Celebrated social work scholar to lead community discussion on Resilience as Public Health

SCRANTON – If there was a way to infuse children with resilience and protect them from the mental and emotional suffering associated with feelings of helplessness — would you do it?

The community is invited to explore that question at Resilience as Public Health, a free lecture and discussion to be held Friday, Sept. 20, at 8:30 a.m. at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Continuing education credits (CEUs) will be available for social workers, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists and nurses.

At the event, Geisinger College of Health Science’s Resilience Colloquium will reconvene to discuss the question, “Can NEPA Become a Community of Resiliency?”

Giving a talk and leading the roundtable discussions will be renowned social work scholar and celebrated author and lecturer Michael Ungar, PhD. 

“We are honored to host Dr. Ungar and excited that our community will have the opportunity to interact with him,” said Leighton Huey, MD, Geisinger College of Health Sciences associate dean for behavioral health integration and community care transformation. “Last year, our Resilience Colloquium discussed the question Can NEPA Become a Community of Resilience? Dr. Ungar’s expertise is perfectly matched to that question. Of note, Dr. Ungar has a particular interest in coal, oil and gas-producing communities as they transition to more green economies. His insights and advice will be invaluable to plan for a resilient tomorrow in our region.”

The talk’s topic is “Nurturing Community Resilience: Systemic Thinking for Everyday and Uncommon Challenges.” 
 
Afterward, he will host a roundtable discussion for all attendees discussing the theme, “Sharing Stories of Successfully Building the Resilience of People and Their Communities.” 

Dr. Ungar is the Canada Research Chair in child, family and community resilience and a professor and head of the Resilience Research Center at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His research on resilience around the world and across cultures has made him the No. 1 ranked social work scholar in the world, with numerous educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofits and businesses relying on 

his research and clinical work to guide their approaches to nurturing child, family, organizational and community well-being under stress.

To register or for more information, visit go.geisinger.edu/resilience.

About Geisinger College of Health Sciences
Educating. Inspiring. Leading. At Geisinger College of Health Sciences, we bring innovation and purpose together to educate the next generation of healthcare leaders. As the academic and research arm of the Geisinger family, our college was founded to enhance and improve community health, with a focus on discovery, hands-on learning and applied practice across our system. Today, we offer a research institute, graduate medical education, schools of medicine, graduate education and nursing, and faculty and professional development programs. It’s all in service of Geisinger’s mission to make better health easier for all. Visit geisinger.edu/gchs. 

The College is committed to nondiscrimination in all employment and educational programs or activities. Concerns or questions may be directed to the Title IX coordinator whose contact information is available at geisinger.edu/titleix.