Dr. Andrea Wilkinson

Personal Details

Bio

Dr. Andrea Wilkinson has a PhD in Psychology with a specialization in Cognitive Aging. She has presented at over 50 national and international conferences, and community events. Andrea has been studying brain fitness and cognitive maintenance for over 15 years. In 2014, she founded BrainShape.ca - a community for aging adults who want to stay mentally and physically active. This platform includes the BrainShape Podcast a weekly show that covers the latest brain health research and shares interviews with experts in the field of health & aging. Since completing her doctorate, Andrea has worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Bridgepoint Collaboratory for Research and Innovation, the Ontario Long Term Care Association, and the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto.

Current position (1)

Healthy Aging Expert

BrainShape.ca

Degrees (3)

PhD in Psychology (specialization in Cognitive Aging)

Ryerson University

2009 to 2013

MA in Psychology (specialization in Cognitive Aging)

Ryerson University

2007 to 2009

BA in Psychology & Gerontology

McMaster University

2002 to 2006

Presentations

Presentations (10)

Be Brain Fit: Create Personally Meaningful Brain Boosting Goals

Brain fitness is similar to physical fitness, but instead of exercising your body, you are strengthening your mind. Optimizing our mental abilities is not a new concept, but the information available is often vague and repetitive: stay active (mentally, physically, socially), be mindful of what you consume (food, alcohol, tobacco), and seek novelty. While these tips are 100% accurate, their ambiguity leaves little direction on the actionable steps needed to exercise ones’ mind in a personally meaningful way. At this talk, you will learn about the fundamentals of brain plasticity (the brain’s ability to change itself) and the science behind how to best optimize brain fitness. Most importantly, you’ll leave with take-home strategies on how to create personally meaningful brain boosting goals that will help you to improve your overall brain health.

Brain Health & Aging

Brain fitness is similar to physical fitness, but instead of exercising your body, you are strengthening your mind. Optimizing your mental abilities is not a new concept. However, most of the information provided in magazine and newspaper articles about brain health is vague and not personally relevant (e.g., learn a language, play an instrument, do a crossword, etc..). Older adults need brain health advice that is meaningful to them and easy to incorporate into their everyday lives. In this talk, you will learn the fundamentals of brain plasticity (your brain’s ability to change itself). Dr. Wilkinson will also share the science behind how to optimize your brain health and cognition as you age. She will discuss the four key pillars of brain health: physical fitness, food & nutrition, socializing, as well as mental considerations (including sleep, stress management, and mental challenges). This talk will highlight the importance of lifestyle modifications to help you optimize your bra

Brain Vitality Workshop #1: Food, Nutrition & Fitness

Are you looking to feel more mentally vibrant and physically energized? You know what you need to do to live a brain healthy life: move your body, eat healthy and nourishing foods, manage stress, get adequate sleep and challenge yourself mentally – but, the truth is, you aren’t executing on the healthy behaviours you know you should be to optimize the health of your brain and body. In this two-part brain vitality workshop, Dr. Andrea Wilkinson helps put all the pieces of brain health together in a simple and easy to understand way that will inspire action.
Dr. Andrea Wilkinson is the founder and CEO of BrainShape.ca and the host of the BrainShape Podcast - a weekly show that covers the latest brain health research as well as interviews with experts in the field of healthy aging.
In Part 1 of this two-part series on pathways to brain vitality, Dr. Wilkinson focuses on movement and nourishment. Specifically, she’ll highlight the negative impact sedentary behaviours can have on your ove

Brain Vitality Workshop #2: Stress, Sleep & Mental Challenges

Are you looking to feel more mentally vibrant and physically energized? You know what you need to do to live a brain healthy life: move your body, eat healthy and nourishing foods, manage stress, get adequate sleep and challenge yourself mentally – but, the truth is, you aren’t executing on the healthy behaviours you know you should be to optimize the health of your brain and body. In this two-part brain vitality workshop, Dr. Andrea Wilkinson helps put all the pieces of brain health together in a simple and easy to understand way that will inspire action.
Dr. Andrea Wilkinson is the founder and CEO of BrainShape.ca and the host of the BrainShape Podcast - a weekly show that covers the latest brain health research as well as interviews with experts in the field of healthy aging.
In Part 2 of this two-part series on pathways to brain vitality, Dr. Wilkinson focuses on stress, sleep and mental challenges. Specifically, she’ll share insights on how stress and sleep affect the brain and

Stress Workshop: How to Create a Restful Mind + Restored Body

In this workshop, Dr. Wilkinson will focus specifically on stress: how it affects the body + mind, and strategies to manage stress. This workshop include a LIVE DEMO on how to calm your mind so that your body can do the restorative work that it needs to do.

Eat your Way to Wellness

In this workshop, Dr. Wilkinson will focus specifically on the vital role your gut health plays in your overall well-being and how to eat for optimal health (brain + body). We'll end by unpacking the meaning behind your food cravings and what you can do to manage them.

Sleep from A to Zzzzzz

In this workshop, Dr. Wilkinson will focus specifically on how sleep affects the brain + body and why good quality sleep is essential for optimized brain health. We'll end by unpacking the role that anxiety plays in disrupting your sleep patterns and what you can do about it.

Boost your Memory + Manage Brain Fog

In this workshop, Dr. Wilkinson will focus specifically on memory + aging. What happens to the memory centre of your brain as you age and what can you do to protect it? We'll end by unpacking the lifestyle factors that may be contributing to your brain fog and what you can do to increase your mental clarity.

Brain Resilience + Creativity

In this workshop, Dr. Andrea will focus specifically on brain resilience + creativity. A resilient brain is one that is dynamic and adaptable in the face of challenge. It is your brain's ability to improvise and find alternate ways of getting a particular job done. At this event, we'll talk about what you can do to cultivate a dynamically wired brain and how you can protect it. We'll also explore the role of creativity in building and maintaining a resilient brain.

Keeping your Brain Active and Healthy during COVID-19

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Books & Articles (5)

The Encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging

Wiley-Blackwell,

2015

Long-term maintenance of inhibition training effects in older adults: 1- and 3-year follow-up.

Inhibition plasticity in older adults: Practice and transfer effects using a multiple task approach.

Modulating younger and older adults’ performance in ignoring pictorial information during a word matching task.

Plasticity of inhibition in older adults: Retest practice and transfer effects

Expertise (18)

Health & Well-being

Education

Reviews

Testimonials (1)

Dr. Wilkinson presented to our Vulnerable Populations Task Force and was prepared with take-home strategies, meaningful suggestions and shared her expertise on the four pillars of health in a succinct and compassionate manner. I highly recommend her to speak with individuals, groups and community members regarding optimizing brain health.
Kari Ladrow
Verified