Aug. 24, 2023
Contact Jamie O’Neill at 608-796-3472 or jmoneill@viterbo.edu
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR “HOW DO CONCUSSIONS AFFECT THE BRAIN?” AGNES W.H. TAN SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM AT VITERBO UNIVERSITY SEPT. 15
LA CROSSE, Wis. – The public is invited to attend the “How Do Concussions Affect the Brain? Challenges and Opportunities with Traumatic Brain Injuries” Agnes W.H. Tan Science Symposium in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center from 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. In-person and virtual options are available.
How serious are concussions? This free symposium will focus on the biochemistry underlying traumatic brain injuries, such as those caused by sports accidents or war trauma. Experts in the fields of neuroscience, biochemistry, and molecular biology will present the latest research on the molecular mechanisms of traumatic brain injuries and their long-term effects on the brain.
Topics of discussion will include the biochemical pathways involved in cell death, the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in brain damage, and how genetic and environmental factors influence the severity of such injuries. The symposium will also explore possible strategies to repair the damage caused by traumatic brain injuries. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the biochemical pathways involved in traumatic brain injuries and how to develop more effective treatments for these often-debilitating conditions.
The schedule will begin at 9 a.m. with the keynote presentation by Ann McKee, MD, the William Fairfield Warren distinguished professor of neurology and pathology at Boston University and director of neuropathology for VA Boston. Dr. McKee is a neurologist and neuropathologist whose career focuses on Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Her groundbreaking work on the long-term effects of repetitive head impact, concussion, and blast injury in contact sports athletes and military veterans revolutionized scientific thought regarding head trauma.
Other presenters include:
- Andrew Jagim, director of sport medicine research for Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse and associate professor of family medicine.
- Sheldon Wagner, associate teaching professor in the College of Science and Health at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
- Alecia Gende, DO, emergency medicine and sports medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse.
- Mary Kerrigan, neurologic–vestibular physical therapist at Gundersen Health System.
The Agnes W.H. Tan Science Symposium was created through the generosity of the late Viterbo alumna Agnes Tan, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Viterbo in 1963. Tan went on to earn a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1967. She enjoyed a long career in academic and applied health-related research as an assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Minnesota and as a research chemist at Veterans Administration Hospital in Minneapolis.
Participants in any portion of the symposium are required to register at https://www.viterbo.edu/agnes-wh-tan-science-symposium. For more details, including the complete schedule and presenter bios, visit https://www.viterbo.edu/agnes-wh-tan-science-symposium/symposium-schedule-and-presenters.
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