DBP Annual Conference Held in California

April 20, 2016

The Annual MCHB DBP Faculty and Fellows meeting was co-hosted by Stanford University and University of CA Davis in Palo Alto CA on March 9-11, 2016. The overall goals of the meeting are (1) to allow fellows to present their research projects to other fellows and faculty to get feedback on their projects and (2) to encourage networking among the faculty and fellows.

Three outstanding keynote speakers inspired attendees. Dr. Thomas Robinson promoted Solutions Science; he challenged participants to eschew descriptive studies and take risks on treatment trials. He demonstrated the creativity and power of this approach in his own research on applied his ideas to the topic of obesity. Dr. Peter Mundy explained the core role of joint focus of attention in the phenomenology and treatment of autism. Dr. Claudia Mueller discussed how fixed and growth mindsets alter children's self-concepts and approach to challenges. She is applying these constructs to how individuals respond to medical recommendations.

As usual, fellows whose research project had progressed to the collection of data presented in the traditional platform presentation. New at this meeting, fellows whose research was still in formation presented at small tables to faculty and peers, allowing a longer and more in-depth discussion of their projects.