Baycrest Health Sciences & Baycrest Foundation Publications
Issue link: http://baycrest.uberflip.com/i/879512
60 Older Adults Older adult students learned about the brain 10 RRI Trainees RRI trainees served as course instructors 4.5/5 Average Rating Older adult students' average rating of their overall experience 20 1 6 -20 1 7 AN N UAL R EP O RT R E SE AR CH TR AI N I N G CENTR E 018 COURSE NUMB ERS The RTC launched another successful trainee-led initiative this year: an 8-week course titled "Baycrest Presents: Understanding Your Brain", held in partnership with Ryerson University's LIFE Institute offered by Programs for 50+. This course gave 10 RRI trainees (PhD students and postdoctoral fellows) a unique opportunity to teach 60 older adult learners about how the brain functions and changes across the lifespan. Topics included: • Attention • Speech & Language • Memory • Perception • Navigation & Spatial Memory • Brain Diseases & Rehabilitation • Science Literacy The course wrapped up with a VIP tour at Baycrest to showcase the various brain imaging technologies at the RRI. A meet- and-mingle session was also held with trainees, scientists, and Baycrest representatives to learn more about the many ways in which the class could continue to engage with Baycrest. For RTC trainees, this course was an invaluable and rewarding teaching experience, allowing them to practice important science dissemination and presentation skills with an older adult audience – a different audience than they are typically exposed to during graduate training. The RTC looks forward to expanding this successful course in the upcoming academic year - stay tuned! Advocacy & Communication Brain & Cognition Course in collaboration with Ryerson University "There's a gap right now between the research that's produced and what the public knows about it. The best way to combat misinformation is for scientists and researchers to go into the community and make sure the knowledge they're disseminating is correct." J O R DANA W YN N , CO U R SE O R GAN IZER & R R I P H D S T U D ENT