What Happens in Childhood Does Not Stay in Childhood: What is True and What We Must Do!

Recent advances in the basic sciences of development are potentially transformational. Fields like epigenetics, developmental neuroscience, and life-course studies are allowing us to peer into the proverbial black box that links experiences in childhood with outcomes in health, education, parenting and economic productivity decades later. By understanding how both adverse and affiliative experiences in childhood are biologically embedded, we are well positioned to not only treat the consequences of “toxic stress responses” but to proactively build the safe, stable and nurturing relationships that buffer adversity and build resilience. Although this emphasis on relational health is almost counter-cultural, a public health approach to building safe, stable and nurturing relationships is a science informed approach to address many of our society’s most intractable problems, including disparities in health, educational achievement and economic productivity.

Appropriate audience includes anyone working to build resilience within our community.  

Join us after Dr. Garner's talk for an in depth discussion of how he can help us advance the work of Joining Forces for Children!  Breakfast and light snacks provided.  

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the significance of recent advances in the basic sciences of development (like epigenetics, neuroscience and life course science)

2. Describe the ecobiodevelopmental model of disease and wellness, some of its advantages, and a few of the numerous implications for medicine, education and public policy

3. Define relational health and at least 3 components of a public health approach to build safe, stable and nurturing relationships

Andrew S. Garner, MD, PhD, FAAP, is a pediatrician with Partners in Pediatrics in Westlake, Ohio, and is a member of the UH Rainbow Care Network, the region’s largest coordinated group of medical professionals providing care to children.  Dr. Garner earned his bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pa. He earned a PhD in Neuroscience in 1996 followed by a Doctor of Medicine with distinction in neuroscience from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1997.

A national expert on early brain development and the factors affecting it, Dr. Garner has been an invited lecturer at numerous national and international pediatric professional meetings and conferences, speaking on topics such as the impact of stress and trauma on the developing brain. He also has published extensively on early brain development in pediatric medical journals and neuroscience journals. 

Dr. Garner is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is Past President of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics He has been named a Cleveland Magazine "Best Doctor" every year since 2011.