(SAN DIEGO — Jan. 25, 2019) — More than 2,000 attendees and 200 speakers will participate in the 34th annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment, presented by the Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. Scheduled for Jan. 28 through 31 at Town and Country Hotel (500 Hotel Circle N., San Diego, CA 92108), the conference is a global forum for presentations and discussions about multidisciplinary efforts to prevent, investigate, treat and prosecute maltreatment. Over the last three decades, the event has become an internationally recognized forum for experts to share the latest research, evidence-based education and best practices with fellow professionals.
Kicking off this year’s event will be Celia Williamson, Ph.D., director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute at The University of Toledo and professor and chair for the university’s social work department. Williamson will speak to one of today’s most pressing topics in her welcome plenary, “Human Trafficking: Shooting Our Wounded and How to Stop.” Her thought-provoking session will run from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Mon., Jan. 28, and will address the perspective of human trafficking as a “modern day slavery that requires a social justice response.”
“This conference inspires and challenges us to enact positive change on a local, national and global scale,” says Charles Wilson, M.S.S.W., senior director of the Chadwick Center, a leader in the assessment, detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of child abuse and family violence. “Year after year, we are fortunate to see some of our field’s brightest and most innovative minds unite around a common and critical goal — improving outcomes for abused and traumatized children and their families.”
The four-day conference will feature more than 150 workshops and presentations on topics such as policy, exploitation of children, comprehensive patient care, ethics, abuse in the military, and substance abuse. In addition to Williamson, sessions and speakers include the following:
- “Types, Subtypes and Severity of Substantiated Child Neglect in U.S. Army Communities:” Stephen J. Cozza, M.D., professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University and associate director of the university’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. As part of a collection of concurrent sessions on maltreatment reports of children with parents in the Army, Dr. Cozza will provide insights into trends of proven neglect within this population, based on data from four Army installations. (Mon., Jan. 28, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
- “American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) New Guidelines on Corporal Punishment:” Antoinette L. Laskey, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., chief of the Division of Child Protection and Family Health at University of Utah Health and of the Center for Safe and Healthy Families at Primary Children’s Hospital; medical director of the Children’s Justice Centers of Utah; and program director of the Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship and professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Laskey will review the AAP’s latest thoughts and recommendations surrounding spanking children as a punishment. (Tues., Jan. 29, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.)
- “The Role of the Institution in Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation:” Roger Canaff, J.D., consultant/partner of Justice3D. In this keynote session, Canaff will examine how institutions, such as churches as schools, may inadvertently cover incidence of abuse and protect predators. (Wed., Jan. 30, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.)
- “A Breeze of Hope Foundation: Our Work and Approach:” Brisa De Angulo, J.D., M.A., founder and chief executive officer of A Breeze of Hope Foundation/Centro Una Brisa de Esperanza, Bolivia’s first provider of free, multidisciplinary legal, social and psychological offerings for child survivors of sexual violence. Recently featured on CNN, De Angulo will address the foundation’s work and approach to support through child-directed methods. (Wed., Jan. 30, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)
- “Assessing for Trauma Exposure Among Immigrant Children: What are We Missing?:” Michael de Arellano, Ph.D., senior associate dean for diversity at Medical University of South Carolina; associate professor at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC); and director of the NCVC Hispanic Outreach Program. de Arellano will examine the current trauma assessment approach and raise suggestions that may enhance the process. (Thurs., Jan. 31, 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.)For more information on the conference, visit www.sandiegoconference.org. To learn more about speakers or to request an interview, contact Carlos Delgado, Rady Children’s media relations officer, at 619-261-8392 or cdelgado@rchsd.org.
Media Contact: Carlos Delgado
Office: 619-261-8392 (cell)
cdelgado@rchsd.org
About Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego
Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego is a 524-bed pediatric care facility providing the largest source of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, southern Riverside and Imperial counties. Rady Children’s is the only hospital in the San Diego area dedicated exclusively to pediatric healthcare and is the region’s only designated pediatric trauma center. In June 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rady Children’s among the best children’s hospitals in the nation in all ten pediatric specialties the magazine surveyed. Rady Children’s is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to support its mission. For more information, visit www.rchsd.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo.