Dr. Bruce PerrySFCC News:
SANTA FE ― Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Foundation and Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) have partnered to present a conference Sept. 16-17, featuring Dr. Bruce Perry at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
The event includes one day dedicated to an Early Childhood Development Symposium and one day devoted to the annual New Mexico Home Visiting Summit.
Perry is a prominent child psychiatrist and the author of “The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog,” a noted book on extreme child abuse. He is Senior Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy in Houston, where he has a practice and conducts research focused on high-risk children. He has helped countless children who have faced the worst kind of abuse and neglect, and consulted on such high-profile cases as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012, the Columbine school shootings in 1999, the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and many others. He is regularly called upon as a media expert, appearing in print and broadcast venues including the Oprah Winfrey Show, NPR and numerous documentaries.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Perry to New Mexico,” said Jennifer Duran-Sallee, director of the Early Childhood Center of Excellence at SFCC. “He is an inspiring champion of children who will offer us wisdom, understanding and hope as we face difficult challenges in raising and educating children today.”
The program on September 16 will appeal to educators, policy-makers, childcare professionals, law enforcement personnel, medical practitioners and advocates for children at any level. Dr. Perry will give the keynote address at 9 a.m., then lead sessions throughout the day on brain development in children, relational health, the impact of abuse, neglect and chaos in a child’s life, case studies and practical solutions for working with children and families.
The 2019 New Mexico Home Visiting Summit takes place Sept. 17 with Dr. Perry again offering the opening keynote address. Following his remarks, local experts will offer breakout sessions on topics of interest to in-state family support professionals, including home visiting practitioners, educators, social workers and administrators. The Summit will deepen understanding and learning through sessions focused on trends and best practices in family support services.
“We will offer participants the opportunity to share experiences and discuss the challenges we face in who may have difficulty adjusting, or be struggling financially, face substance abuse issues or simply need information about prenatal health, caring for a newborn and connecting with resources in the community,” said Anna Marie Garcia, early childhood program director at the LANL Foundation.
The cost to attend the two-day conference is $250 $275. Participants who want to register only for the September 16 Symposium may do so for $200; while those who only want to attend the Home Visiting Summit on the 17th may register for $100. Lunch and convention center parking are included. The conference website is sfcc.edu/ecconference. Hotel rooms are available at the Drury Plaza Hotel at a special rate.
