CONTACT: Mary Margaret Colliver, (859) 361-1887
FOR RELEASE
Understanding Adolescents Conference to be Held
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 29, 2008) − The Ohio Valley Society for Adolescent Medicine and the Stop Youth Suicide Campaign will present Understanding Adolescents, a Youth Suicide Initiative from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday,
Nov. 7, at the Four Points by Sheraton, 1938 Stanton Way, Lexington. The conference is sponsored by the Kentucky Department for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Addiction Services, Kentucky Children's Hospital Division of Adolescent Medicine, and The Ridge Behavioral Health System.
"You can never fix a problem without understanding its cause," said Dr. Hatim Omar, director of the Adolescent Medicine and Teen Parents Program, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and a pediatrician at Kentucky Children's Hospital. "Our goal is to educate everyone who works with teens how to understand adolescents and the causes of their risk taking behavior. This conference will be one of the best ever and is a great opportunity for parents, teachers, and health care providers to have a better understanding of adolescent behavior." Omar is founder and director of the Stop Youth Suicide Campaign.
Speakers and topics include: Omar on the Stop Youth Suicide Campaign and youth suicide in Kentucky; Kentucky Lt. Gov. Dr. Dan Mongiardo on advocating for health care by learning how to work with government officials and understanding the dos and don’ts when working with legislators; Nancy Redd, motivational speaker and New York Times best-selling author of "Body Drama" on body image in young women; Dr. Frank Biro, professor of pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and director, division of adolescent medicine, at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, on youth suicide in the U.S.; Michael Ryan, CEO and program director of Clean Scene Network for Youth, Alberta, Canada, on the culture of drugs; and Dr. Donald Greydanus, professor of pediatrics and human development and residency director of the pediatrics program, Michigan State University, on self harm and suicide—is there a link in adolescents.
Several other speakers from UK and across the country will also speak in break out sessions. Topics include: promoting sexual health within the context of teen health care visits; update on the use of antipsychotics in primary care pediatrics; adolescents with autism spectrum disorders; and the teen presentation “Communicating with Teens.”
For more information, contact Leanne Mallory at (859) 323-6228 or .
For more information about Kentucky Children's Hospital, go to www.ukhealthcare.uky.edu/kch.
###
Striving to become a Top 20 public research institution, the University of Kentucky is a catalyst for a new Commonwealth – a Kentucky that is healthier, better educated, and positioned to compete in a global and changing economy. For more information about UK’s efforts to become a Top 20 university, please go to http://www.uky.edu/OPBPA/Top20.html.
.