Can Movies Make Us Healthier?

My colleague Kirsten Ostherr rocking it at TEDx tomorrow.

TEDxHouston 2013  - The Other Things At Rice University, on September 12, 1962, John F. Kennedy made a speech in which he declared that we would land on the moon within a decade. On that day, in our great city, Kennedy bravely announced: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." 2503 days later, we achieved that audacious mission, stepped foot on another  world for the first time, and firmly established ourselves as universal explorers. This tremendous and difficult challenge took the combined efforts of thousands of creative, motivated and audacious individuals, and inspired many more to imagine their  own “moonshots.” Now...what about the other things? On October 12, 2013, 51 years and 1 month since that day, Rice University will host the fourth annual TEDxHouston. On that day, in our great city, we will listen to, engage with, and be inspired by The Other Things. We will explore what things are changing the  world as we know it, and what other things have yet to be accomplished. TEDxHouston is a full day conference featuring some of Houston's most innovative thinkers, leaders, and doers. Join us on this mission to explore a bold new world. LIVE SIMULCAST - Rice University Date: October 12, 2013 Time: 9am - 5pm Location: 100 Herring Hall, Rice University   Each year, TEDxHouston strives to provide as much access to TEDxHouston as possible. In a city of 4 million+ with limited seating at the main event space, we're looking to expand our reach by offering TEDxHouston viewing parties across the city. Rice University has come together to welcome the extended Rice community and TEDxHouston community to attend a simulcast event at Rice University. The event at Rice is free to attend (though parking is not covered) and is first come, first serve. We hope TED fans, students, and newcomers alike will come celebrate Houston's local speakers and ideas. For a list of available local simulcasts and how to register to attend, please  visit http://tedxhouston.com/2013/events.php PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE RICE SIMULCAST: http://tedxhoustonrice.eventbrite.com/. The School of Humanities is proud to announce that  Dr. Kirsten Ostherr  Professor of English and Director of the Medical Futures Lab will be presenting at TEDxHouston on October 12th!  Dr. Ostherr teaches film and media studies, focusing on ephemeral film and historical and contemporary visualizations of health and disease in photography, film, television, animation, advertising, and medical imaging. In Fall 2011 she was a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for  Medical Humanities, at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. With the support of an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New Directions Fellowship, she is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree at UT-Houston, and is also a Fellow in The John P. McGovern,  M.D. Center for Humanities and Ethics, at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX. Dr. Ostherr’s current research is focused on accelerating the uptake of media theory in health communication platforms to enable providers and patients to optimize their use of mobile health technologies. She is Co-founder and Director of the Medical Futures Lab, a collaborative center  linking Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine and UT Health to train the medical media innovators of the future through creative, hands-on critical thinking and design. A cornerstone of the Medical Futures Lab is the Medical Media Arts Hub, a program that joins Rice undergraduates  with Texas Medical Center healthcare providers to solve information, communication, and visualization problems through a collaborative design process involving providers, patients, and students. For more information about the schedule and a full list of 2013 TEDxHouston speakers, please visit: http://tedxhouston.com/2013/speakers.php.