Understanding the Science of Stress and Strategies for Healthy Ageing

Recording

Speaker

Aviad Haramati, PhD
Professor and Director, Center for Innovation and Leadership in Education (CENTILE) 
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Washington, DC 

Bio

Aviad “Adi” Haramati, PhD, is an award-winning Professor of Integrative Physiology and Medicine, and Founding Director of the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Education (CENTILE) at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. He also serves as co-director of the graduate program in Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences at Georgetown. He is the founding vice-chair of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health and served as chair of numerous international congresses in integrative medicine and in health professions education. Dr. Haramati has advocated that mindful practices together with small groups be integrated in the training of health professionals to improve well-being in the learning and work environments at academic health centers, and is currently piloting a course on Human Flourishing for medical students. Dr. Haramati is a past-president of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE), former member of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), a member of the Governing Committee of Association of Medical Education in Europe, and a member of the Executive Council of the World Federation for Medical Education. He has been a visiting professor at over 100 medical schools worldwide.

Abstract

Chronic stress is a pervasive problem, affecting people across the lifespan, but especially adults and the elderly. Moreover, the upheavals that occurred as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic have only exacerbated the problem. Understanding how the body responds to stressors is a key to developing strategies for reducing stress and improving well-being.

Recognizing the challenges we face as a society, schools, businesses and other groups are developing both individual and organizational interventions to address mitigate the effects of chronic stress. Approaches for individuals that have been shown to be effective include practices to foster self-awareness and mindfulness as well as a renewed focus on meaning and purpose in our lives. This presentation will address some of the adverse effects of chronic stress that uniquely affect the elderly, and strategies to reduce those effects and boost resilience and well-being as part of healthy ageing.