Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD in Neuroscience is an in-demand speaker for powerful topics surrounding the functions of the human brain, cognitive development, aging, dementia and memory. What if you could understand what is happening in your brain as it ages and learn some things you can do to keep your brain healthy and fit? Or what if you could better understand Alzheimer’s so you could better support loved ones who may suffer from this debilitating disease?
A cutting edge, extremely passionate and gifted speaker, Adam understands, connects with and engages his audience while sharing his wide breadth of insights and eye-opening knowledge surrounding the brain. He is a world leading brain scientist who combines a lifetime of learning with practical experience and scientific research to make topics around the brain simple to understand. Dr. Adam Gazzaley is a dynamic, compelling and effective communicator who can effortlessly explain complex and emerging scientific information in a clear and concise way that resonates with scientists, technical experts and is easy to understand for the general audience.
Dr. Gazzaley is widely known for filling conferences to standing room only capacity when he speaks. His presentations are so stimulating that he consistently has the audience riveted to their seats waiting for more and not wanting it to end. His topics are current, in-demand and meaningful resulting in attendees repeatedly indicating that they would go out of their way to hear him speak again.
Bio:
Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD is the director of The Neuroscience Imaging Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Associate Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry at UCSF. He is on the advisory board of companies such as Pfizer, Neruofocus, Neuroscouting LLC, Lifelong Living, Learning and Longetivity, Ram Capital, Foundation Ventures, AFAR’s National Scientific Advisory Council, ElMindA, Israel. He is a reviewer for more than 30 leading journals on Neuroscience or related topics, He is a grant reviewer, provides mentoring, is active on committees and highly involved in public service. He has more than 40 research publications and has reviewed or provided book chapters to more than 19 publications.
A major focus of Gazzaley’s research has been to expand our understanding of alterations in the aging brain that lead to cognitive decline. Adam’s style is total immersion. No matter what he is doing, Gazzaley “pretty much turns it on 110%.” He also brings “the right combination of passion for his science and compassion for his patients” that a clinician-scientist needs.
Media:
The Media loves him and he has been featured on shows such as CNN, MSNBC, PBS, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, ABC News, BBC News and Wired. He has had live radio interviews on CNN/KSRO radio, KALW, KQED radio and many more. He has had articles in newspapers, magazines and online resources such as Forbes, webMD, TIME Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Scientific American Mind, Discover Magazine, NY Times, SELF magazine, Oprah “O” magazine, Science magazine, USA Today, NY Post, SF Chronicle, US News & World Report, LiveScience, Miami Herald, LA Times, Sun Vancouver, etc.
Keynote Speeches (customizable to fit client needs):
“The Aging Brain: Crossroads of Attention and Memory”
Join Dr. Adam Gazzaley as he takes us on a tour of the changes that occur in our brains as we age, and the impact this has on our cognitive abilities. He makes understandable state-of-the-art scientific tools that are now available to study the functioning human brain, and couples this with interactive examples from his own research that explores attention and memory mechanisms. He presents recent discoveries from his lab that demonstrates the consequences of a failure to filter distraction on memory deficits in older adults. Lastly, Dr. Gazzaley reviews what we might do to keep our brains healthy and fit throughout our lives (e.g., diet, mental and physical exercise).
“Our Brain’s Perspective on Distraction and Multitasking”
The human brain, despite extraordinary complexity and remarkable capabilities, has distinct limitations: Selective attention abilities, the speed in which we process information, our short-term memory capacity and our ability to resolve interference are all exceeded when demands are too great. Dr. Gazzaley explains how our brains manage the river of data that constantly floods it, how its capacities can be exceeded, and the consequences of this on our cognitive performance. He also presents a fascinating perspective on how our increasingly saturated world of digital media, as well as growing expectations of immediate responsiveness, place excessive demands on our brains. Failure of both young and older adults to successfully cope with this new environment has a widespread impact. The talk concludes with a discussion of whether the remedy requires modifying societal trends or lies within our brains.
“Brain plasticity across the lifespan”
It is now appreciated that our brains are capable of a remarkable degree of neuroplasticity. That is, the brain changes structurally and functionally in response to our experiences and interactions with the environment, not just during critical periods of childhood, but throughout our lives. This is a modern view of the brain, and scientists are actively exploring the intricacies of this phenomenon. Dr. Gazzaley will present a broad perspective of brain plasticity, from historical, landmark discoveries to recent findings on the power of action video games to refine our perceptual and attention abilities. He will discuss theories of cognitive reserve, use-it-or-lose-it, and neural efficiency. Lastly, he will tackle the hotly debated topic of the impact of brain training and cognitive exercises.
