Wayne State University Children’s Bridge and Children’s Hospital of Michigan will host the second biennial Children’s Conference Sept. 28-29, at the university’s McGregor Memorial Conference Center, 495 Ferry Mall, in Detroit. Sponsored in part by the Skillman Foundation, the two-day conference titled “Promoting the Well-Being of Children and Youth in Urban America: Best Practices to Next Practices,” will bring together the top researchers and practitioners in the nation to examine prevention and intervention programs proven to make a difference in the lives of urban children and youth.

A slate of nationally renowned experts representing government, academic, medical and community-based organizations will inform researchers and practitioners about issues urban youth and children face and present strategies for implementing successful program ideas that address these issues. Sessions will highlight successful programs in the areas of children at risk; language and learning; health and health disparities; and violence, abuse and trauma.

Wayne State University Board of Governors Chair Jacquelin Washington will open the conference with welcoming remarks on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 8 a.m. Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid will offer introductory remarks at 8:15 a.m. and Children’s Hospital of Michigan President Herman Gray will welcome participants on Friday, Sept. 29 at 8:15 a.m.

Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in the National Institutes of Health, will deliver the keynote address on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Alexander directed the National Amniocentesis Study at NICHD, which established the safety and accuracy of prenatal diagnosis using amniocentesis, now widely used to detect numerous genetic defects and inborn errors of metabolism. In 2002, Alexander received the Arnold J. Capute award from the American Academy of Pediatrics for his contributions to the health and well-being of children with disabilities through service and advocacy on local, state and national levels. In 2004, the American Medical Association commended Alexander for his leadership in research on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by awarding him the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service.

Other invited conference participants include:

• Scott Henggeler, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Medical University of South Carolina; director, Family Services Research Center;

• Robert B. McCall, co-director of the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh;

• Peter S. Jensen, director of the Center for the Advancement of Children’s Mental Health – Putting Science to Work, and Ruane Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons;

• Susan Keys, Branch Chief, Prevention Initiatives and Priority Programs Development Branch, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

• Denise Dougherty, Coordinator for Child Health Activities, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

• Phyllis Meadows, Deputy Director of Public Health, City of Detroit;


Wayne State University is a significant community resource through its involvement in a variety of programs and collaborations in Michigan that benefit children. Every school and college of the university has at least one program involving K-12 schools, including more than 150 programs involving more than 300 contacts in the school systems.

For further information and to register for the conference, visit http://wsuchildren.wayne.edu. Registration is required to attend the conference. Fees for participants are $75; except as follows; $15 for students; $85 for registrants seeking continuing education credit in social work, nursing, medicine or education.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.