Workshop will teach students a novel way to gain insights about healthy aging

February 13, 2013 - A workshop that fuses art and science to help students learn how their lifestyles today will affect them in their later adult years is being organized by the Student Subcommittee of the McMaster Health Forum.

Under the Lens: Healthy Student Living is the subject of the two-part session that will use photography as a means for participants to illustrate their habits today and the consequences they will have many years down the road.

The sessions take place on Tuesday, February 26 and Tuesday, March 5, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and are open to all McMaster students. Pre-registration is required.

The workshop will use a methodology called ‘photovoice’ and be led by a communications specialist and a physician. The first session will guide students as they reflect on the challenges of achieving a healthy lifestyle, and discuss optimal aging from a student perspective. During the week between the sessions, participants will use photography to illustrate what they’ve learned, and present their work at the second session to further discussion and insights on healthy aging.

The workshop is being led by Sarah Glen, a senior producer with a local video production company, and Dr. Katherine Morrison, a pediatric endocrinologist and associate professor at McMaster.

Glen has a master’s degree in communications, and has studied the transformative potential of media with high-risk, street-involved and homeless youth. She is an award-winning specialist in participatory video for the education and training sector, and teaches courses at McMaster focused on experiential education and community-based engagement.

Dr. Morrison’s clinical and research interests relate to the adverse health consequences and treatment of childhood obesity, and lipid disorders in children. She completed her medical school and pediatric training at the University of Calgary, and her endocrinology training at Stanford University, California. She has also completed a fellowship in preventive cardiology.

The workshop is designed to provide participants with an action plan that outlines everyday things they can do to achieve better health now and promote optimal aging. They will also learn basic photography skills and how to use photographs to tell a story.

Limited spots are available for the workshop, so early registration is suggested. To register, please RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with “Photovoice” in the subject line by Monday, February 25 at 5 p.m.

The workshop is made possible through funding provided by the Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative at McMaster University.