ASU hosts distinguished lecture series on evolutionary medicine
Arizona State University’s School of Life Sciences and Complex Adaptive Systems@ASU are presenting a new Distinguished Lecture Series on evolutionary medicine. The university is hosting two prominent national experts in the field who will discuss how new and changing perspectives about evolution are transforming many areas of medicine. Faculty, students, staff and the public are invited to hear this lively dialogue.
From 4 to 5:30 p.m., Feb. 27, at ASU’s Biodesign Auditorium on the Tempe campus, Randolph M. Nesse, a leading expert in evolutionary medicine, will appear with Carlo C. Maley, an authority in the evolution of cancer, to discuss current trends and interpretations of evolutionary medicine. New ideas in this significant and developing field are changing the way doctors and scientists view the dynamics of infectious diseases, the effects of lifestyle choices and nutrition, the role of so-called mental disorders, as well as the causes and progression of cancer.
In this opening event, Nesse and Maley will each provide a brief introduction, followed by a moderated discussion about evolutionary medicine. A question and answer session will conclude this exciting event.
Nesse is a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. In addition, he is the director of the University of Michigan’s Evolution & Human Adaptation program. Since publishing his book (with evolutionary biologist George C. Williams) “Why We Get Sick” (1995), Nesse has become a prominent advocate for evolutionary medicine.
Maley is the director of the Center for Evolution and Cancer at the University of California, San Francisco. He is interested in the evolution of cancer, both at the level of cells evolving in neoplasms and at the level of the effects of cancer as a selective pressure on multicellular organisms.
For more information, contact Manfred Laubichler at Manfred.laubichler@asu.edu.