The Social Research Unit's Annual Lecture

This year's Annual Lecture was presented by Professor Jack P Shonkoff, Founding Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, on "Leveraging Developmental Science to Strengthen the Foundations of Lifelong Learning, Behaviour and Health." 

The Lecture took place on July 7th, 2011 at 5PM, at the Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 0AE.
 
Breakthroughs in brain science may shape policy and services in years to come
Widely regarded as one of the world's leading authorities in neuroscience and its application to policy and practice, Dr Shonkoff is the Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston. 

The 2011 Social Research Unit Annual Lecture gave participants an opportunity to clarify the current state of play with regard to brain science. It provided an evolved argument regarding the value that might be placed on successive stages in a child's development from conception to early adulthood. 

It also examined the ways in which society can nurture and threaten the development of future generations, with attention not just what governments do in the enactment of new legislation but also how communities, schools, and families can make a difference. 

Dr Shonkoff is uniquely positioned to speak about these latest breakthroughs. In 2000, he chaired the Blue Ribbon Commission in the United States that wrote the landmark report From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. This seminal report shaped a research, development and policy agenda that has led to significant advances, so that many more children are exposed to early experiences that promote better outcomes throughout life.

A decade later, Dr Shonkoff is again charting the next major frontiers for research and development including new understanding of the body's stress response system and its effect on brain architecture, as well as the importance of developing social, emotional and executive function in early years for better outcomes throughout life.
 
More about Dr Jack Shonkoff
Dr Jack Shonkoff currently chairs the United States' National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, a multidisciplinary collaboration comprising leading scholars in neuroscience, psychology, pediatrics, and economics, whose mission is to bring credible science to bear on policy affecting young children. 

He has authored more than 150 publications, including 9 books. Dr Shonkoff has received multiple professional honors, including elected membership to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the C. Anderson Aldrich Award in Child Development from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Distinguished Contributions to Social Policy Award from the Society for Research in Child Development.
 
Click on the following links to download a copy of the slideshow presented at the annual lecture and a copy of the Issue brief. Or view the Youtube clip of the presentation.