Feast for Your Brain supports community and healthy aging
Members of the Tucson Chinese Dance Company perform a dance called “All of Our Memories” during the Feast for Your Brain community event. Attendees at the Oct. 19 event wrote memories on sticky notes, which the dancers then stuck onto their clothing. Throughout the dance, the memories fell off the dancers, representing the loss of memory due to Alzheimer’s disease.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
The third annual Feast for Your Brain healthy aging community event sponsored by the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, the Precision Aging Network and MindCrowd was held Oct. 19 at El Rio Neighborhood Center in Tucson. The event included performances, presentations, music, health services, games, mind-body exercises, food and a raffle.
With over 350 attendees, the event focused on healthy aging practices, with 28 information tables, nine presenters and 11 performances by community organizations. More than 40 attendees received their flu and COVID vaccines at the event.
Feast for Your Brain brings together healthy aging experts from across U of A Health Sciences and other colleges alongside community partners and health services providers to increase awareness about healthy aging, brain health and the Precision Aging Network, a community-engaged brain aging research project from the Innovations in Healthy Aging program. The network will help researchers discover how to reduce cognitive decline and age-related disease.
“Feast for Your Brain continues to be an incredible collaborative effort between the University of Arizona, the College of Public Health, the Precision Aging Network and our amazing community,” said Zhao Chen, PhD, MPH, professor and associate dean for research at the Zuckerman College of Public Health. “This year, our event was located in the heart of our community at El Rio Neighborhood Center in Barrio Hollywood. Increasing the participation of Hispanics in Precision Aging Network studies is critical for improving health equity, and this year we had the highest enrollment of this group from our event so far.”
Sabrina Plattner, MEd, senior health educator in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, volunteers at an activity table during the Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Shipherd Reed, director of communications and digital media in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, receives a COVID booster from a pharmacist at the Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Jennie Gubner, PhD, an assistant professor of music in the U of A College of Fine Arts, and Maximiliano Larrea of DuoYvapuru, perform at the Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
University of Arizona students, from left, Curiel Quintero, Angela Holman and Ananya Mogali were on hand to check blood pressures and glucose levels for free inside El Rio Community Center during the annual Feast for Your Brain event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Members of Dancesequence Inc: Dance for All perform at the Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
From left, Shannon Lindemer, senior psychometrist, with her daughter Stella Garcia, and Karla Gastelum and Lupita Flores, staff members from the Zuckerman College of Public Health’s Nosotros Comprometidos a Su Salud program, were on hand at the Feast for Your Brain event to tell attendees about the group’s community-engaged research collaborations, service and education programs aimed at advancing health equity in Southern Arizona.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Aria Sophia Enriquez performs with Las Aguilitas de Davis mariachi band during the Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Lee Ryan, PhD a psychology professor at the U of A College of Science and director of the Cognition and Neuroimaging Laboratory, presents a lecture titled “Healthy Minds, Healthy Brains, Healthy Hearts” during the Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Ellen Ross has her blood glucose level checked by Curiel Quintero during the annual Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Dancers from the Tucson Chinese Dance Company perform traditional Chinese folk dances during the annual Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
From left, Norma Padilla and Martha Haro staff the table for the University of Arizona – Banner Health All of Us program during the annual Feast for Your Brain community event.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Yunjia Yang, a PhD candidate in the U of A Applied Intercultural Arts Research Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, emcees the annual Feast for Your Brain community event held at El Rio Community Center.
Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications