Steven Wengel, M.D., will discuss bipolar disorder at the next Omaha Science Café, at 7 p.m., Feb. 4, at the Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. The event will mark the fifth anniversary of UNMC’s Science Café.
Dr. Wengel, a geriatric psychiatrist, is professor and chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
An Omaha native and UNMC graduate, Dr. Wengel trained in the Creighton-Nebraska Psychiatry Residency Program and was the first geriatric psychiatry fellow in the state of Nebraska. He joined the UNMC faculty in 1991.
The National Institute of Mental Health calls bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive illness, a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
Dr. Wengel will discuss symptoms, treatment and coping with the disorder.
Slowdown manager Val Nelson said she wasn’t expecting the Science Cafés to prove so popular when she first partnered with UNMC five years ago.
“The key is always having an interesting topic,” she said. “You’re really seeing an expert in that field for free. You get to ask questions to an expert in a bar setting, which is completely different.”
Science Cafe is a free educational event sponsored by UNMC and other groups to increase the population’s science literacy. Hosted by UNMC and the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, Science Cafes are held the first Tuesday of each month in Omaha and quarterly in Lincoln. They are open to everyone 21 and older.
Free pizza, available for the first 50 people, will be provided by the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. For more information about Science Cafes, go to www.unmc.edu/sciencecafe.
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