Plenary Session I
What’s love got to do with it? HIV Risk and Prevention in Romantic Male Relationships
Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Roundtable Follows: 10:15 am – 11:45 am
Chair: Susannah Allison, PhD, National Institute on Mental Health
Presenters:
Brian Mustanski, PhD, Clinical Psychologist at Northwestern University and Director of the LGBT Health and Development Program
Patrick Sullivan, PhD, Epidemiologist at Emory University
Jeffrey Parsons, PhD, Developmental Psychologist at Hunter College and Director of Center for HIV Education, Studies, and Training.
The majority (64%) of HIV infections in the US occur among men who have sex with men (MSM). Recent research produced the surprising finding that the vast majority of HIV transmissions (~70%) occur within serious/main partnerships, which has left the prevention field scrambling to reorient intervention focus from casual to serious relationships. Innovative research is needed to understand the characteristics of HIV transmission within male couples in order to develop novel prevention approaches. This panel includes experts in HIV prevention who have been leading the way in understanding the relationship context as a location for HIV prevention.
Plenary Session II
Early Adversity and Opportunity: Biological Risk and Opportunities for Prevention Science
Thursday, May 31, 2012, 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Roundtable Follows: 10:15 am-11:45 am
Chair: Lauren Supplee, PhD, Administration for Children and Families
Presenters:
Tom Boyce, PhD, University of British Columbia and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research,
Clancy Blair, PhD, New York University
Mary Dozier, PhD, University of Delaware
This plenary session will begin with Dr. Tom Boyce highlighting the health consequences, particularly neurobiological responsivity, of social stratification in early childhood. Evidence on how neurobiological responsivity may lead children either to greater risk of negative consequences or greater receptivity to intervention. Dr. Clancy Blair will follow discussing the development of executive function in early childhood and its relationship with experiential canalization of the brain. This presentation will discuss opportunities for prevention science in the intersection of brain, behavior, and economic and psychosocial adversity. Finally Dr. Mary Dozier will highlight how the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), a preventative intervention, draws from biological evidence to enhance how parents can become more nurturing to particularly vulnerable children, allowing the children to develop positive attachment and self-regulation. This set of talks is a unique opportunity to highlight the exciting new directions in prevention science at the intersection of biology and psychosocial prevention efforts.
Plenary Session III
Fostering Healthy Relationships Across Development
Friday, June 1, 2012, 10:15 am – 11:45 am
Roundtable Follows, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Chair: Andra Tharp, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Presenters:
Carolyn P. Cowan, PhD and Philip A. Cowan, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Frank D. Fincham, PhD, Florida State University
JoAnn Hsueh, PhD, MDRC
Healthy relationships are a fundamental factor in the healthy development of individuals across all stages of life. It is increasingly recognized that individuals who experience healthy interpersonal relations across the lifespan also have more favorable outcomes in a range of mental, behavioral and physical health domains. This plenary will focus on interventions that foster healthy relationships at key stages in development. Drs. Philip and Carolyn Cowan will discuss strategies for developing safe, stable, and nurturing parent-child relationships. Dr. Frank Fincham will discuss factors that promote healthy relationships in emerging adulthood; and Dr. JoAnn Hsueh will discuss interventions to maintain healthy, respectful relationships in adulthood.