The neurosciences, behavioral sciences, and humanities have different ways to approach, if not definitively answer, questions regarding what is it to be a person and whether personhood can be lost because of dementia. This conference brings together scholars and medical professionals to answer questions about what it is to be a person.

Registration for this free conference is now closed.

Thursday, April 30 | Film

A viewing of the film Alive Inside (2014), directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett, followed by a discussion led by Julene Johnson (Institute for Health & Aging, UCSF)

Friday, May 1 | Panel Discussions

Panel 1: Music and Memory

Short concert and discussion with members of Left Coast Ensemble
Respondents: Julene Johnson (Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute for Health & Aging) and Thomas Laqueur (History, UC Berkeley)

Panel 2: Biomedical and Sociological Perspectives

Andrew Kayser (Neurology, UCSF)
Patrick Fox (Sociology, UCSF)
Respondents: Micheal Pope (Director, Alzheimer Services of the East Bay) and Guy Micco (Emeritus, UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program; Co-Director, Program for the Medical Humanities)

Panel 3: Portraiture and Personhood

Marilyn McEntyre (Medical Humanities, UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program)
John Shapiro (Director, Program in Medical Humanities and Arts in Family Medicine)

Panel 4: Religion and Philosophy

John Perry (Philosophy, Stanford and UC Riverside)
Robert Sharf (Buddhist Studies, UC Berkeley)
Respondent: LaVera Crawley (Palliative Care Chaplain and Physician, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center)

Sponsored by the Program for Medical Humanities.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine, & Society, and the Townsend Center for the Humanities.