Alzheimer’s disease is a complex brain disorder which is currently the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. Dr. Jeanette Norden will begin with a discussion of what is currently known about the anatomy and pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, with an emphasis on how these relate to the signs/symptoms seen in individuals with this disorder. While for the vast majority of cases the cause of the disorder remains unknown, a number of factors – which can increase or decrease risk – have been identified. The talk will end with a discussion of how we can keep our brains healthy and significantly decrease our risk for developing this devastating disease. This talk is intended for the general public; no background in biology or medicine is necessary.
 
Dr. Jeanette Norden is Professor Emerita, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. From 1981-2013, she taught medical, graduate, and undergraduate students and acted as Director of Medical Education in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology until her retirement. Dr. Norden has won every award given by medical students, many of them multiple times. She was awarded the first Chair of Teaching Excellence at Vanderbilt University, and was the first recipient of both the Gender Equity Award of the American Medical Women’s Association and the Teaching Excellence Award given by the Vanderbilt Medical School. Most recently, she was awarded the Humanism in Medicine Award by the 2017 class of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University.
 
Dr. Norden participates in numerous outreach programs in Nashville and the surrounding communities by going to schools or by giving public lectures on topics related to the Neurosciences. For a number of years, she has taught very popular courses in Neuroscience as part of Osher Retirement Learning Center at Vanderbilt. She was highlighted as one of the most effective teachers in America in What the Best College Teachers Do (K. Bain, Harvard University Press, 2004). Dr. Norden has been invited to give over 150 presentations on teaching at Universities and Medical Schools. In 2007, she completed a 36-lecture DVD, Understanding the Brain, as part of the Great Courses series. In recognition of her impact on helping to educate the public about the brain and neurological disorders, in 2011 the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and Center for Neuroscience at Vanderbilt established an annual Jeanette J. Norden Outreach Lectureship in her honor.