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When Francisco saw an image of himself without tattoos, he couldn't help but smile. "Damn," he said. " I haven't seen myself like that in years." Francisco is a former gang member. His arms, face, and hands are covered in tattoos and gang symbols, permanent reminders of his former life. But thanks to the photography and photo editing skills of Steven Burton , Francisco had the opportunity to see himself a changed man, the way he felt on the inside. [For more of this story, written by Erin...

Children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience disruptions in the structure of the neural networks inside their brains, according to a study appearing in the journal Radiology. The findings could help in the development of treatments for the disorder, researchers said. PTSD is a mental health problem that occurs in the wake of one or more traumatic experiences. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of PTSD, as the multiple neurochemical and hormonal effects...

The 2016 presidential election, whatever else its effects may be, is providing the useful service of highlighting the sexual harassment that many professional women face. My new book on female corporate leaders includes a close look at sexual harassment, a topic that few have focused on until recently. In fact, long before Trump’s alleged groping of women came to dominate the national conversation, my Millennial daughter saw an early version of the book’s cover that listed harassment among...

For decades, Minneapolis has been heralded as an American success story: The Twin Cities area is home to one of the largest concentrations of Fortune-500-company headquarters, and, relative to other large American cities, has low unemployment, little poverty, and plenty of affordable housing. Much of the prosperity, which has been called “The Minnesota Miracle,” has been attributed an unusual approach to sharing tax revenues between rich and poor communities in the region. But two years ago,...

The Alliance and Children’s Health recently hosted community and hospital system leaders from the Building Community Resilience (BCR) collaborative. This national initiative focuses on strategies for communities and hospital health systems to reduce toxic stress and prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through a population-health approach. ACEs are strongly associated with increased risk for heart disease, smoking, obesity, depression and substance abuse. [For more of this story,...

Purpose RWJF seeks to advance systemic changes that embed health in school environments. To help advance these systemic changes, the Foundation will support a collaborative, multipronged strategy with three complementary areas of work related to Research, Policy, and Strategic Action. This Call for Qualifications (CFQ) represents Phase I of a two-phase selection process designed to identify eligible organizations to lead each area of work, which include: Applied Research and Translation (one...

This past month the Building Community Resilience collaborative met in Dallas to focus on strategies for communities and hospital health systems to reduce toxic stress and prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through a population-health approach. The Dallas BCR team led by Cheryl McCarver at Children's Health wrote this blog that highlights the power of collaboration and potential in community to build resilience. Learn more about how we are connecting health systems and community to...

When I think of spreading awareness of trauma informed care, I sometimes feel powerless, helpless, and overwhelmed at the magnitude of the task. Then, I remember that "design thinking" is a multi-disciplinary approach to human centered problems, centered in empathy. It uses empathy as the lens into people needs, so that solutions to problems are authentic and effective. Here's post on Design Thinking in K12 education . And here's one about Andres Marquez-Lara, a man who uses "design...

In 2011, I began studying the negative effects of educational practices. There is a lot of research on the negative developmental implications of standardized curricula, and yet we perpetuate it year after year. There is evidence that students are experiencing burnout before graduating high school. And there are many stories about students succeeding in high school, entering college, and not completing their degrees. At every stage of education, there are case studies of injury and trauma. I...

With teens today facing unprecedented levels of toxic stress, self-compassion is one way to nurture inner wisdom, promote self-kindness, and self-heal. Christopher Germer, author of the Mindful Path to Self-Compassion says my forthcoming book, Self-Compassion for Teens: 129 Activities & Practices to Cultivate Kindness, which will be published on Nov. 7, is "just the ticket for parents, teachers, and counselors who know the burdens of modern teens and want to help." Tara Brach, author of...

Cutting unnecessary suspensions in Memphis schools might start with a simple “good morning.” At least, that’s the hope of Heidi Ramirez, chief academic officer for Shelby County Schools. Ramirez and her colleagues in Tennessee’s largest district are among the growing number of educators across the nation who have concluded that suspending students frequently comes at too high a cost. A recent decline in suspensions meant that local students spent a total of 65,000 more days in class last...

At the end of June, I found myself running through the streets of Geneva with two other brain mappers—all three of us sweaty from trying to catch the bus. Even though I live in New Jersey and am used to muggy weather in the summer, I couldn’t help but recognize how humid it was. We nearly missed the bus that would take us to the World Health Organization (WHO) to talk about how the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) and WHO can work together to improve international public health...