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SPEAKERS:

• Dr. Stephanie Ameis, a senior scientist and the associate director of the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, as well as a member of the Cohort Network for Adolescents and Youth with Mental Health Multimorbidity (CALM).
• Dr. Jennifer Crosbie, a clinical psychologist and clinician-scientist within the Department of Psychiatry at SickKids, and a member of the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopment Disorders (POND) Network.
• Wendy Katherine, executive director of Health Nexus/Nexus santé, a Canadian bilingual non-profit knowledge mobilization organization specializing in person-centered health promotion.
• Manda Krpan Mesic, MPA, a parent and caregiver as well as a member of the Childhood Cerebral Palsy Integrated Neuroscience Discovery Network (CP-NET) Stakeholder Advisory Group.
• Elder Kerrie Moore, Cree/Métis, a private practitioner in social work specializing in inter-generational trauma and grief. She also provides consulting and training on Indigenizing Strategies to ministries, education, health, justice and agencies who work with Indigenous people and communities.
• Moderated by Olivia Ghosh-Swaby, a Vanier Canada Doctoral Scholar in Neuroscience at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, dedicated to understanding the mechanisms governing memory and learning in obesity and aging.