Learn about the latest undergraduate research at the 3rd Annual UBC Undergraduate Neuroscience Conference.
The UBC Neuroscience Undergraduate Research Conference, hosted by the UBC Neuroscience Club, brings together students from various disciplines that share an interest in understanding the nervous system and behaviour. This event features faculty keynote speakers and is an opportunity for students to explore the various neuroscience projects and research opportunities at UBC. All students are welcome to attend and food will be served at the end of the conference.
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The 2019 conference features keynote speeches by two UBC faculty members: Dr. Judy Illes and Dr. Teresa Liu Ambrose.
Dr. Judy Illes – keynote presentation at 4:10 pm
Dr. Judy Illes is Professor of Neurology and Canada Research Chair in Neuroethics at UBC. She is Director of Neuroethics Canada, and faculty in the Centre for Brain Health and at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. She is passionate about her research, teaching and service work that focus on ethical, legal, social and policy challenges at the intersection of the brain sciences and biomedical ethics.
Dr. Illes also holds associate faculty appointments in the School of Population and Public Health and the School of Journalism at UBC, and in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. USA, and is a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. She is Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Ethics of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Vice Chair of the CIHR’s Internal Advisory Board of the Institute on Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction. She was elected to the Royal Society (Life Sciences) in 2012, to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2011, and to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Division of Neuroscience) in 2013. She is immediate past President of the International Neuroethics Society, founded in 2006. Her latest book, a series on Developments in Neuroethics and Bioethics, features Pain Neuroethics (vol. 1, 2018). Dr. Illes was appointed to the Order of Canada in December 2017.
Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose – presentation at 6:30 pm
Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose will be presenting a talk titled ‘Exercise and Brain Health’.
Talk Description: Cognitive decline is a common feature of aging. Physical activity is a modifiable lifestyle factor that has been identified as positively impacting cognitive health of older adults. In this presentation, we will review the current evidence on the role of physical activity and exercise in promoting cognitive health in older adults. We will highlight potential underlying mechanisms and moderators. We conclude with limitations and future directions in this rapidly expanding field of research.
Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PhD, PT, Associate Professor, is a Canada Research Chair and a physical therapist at the University of British Columbia, Department of Physical Therapy. She directs the Aging, Mobility and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (http://cogmob.rehab.med.ubc.ca) as well as the Vancouver General Hospital’s Falls Prevention Clinic (http://fallclinic.com).
Her research program focuses on defining the role of exercise to promote healthy aging, with a particular focus on cognitive and neural plasticity, as well as mobility. Various method are utilized, including randomized controlled trials, functional neuroimaging, and actigraphy.
