YCSC Connections
Featuring updates, news you can use, events, and more from the Yale Child Study Center.
Chair's Message
As this month’s “On Leadership” column indicates, spring is a time of renewal, and I do hope you are finding time to pause and take in the beauty that surrounds us, especially in New England.
It is, as ever, a busy time at the center, with a variety of special events and sharing of the incredible, innovative work being done across the department. Some of this is highlighted below, with more to come in May, when we will also be coming together in community to celebrate our faculty and staff members' long-term service at Yale and looking forward to graduation and community awards in June. Indeed, it is a time of rejuvenation and coming together, with many events and happenings!
Linda Mayes, MD
Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology; Chair
Yale Child Study Center
Departmental News & Updates
Renewal at the Yale Child Study Center
Drawing inspiration from spring’s magical rebirth, the latest Yale Child Study Center “On Leadership” blog post focuses on moments of professional renewal and rejuvenation shared by a few members of the department.
Chawarska & colleagues recognized for contribution to puppetry literature
Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) Professor Kasia Chawarska, Senior Research Scientist Suzanne Macari, and their co-authors were honored with the 2024 Nancy Staub Publications Award for excellence in writing on the art of puppetry on March 21.
First-Ever Spring Education Mini-Conference Hosted by Yale's EduCollaboratory
On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the Yale Child Study Center's Education Collaboratory hosted a first of its kind "Spring Education Mini-Conference." Leading up to the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) and American Education Research Association (AERA) conferences in Philadelphia, YCSC Associate Professor Christina Cipriano organized this hybrid meeting of collaborators from across the nation.
Spring 2024 postgraduate associate travel award recipients announced
The results of the Yale Child Study Center Spring 2024 round of awards for the department’s postgraduate travel award have been announced. The award offers $500 toward travel expenses for YCSC postgraduate associates attending national or international scientific conferences.
Education Collaboratory Team Member Spotlight: Stephanie Owusu
The Education Collaboratory at Yale was launched at the YCSC in July 2023 and has been regularly spotlighting the lab's dedicated team members, highlighting their research and what connects them to the team's mission to advance the science and practice of SEL. In this spotlight, meet Undergraduate Research Assistant Stephanie Owusu.
Education Collaboratory Team Member Spotlight: Hiroko Kawase
In this Education Collaboratory spotlight, meet Undergraduate Research Assistant Hiroko Kawase.
Education Collaboratory Team Member Spotlight: Ezinwa Osuoha
In this Education Collaboratory spotlight, meet Communications Assistant Ezinwa Osuoha.
Upcoming Special Events
- Apr 202418Thursday
The 5th Annual Early Autism Conference: Advances in Research and Clinical Practice
Speakers: Katarzyna Chawarska, PhD, Nigel S. Bamford, MD, FANA, Thomas Fernandez, MD, Kelly Powell, PhD, Sara Sánchez-Alonso, PhD
- Apr 202418Thursday
Youth & Future - Reimagine Our World - Call for Ideas
Italian artist issues call to youth at Yale and around the world to join project for global change
Speakers: James Leckman, MD, PhD, Kyle King, Giovanni Caccamo
- May 20248Wednesday
Black Youth Mental Health Clinical Case Conference Series at Yale Child Study Center
Session 5 of 6
Speakers: Speakers to be announced.
- May 20249Thursday
Discussion Series for Parents of Neurodiverse Children
Common Struggles During CSE Meetings (and How to Avoid Them!)
Speaker: Marcia Questel
News You Can Use
Tackling Anxiety and Sleep Issues in Children: A Psychologist’s Perspective
In this episode, Dr. Canapari and Arielle welcome their first guest, pediatric psychologist Dr. Danielle Garay from the Yale Pediatric Sleep Program to discuss the role of psychology in treating children’s sleep difficulties, focusing on anxiety, nighttime fears, tantrums, and separation anxiety.
Source: Craig Canapari, MDDoes Pregnancy Accelerate Aging? Yale Findings Suggest It Does – at First
New research from Yale Child Study Center Assistant Professor Kieran O’Donnell and his team suggests that pregnancy accelerates aging, but with an important caveat – there appears to be significant reversal of this effect in the postpartum period.
Creating a Culture of Courage and Collegiality in Academia: A “Coach Approach”
In a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Yale Child Study Center Assistant Professor Daryn H. David argues for a paradigm shift in what professionalism and career success look like in academic medicine, calling for a “coach approach” option for faculty.
Is Eye Movement in Autism Tied to Facial Recognition?
Eye movements are part of the process of telling people apart, and could provide information to clinicians about how people with autism process social information differently from non-autistic persons.
