Staff Report

Dr. Gene Cohen, physician, author and director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University, believes that creative activity can stimulate the brain and keep people healthy as they age.

Dr. Cohen will be in Chattanooga on Saturday, Feb. 23, to give a presentation at Memorial Health Care System’s eighth annual Art For Healing Gala and the Cam Busch Endowed Arts for Health Lecture Series (see accompanying story on E6).

“Dr. Cohen is a brilliant researcher and a fascinating person,” said Ms. Busch, a practicing art therapist and a national arts in health care consultant. “He is a favorite keynote speaker for the Society for the Arts in Healthcare and the American Art Therapy Association, and the research he is doing is key to validating the importance of utilizing the arts in health care.”

The topic of his presentation, “Art Is Like Chocolate for the Brain,” examines research findings concerning how art enhances the function of the aging brain. His desire to understand the creative human potential of the second half of life led him to spend 25 years studying adults living with depression, dementia and other illnesses associated with the aging process. He also has created intergenerational board games for the same population.

To purchase tickets to the gala ($75 per person), call 495-4151.