Ep 12 - "Health is Where the Heart is" artwork
Community of Innovation Podcast

Ep 12 - "Health is Where the Heart is"

  • S1E12
  • 50:19
  • October 14th 2020

What is health and how can we access it? These are questions facing many Canadian communities as they deal with the challenges presented by COVID-19. In part three of our four-part COVID-19 mini-series, created in partnership with Baycrest@Home, we’ll learn about holistic health and wellness from an Indigenous perspective with Elder Ethel Starblanket-Dubois from the Starblanket Cree Nation, Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Scientific Director of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health, and Sadie Anderson, Lab Manager at Morning Star Lodge.

Join our guests and our hosts, Dr. Allison Sekuler and Dr. Rosanne Aleong, as they dive into important topics such as creating access to culturally safe resources that incorporate a communal approach to health, the importance of staying connected to the land, and the ways past and present trauma caused by residential schools and the Sixties Scoop have amplified the effects of the pandemic in Indigenous communities. We’ll hear our guests talk about their own unique experiences as Indigenous People and how, despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, they continue to draw strength – and a sense of health – from their culture.

CABHI's Community of Innovation Podcast

CABHI’s Community of Innovation podcast is where topics on ingenuity, aging and brain health collide. Join us as we talk to experts in healthcare, research, technology and business, as well as older adults and their caregivers, about the innovative practices and healthtech solutions helping us all lead longer, healthier lives.

Dr. Allison Sekuler avatar
Dr. Allison Sekuler
President and Chief Scientist at CABHI

Dr. Allison Sekuler (FSEP, FPsyS, FAPS) is President and Chief Scientist at the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI). A graduate of Pomona College (BA, Mathematics and Psychology) and the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, Psychology), Dr. Sekuler is also President and Chief Scientist and the Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Professor at the University of Toronto, and Professor Emerita at McMaster University.

Dr. Sekuler has a notable record of scientific achievements in aging, vision science, cognitive neuroscience, and neurotechnology; and her translational research aims to develop methods to prevent, detect, and treat age-related sensory and cognitive decline. She has won numerous research and innovation leadership awards, including being the first Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience (2001-2011) and one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada (2019). Dr. Sekuler has a long record of executive leadership, and currently chairs the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council’s Public Impact Value Proposition committee; serves on the Board of Governors for Hamilton Health Sciences and BrainsCAN; is a founding Steering Committee member of the Canadian Brain Research Strategy, a Scientific Mentor in CDL’s Neuro stream, and advisor for SXSW Pitch.

In her spare time, she is proving that you’re never too old to learn: Dr. Sekuler picked up her first drumsticks a few years ago, and recently earned her Professional Drums Certificate from the Berklee College of Music.

Dr. Rosanne Aleong avatar
Dr. Rosanne Aleong
Director of Research, Innovation, and Translation at CABHI

    Dr. Rosanne Aleong is the Director of Research, Innovation, and Translation at CABHI. She also serves as the Executive Director of Research, Innovation, and Translation at the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. She received her MSc and PhD in Neurological Sciences from McGill University, with her research focusing on inflammatory models of neurodegenerative disease; and body image and visual perception among adolescents and young adults. She has 20+ years of experience in neuroscience and brain health research across the lifespan.

    In her current role at CABHI, she: (1) manages a support and services hub, enabling healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, not-for-profit organizations, and industry in conducting applied and evaluative research as well as innovation implementation and validation; (2) focuses on CABHI knowledge translation and knowledge mobilization initiatives; and 3) executive produces and co-hosts the CABHI Community of Innovation Podcast.

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