Marquette University to sponsor three-day trauma conference, Sept. 26-28

September 20, 2018

National conference to bring together trauma-informed care experts as part of Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM) initiative

MILWAUKEE — Marquette University will sponsor a three-day "Healing Trauma, Healthy Communities" conference being hosted by human services agency SaintA and Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM), Sept. 26-28 in Milwaukee. National experts in generational, historical and childhood trauma will convene to provide a collective response to how to #HealMKE.

The conference will kick off with a "Community Gathering on Race, Trauma and Recovery" beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Fiserv Forum. The event is expected to draw more than 1,200 people, and will feature a welcome message from Peter Feigin, president of the Milwaukee Bucks, as well as remarks from Marquette University President Michael R. Lovell and Ann Leinfelder Grove, CEO of SaintA. The evening's program also includes a presentation entitled, "Orientation to Trauma, Race, Recovery/Healing" from Dr. Bruce Perry, founder of the ChildTrauma Academy and renowned expert in trauma informed care; a Q&A with Rev. Jim Wallis, President/Founder of Sojourners; and a panel discussion with:

  • Sumaiyah Clark, Milwaukee Health Department Office of Violence Prevention
  • Howard Fuller, Institute for Transformative Learning
  • Fran Kaplan, Nurturing Diversity Partners
  • Harold Koplewicz, Child Mind Institute
  • Rev. Wallis

The professional conference will take place Sept. 27-28 at the Wisconsin Center. Keynote speakers include Dr. Perry and Dr. Rob Anda, co-principal investigator of the original Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study from Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition, there are more than 50 breakout sessions featuring local and regional presenters scheduled during the two-day professional conference. Topics explore healing and building resilience from behavioral health, community organizing, education, healthcare, law enforcement, and other perspectives. A full conference schedule is available online.

SWIM is a multi-disciplinary group dedicated to inspiring collaboration to help Milwaukee heal. Its mission is to build collaborations throughout the region that heal trauma and create resilience. President Lovell and his wife, Amy Lovell, president of REDgen, helped found SWIM.

Media who are interested in attending the community gathering or any of the conference breakout sessions, or who would like to set up an interview with President Lovell, should contact Chris Jenkins at 414.288.4745 or christopher.t.jenkins@marquette.edu or Lynn Sheka, at 414.288.4719 or lynn.sheka@marquette.edu.