Upcoming Events 2022 - 2023
March 2023
Supporting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Individuals with FASD Across the Lifespan
March 28, 2023 12-1PM ET
Dr. Jacqueline Pei PhD Dr. Katherine Flannigan PhD Madonna Mooney BS.ED FASD Maine
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a highly complex disability, and at least 90% of individuals with FASD are thought to experience mental health needs at some point in their lives. In this webinar, we will:
1) describe the relevance of FASD within the context of Maine
2) provide a brief introduction to FASD and related challenges
3) share research on the needs, strengths, and resiliencies of individuals with FASD as they relate to mental health, with a special focus on the challenges facing older youth and young adults.
The ultimate goal of this webinar is to highlight opportunities for supporting health and wellbeing for individuals with FASD and their families across the lifespan.
Dr. Jacqueline Pei is a Professor in the School and Clinical Child Psychology Program and Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. Also a practicing Registered Psychologist for the past twenty years, Dr. Pei began her career as a criminologist and forensic counselor working with incarcerated youth. Motivated by this early work, she returned to academia to study youth at risk, child development, and neuropsychology, leading to her current focus on interventions for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Pei has over 100 peer reviewed publications but places the greatest value on her work with various community and government agencies. To this end, Dr. Pei currently leads the Intervention Network Action Team (iNAT) for the Canada FASD Research Network a role that facilitates the link between research, policy, and practice.
Dr. Katherine Flannigan is a Research Associate at the Canada FASD Research Network and a registered psychologist in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia (out-of-province). Dr. Flannigan received her PhD in School and Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Alberta, and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. Her interests centre on the clinical and social implications of neurodevelopmental diversity, with a special focus on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and factors that help to support strengths and wellbeing. Dr. Flannigan has been working in the FASD field since 2006, as both a researcher and service provider with individuals and families.
Madonna Mooney BS.ED is a sibling of a person with an FASD and a co-founder of FASD Maine.
This webinar is a collaborative effort of FASD Maine and CANFASD
April 2023
2023 Maine Alcohol Misuse Prevention Virtual Conference:
Examining the ripple effects of alcohol on a population
Thursday, April 13, 2023 9:00 AM- 3:30 PM ET
Registration is free
Featuring Keynote Dr. David Jernigan
According to Maine Data, Research, and Vital Statistics, alcohol use among adults over 18 in Maine has increased 47% from 2019 to 2021. The consequences of alcohol use have also increased with a 54% increase in the rate of alcohol related to EMS calls between 2010 and 2021 and an increase across all age groups related to impaired driving crashes from 2019 to 2021. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that more than 140,000 Americans die annually of alcohol related causes, surpassing those from the opiate epidemic. In addition to frequent concern for impaired driving and youth access to alcohol, we’ve become more aware of the link between alcohol use and cancer, as well as the wide-spreading impact from the 1/6 pregnancies in Maine that are exposed to alcohol. And once again, this conference asks: What about the rest of the picture?
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, Inc. are partnering to bring this one-day virtual conference to shed light on the impacts of alcohol on our population. How are individual lifestyles and future generations affected in the long term by the choices made with alcohol today?
2023 Conference Learning Objectives- Participants will:
1. Learn how alcohol commerce has impacted social justice in the past and present.
2. Understand the specific ways the alcohol industry targets youth.
3. Learn alcohol use prevention strategies to help families and pregnant people.
The National FASD Collaborative Project Webinar Training and Support Groups
The National FASD Collaborative Project was created in late 2020 from a discussion within the NOFAS Affiliate Network, when a need was identified to increase effective supports and evidence-based training at a national level related to FASD. FASD organizations from around the U.S. joined forces under the notion that if we each "give a little," we can create more dynamic FASD systems of care nationally.
The first initiative of the Collaborative Project was the creation of a national support group calendar.The National FASD Collaborative Project is now offering 17 online FASD support groups to caregivers, birthmothers, and self-advocates nationally! These support groups are run by a range of leading organizations and experts in the field of FASD. The support group calendar is an ongoing program through the National FASD Collaborative Project and over time, we hope to expand our support group offerings with the addition of new support groups by existing or new organizations.
Webinar Training is available for professionals, caregivers, individuals with FASD - anyone who wants to learn more about FASD. The National FASD Collaborative Project will be hosting thirty-nine free webinars for the 2021-2022 academic year, from September 2021 through August 2022.
Nearly all webinars this year will be recorded and added to the 2021-2022 Recorded Webinars page for on-demand viewing as the year progresses.
Information about continuing education graduate credit and certificates of completion can be found here.