"Brain Awareness Week" Activities Set by SIU Med School

A public forum on neuroscience topics as well as a program for middle school students will highlight Brain Awareness Week this month at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The events will be held as part of an annual national campaign, March 14-20, to introduce lay audiences to the most complex organ of the human body.

The forum, "Topics in Neuroscience," will be held 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, in SIU's South Auditorium, 801 N. Rutledge St., (second floor) Springfield. There will be three presentations by SIU faculty - "Hearing Loss Prevention and Therapy" by Kathleen Campbell, Ph.D., professor of otolaryngology and director of audiology research; "Sleep and Sleep Disorders" by Dr. Joseph Henkle, associate professor and chief of pulmonary medicine and director of SIU's Sleep Disorder Clinic; and "Risks and Benefits of Hormone Therapy: New Insights from Recent Studies" by Mary McAsey, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of research for obstetrics and gynecology.

"The Amazing Brain," a neuroscience educational program for 7th grade students of Lincoln Magnet School in Springfield, will be held 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, March 17, at SIU School of Medicine’s South Auditorium (second floor), 801 N. Rutledge St., Springfield.

The programs are sponsored by SIU's Department of Neurology. To register for the "Topics in Neuroscience" or obtain additional information about the week, call 545-7181 weekdays.

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NOTE TO MEDIA: If you are interested in covering “The Amazing Brain,” please contact Ruth Slottag or Nancy Zimmers, SIU Public Affairs, 545-2155.