Science Café event on Sept. 4 to focus on minimizing risk of dementia

The fall 2024 lineup for Ohio University’s Science Café series kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 4, with Julie Suhr, Ph.D., discussing "Minimizing Dementia Risk: Some things are in your (lifetime) control.” 

The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5 pm, at the Baker University Center Front Room and via YouTube. 

While there have been recent advances in pharmacological treatments for Alzheimer's disease, they are expensive, invasive, and only approved for individuals already showing signs of cognitive decline and those who have beta amyloid in the brain. 

However, there are well documented risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and these risks occur across our life span.

Suhr will discuss the well-documented risk factors for dementia and ways in which you can take action to manage these risks in order to keep your brain and mind healthy and active into your older age. She will also discuss research about why it is often difficult for many people to engage in these risk reduction behaviors before the onset of cognitive decline. 

Suhr is a professor in the psychology department in the College of Arts and Sciences. She and her students conduct research on early detection of dementia, real world consequences of cognitive changes in aging, and how to motivate individuals to engage in dementia risk reduction. A major part of her research includes providing free dementia screenings to individuals in Southeast Ohio.

This is the 16th anniversary of the Science Café series. To celebrate the new season, the Ohio University Sigma Xi chapter will be hosting ice cream at 4:30 p.m. at the Sept. 4 event. Free coffee coupons also will be provided for the first 50 people.

• Watch the Sept. 4 Science Café live or later on YouTube.

For more information, contact Howard Dewald at dewald@ohio.edu.

The series is supported by the Ohio University Research Division and Ohio University Chapter of Sigma Xi. For more information, visit the Science Café website.

The Fall 2024 Science Café series

• Wednesday, Sept. 4, Julie Suhr, Psychology, "Minimizing Dementia Risk: Some things are in your (lifetime) control” 
• Wednesday, Oct. 2, Andrea Richard, Physics and Astronomy
• Tuesday, Oct. 29, Ping Institute 
• Wednesday, Nov. 6, Brian Schoen and Tim Anderson, History and Geography 
• Wednesday, Dec. 4, Brian Clark, Biomedical Sciences