Reed Humphrey - March 27 and April 1

Mythbusters: Health, Wellness, Longevity and Prevention of Chronic Illness

Synopsis: This lecture will focus on some common widespread beliefs associated with health and the risk of premature chronic disease, then bring perspective into what we actually know and think, based on the scientific evidence. I will focus on the “epidemics” of subjects like physical inactivity and obesity and what we actually know about each in the context of other common risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and family history. By the end of the lecture, participants will have a far better understanding of how they might personally alter their lifestyle and/or advocate for better population health.

Reed Humphrey is a professor and dean of the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences who also leads UM’s Health and Medicine initiative. He received his doctorate in applied physiology from the University of Pittsburgh and graduate degrees from Wake Forest University and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia, where he also taught physiology and physical medicine for 10 years. His scholarly contributions are mainly in the area of exercise and chronic heart failure, and his work in exercise physiology and training for patients with ventricular assist devices earned him the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation’s Award of Excellence. Currently, his research interests focus on the complex societal problem of physical inactivity in chronic disease.