Six revealing lectures on current issues
in health promotion
The University of California has teamed with Health Net, a California HMO, to offer six new lectures in the acclaimed Wellness Lecture Series.
Delivered by distinguished University professors selected by a Universitywide steering committee, the following lectures will be presented at the six University of California health sciences campuses:
"Medical and Science Issues in Sustaining Community Living of the Very Old" - Colleen L. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor in residence of Medical Anthropology, UC San FranciscoEach lecture is videotaped and available for purchase in VHS format. Highly viewable and relevant to today's evolving health care field, these videotapes are designed for broadcast within a one-hour time slot, for presentation in educational seminars or for personal use. Rich with innovative approaches and insights based on research on current topics in health and wellness, the series is a must for health professionals, health sciences professors, hospital staffs dedicated to promoting continuing education, and students interested in pursuing health sciences careers."University-Community Partnerships to Promote Wellness in Children, Youth and Families" - Philip R. Nader, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Director of Child and Family Health Studies, UC San Diego
"Ancient Genomes, Wise Bodies, Unhealthy People: Limits of a Genetic Paradigm in Biology and Medicine" - Richard C. Strohman, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
"Physical Inactivity: The Neglected Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factor" - David Cosca, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Practice, UC Davis
"Methods for Health Promotion in the Prevention of HIV Disease in African Americans" - Vickie M. Mays, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, UC Los Angeles
"Preventing AIDS Among Migrant Latino Workers: An Intervention and Model" - Ross F. Conner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Social Ecology and Medicine, UC Irvine
Individually or as a six-lecture series, the lectures are also available as audio cassettes.
Sorry, the program materials for the 1992 Wellness Lecture Series are no longer available.
Brief abstracts of the six 1992 wellness lectures follow.
Colleen L. Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor in residence of Medical Anthropology, UC San Francisco
The fastest growing age group is 85 years and older. This is an especially vulnerable population; 20% to 25% are institutionalized, and a similar percentage living in the community require long-term care.
Sustaining the elderly in the community is a cornerstone of public policy. Accomplishing this goal will require a convergence of medical and social responses.
This lecture identifies such responses based on the findings of a longitudinal study of individuals in the 85-and-older population. The lecture focuses on the vulnerabilities and needs of the aged, the process by which these needs are currently addressed, factors favoring independent living, and issues of cultural diversity.
This analysis is synthesized to present suggestions for introducing small but sustained interventions to the aged to improve their functioning, their ability to maintain community living, and their quality of life.
Dr. Johnson, professor in residence of medical anthropology at UC San Francisco, earned her doctorate in anthropology from Syracuse University in 1972. Her current research focuses on issues in gerontology, and she is the former training director of the UC San Francisco Gerontology Program.
Philip R. Nader, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics, Director of Child and Family Health Studies, UC San Diego
The enhancement of physical, mental, and social well-being and the prevention of disease and disability among all children and youth require new partnerships and collaborations among public, private, and community organizations.
This lecture describes a model for involving universities and university medical schools with community schools, community agencies, and families to create health promotion and educational activities that encourage student and community wellness. Two specific examples of wellness promotion activities are presented.
The discussion addresses behaviors that impact the health of youth, including sexual activity, smoking, drug and alcohol use, exercise and dietary habits, use of bicycle and motorcycle helmets, and use of weapons.
Dr. Nader is professor of pediatrics and director of child and family health studies at UC San Diego. His research concentrates on pediatric cardiovascular health, school health and fitness programs, and the social learning of preschool children with respect to diet and physical activity.
Richard C. Strohman, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
Substantial evidence now suggests that we are reaching a limiting plateau in our attempts to extend life. This information contradicts the guiding genetic paradigm of modern biomedicine, which holds that disease and mortality are genetically determined and that progress in molecular biology will yield continuing improvement in both disease control and life expectancy. This lecture draws the conclusion that the current genetic paradigm is too narrow to serve as the primary guide for medicine or for the basic research upon which medicine depends.
This lecture draws the conclusion that the current genetic paradigm is too narrow to serve as the primary guide for medicine or for the basic research upon which medicine depends.
A new adaptational or evolutionary hypothesis is offered as a replacement for the traditional paradigm. This premise shifts the view away from the organism as a genetic unit toward the organism as an environmentally adapted entity. Predicted results include decreased costs and increased efficiency of medicine and medical research.
Dr. Strohman, professor emeritus of molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley, has earned continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1958. Formerly director of research for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, he remains active in teaching and research.
David Cosca, M.D.
Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Practice, UC Davis
Regular physical exercise is now widely accepted as an effective means of delaying coronary heart disease (CHD). The correlate argument, however -- that physical inactivity is a significant CHD risk factor -- is not as widely accepted.
The relative risks of developing CHD from such risk factors as hypertension and cigarette smoking are only slightly higher than the risk from physical inactivity. Also, physical inactivity is far more prevalent than any other major risk factor. This observation has led the Centers for Disease Control to conclude that "physical inactivity is the CHD risk factor of potentially greatest public health impact."
This lecture covers relevant research on physical inactivity, addresses the biologic mechanism through which exercise may offer protection from CHD, and presents exercise recommendations for reducing this risk factor.
Dr. Cosca is an assistant clinical professor of family practice at UC Davis. An avid fitness enthusiast, he has focused his research on the effect of exercise on cardiovascular health. He is also an instructor in the UC Davis Physician Assistant/Nurse Practitioner Program.
Vickie M. Mays, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology, UC Los Angeles
Rates of newly reported AIDS cases are higher for blacks and Hispanics than for any other ethnic group. This lecture offers a cultural perspective on methods for reducing the risk of HIV and AIDS within the African-American community.
In designing approaches to changing risk behaviors, it is important to understand the origins of the behaviors from both an individual and sociocultural perspective. Appeals to ethnically based values of cooperation and unity may be more powerful than strict appeals to individualistic action (e.g., "protect yourself").
Representative Afrocentric community-based programs for smoking cessation, pregnancy prevention, and substance abuse prevention are studied as models of health promotion programs for inner-city African-American populations.
Dr. Mays, associate professor of psychology at UC Los Angeles, has focused her research on public health policy implications of disease patterns and risk behaviors among women and ethnic minorities. She is President-Elect of the Society for the Analysis of African American Public Health Issues.
Ross F. Conner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Social Ecology and Medicine, UC Irvine
As AIDS and HIV continue to spread, new subpopulations in California have become the primary target for the disease. The Latino community is one group that has been disproportionately affected by the disease; the percentage of Latino AIDS cases is more than twice the percentage of Latinos in the general population.
This lecture focuses on a largely forgotten subset of Latinos: migrant farm workers, who are particularly susceptible to the virus due to their dangerous working environment, their isolation from mainstream U.S. culture, and their sexual practices.
The lecture reviews an intervention program for AIDS prevention among these workers, Tres Hombres sin Fronteras ("Three Men Without Borders"). The results of this program are analyzed in terms of increasing awareness and positive behavior changes.
Dr. Conner is associate professor of social ecology and medicine at UC Irvine. His research focuses on the evaluation methodology of programs for health promotion and disease prevention. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychology Society.
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