An annual FASD conference for professionals and families
- The 2009 national FASD Conference will be held Friday, May 1 - Saturday, May 2 in Madison, Wisconsin.
- Preconference sessions will be held Thursday April 30, 2009
Alcohol use during pregnancy is a leading preventable cause of physical, cognitive, and behavioral problems. According to the National FASD Center for Excellence, one in 10 U.S. women drink alcohol while pregnant and at least 40,000 babies are born each year affected by maternal drinking. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is the umbrella term used to describe the range of effects that can occur due to maternal alcohol consumption, and includes the diagnoses of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD).
Despite over 30 years of modern research on FASD, there is an ongoing need to share current information and strategies with professionals and families; promote networking among professionals and caregivers; and provide support to families.
This two-day national conference will offer keynote addresses, breakout sessions, poster presentations, and exhibits sharing state-of-the-art information and strategies for providers, families, and communities affected by FASD. The preconference will offer day-long training sessions addressing key issues related to FASD. It will take place at the American Family Insurance Headquarters at 6000 American Parkway, Madison, Wisconsin.
Download the brochure for this program.
Participate in the conference. Agencies, programs, educators, family support networks, and others are encouraged to apply to display a project poster and/or have an exhibit at the upcoming conference. Abstract submission guidelines will be available soon. Download a poster session application. Contact Kristi Obmascher for more information.
Pre-Conference
These sessions will provide current information, discuss key issues, share resources, and promote skills development for families, other caregivers, health and human services providers, educators, and others concerned about FASD. Learn more about the sessions on the pre-conference page.
Receive conference updates by subscribing
to our conference listserv. To join, send a blank e-mail to: join-fasd@lists.wisc.edu.
Location
The conference will be held at the American Family Insurance National Headquarters at 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53718. For map and additional information visit the location page.
Keynote and plenary session speakers
Claire Coles, PhD, is the director of the Fetal Alcohol Center at the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Georgia and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine with a Joint Appointment in the Department of Pediatrics. Her clinical and research interests include treatment of infants and preschool children and their families, developmental and learning disabilities, and the effects of teratogenic exposure. Coles has served on a number of national committees including the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects and the Committee to Study Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science.
Daniel Dubovsky, MSW, LSW, is the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) specialist for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) FASD Center for Excellence. He provides training and technical assistance on FASD to individuals, families, programs, agencies, communities, and states. He has a keen interest in the provision of quality services to those with FASD and their families. He has worked for over 30 years in the fields of mental health and developmental disabilities; and has presented regionally, nationally and internationally. In the area of FASD, his son Bill has been his mentor and best teacher. Bill and Dan have presented nationally and internationally on how best to develop working therapeutic alliances.
Philip A. May is a professor of sociology at the University of New Mexico. Since 1990 his primary appointment has been with the UNM Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA). Dr. May has been involved in applied research in public health; his areas of specialty include the epidemiology and prevention of suicidal behavior, adult alcoholism, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), injury, and child abuse and neglect. He currently works on several grant-funded projects from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Edward P Riley, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology; and director of the Center for Behavioral Teratology at San Diego State University. For the past 30 years he has focused his research on the organic brain deficits and behavioral effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Dr Riley serves as Co-Chair of the National FASD Center for Excellence, funded by SAMHSA; he has been recognized by the National Organization on FAS for his outstanding research and dedication to the field of FASD; and has received the Outstanding Researcher award from the Research Society on Alcoholism. He is the author of more than 200 scientific articles, most addressing FASD.
David Wargowski, MD, is an associate professor in the Departments of Medical Genetics and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He received his MD from the University of Wisconsin and completed a fellowship in medical genetics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Dr. Wargowski has been evaluating children and adults with a wide range of genetic and developmental disorders including those prenatally exposed to alcohol for more than 17 years. He has a strong history of education to medical professionals and students.
Georgiana Wilton, PhD, is an associate scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for over 20 years with a focus on family support, professional education, vocational rehabilitation, and advocacy. Dr. Wilton is principal investigator or co-investigator of several research projects addressing the prevention, identification, and treatment of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). She is the director of the Family Empowerment Network (FEN); has taught classes on FAS and adolescent health in the UW Department of Medical Genetics; and works directly with women-specific AODA treatment providers to identify women at risk of FASD and develop treatment modifications to accommodate the unique deficits associated with these conditions.
For more information
Contact Kristi Obmascher,
FASD Conference Manager
UW-Madison
Dept. of Professional Development and Applied Studies
21 N Park St., 7th Floor
Madison, WI 53715
Phone: 608-262-8971 or toll-free 800-442-4617
E-mail: kobmascher@dcs.wisc.edu
Subscribe to the listserv for this conference to receive updates on workshops and other details. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail message to: join-fasd@lists.wisc.edu. We will not share your e-mail address with others.