CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois System and the Illinois Mexican & Mexican American Students Initiative (I-MMAS) is hosting an online, one-day symposium from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (CDT) on Wednesday, May 20.
The system and the I-MMAS program are also presenting the symposium in collaboration with Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara.
The interdisciplinary forum is expected to bring medical students and faculty together to unpack the intersection of genomic variability, targeted nutrition, and the brain.
Attendees will examine the emerging evidence that is reshaping how experts are understanding cognitive performance and neurological resilience.
Fourteen guest speakers will present in 11 different sessions, sharing their expertise in neuronal development and healing, cognitive neurobiology and nutrition, diagnosis and management of neurological disorders, and the gut-brain-immune crosstalk in behavioral regulation and its implications for obesity, eating disorders, and aggressive behavior.
They will also discuss emerging nutritional strategies and how they can be integrated into modern health practices.
The 14 guest speakers are:
Charles Abrams, MD, PhD, Director of the comprehensive UIC Neuromuscular Center and Professor in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation at the University of Illinois Chicago
Kashif Ahmad, MD, MS, MSc, PhD, Dean of the School of Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara
Melissa Mariscal, MD, Department of Neurology & Rehabilitation, UI Health, University of Illinois Chicago
Lucía Elizabeth Álvarez Palazuelos, MD, PhD, Department Director of Neuroscience and Research, School of Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara
Carlos Cuellar Ramos, PhD, Faculty and Researcher, P.I. School of Sport Sciences, at the Universidad Anáhuac México
Minakshi (Mina) Raj, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Gina Lorena Quirarte, PhD, Principal Investigator, Professor, Head of the Neurobiology of Learning Laboratory at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
Zyanya Reyes Castillo, PhD, Professor and Researcher, Institute for Research in Eating Behavior and Nutrition, Centro Universitario del Sur, University of Guadalajara, Mexico
To learn more about the symposium, the speakers, and to register, visit the conference website.
Analicia Haynes is the storytelling coordinator at Illinois International. She can be reached at ahayn2@illinois.edu.