On 9/27/23, Dr. Catherine Monk of Columbia University presented this workshop. It discussed two interrelated topics and their implications for clinical intervention: (1) parents’ prenatal impact on children’s brain-behavior development and (2) parents’ own psychosocial needs during the perinatal period, a time of immense change and neuroplasticity. 

Drawing on decades of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease research highlighting the prenatal beginnings of future health and new studies on the transition to parenthood describing adult development from pregnancy to early postpartum, we proposed that, similar to pediatrics, the integration of new education and intervention strategies into the prenatal care ecosystem could improve child cognitive and social-emotional development as well as parental mental health. To promote optimal beginnings for the whole family, we envision an enhanced prenatal care ecosystem.  

As an outcome of attending this webinar, participants will be able to: 

1. Gain competency in the concept that parenting begins before birth as parents’ experiences affect fetal brain-behavior development.

2. Reconsider the prenatal period as a time of brain plasticity along with psychological adjustments

3. Engage in active consideration of useful enhancements to prenatal care to promote optimal health for future families. 

Date & Time