{"id":3819,"date":"2026-07-20T09:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/?p=3819"},"modified":"2026-07-20T09:31:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:31:40","slug":"dr-bowdish-speaks-on-defy-dementia-episode-35-a-shot-at-prevention-the-shingles-vaccine-dementia-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/2026\/07\/20\/dr-bowdish-speaks-on-defy-dementia-episode-35-a-shot-at-prevention-the-shingles-vaccine-dementia-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Bowdish speaks on Defy Dementia\u2122 Episode 35: A Shot at Prevention? The Shingles Vaccine & Dementia Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Listen to the epidsode here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could a routine vaccine help protect your brain? In this episode, we explore emerging research on the association between shingles vaccination and reduced dementia risk. Ron Swan shares his perspective as a community advocate focused on aging and accessibility, while Dr. Dawn Bowdish (Professor, McMaster University) breaks down what the science says, and what it doesn\u2019t, about how vaccines may influence brain health. Together, they unpack what shingles is and what \u201cpromising but early\u201d research about shingles vaccination could mean for reducing dementia risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tune in at defydementia.org,<\/a> or wherever you get your podcasts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Web resources

Link between shingles vaccine and slowed dementia is \u2018promising\u2019 says expert<\/a> – from Harvard School of Public Health<\/p>


For those living with dementia, new study suggests shingles vaccine could slow the disease<\/a> – from Standford Medicine<\/h2>


\u2018Strong evidence\u2019 of lowered dementia risk: the benefits of shingles vaccination<\/a> – from The Guardian<\/h1>



Can a routine vaccine prevent dementia?<\/a> – from Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School<\/h1>



Is dementia a vaccine preventable condition?<\/a> – from Bowdish Lab, Macrophage Biology at McMaster University
<\/p>



Guests:<\/strong>

Ron Swan
<\/strong>Ron Swan is a retired business development professional and entrepreneur with a strong focus on accessibility and aging-in-place. He founded Home Safe Living, a company that provided independent living and accessibility solutions across the Maritime region before selling the business to Lawton\u2019s Drugs, a Sobeys company.<\/p>



A passionate advocate for older adults, Ron continues to contribute through leadership roles, including Chair of the Board of CARP Nova Scotia and past Chair of the Seniors\u2019 Advisory Council of Nova Scotia. He is frequently called upon to speak on aging, accessibility and community well-being.<\/p>



Dr. Dawn Bowdish
<\/strong>Dr. Bowdish is a Professor at McMaster University and Executive Director of the Firestone Institute of Respiratory Health. Her research focuses on how aging affects the immune system, particularly how inflammation alters immune cell function and increases susceptibility to infections.Her work also examines how the aging immune system interacts with the microbiome and how these processes influence healthy and unhealthy aging. Dr. Bowdish leads the Preclinical Studies in Aging Laboratory and serves on the Board of Directors of the Lung Health Foundation, where she advocates for improved lung health and research funding for older adults.<\/p>
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Listen to the epidsode here. Could a routine vaccine help protect your brain? In this episode, we explore emerging research on the association between shingles vaccination and reduced dementia risk. Ron Swan shares his perspective as a community advocate focused … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[59,13,40,81,114,80],"class_list":["post-3819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-aging","tag-infectious-disease","tag-interview","tag-media","tag-podcast","tag-vaccination"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3819"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3823,"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819\/revisions\/3823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bowdish.ca\/lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}