“Unraveling Alzheimer’s Disease”
Dr. Gazzaley presents an overview of our current understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. He describes in an easy to understand manner the changes that occur in the brains of individuals with this devastating disease, and contrasts it with alterations that take place during normal aging. Along the way, he touches on the most common questions people have about the disease, including, “what is the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia?,” “how can I be sure if someone has this disease?,” and “what are my chances of getting it if a family member has it?”. Lastly, he informs us of the latest breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment.
“Brain and Mind”
Dr. Gazzaley leads us on a journey through how the brain gives rise to the mind. The talk launches with a historical perspective on the topic (e.g., Aristotle: the mind is domain of the heart), but quickly focuses in on our modern perspective and state-of-the-art scientific tools now available to understand the functioning human brain. You will be treated to a sweeping overview of how our brains generate perception, attention, short-term and long-term memory, with examples from Dr. Gazzaley’s own research. Throughout the lecture, many commonly held brain myths are dispelled, such as “we only use 10% of our brains,” “getting older kills our brain cells,” “we are either ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’”. The talk concludes with an overview of the developing and aging brain & mind.
Curriculum Vitae: Gazzaley CV (5-11)a
Sampling of White Papers 2011: (More available upon request)
An expectation-based memory deficit in aging.
Bollinger, J., Rubens, M.T., Zanto, T.P., Gazzaley, A. Neuropsychologia (2011)Deficit in switching between functional brain networks underlies the impact of multitasking on working memory in older adults.
Clapp, W.C., Rubens, M.T., Sabarwal, J. & Gazzaley, A. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA(2011)Influence of early attentional modualtion on working memory
Gazzaley, A. Neuropyschologia (In Press)
Testimonials:
Dr. Gazzaley was an invited guest speaker for our science Pro Sessions held at our flagship Apple Retail Stores. He packed the house and effortlessly explained complex, technical scientific research with a clear, straightforward delivery and friendly tone. Any organization would be privileged to have Dr. Gazzaley tell a fascinating story of the brain, the mind and what we can do to preserve our cognitive abilities as we age. In addition to the presentation itself, Dr. Gazzaley was very comfortable and adept at fielding and answering questions, acknowledging the audience, and taking time to mingle before and after his talk. This was one of our most successful Pro Sessions and we would be delighted to have Dr. Gazzaley speak on our behalf again.
-Pear Urushima
Business Markets
Apple, Inc.As chair of the Brain Health Symposium at The Commonwealth Club, I had many attendees thank me for ‘finding’ Dr Gazzaley. Dr. Gazzaley’s PowerPoint presentation was exceptional as he wove scientific images and facts with practical advice for keeping one’s brain healthy. He did it in such a way as to satisfy the scientists and doctors in the audience and yet made the information understandable for everyone. His gave an exceptional presentation and is a gifted speaker. I highly recommend him.
-Patty James M.S., C.N.C.
CoChair, The Health and Medicine Committee, The Commonwealth Club, San Francisco
Chair, The Brain Health Symposium, The Commonwealth Club, San Francisco“Dr. Gazzaley is able to communicate clearly and effectively. His lecturing style is engaging and stimulating, yet structured and well-organized. He has an intuitive grasp of the audience he is talking to, and is able to adapt the complexity and level of detail of his presentation accordingly. He connects theory to data such that listeners get a good sense of how progress in science is made. He is one of the best presenters in the behavioral neuroscience of aging I know.”
-Dr. Ulman Lindenberger, Professor of Developmental Psychology
Center for Lifespan Psychology, Director
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, GermanyDr. Gazzaley was impeccable about his clinical knowledge, as well as his access to information on the latest research in the field. However, unlike many highly scientific speakers, he exhibited a talent for truly speaking to his audience; he was able to adeptly understand and speak to their specific concerns as physicians. In addition, he was friendly, outgoing and open to the attendees, so they felt comfortable engaging in dialogue. I highly recommend Dr. Gazzaley for further speaking engagements. He possesses a unique talent for tailoring his presentation to the needs of the audience, as well as an engaging personality.
