Dr. Shonkoff is the Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and director of the university-wide Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. His lecture covered the the following main themes:
- The science of development
- An integrated framework for Iinvestments that promote healthy development
- Implications of the framework for Washington
Watch video and view slides: "Leveraging an Integrated Science"
Dr. Anda is the co-principal investigator for the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. He played the principal role in the design of the ACE study, subsequent analysis of the ACE Study data and preparation of its numerous scientific publications. Dr. Anda is also a senior scientific consultant to the Center for Disease Control. His lecture presented these topics:
- Overview of the original ACE Study, including a comparison with data about adults in Washington
- Adverse childhood experiences and their relationship to disease, disability and quality of life
- Implications of research findings for policy, practice and partnership
- Key themes and ideas for action from a researchers think tank on ACE reduction
Watch video and view slides: "Adverse Childhood Experiences & Population Health in Washington"
Jennifer Rodriguez is a staff attorney at the Youth Law Center, where she focuses on changing child welfare policy and practice for infants and toddlers to meet their developmental needs. She works to improve the quality of care for children and youth in foster care, and to increase incarcerated parents' access to their children. Her talk included:
- Reflections on her personal experience growing up in foster care contrasted to parenting her young children and meeting their developmental needs
- Specific examples of ways that child welfare practice currently struggles to meet the critical needs of young children (transitions, trauma, caregiver support, visitation, transportation, etc.)
- The importance of nurturing caregiving as detailed in Mary Dozier's research
- An overview of the Youth Law Center’s Birth to Six/New Beginnings Project, which applies child development science to child welfare practices in Detroit, Florida and three California sites
Dr. Kuhl is the co-director of the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences. She is internationally recognized for her research on early language and bilingual brain development, and studies that show how young children learn. Her work has played a major role in demonstrating how early exposure to language alters the brain. Her lecture covered the following topics:
- How the young brain learns
- Effects on the brain of less than optimal learning opportunities
- Steps needed to ensure language and literacy development