FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2005
Fetal Alcohol Summit slated for March 9-10, Anchorage
Keynote speaker: Dr. Kieran O’Malley, prominent FAS researcher.
(Juneau, AK) - The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Office of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome will host the FAS Summit 2004 on March 9-10, 2004 at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage. An estimated 700 participants are expected to attend the event, which is an annual training event providing participants from across Alaska an opportunity to increase their knowledge and understanding of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The FAS Summit includes plenary sessions and a series of workshops, roundtables and presentations by national and state experts. The theme of the 2004 summit is “Sustaining Hope, Building Capacity.”
“We are excited that our keynote speaker will be Dr. Kieran O’Malley, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington,” Diane Casto, FAS Program Manager for the Alaska Dept of Health and Social Services said. Dr. O’Malley speaks at 8:45 a.m. to the opening session on Tuesday, March 9. He is known for his work in proper medication management and better medical interventions for individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure. “His keynote address will provide an overview of current and future research and what it is telling us about FASD,” Casto said. Dr. O’Malley is a member of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit and the University of Washington, working with leading FASD researcher Dr. Ann Streissguth.
Other national presenters include:
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Daniel Dubovsky, M.S.W., L.S.W., who has worked for 30 years in the fields of mental health and developmental disabilities. He has presented regionally, nationally and internationally on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, focusing on interventions for children, adolescents and adults. For this work, his 28-year-old son Bill has been his best teacher. Dubovsky has a keen interest in the provision of quality services to those with fetal alcohol syndrome.
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Suzie Kuerschner, is an educator and author of “Beyond the Gloom and Doom: Tools for Help and Hope with Native People Affected by FAS and Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders.”
- The Honorable Susan Carlson, Juvenile Court Judge from Minnesota,
helped found the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
and is co-author of “Tools for Success: Working with Youth
with FAS/FAE in the Juvenile Justice System.”
US Senator Lisa Murkowski will address the gathering via videoconference at the luncheon Wednesday, March 10, focusing on how to sustain Alaska’s FASD momentum. An award ceremony during the Wednesday luncheon will honor Alaska’s Individual of the Year for excellence in the field of FASD prevention. A pre-conference reception and registration will be held on Monday, March 8 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel.
More information and a detailed agenda are available at http://www.hss.state.ak.us/fas/summit/default.htm.
The event is sponsored by the Alaska Dept. of Health & Social Services, with funding from the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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For more information, please contact
Sherry Hill
Special Assistant to the Commissioner
Juneau Office: (907) 465-1618
Anchorage: (907) 269-7800
Cell: (907) 321-2838
Email: sherry_hill@health.state.ak.usJeff Kasper
Project Director
Juneau Office: (907) 465-8194
Email: jeff_kasper@health.state.ak.us
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