The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — and the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) have chosen Barry Bittman, MD, of the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute as the 2011 recipient of the Gene D. Cohen Research Award in Creativity and Aging.
This award recognizes and honors the seminal work of Gene Cohen, MD, whose research in the field of creativity and aging shifted the conceptual focus from a problem paradigm to one of promise and potential. Cohen inspired individuals to approach longevity asking what wonders can be achieved, not in spite of age, but because of age. The award is presented annually to a professional whose research in the field of creativity and aging demonstrates these positive attributes.
The award presentation will take place at GSA's 64th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 18 to 22 in Boston, MA. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process. Visit www.geron.org/annualmeeting for further details.
Bittman is the chief executive officer of the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute. In addition, he serves as the chief innovations officer of Meadville Medical Center in Meadville, PA, and medical director of the hospital's Mind-Body Wellness Center.
He is a neurologist, researcher, author, international speaker, award-winning producer/director, and inventor. His numerous peer-reviewed research publications have focused on extensive psychological and biological effects of recreational music-making protocols. In addition to demonstrating increased activity of natural killer cells in individuals who performed group drumming in accordance with a specific protocol he co-developed, his research also revealed substantial reductions in burnout and mood disturbances among long-term care workers as well as significant cost savings. His other publications have shown multi-faceted benefits for nursing students and at-risk adolescents. In addition, his scholarly work demonstrated for the first time that playing a musical instrument can reverse multiple elements of the human stress response on the genomic level.
As the host of the first nationally-syndicated integrative medicine weekly public radio program, "Mind-Body Matters," Bittman interviewed 115 of the world's leading visionaries. His program featured cutting-edge in-depth perspectives that scientifically substantiated the integration of complementary approaches into conventional healthcare. Bittman's more than 250 articles on a host of integrative medical topics have been published in his newspaper column, "Mind Over Matter."
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,400+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA's structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.
The National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) was founded in 2001 and is dedicated to fostering an understanding of the vital relationship between creative expression and healthy aging and to developing programs that build on this understanding. Based in Washington, DC, NCCA is a nonprofit with 2,500 members and is affiliated with The George Washington University.