YCSC Connections

Here we are at the start of another new calendar year, and I do hope you all found some time for rest and joyful gatherings over the recent holidays. Despite the extremely challenging times and tragic events of the world that at times seem never-ending, we continuously work as a community to remain grounded and in support of one another.

Each year at this time, I provide updates on the “state of the department” at our opening Grand Rounds after the winter recess, and this year’s talk is available to view on-line for anyone who missed it and may be interested. As I prepared for this talk, I found myself reflecting on the broader meaning of this time of year and the confluence of many cultural traditions. I thought about the winter solstice and the meaning ascribed to this time for many centuries.

This "longest day of the year” in late December marks an increase in daylight — and this theme of darkness into light, winter into spring ties this time of year together across many cultures. Certainly, there is a beauty to darkness, and as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us, only in darkness do we see the stars. What the solstice calls our attention to is how we gradually go from the cold and darkness of winter to the warmth and greater light of spring.

A picture of Stonehenge is included below to draw attention to a special arrangement here — at the winter solstice, the sun sets in between the middle two stones and with the summer solstice the sunrise is between those stones. It is an enduring mystery as to how so long ago those who built Stonehenge understood these rhythms and were able to set the stones in this way.

We can stand in awe of this mystery while also reflecting on how many mysteries we are engaged in here at the Child Study Center — mysteries and dilemmas we try to solve in ways that will improve our understanding of child mental health and the care we provide. Here again, darkness into light and mystery into understanding. Indeed, this metaphor can also apply to the past year.

As we look together upon all that has been accomplished in the department in 2023, as well as the work that lies ahead this year and beyond, it is important to keep in mind what holds us together. That is, the ways in which we are united across missions, with a focus on excellence and state of the art care, training the best clinicians and researchers that we can. This also brings us back to the importance of staying grounded, regardless of the change and challenges that we inevitably face. Staying grounded helps us to stay focused on what unites us — where, as our center’s logo depicts, discovery inspires care.

I am, as ever, incredibly grateful for all in our community, including those who support our work in a variety of ways — and I wish you all a happy, healthy new year. I do hope you will enjoy looking back upon 2023 in this second annual "year in review" — and I look forward to engaging with you all as we embark upon new projects, activities, and events this coming year.

Linda Mayes, MD
Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology; Chair
Yale Child Study Center

The mission of the Yale Child Study Center is to improve the mental health of children and families, advance understanding of their psychological and developmental needs, and treat and prevent childhood mental illness through the integration of research, clinical practice, and professional training.

The YCSC has been serving children and families from birth through adolescence since 1911. At the core of the center's work is the mission to improve the lives of children and families through research, service, education, and policy, including through the translation of research and evidence-based practice into effective policy change, legislative advocacy efforts, and social innovation. Our work involves multidisciplinary, intergenerational, translational, and community implementation.

As YCSC Chair Linda Mayes described in her 2024 opening talk, “We have a strategic profile that integrates our clinical, research, policy, and education efforts in these particular areas. This oval shows the other themes of the Child Study Center: our focus on normative development, translational science, etcetera.” Also noted are neurodevelopment and related disorders, movement regulation, mood and emotional regulation, health and equity services, and trauma and stress. These are the areas that broadly define the department’s research portfolio, integrated across the clinical mission.

Learn more about what lies ahead for the YCSC in the "state of the department" talk given by Dr. Mayes on January 9, 2024. Returning to a theme she presented in September on Staying Grounded In the Midst of Change: Looking Ahead to the New Academic Year, she commented, "Being grounded focuses us on what is most meaningful — how our community values and centers care and discovery — and how we care for each other."

View the session recording for a more in depth review of 2023 at the YCSC and be sure to save the dates for the upcoming special events highlighted below as we enter a new calendar year. For more events, including Grand Rounds sessions confirmed for the spring semester, visit the YCSC web calendar.

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