On December 7 and 8, the Graduate School of Public Health and the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic will co-host the 2015 Jonas Salk Symposium. This year's theme is "Wisdom and Aging." Bringing together experts from disciplines of psychiatry, epidemiology, aging studies, decision sciences, and anthropology, participants will explore the topics of aging and wisdom and address the following questions:

• How is wisdom defined? Who or what defines wisdom? What is the evidence for wisdom in older adults?
• Is wisdom in the aged an asset that can be preserved to the betterment of society and for sustainable growth?
• How does wisdom appear/operate throughout the life course?
• What policies will preserve and make more available the wisdom of older adults?
• What are the inter-generational dynamics involved in wisdom celebration and discovery?
• What are the key research questions concerning wisdom in later life?

Dr. Peter Salk will give an introduction and speakers will fall within one of following three clusters:

• Clinical neuroscience and cognitive aging: Dilip Jeste MD (Professor in Geriatric Psychiatry, UCSD; Associate Dean for Aging Studies, UCSD), Daniel G. Blazer, MD, PhD (Professor in Geriatric Psychiatry, Duke; Chair, IOM Study of Cognitive Aging); Caterina Rosano, MD (Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Pitt Public Health; resilience in older adults, neurobiologic and neurovascular basis)
• Development, Psychology, and Behavior: Jacqui Smith, PhD. (Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan, psychological functioning in the oldest old; health, wellbeing and aging); Baruch Fischoff, PhD (Howard Heinz Professor Social and Decision Sciences, Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University; how do people make decisions around health behaviors: judgment and decision making; risk analysis and human behavior)
• Anthropology: Phil Kao, PhD (Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh; capturing wisdom and aging across cultures

This event is also being sponsored by the Graduate School of Public Health and the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. For more information, contact Kirsten de Paor at kwd128@pitt.edu.