On April 30th, we delved into the influential research of Sue Carter, PhD, and Stephen Porges, PhD, across the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral biology.
Porges is renowned for his Polyvagal Theory, which emphasizes the role of the vagus nerve in emotion regulation, social connection, and stress response. Sue Carter is known for her work on the bonding effects of oxytocin and its implications for social behavior and relationships. The Jill Shah moderated a fireside chat, followed by an interactive sensory tour through Stephen’s newest unpublished research findings.
FEATURING
— SPEAKER —
Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland.
He served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers across several disciplines including anesthesiology, biomedical engineering, critical care medicine, ergonomics, exercise physiology, gerontology, neurology, neuroscience, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, psychometrics, space medicine, and substance abuse. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.
He is the author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton, 2011), The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, (Norton, 2017), co-editor of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies (Norton, 2018) and author of Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation (Norton 2021). Dr. Porges is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™ (SSP), which is used by therapists to improve social engagement, language processing, and state regulation, as well as to reduce hearing sensitivities.
Stephen Porges, PhD - PVI, Kinsey Institue
Polyvagal Theory, Emotion and Stress Responses
— SPEAKER —
Dr. Sue Carter is a Distinguished University Scientist and Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology at Indiana University. A career biologist, Carter has studied the endocrinology of love and social bonds for more than three decades. She was the first person to detect and define the physiology of monogamy through her research on the prairie vole. These findings helped lay the foundation for the studies of behavioral and developmental effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans.
Dr. Carter served as Executive Director of the Kinsey Institute from 2014-2019.
Sue Carter, PhD - Kinsey Institue, University of Virginia
Physiology of Monogamy, Effects of Oxytocin and Vasopressin in humans
— MODERATOR —
Jill Shah is the president of the Shah Family Foundation, which supports transformative work at the intersection of education, healthcare, and community. The foundation focuses on demonstrating how private and philanthropic funding can be used to test and accelerate innovation in government programs. In particular, the foundation’s work in school food has shown that, with small capital investments and the transformation of operations, the USDA school meals program can be used to serve delicious, nutritious, culturally-preferred meals to students, while increasing participation and creating new jobs. A documentary film, called Eat Up, follows Jill and her team during their collaboration with Boston Public Schools and the City of Boston to roll out a deeply impactful new school food program called My Way Café.
The Shah Foundation has extended their school food work during the pandemic, through partnerships with YMCAs across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and local restaurants, to tackle the issues of both unemployment and student food access using the federal USDA subsidy. The Foundation is also funding a guaranteed income program in the city of Chelsea, which aims to help its most vulnerable residents fight the unrelenting impact of Covid-19. Shah and her team are also leading deep research into Covid-19 testing for K-12 students, in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, resulting in a comprehensive testing program for schools. No other state in the country has a program that is this comprehensive. Shah hosts the national podcast, Catalysts for Change, and co-hosts the hyper-local Boston podcast Last Night at School Committee. She is also currently producing a documentary film about guaranteed income.
Shah’s interests include optimized access to fresh and healthy food, improving food access in high-needs neighborhoods, rigorous and successful public schools for all kids, and a deeper collaboration between education and healthcare around issues of physical, mental, emotional, and social health. Shah is a graduate of Providence College where she earned a BA in English. Before launching the Foundation, Jill was an entrepreneur in Boston and New York, involved in internet start-ups.
Shah served on the executive team during the turn-around and sale of Mercator Software. She sold her last company, Jill’s List, which focused on the collaboration of traditional and integrative medicine modalities, to MINDBODY in 2013.
Shah is currently serving as a co-chair of the Commonwealth’s Covid-19 Command Center Food Access Task Force. She is a recent recipient of the Boston Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Bostonian award, and the Playworks Game Changer award. She was cited as one of Boston’s 100 most influential Bostonians in Boston Magazine, and serves on the boards of the Red Sox Foundation, the Overseers of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Overseers of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Belmont Hill School, and the Winsor School.
Jill and her husband, Niraj, reside in Boston with their two children.
Jill Shah - Shah Family Foundation
Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Business Development
— IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE —
Anthony is a music and audio innovator with over 20 years of experience in the music and entertainment industry. He is the co-founder and CEO of Polyvagal Music LLC, a company that develops music and wellness technology based on the science, which he co-invented with Dr Stephen Porges, a world-renowned behavioural neuroscientist. He is also a co-founder of AjoiA Ltd, a company that creates immersive experiences dedicated to harnessing the therapeutic power of scientifically curated soundscapes through music, art, performance and technology.
Anthony has a proven track record of creating, producing, and composing high-quality music, experiences and audio content for some of the most successful and influential artists, brands, and media outlets in the world, such as Moby, Gwen Stefani, No Doubt, Richard Ashcroft, L'Oréal, Adidas, Red Bull, and LG. He has also worked with Grammy Award winning producers and BAFTA award winning production teams, and has achieved chart-topping hits and worldwide recognition for his work. He is passionate about using music and audio as a tool for enhancing mental health, wellbeing, and social connection, and is constantly exploring new ways of applying his expertise and creativity to the field of music and wellness technology.
Anthony Gorry - Polyvagal Music LLC
Therapeutic Soundscapes, Music Production, Holistic Well-being