“Unlocking the Secrets to Healthy Aging: Join LJCC for an Expert Talk on Lifestyle Medicine”

Dr. Susan Friedman, a board-certified geriatrician and internist, is scheduled to address the Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation (LJCC) regarding the emerging domain of lifestyle medicine.

Dr. Friedman will appear at the LJCC (917 Highland Ave., Lawrence, KS 66044) on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. to discuss lifestyle medicine and its fundamental pillars — particularly whole-food plant-based diets — and how they facilitate healthy aging.

This appearance at the LJCC is a component of the congregation’s ongoing Synagogue Vegan Challenge, which runs from August of 2024 through May. An initiative by Shamayim Jewish Animal Advocacy, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the Jewish community on animal advocacy and veganism, the Synagogue Vegan Challenge offers training, instruction and resources for Jewish communities to integrate programming concerning veganism and environmentally-conscious practices. Other congregations involved in the Synagogue Vegan Challenge are located in Paris; Harlem, New York; and Los Angeles.

So far, the LJCC’s Synagogue Vegan Challenge activities have included a “Reverse Tashlich” event through the Jewish organization Repair the Sea, where the LJCC organized volunteers to clean up the Kansas River. The congregation has also hosted a Sukkot celebration and teach-in focusing on the ecological advantages of veganism, an adults-only vegan cheese and wine tasting event, and more.

Dr. Friedman originates from Rochester, New York, and earned both MD and MPH degrees from Northwestern University. She finished her residency and geriatric fellowship training at Johns Hopkins Bayview in Baltimore, Maryland, and was on faculty there for five years before relocating to the University of Rochester in 2000. She is a medicine professor and has published over 50 articles, including as the primary author of the White Paper on Healthy Aging, released in 2018 by the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Friedman also serves as the founding director of the lifestyle medicine program at the University of Rochester. Her enthusiasm is healthy aging — devising clinical, educational and systemic strategies to ensure aging gracefully with health and dignity.

This event is complimentary and accessible to the public. The LJCC asks for prior registration on their website, ljcc.shulcloud.com. For those interested in attending virtually, the Zoom room can be accessed at us02web.zoom.us/j/88205725851. Following Dr. Friedman’s presentation, there will be a reception featuring vegan cuisine.