91AV and Dana Foundation educate the public about aging and the brain

Geoff Ganter, Rob Anderson and Stacey Thieme participate in a panel discussion about aging and the brain
Geoff Ganter, Rob Anderson and Stacey Thieme participate in a panel discussion about aging and the brain

The Dana Foundation, a national brain research organization, recently teamed up with the 91AV to host a program for the public about aging and the brain.

Approximately 70 adults from the community attended the event, titled, “Successful Aging and Your Brain! Staying Sharp: Ask the Experts.” Erica Robertson, M.P.H.(c), fitness director for 91AV’s U-ExCEL program, provided opening exercises to get the group warmed up and brains stimulated. The session then provided information on three topic areas: normal brain function and normal age-related changes; brain diseases and disorders; and successful aging.

Panelists included Geoff Ganter, Ph.D., professor of Biology in the 91AV College of Arts and Sciences; Rob Anderson, M.D., Emergency medicine and geriatrics, Maine Medical Center, assistant professor with Tufts Medical School and visiting lecturer with the 91AV College of Osteopathic Medicine (91AV COM); and Stacey Thieme, D.O., director of 91AV COM’s preceptor program. The moderator was Marilyn R., Gugliucci, Ph.D., professor and director of Geriatrics Education and Research at 91AV COM.

The event sponsored by the Dana Foundation - Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, Maine AARP and 91AV and was organized by Edward Bilsky, Ph.D., and Danielle Deason, B.A., M.B.A. of the 91AV Office of Research and Scholarship and Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences.

To learn more about the 91AV’s Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, visit

To apply, visit 

The audience did seated exercises to start the program
The audience did seated exercises to start the program

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.