Blumberg Video Marks World Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day
Coinciding with World Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day, a video was created about the research led by Hilary Blumberg, John and Hope Furth Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience and YCSC Professor of psychiatry, and in the Child Study Center and of radiology and biomedical imaging and director of the Yale Mood Disorders Research Program.
Source: VuMediThe Power of the Breath
In this blog post, Karyn Bailey, LCSW, offers advice on the value of deep breathing. This is a step-by-step guide to learning a simple but very effective technique to help alleviate stress, for adults and children alike.
New State of Mind: Rethinking How Researchers Understand Brain Activity
Yale researchers propose that brain states and brain waves may be two parts of the same occurrence — and they discuss why that matters.
Source: Yale NewsMeeting Students’ Needs for Emotional Support
A new survey finds that a large percentage of students don’t feel that they have an adult to turn to at school when they’re troubled. In this article, Dr ZJ Ng of the Education Collaboratory discusses value of emotional support for students.
Source: Edutopia
Upcoming Grand Rounds
YCSC Grand Rounds sessions are typically presented in person in the Cohen Auditorium at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, from September through June, with a live stream available via Zoom.
- Apr 202416Tuesday
YCSC Grand Rounds: ACCESSible – Expanding child and adolescent mental health services through pediatrician partnerships
Yale Child Study Center Compassionate Care Rounds
Speaker: Dorothy Stubbe, MD
- Apr 202423Tuesday
YCSC Grand Rounds: Integrating Neuroscience, Health Advocacy, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Tools for Societal Good
Yale Child Study Center "On Leadership" Grand Rounds Series
Speaker: Nii Addy, PhD
- Apr 202430Tuesday
YCSC Grand Rounds: "You Contain Multitudes – Somatic Mosaic Mutations in Neuropsychiatric Disorders"
Yale Child Study Center
Speaker: Christopher A. Walsh, MD, PhD
- May 20247Tuesday
YCSC Grand Rounds: New Frontiers in Synchrony Research – Flexible Multimodal Synchrony and the Human Group Context
Yale Child Study Center
Speaker: Ilanit Gordon, PhD
- May 202414Tuesday
Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds: The Heritage and Legacy Project
YCSC Special Lecture: Max Ritvo & Alan B. Slifka Program for the Medical Humanities
Speaker: Ayotunde Ayobello, MD
In the Media
Pregnancy advances your ‘biological’ age — but giving birth turns it back
Yale Child Study Center Assistant Professor Kieran O’Donnell is quoted in this article covering new findings from a study conducted by his team, suggesting that carrying a baby creates some of the same epigenetic patterns on DNA seen in older people.
Source: Nature22 Mar 2024MOMS Partnership: Bangor Housing is piloting a national model for strengthening family well-being and economic mobility by focusing on maternal mental health
Working with the John T. Gorman Foundation, Bangor Housing connected with an evidence-based model that has demonstrated positive results around the country – the MOMS (Mental Health Outreach for MotherS) Partnership, which was developed at the Yale Child Study Center in 2011.
Source: JTG Foundation Updates22 Mar 2024Blumberg: Know the Signs and Symptoms of Mood Disorders
Hilary Blumberg, MD, John and Hope Furth Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience and Professor of Psychiatry, and in the Child Study Center and of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, and director of the Mood Disorders Research Program at Yale, spoke to WTNH-News 8 about the signs and symptoms of mood disorders.
Source: WTNH-News 822 Mar 2024Conference Series Highlights Experiences of Black Youth
YCSC Clinical Fellow Amanda Calhoun is quoted in this article about the clinical case conference series she has coordinated to spotlight the mental health crisis among Black youth, also aiming to give a voice to those patients and clinicians who experience and witness racist behaviors by mental health clinicians.
Source: APA Psychiatric News26 Mar 2024Link between eye movement and facial recognition in autism?
YCSC Professor James McPartland is quoted in this article about a study led by Postdoctoral Fellow Jason Griffin, which found that some teens with autism look at faces differently than those without autism.
Source: Tech Explorist28 Mar 2024Pregnancy actually increases your biological age, but you can undo it: study
YCSC Assistant Professor Kieran O'Donnell is quoted in this New York Post article reporting on the findings of his team's recent study, noting that pregnancy ages a birthing parent by about two years but there’s a way to turn back time.
Source: New York Post1 Apr 2024Pregnancy Can Make You Age Faster
Two recent studies finding very similar effects of pregnancy on biological aging are covered in this article, including recently published results from YCSC Assistant Professor Kieran O'Donnell and his team.
Source: Time8 Apr 2024Lawmakers address impact of hate speech on children in Hartford
YCSC Assistant Professor Yann Poncin was interviewed for this segment on WTNH News 8.
Source: WTNH News 811 Apr 2024