Balance Within Doctor and Author to Speak at Gustavus Nov. 20-21

Dr. Esther M. Sternberg, author of the popular book The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions, will present two public lectures at Gustavus Adolphus College on Nov. 20 and 21. Throughout the two-day visit, Sternberg will visit classes, have conversations with students and faculty members, and serve as homilist during daily worship in Christ Chapel.

Sternberg’s Monday, Nov. 20 lecture, “How Stress Can Make You Sick and Believing Can Make You Well: The Science of the Mind-Body Connection,” will be held at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall, located in O.J. Johnson Student Union. A reception and book signing will follow. Her Tuesday, Nov. 21 lecture, “Brain-Immune Connections in Health and Disease,” will be at 7 p.m., again in Alumni Hall. She will speak in Chapel at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20. All three events are free and open to the public.

Sternberg, chief of the Section on Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior at the National Institute of Mental Health and director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program, is viewed as an international leader in mind-body health and holistic medicine. Known for her ability to make complex scientific subjects accessible, she has lectured on a wide spectrum of topics including stress and illness, spirituality, love, and health as they relate to brain-immune interactions.

Sternberg is internationally recognized for her discoveries in brain-immune interactions and is the recipient of the Public Health Service Superior Service Award, the FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation, and many other accolades.

Though direct connections have not yet been proven between areas of the brain that control immunity and those that generate feelings and thoughts, Sternberg’s work has helped to demonstrate how they work and what the implications can be for treatable and chronic diseases.

Sponsorship for Sternberg’s upcoming visit is provided by the Gustavus Departments of Biology and Chemistry (through a grant from the Merck Foundation), Nursing, and Psychology; along with the Center for Vocational Reflection, Counseling/Advising Center, Health Services, Office of Church Relations, and Office of the Chaplains.