Synopsis

This presentation will recount the early history of recognizing infant suffering and potentials, the struggles for acceptance of the concepts in psychiatry and paediatrics, as well as a look at the science of this field in the current era, along with emerging strategies for guiding community applications of research.

Speaker

Emeritus Professor Robert Emde M.D., retired as Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Medical School, after a career there of more than 40 years. His research has focused on early socio-emotional development and the evaluation of early childhood intervention programs. Professor Emde chaired the international task group that revised the diagnostic classification system for mental problems of children under age four (DC: 0-3R, Zero to Three Press, 2005). He also helped write the national guidelines for Early Head Start and subsequently served as Principal Investigator for two university partnerships with Colorado programs, both of which were part of the national randomised trial of 17 Early Head Start sites. Professor Emde was a member of the National Academy of Sciences task force that produced the policy-oriented book, From Neurons to Neighbourhoods. He is currently participating in early childhood research as part of the Colorado-based American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Center. His international work was recognized in Paris in July 2006 when he was voted Honorary President of the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) and was awarded the Rene Spitz Award by WAIMH that is given in recognition of significant lifetime contributions to the field of infant mental health.