"Chocolate and coffee" seminar on aging

Enjoy free chocolate and coffee while learning about aging.

In celebration of Canada Health Day, a one-day research seminar will be held at Malaspina University-College May 12.

Keynote speaker Dr. Arlene Carson, a Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) post-doctoral research fellow affiliated with the Centre on Aging at the University of Victoria, will address the Social Determinants of Health: Opportunities and Challenges.

"This interactive seminar will appeal to those who want to explore how to better address the many non-medical, social factors that influence community and individual health during the aging process," said Jenny Horn of Malaspina’s Research & Scholarly Activity Office.

Dr. Carson will present findings from an urban community-based health promotion project called Promoting Action Towards Health (PATH). Collaborative research opportunities will also be discussed, followed by a question and answer segment.

The British Columbia Rural and Remote Health Research Network hosts "coffee and chocolate" seminars several times a year at different BC universities. "The seminars are designed to increase awareness of current rural and remote health research activities, share knowledge, and identify emerging areas of research in rural and remote health," explained Horn.

The May 12 event is co-hosted by the BC Network for Aging Research, which aims to provide opportunities for researchers from different disciplines, research streams, academic institutions, community based organizations and health regions to collaborate in generating innovative aging-related research.

Dr. Carson received her PhD from the University of BC in 2000 after many years of experience as a clinical and rehabilitative audiologist in hospital, educational, and workplace settings in urban, rural, and remote communities.

Her research interests in health promotion are wide-ranging and include psychosocial aspects of health, health service delivery models, clinician-patient interaction, gerontology, and the social determinants of health, with a special interest in the role of the arts in health.

The coffee and chocolate research seminar takes place 2:30 to 4 pm at Malaspina's Nanaimo campus (900 Fifth Street) in Building 180, Room 334. To register, contact Theresa Hogg-Jackson at thjackson@bcrrhrn.ca , Reba Chaplin at rchaplin@uvic.ca, or Jenny Horn at 250-753-3245 local 2665 or horn@viu.ca.