AEROSMITH's JOE PERRY To Take Part In Vatican Conference On COVID-19 And Other Global Health Threats

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry will take part in the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture and The Cura Foundation's Fifth International Vatican Conference, which is being held on May 6-8. The conference is uniting the foremost leading physicians, scientists, leaders of faith, ethicists, patient advocates, policymakers, philanthropists and influencers to engage in powerful conversations on the latest breakthroughs in medicine, health care delivery and prevention, as well as the anthropological scientific and cultural impact of technological advances.

Dr. Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D., professor of Neurology at Harvard University, will reportedly lead a conversation about brain health and rock stars with Perry at the new virtual format three-day conference, originally scheduled to take place at the Aula Nuova Del Sinodo in the Vatican City, which is being presented in dynamic, short-segment programs. This event is the fifth in a series over the past decade aimed at exploring and enhancing cross-disciplinary collaborations to advance human health. The series has reached a wide global audience and included then-Vice President Joe Biden addressing the 2016 conference in person. In 2018, Biden also addressed the #UniteToCure conference by video. This year's conference will gather together a formidable group of speakers across all disciplines in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to share their insights about health, humanity and the future of medicine.

Conference organizers will also spotlight a conversation on "Bridging Science And Faith" by bringing together top physicians, scientists, leaders of faith, ethicists and theologians to explore the commonalities between religion and spirituality and health and wellbeing, as well as examine the relationship between the mind, body and soul. The discussion will delve into the anthropological and cultural dimensions of being human and look for areas of convergence between the humanities and the natural sciences. Discussions around the importance of empathy and compassion, ethical implications of advances in technology, including artificial intelligence, and the impact of innovation on anthropology are among the many areas where dialogue must occur. This important conversation is made possible through the generous support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

The conference will close with a message for the participants from Pope Francis. Complete conference details including the full list of speakers, topics, media moderators and supporters are available on the conference web site.

"We must consider the interplay between mind, body and soul if we hope to build a more equitable health care system and improve human health care globally," said Robin Smith, M.D., M.B.A., founder and president of the Cura Foundation. "Providing an opportunity for experts from diverse disciplines to have a dialogue and share information and compare perspectives in a dynamic way and in partnership will inspire hope for patients, families and communities around the world. We often describe the conference as Davos but for health care; a multi-disciplinary approach that mobilizes global leaders to examine the world's most pressing health challenges."

Conference topics will address technology and new innovations in health care and how to make quality health care available and affordable, how to improve human health by addressing the mind, body and soul and how together with empathy, compassion and through the arts, we can make the environment and the world a better place. We will talk about the revolution of telemedicine, the need to provide care to rural and underserved communities and delivering care and treatment into the home and into the community through technology and innovation that will last far beyond the pandemic. We will learn about cutting-edge therapies, examine new regulatory paradigms in regenerative medicine, explore the medical risks of loneliness, and the importance of improving health and wellbeing, caring for others and helping people age with dignity. Complete descriptions of all conference topics are available on the conference web site.

"Once again, we bring together scientists, physicians, health care providers, social workers, religious leaders of many different beliefs, representatives of law and industry, scholars of ethics, anthropology and philanthropy, and others, all representing different perspectives on the world," said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture. "No one approach can solve the perplexing and critical challenges of our times. More lenses are needed to bring into focus a complete picture of being and existence."

Monsignor Tomasz Trafny, head of the Science and Faith Department of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said, "Together we will focus on advances in medical innovation and the creation of healthier communities and build bridges to catalyze the creation of new, interdisciplinary approaches and partnerships for improving health, wellbeing and understanding human uniqueness."

In addition to his work with AEROSMITH, Joe has released six solo albums throughout his career. In 2005, his album "Joe Perry" was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" category. Joe's seventh studio album is due to come out later in 2021, which includes Dr. Rudy Tanzi on keyboard.

In spring of 2009, Joe was asked to appear alongside Dr. Rudy Tanzi and U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins M.D., Ph.D., in GQ magazine in a feature called "Rock Stars Of Science." Later that year, Joe accompanied Drs. Tanzi and Collins as they — and the nation's top scientists — participated in a panel discussion on Capitol Hill in front of congressmen and senators focusing on promoting cures, improving therapies and raising funds for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. In 2010, Joe was given the title, by The Geoffrey Beane Foundation, of The Founding Father of the Rock Stars of Science Program (RSOS). Later that year, he appeared with Drs. Tanzi and Collins in GQ's "Men Of The Year" issue in a spread on the RSOS. In 2013, he was invited to again participate in the 2013-2014 RSOS campaign and was the first civilian allowed access into Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital Labs.

Rudy and Joe have stayed great friends over the years, and Rudy has even accompanied Joe as part of his band on tour.