Spring series of UCSF Osher Lifelong Learning Institute starts April 28

The UCSF Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) kicks off its spring series with four new courses starting April 28 and April 29. Designed to stimulate and inform adult learners, the six-week courses range from an examination of the unblemished human surfaces produced by makeover experts -- and what lies beneath those surfaces, to exteriors on a grander scale with a look at innovative building design that creates healing environments through architecture, art, and gardens. Other courses peer deep into the intricacies of the human mind and look inside the latest debates and research involving women's health. All classes will be 7 - 8:45 pm on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Tuition for each six-week course is $75. To register, visit lifelonglearning.ucsf.edu or call (415) 476-5808. For more information call (415) 476-2557.

The science of Texture makovers?

* Wednesdays, UCSF Medical Sciences Building, 513 Parnassus Ave. * Extreme Makeover has been one of this year's most successful new reality television shows. For those wondering just how it all works, here's a chance to hear from experts who help set the standards for others. * April 28/ Nutritional Makeover -- How to win the food fight. Robert B. Baron, MD, MS, professor of medicine and associate dean, UCSF School of Medicine. * May 5/ Put a Face to It -- Cosmetic surgery - what are the possibilities? From Botox to face lifts, brow lifts, laser peels, and eyelid surgery. Mary McGrath, MD, UCSF professor of surgery. * May 12/ Body Work -- What really happens when a body gets re-sculpted with liposuction, breast augmentation, tummy tucks and other cosmetic surgery. Stephen J. Mathes, MD, UCSF professor of surgery and chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at UCSF Medical Center. * May 19/ Move Forward -- Kimi Hori, fitness manager for UCSF's Millberry Recreation and Fitness Center, demonstrates exercises, weight training, yoga, Tai Chi, etc. * May 26/ Skin - It's A Wrap -- What really works in cosmetic dermatology - Botox, lasers and beyond. How to care for the skin, for men and women. * June 2/ Keep On Trekking -- What can you do about common and not so common foot conditions. Alicia Knee, DPM, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery * Brain and Mind : A remarkable universe: * Wednesdays, UCSF Medical Sciences Building, 513 Parnassus Ave. * A look into our current understanding of the function of the human brain and some of the important diseases that cause nervous system dysfunction. * April 28/ Epilepsy: A Window into the Very Nature of Brain Function -- Dan Lowenstein, MD, UCSF professor of neurology * May 5/The Neurobiology of Anxiety: A Tale of Mice and Women -- Laurence Tecott, MD, PhD, UCSF associate professor of psychiatry * May 12/ The Amazing Visual System: The Latest Insight in Sight -- Jonathan Horton, MD, PhD, UCSF professor of ophthalmology * May 19/ Dementia, Memory and the Aging Brain - Any Reason for Hope? -- Howard Rosen, MD, UCSF assistant professor of neurology * May 26/ Defining the Mind: I Think Therefore I Am? -- Sophia Vinogradov, MD, UCSF professor of psychiatry * June 2/ Brain Attacks: The Rapidly Evolving World of Neurovascular Medicine -- Wade Smith, MD, PhD, UCSF associate professor of neurology

Art, Architecture and Healing:

* Thursdays, UCSF Mount Zion, Herbst Hall, 1600 Divisadero St. * In the midst of terrible stress and impersonal treatment, patients and families too often find themselves caught in clinical settings that leave them feeling more isolated and less in control. In recent years, however, architects, landscape designers, and artists have grown to recognize the power of design and creative outlets in creating healing environments. * April 29/ The History and Future of Healing Environments -- Stephen Verderber, PhD, professor of architecture and adjunct professor of health systems management, Tulane University * May 6/ Innovative Hospital and Hospice Environments -- Richard Bohmer, MD, professor of technology and operations management, Harvard Business School * May 13/ Enhancing the Healing Environment -- Cindy Perlis, director, Art For Recovery Program, UCSF Mount Zion * May 20/ Designing for Well Being -- Linda Sobuta, principal, architecture; Anthony Bernheim, principal for sustainable design; and Phyliss Martin-Vegue, principal interior design, all with SMWM, San Francisco * May 27/ Healing Gardens and Beyond -- Ann Chamberlain, faculty member San Francisco Art Institute, California College of Arts and Crafts; Marni Barnes, landscape architect; and Rebeca Bollinger, adjunct faculty, San Francisco Art Institute. * June 3/ Integrating Art into Landscape Design at UCSF Mission Bay -- James Lord and Sarah Kuehl, associates with Peter Walker Associates Landscape Architects.

Exploding the Myths: What Research is Teaching Us About Womens Health: Wednesdays, UCSF Mount Zion, Herbst Hall, 1600 Divisadero St.

* Historical failure to include women in research studies has led to inadequate attention to gender differences in health and disease. UCSF is a nationally-designated Center of Excellence in Women's Health designed to help address this inequity. * April 28/ Breast Cancer Prevention: A New Hope -- Jeffrey Tice, MD, UCSF assistant professor of medicine, and Mary Beattie, MD, assistant professor of medicine. How women can assess and reduce their risk of breast cancer and a look ahead to preventive therapies on the horizon. * May 5/ Memory Loss: Is It Just Normal Aging? -- Kristine Yaffe, MD, UCSF associate professor of psychiatry, neurology, and epidemiology and biostatistics. How to distinguish normal aging from something more serious well as methods to possibly prevent dementia. * May 12/ Urinary Incontinence in Women: The Hidden Epidemic -- Jeanette S. Brown, MD, UCSF professor and director of the UCSF Women's Continence Center. An update on prevention, new treatments, and research involving a condition that affects nearly half of all women. * May 19/ Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy: What Have We Learned So Far? -- Deborah Grady, MD, MPH, UCSF professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and director of the UCSF Women's health Clinical Research Center * May 26/ Diabetes, Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome: Three Emerging Epidemics -- Alka Kanaya, MD, UCSF assistant professor of medicine, on the prevention of diabetes, treatments for obesity and diabetes, and under-recognized complications of diabetes that are specific to women. * June 2/ A Heart-to-Heart About Women's Heart Disease -- Kirsten Fleischman, MD, UCSF assistant professor of medicine. Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Come hear what you can do to win this fight. OLLI is a community education program sponsored by the UCSF schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy, the UCSF Medical Center, and the UCSF Public Affairs department. The program is supported in part by a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation, with additional funding provided by the Mount Zion Health Fund.