Catalyst 2018, a fundraising event for The Center for Mindful Living, will take place on Wednesday, April 11, at Stratton Hall, 3146 Broad St. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.
The evening will include food from local catering company Dish T’Pass as well as wine and a signature cocktail. The event will raise money for the Center’s ongoing outreach programs in Hamilton County Schools that help teach everyday mindfulness techniques to students and their teachers.
The event will feature guest speaker, Dr. David Vago, head of Vanderbilt University’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Vago’s work and research focus on mind-brain-body interactions and how to apply the therapeutic effects of those interactions, specifically in psychiatric settings. Additionally, Dr. Vago has a number of ongoing research initiatives including Mapping the Meditative Mind, in which he has partnered with contemporary meditation teachers and scholars to investigate the effects of various states of meditation on the human brain.
Dr. Vago's research aligns with the Center for Mindful Living’s mission and program selection, including the Pain Matters series of workshops led by local Integrative Medicine specialist, Dr. Matt McClanahan. The experiential series explores the latest science on how pain starts, why it persists as well as teaching participants how to work with their bodies and control pain.
Dr. Vago has been a featured Tedx speaker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nP5oedmzkM) and recently acted as a consultant to ABC News anchor Dan Harris on his recent book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. He also created a course called Meditation and the Brain for Harris’s 10 percent Happier podcast. Dr. Vago is an associate professor in the department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. He also maintains an appointment as a research associate in the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Additionally, he is a practitioner of Vipassana, Dzogchen meditation and Hatha Yoga and enjoys the outdoors.
Sponsors for Catalyst 2018 include Norleena Gullett, M.D., Department of Radiation Oncology, Erlanger Hospital; Susu Smart and Eddie Register; Erlanger Hospital; Berz Financial; Nina and Pat Brock; Henderson Hutcherson and McCullough, PLLC; HHM Wealth Advisors, LLC; and WTCI.
To purchase individual tickets at $75 each or a table for eight, interested parties should visit www.centermindfulliving.org/events.