2019 lectures
Dr David Ansell – social epidemiologist, health activist and author of County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago’s Public Hospital and The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills delivered the RCSI MyHealth public lecture in November 2019.
In his lecture, Dr Ansell addressed the theme of healthcare inequality, drawing from his experience as a physician and his role as senior vice president for community health equity at Rush University Medical Centre, Chicago.
Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in Ireland, affecting approximately one in five Irish adults, equating to 915,000 people. Speakers at the MyHealth Lecture ‘Arthritis – My Joint Health’ dispelled several myths that exist around the condition, including the belief that arthritis is a disease reserved for older people and that surgery is inevitable for those who suffer with arthritis.
RCSI clinical experts joined the panel and discussed the signs and symptoms of arthritis and also shared guidance on how best the condition can be managed.
The MyHealth Lecture, 'Cannabis and Youth Health – The Evidence' provided a platform for a discussion on the health issues associated with the use of cannabis, including the use of cannabinoids as a treatment in certain medical conditions, such as epilepsy, and the mental health issues connected with the use of cannabis.
The lecture was delivered by Alex Berenson – former New York Times journalist and author of the best-selling book, Tell Your Children: The Truth about Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence and Prof. Norman Delanty, FutureNeuro Research Centre at RCSI, who addressed the use of cannabinoids as a treatment in certain medical conditions.
Both speakers were joined by Prof. Mary Cannon, RCSI Professor of Psychiatry; Dr Garret McGovern, Medical Director of the Priority Medical Clinic; and Prof. Susan Smith, Department of General Practice, RCSI for a panel discussion chaired by television and radio broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan.
Adopting healthy habits empowers people to take control of their own wellness, according to lifestyle medicine pioneer Dr Beth Frates who delivered an RCSI MyHealth public lecture on 'Paving the Path to Wellness' in April 2019.
Dr Frates is a pioneer in lifestyle medicine education and an award-winning teacher at Harvard University. She currently works with patients to help them adopt and sustain healthy habits, focusing on the core pillars of exercise, nutrition, sleep and stress management.
During the lecture, Dr Frates looked into how healthy habits are formed – drawing from her background in psychology and biology.