Explore the secrets to a longer, healthier life
Concordia’s PERFORM Centre is partnering with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to host an innovative five-day training session focused on physical activity and aging.
The Summer Program in Aging (SPA), taking place from May 15 to 19, will provide Canadian graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with advanced knowledge and skills that cross disciplines, institutions and geographical boundaries.
“With Canada’s aging population, it is more important than ever to play a role in fostering the development of research, education and community programs,” says Louis Bherer, professor in the Department of Medicine at Université de Montréal and PERFORM’s inaugural scientific director.
“In the five years that it’s been open, the PERFORM centre has leveraged the links between exercise, nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle. We’ve become one of the premier places in Canada for academic activities in the area of preventive health.”
Geared at researchers interested in the study of physical activity and aging, the SPA will cover areas as diverse as psychological health, cognition and neuromuscular and cardiovascular activity.
The program will also offer sessions about how to implement programs encouraging physical activity for older adult populations in community centres and hospitals.
“The topic of prevention is on everyone’s minds these days, and we know that a healthy body equals a healthy mind,” says Habib Benali, interim scientific director for Concordia’s PERFORM Centre
The week’s activities will culminate on May 19 with the PERFORM Centre’s annual conference. The theme of the 2017 edition is also physical activity and aging.
“Given advancements in technologies that allow us to see how a brain boosted by exercise looks throughout the lifespan, there is greater potential for discovering new ways of enjoying longer and healthier lives,” Benali says.
“We’re happy to share the knowledge gained at PERFORM with our community.”
The conference will also cover topics including the effects of physical activity on mental health, longevity and athletic performance into late life.
The PERFORM Centre’s annual conference at Concordia takes place on May 19, 2017 and is free and open to everyone.
For complete eligibility and registration information about the Summer Program in Aging, visit ResearchNet. The application deadline is January 24.
