Signature Seminar Series: Beyond Entertainment: Arts Engagement as a Modifiable Factor in Brain Health and Aging

ABOUT THE LECTURE:
Population studies across several continents converge on a striking finding: people who regularly engage with the arts live longer, think more clearly, and report greater wellbeing than those who do not. Cohort research links frequent cultural participation to reduced mortality risk, slower rates of cognitive decline, and lower incidence of dementia. These associations persist after accounting for education, income, physical activity, and baseline health. This presentation synthesizes that evidence base and situates it alongside Dr. Petrovsky's program of research on music-based, technology-enabled interventions for persons living with dementia and their care partners, including community-engaged work in rural settings. Dr. Petrovsky will present on what distinguishes receptive from participatory engagement, why personalization matters, and where the evidence remains thin. She will end by discussing what it would take to translate observational findings into scalable arts-based interventions aimed at improving brain health.

HOST:
Dr Rahul Malhotra
Associate Professor & Executive Director
Centre for Ageing Research & Education
Duke-NUS Medical School

VENUE:
Duke-NUS Medical School
Amphitheatre, Level 2

CONTACT PERSON:
Ms Kathleen Chan (kathleen.chan@duke-nus.edu.sg)
Duke-NUS Research Affairs Department