-S. Nicole Foster
Eisai Inc.I’m writing to thank you for your clear, well‐organized, and informative talk on memory and attention. I also want to express my wonder at your filling the Fireside Room to capacity. I learned that staff had to set up 350 seats, and given the number of people standing, kneeling, and seated on
the floor, we had an audience of about 400, our biggest ever.-Tom Mader, President
Community Club of RossmoorWe ‘hit the jackpot’ when we found someone of your academic stature and research accomplishments. Your presentation was not only stimulating but kept our audience attentive, in fact, riveted in their seats. This was one of our bigger audiences, speaking to a subject that is personal to most and presented and delivered in a most dynamic fashion. Thank you very much for your very engaging presentation.
-Chrisula Asimos, Ph.D
Commissioner, Marin Commission on AgingCongratulations on a very successful presentation at our Second Annual Congress on Anti‐Aging Medicine and BioMedical Technoogies (June 2009). The information you shared was fresh, to the point and very easy to understand. You truly engaged with the audience. More importantly, I believe that you presentation provided an eye‐opening experience for many of the attendees. It truly helped to make our program a success. As you know,we have had numerous prestigious speakers in the past, including Nobel prize winners for Medicine but having witnessed your presentation, I would encourage
anyone who is considering a top class scientific speaker, to put you on their short list.-Isabel Hoffmann Miles, Ph.D.
President of the Iberian Chapter of The World Academy of AntiAging Medicine (A4M Iberia)
Sample List of Clientele for Speaking Engagements:
I=International, N=National, R=Regional
2011 (20 presentations YTD)
(I) Dallas Aging and Cognition Conference, Texas
(I) SharpBrains Virtual Summit
(N) Multitasking Meeting, Stanford University, CA
(N) Learning & the Brain Conference: Igeneration meeting, SF, CA
(N) TEDx, San Jose, CA
(N) National Science Teacher’s Association, SF, CA
(N) Lecture for broadcast as a national PBS TV Program, KQED, SF, CA
(N) Puretech Ventures, Boston, CA
(R) Career Development meeting, University of California, Berkeley, CA
(R) Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, MA
(R) McGovern Institute Symposium, MIT, MA
(R) Applied Brilliance Salon: The shape of the Future, SF, CA
(R) Puretech Ventures, Boston, CA
(R) SF Neurological Society Annual Meeting, Monterey, CA
(R) Cognitive Control Conference, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
(R) UCSF Memory and Aging Center Grand Rounds, SF, CA
(R) Alzheimer’s Association Northern CA, Santa Cruz, CA
(R) Wirehead Talkback, SF Palyhouse, SF, CA
(R) Mini-medical school, UCSF, CA
(R) Personalized Health Project Summit, SF, CA
2010 (32 presentations)
(I) SPIE/HVEI International Conference, CA, USA
(I) SharpBrains Virutal Summit: Technology for Cognitive Health and Performance, Web-based
(I) Frontal Lobe Conference, Toronto, Canada
(I) Neurocognitive Networks 2010, Florida, USA
(I) The Dallas Aging and Cognition Conference, Texas, USA
(I) Symposium Chair & Presenter, Human Brain Mapping Meeting, Barcelona, Spain
(I) Games for Health Conference, Boston USA
(I) Gordon Conference, Inaugural meeting on the Neurobiology of Aging, Waterville Valley, NH
(I) Neurocritical Care Society Annual meeting, San Francisco, CA
(N) The Dallas Aging and Cognition Conference, Dallas, TX
(N) Neurocognitive Networks, Boca Raton, FLA
(N) Ellison Foundation Colloquium on the Biology of Aging, Woods Hole, MA
(N) AARP annual meeting, Orlando, FLA
(N) Applied Brilliance Conference, Ojai, CA
(N) Meeting for Apple engineers in education division, Cupertino, CA
(R) Department of Psychology, UC Santa Barbara, CA
(R) QB3-CCA Symposium, UCSF, CA
(R) Department of Psychology, Yale University, CA
(R) Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, MA
(R) Brain Aging Neuroimaging Group, Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA
(R) Communications Department, Stanford University, CA
(R) Neurosurgery Grand Rounds, UCSF, CA
(R) The San Francisco Writer’s Grotto, SF, CA
(R) Health & Wellness for older adults, Jewish Community Center, SF CA
(R) Villa Marin Retirement Community, Marin, CA
(R) Science Salon Series Talk, Vibrant Brains, Foster City Jewish Community Center, CA
(R) San Francisco Public Library, SF, CA
(R) UCSF Neuroscience graduate program retreat, Monterey, CA
(R) Molecules to Medicine Symposium, UCSF, CA
(R) Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, San Francisco State University, CA
(R) fMRI Speaker Series, University of Michigan, IL
(R) Nerd Nite, SF, CA
He has also done close to 70 presentations for Scientific Meetings.
