Dr. Claudia Kawas to present Crossroads Lecture “Lessons from the Oldest Old”

Dr. Claudia Kawas to speak on the 90+ Survey at the Crossroads Lecture this Sunday, Nov. 4

Orcas Crossroads Lecture Series will host Claudia Kawas, MD, who will present – Lessons from the Oldest Old – Sunday, November 4, 2012, 2:00 pm at the Orcas Center.

In “Lessons from the Oldest Old: the 90+ Study,” Dr. Kawas will talk about “The 90+ Study”, initiated in 2003 at the University of California, Irvine, to study the oldest-old, the fastest growing age group in the United States. She will share major findings of the ongoing study – factors associated with longevity – What makes people live to age 90 and beyond?  What types of food, activities or lifestyles are associated with living longer? What are ways to remain dementia-free in your 90’s? As the leading consumers of healthcare and the individuals most affected by dementia, these pioneers of aging present research opportunities to better understand successful aging and dementia.

Claudia Kawas, M.D., Al and Trish Nichols Chair in Clinical Neuroscience and Professor of Neurobiology & Behavior and Neurology, at the University of California, Irvine, is a geriatric neurologist and researcher in the areas of aging and dementia.  Her work is concentrated on the epidemiology of aging and Alzheimer’s disease, in the determinants of successful aging, longitudinal and clinical pathological investigations, clinical trials, and most recently, studies in cognitive and functional abilities of the Oldest Old (over 90 years of age).

Dr. Kawas is a graduate of Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania), and completed her medical studies at the University of Louisville (Kentucky) and neurology residency training and a fellowship in dementia and aging at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.  After 15 years on the faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Kawas moved to the University of California, Irvine in 2000, where she is Principle Investigator of The 90+ Study and Associate Director of the UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders.

Dr. Kawas serves on committees for the National Institutes of Health and the Scientific Advisory Board of several organizations, including the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of the National Alzheimer’s Association, The Dana Foundation, and the United States Food & Drug Administration.

Over the past 25 years, Dr. Kawas has published more than 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and has worked on numerous longitudinal studies of aging and dementia, including the Bronx Aging Study, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (NIA), and most recently, The 90+ Study, a population based sample of more than 1,500 people aged 90 years and older.

Learn how to age well. Come with your questions and thoughts for the Q & A session, and enjoy the reception following the presentation.

Tickets are $10 and available at Darvill’s Bookstore, online at www.orcascrossroads.org or at the door. Some complimentary tickets are available in advance at the Senior Center.

Orcas Crossroads Lecture Series is supported by our Crossroads Associates Circle, the Daniel and Margaret Carper Foundation, and Individual Contributors. Find more information at the Orcas Crossroads website: www.orcascrossroads.org