VIDEO PRESENTATION BY DR. STAN SONU AS HE DESCRIBES HOW CHILDHOOD TRAUMA CONTRIBUTES TO BOTH ADULT MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ILLNESS WITH A HOPEFUL MESSAGE AS TO HOW WE CAN HEAL FROM ADVERSE CHILD EXPERIENCES

Description: Mounting evidence over the past thirty years has shed light on the alarming effects of childhood trauma on health and development stretching over the entire life course. Psychosocial adversity, which often remains hidden throughout our lives, is the most important and urgent under recognized health issue of today. Faith communities are in unique position to respond and embody places of healing, safety, belonging, and post-traumatic growth. This presentation will provide an overarching review of trauma on health, highlight key findings on the impact of trauma on the developing brain, and discuss how faith communities can support resilience and healing through integration of trauma-informed practices. For those who feel stuck in dysfunctional patterns, are in cruise control but lack a sense of vitality in faith, or are simply curious about learning about themselves in a deeper way, this presentation is for you. 

Dr. Stan Sonu is an Associate Professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He is deeply committed to teachingprofessional and public audiences on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), relational health and resilience in primary care, trauma-informed care, medical-legal partnerships, and health equity. In addition to supervising internal medicine residents at Grady Memorial Hospital, Dr. Sonu provides primary care for children at Hughes Spalding Children's Hospital. Additionally, he serves as the Medical Director for Child Advocacy at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; in this role, he oversees programming for Strong 4 Life and helps manage the Health-Law Partnership, an interprofessional medical-legal collaborative addressing health-harming legal issues. Dr. Sonu obtained his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia and completed a residency in combined internal medicine/pediatrics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. He completed a fellowship at the Cook County Preventive Medicine and Public Health Program and also obtained a Master’s in Public Health at Northwestern University.