AuthorAID Webinar: Wellbeing in academia
About this event
Join AuthorAID for an open discussion about how to nurture wellbeing within Academia. As we continue to negotiate the impact of a global pandemic, wellbeing in academia has become more important than ever. Joined by members of the global AuthorAID community, our key speakers will share experiences and explore how to access and create effective support systems.
Join us on 2nd November at 12:00 - 13:00 GMT and register today to save your place. Instructions for joining this Zoom webinar will be made available nearer the date via email, and a recording will be shared with registrants after the event.
Event Chair: Professor Dilshani Dissanayake - Head of the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine University of Colombo.
Professor Dissanayake is the current Head of the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine University of Colombo. She is the founder director of the Research Promotion and Facilitation Centre (RPFC) and the neuroscientist in charge of the neuroscience research laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo. Prof. Dissanayake is currently leading a multidisciplinary team of researchers in the University of Colombo, on a World Bank funded project to assess the effects of meditation on health. Her research interests are focused on the sensory processing in the CNS, meditation, schizophrenia and cannabis, diabetic neuropathy and related complications, cognition and falls and animal modelling of sensory processing deficits in CNS. She has also contributed to international studies and publications on mathematical and computer modelling of CNS diseases to minimize the use of animal models.
Keynote speakers:
Dr Petra Boynton - Agony aunt and Social Psychologist working in International Healthcare Research
Petra is a consultant for universities, charities, and other organisations to ensure research is safe, effective and ethical, and mental health prioritised. She has recently published a self-help book for anyone working or studying in academia called "Being Well In Academia: ways to feel stronger, safer and more connected" (Routledge). Twitter: @drpetra Learn more about Dr Boynton’s book The Research Companion here.
Wangari J. Ngugi, MA, BA Psychology (Hons)- Independent Consultant Psychologist and Mentor, Kenya
Wangari is a Consultant Psychologist and Research Mentor with 15 years’ experience. She is a researcher-storyteller who enjoys mixed methods approaches to illuminate societal issues under Psychology, Deaf/Disability Studies, and Research Ethics, and has disseminated a bevvy of scholarly work and media presentations in the field of diversity and disability inclusion. Her niche in Research Mentorship is empowering researchers’ careers in holistic growth and wellness. She is currently completing her Doctor of Psychology, PsyD, Clinical Psychology at United States International University-Africa. Her dissertation is titled “Relationship between Psychosocial Support Concerns and Depression among Deaf adults: A mixed study in Nairobi and Kajiado Counties, Kenya”. She earned a global award at the American Psychological Association (APA) Convention 2018 in California, USA for a study titled, “Barriers to Mental Health Access for Deaf Adults in Kenya: A Review”. She is a TED Talk 2020 laureate on Humor for Resilience.Find out more about Joyce here, and find her on LinkedIn.