Stress does more than just make us miserable. Stress plays a major role in determining whether we stay healthy and even whether we live or die. Dr. Michael J. Baime, the first speaker in Grand Valley State University's 2005 Autumn Health Forums, will review some of the evidence that links stress with health and disease. This Sept. 14 discussion will also explain how meditation techniques can undo stress and enhance well being.
Baime is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Baime has taught mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques since 1983. He teaches mindfulness-based stress management and communication techniques to faculty and students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He runs a system-wide stress management program for the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Baime has been included in Philadelphia Magazine's "Top Doctors" issue for seven consecutive years, including this year's "Top Doctors" for women issue.
For the fourth year in a row, Grand Valley State University's Autumn Health Forums will connect community members with health care experts for a series of talks. This year's series will focus on spirituality and health. The forums are from noon to 1 p.m. in the DeVos Center's Loosemore Auditorium on Grand Valley's Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The forums are free and open to the public, but participants are asked to RSVP.
The forums are hosted by Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center for Health Professions and Grand Valley State University Continuing Education. They are sponsored by St. Mary's Health Care and Spectrum Health.
For more information or to RSVP, visit www.gvsu.edu/ahf on the Web or call (800) 690-0314 or (616) 331-7180.
Upcoming lectures in the series include:
" September 21
Speaker: Mimi Kiser, RN, MPH, associate director, Interfaith Health Program, associate faculty for research, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
Topic: Faith and Health: Transforming Communities" October 12
Speaker: Harold G. Koenig, M.D., co-director and founder of the Center for The Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health at Duke University.
Topic: Spirituality and Health: What Does the Scientific Literature Say in 2005?" November 16
Speaker: Michael Gazzaniga, Dartmouth College's David T. McLaughlin Distinguished Professor, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience
Topic: The Ethical Brain and the State of Neuroscience in 2005
