vibrantBrains

My Answer Is NO ... If That's Okay With You

Dr. Nanette Gartrell will discuss her recent book about how women can say NO and (still) feel good about it. No is a very simple word - two letters, one syllable. Yet many women have a hard time saying it without feeling anxious or guilty. In My Answer Is NO ... If That's Okay with You, award-winning psychiatrist and author Dr. Nanette Gartrell takes a fresh look at why even the most powerful, accomplished, and successful women find it difficult to say no and offers a revolutionary approach to setting limits without jeopardizing important relationships.

Nanette Gartrell, MD, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the Center of Excellence in Women's Health for the University of California, San Francisco, was previously a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. She is a clinician and researcher whose ground-breaking investigations have been published in professional journals and cited in the media. Dr. Gartrell has appeared on network television (including Good Morning America, NBC Weekend, Fox News ), on National Public Radio, and in documentaries produced for PBS, Showtime, and French and German public television. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, and the Christian Science Monitor.

Dr. Gartrell has a private practice, and she volunteers her psychiatric services to chronically mentally ill homeless people.

The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness

While all of us have heard the phrase “use it or lose it,” very few understand what “it” means, or how to properly “use it” in order to maintain brain function and fitness. Alvaro Fernandez, co-author of the soon-to-be published book The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: 18 Interviews with Scientists, Practical Advice, and Product Reviews, to Keep Your Brain Sharp (SharpBrains, May 2009), will provide an overview of the most recent research, guidelines and resources to "Use It and Improve It".

Neuroplasticity and the Importance of Brain Exercise

Known as a "rock star" in the world of neuroplasticity (changes that occur in the organization of the brain as a result of experience), Posit Science co-founder Dr. Michael Merzenich will talk about his brain plasticity research and the ways in which Posit Science products apply those principles to improve processing speed, memory, and attention. Dr. Merzenich and Posit Science are featured in a new PBS special "Brain Fitness 2: Sight and Sound," which is a follow-up to last year's highly popular "Brain Fitness Program".