VCU to Hold 45th Annual Child Psychiatry Spring Forum

By Sathya Achia Abraham

Virginia Commonwealth University will hold the 45^th Annual Child Psychiatry Spring Forum, an opportunity for participants to network and discuss the mental health needs of immigrant children and families.

The event will take place Friday, May 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the VCUStudentCommons, MonroePark Campus, 907 Floyd Ave.

The forum is open to VCU faculty, staff, students, professionals, parents and community members with an interest in the emotional and behavioral well-being of young people.

This year's keynote speaker will be Andres Pumariega, M.D., chair in the Department of Psychiatry at The Reading Hospital and Medical Center in Reading, Pa., and professor of psychiatry at Temple University School of Medicine. Pumariega will present "Responding to the Mental Needs of Immigrant Children and Families."

Afternoon break-out sessions will include seminars on the challenges of old and new cultural landscapes of Latina youth; working with Asian Americans; culture and psychopharmacology in children's mental health; promoting the health of Latino families; working with interpreters to better serve non-English speaking families; and understanding and responding to the adjustment needs of refugee and immigrant children.

The sessions will feature several faculty members from VCU, as well as other speakers from Cross Over Ministry, and the Center for Multicultural Human Services in Falls Church, Va.

The spring forum is sponsored by the VTCC, VCU Department of Psychiatry, and the Commonwealth Institute for Child and Family Studies.

Pre-registration and fee required. For more information, call Julie Linker at (804) 628-0088, or jalinker@vcu.edu.