The Bronstein Keynote - University of Southern Indiana

Anne Basting, PhD

Creative Care: Imagine Transforming Care Systems

Based on 30 years of research and creative practice, Dr. Basting invites us all to imagine how infusing creativity and meaning-making into social and healthcare systems can transform well-being for care providers and recipients alike. With advances in research in the neuroarts on brain plasticity and social connection, the sustainable integration of arts and health is now possible.

About the Speaker:
Anne Basting,PhD is a writer, artist and advocate for the power of creativity to transform lives. Emerita Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, she is Founder of TimeSlips.org, which trains caregivers to unlock the meaning and joy in elder care. Basting is author of numerous articles and four books, including Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to Elder and Dementia Care (Harper). Internationally recognized for her speaking and innovative work, Basting is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.

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The Bronstein Center for Healthy Aging and Wellness is proud to sponsor the Bronstein Keynote Speakers at the Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness (MAIA), an annual conference held at USI. MAIA is a two-day conference providing practical tools and ground-breaking information to enable the attendee to incorporate current guidelines and best practices in successful aging and wellness through interprofessional collaborative practice.

To advance the educational mission of the Bronstein Center, the Bronstein Keynote must be a content expert in the area of dementia or advance care planning (ACP).

Caption: Dr. Nadine Coudret, Dean Emerita of the College of Nursing and Health Professions, and Dr. Katie Ehlman, Director of the Bronstein Center for Healthy Aging and Wellness, welcomed the first Bronstein Keynote, Dr. Gregory Jicha, at the 2022 Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness.

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Past Bronstein Keynotes

2025 - Aaron Blair, MD

Aaron Blair, MD, was born in Huntingburg, Indiana. He graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine in 2018 and Franciscan Family Medicine Residency in 2021 where he focused on geriatric medicine. His current practice is outpatient family medicine with nursing home care in Dale, Indiana. The title of his keynote was, "Chief Complaint: I Think I Have Dementia."

2024 - Gary Small, MD

Gary Small, MD, is an internationally renowned psychiatrist and neuroscientist and expert on brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia prevention. He was professor of psychiatry and director of the UCLA Longevity Center until 2020, when he became chair of psychiatry at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and behavioral health physician-in-chief for Hackensack Meridian Health’s 19 hospitals and 500,000+ patients.

2023 - Susan Hickman, PhD

Susan Hickman, PhD, is a geropsychologist, Professor in the Indiana University (IU) School of Nursing and IU School of Medicine, Cornelius and Yvonne Pettinga Chair in Aging Research, and Director of the IU Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute, Inc., as well as a Co-Director of the Research in Palliative and End-of-Life Communication and Training (RESPECT) Center. The title of her keynote was "The Care Planning Umbrella: The Evolution of Advance Care Planning."

2022 - Gregory Jicha, MD, PhD

Dr. Jicha is a Professor of Neurology with University of Kentucky HealthCare. He received his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. He then completed a fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. The title of his keynote was "Normal Brain Aging."