SAN FRANCISCO (June 4, 2021) — Music, science and social justice will converge in ‘Jazz, Equity and Brain Health,’ the latest offering from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center (UCSF MAC) and Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association, set to take place on Tuesday, June 15 at 1 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET.

This live virtual program will explore key concepts of othering and belonging; community building; and the power of empathy, listening, and inclusion through the lenses of jazz music and neuroscience. Presenters will also consider the ideas of resilience, empathy, improvisation, and equity—as well as the social and genetic determinants of brain health—and how they relate to jazz, a musical genre that welcomes and celebrates individual diversity and freedom.

“There are profound aspects of the human experience which are only conveyed and perceived through music," said SFCM President David Stull. "A startling truth is our ability to retain our relationship with this art form, even when we encounter the immense challenges associated with cognitive decline. With this project, we seek to explore these questions, and to understand how we can bring new strategies for treatment to all of our communities.”

The event will feature talks and performances from an interdisciplinary group of leaders in science, music, and social justice, including David Stull (President, SFCM), Bruce Miller, MD (Co-Director, GBHI, Director, UCSF MAC), Victor Valcour, MD, PhD (Executive Director, GBHI), Maria Carrillo, PhD (Chief Science Officer, Alzheimer’s Association), Amelie Anna (Percussionist, Vocalist, Composer; SFCM), Jennie Gubner, PhD (Ethnomusicologist, University of Arizona, GBHI), Jason Hainsworth (Director, Roots, Jazz, and American Music; Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Jazz Saxophone, SFCM), Kai Kennedy, PT, DPT (Physical Therapist, UCSF, GBHI), Josh Kornbluth (GBHI), Serggio Lanata, MD (Neurologist, UCSF, GBHI), and Jennifer Yokoyama, PhD (Neurogeneticist, UCSF, GBHI).

“It’s important to consider all aspects of diversity to maximize our understanding of different brain health outcomes,” said Yokoyama, associate professor of neurology at UCSF MAC. “If we could see the world through a scientific lens, we would realize we’re one community.”

Jazz, Equity and Brain Health is the fourth event in a series produced by SFCM, UCSF MAC and GBHI exploring the dynamic relationships of music, science and brain health. It will take place during Addressing Health Disparities, a virtual conference to promote diverse perspectives across Alzheimer’s and dementia research hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association. June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.

“People with dementia are our society’s underdogs,” said Miller, co-director of GBHI and director of the UCSF MAC. “There is still too much misunderstanding and stigma around brain change. Science and medicine help us to understand and explain what is going on, but art helps us express that and share it with the world in an accessible way that unites and connects people.”

Event details:
Tuesday, June 15, 2021 by Zoom
1–2:15 PM PT / 3–4:15 PM CT / 8–9:15 PM GMT

San Francisco Conservatory of Music
(SFCM), located in the Civic Center of San Francisco, is committed to advancing music at the highest level and providing each student with a transformative education for life. Recognized nationally for its ground-breaking initiatives, SFCM has embarked on a decisive path to provide exceptional opportunities for aspiring 21st-century artists and innovators.

Through partnerships with other San Francisco-based arts groups, and within a curriculum that prizes craft, imagination, intellectual discovery, and business acumen, the Conservatory offers students a unique pathway to success in any endeavor.

SFCM’s 2020 acquisition of Opus 3 Artists— an established leader in artist management, representing an extensive roster of many of the world’s most distinguished artists and ensembles—adds another area of programs to students and artist managers, offering opportunities for creative partnerships, apprenticeships, and insights into the business and management side of the performing arts. The new and ultra-modern Bowes Center provides a $200M expansion to the exceptional campus at 50 Oak Street that was completed in 2006.

UCSF Memory and Aging Center
UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises top-ranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland – and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area. The UCSF Memory and Aging Center provides the highest quality of care for individuals with cognitive problems, conducts research on causes and cures for degenerative brain diseases, and educates health professionals, patients and their families.

Global Brain Health Institute
The Global Brain Health Institute is a leader in the global community dedicated to protecting the world’s aging populations from threats to brain health. GBHI works to reduce the scale and impact of dementia in three ways: by training and connecting the next generation of leaders in brain health through the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program; by collaborating in expanding preventions and interventions; and by sharing knowledge and engaging in advocacy. GBHI strives to improve brain health for populations across the world, reaching into local communities and across our global network. GBHI brings together a powerful mix of disciplines, professions, backgrounds, skills, perspectives, and approaches to develop new science-based solutions. GBHI focuses on working compassionately with all people including those in vulnerable and under-served populations to improve outcomes and promote dignity for all people. GBHI is based at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Trinity College Dublin (Trinity). To learn more about GBHI, please visit us at gbhi.org or follow us on Twitter @GBHI_Fellows.