This Whole Communities–Whole Health Research Showcase will highlight the work that has been conducted over the past year as we launched our community cohort research study in partnership with families in eastern Travis County, Texas.
Keynote: Fostering Children's Resilience Through Caregiving Relationships
Early experiences set the foundation for lifespan brain and behavioral development, leaving infants and young children particularly vulnerable to the influences of adversity (e.g., maltreatment, trauma, deprivation). This talk will explore the evidence on the neurobiological embedding of early adverse experiences and the importance of prevention to reduce exposure and intervention efforts to mitigate the effects of adversity. Continued brain plasticity motivates us to consider the tremendous opportunities for shaping children’s trajectories and current evidence indicates the ability to foster resilience following adversity. Specifically, stable placements with nurturing and stimulating adults provide the strongest buffer to stress during childhood. Taken together, these findings indicate that supporting caregivers of young children remains an essential target of public health interventions.
Kathryn Humphreys, Ph.D., Ed.M. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development. Humphreys received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology and has expertise in infant and early childhood mental health. Her research focuses on characterizing the early environment and examining links to later life outcomes. In addition, she conducts basic and applied research with the aim of improving children’s early life. Her work is funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and private foundations. She has received recognition in her field, including being awarded the Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions from the Association for Psychological Science.