NASHVILLE, Tenn. — How can the behaviors of low-income first-time
mothers be changed to improve the lives of at-risk newborns? David
Olds, professor of pediatrics, psychiatry and preventative medicine at
the University of Colorado Health Center, will speak about simple
strategies that make a positive difference in the lives of these
mothers and their children at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for
Research on Human Development Thursday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m.
Olds is the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Martin Luther King Jr.
Commemorative Speaker. His lecture is the first in a special series on
family research.
Olds‘ career has been devoted to investigating ways to prevent health
and developmental problems in children and parents from low-income
families. His original work examined the effects of prenatal and
postpartum home visits by nurses on the outcomes of pregnancy, infant
care giving and the lives of mothers, and determined the impact of
those services on government spending. He has since developed a program
of prenatal and infancy home visiting by nurses known as the
Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP). The NFP is a well-tested model that
improves the health and social functioning of low-income first-time
mothers and their babies.
Olds has received numerous research awards, including the Charles A.
Dana Award for Pioneering Achievements in Health, the Lela Rowland
Prevention Award from the National Mental Health Association and a
Research Scientist Award from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Olds‘ lecture will take place at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/ MRL
Building Room 241. The lecture is free and open to the public.
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is a national center for research on
development and developmental disabilities. For more information,
contact Stephanie Comer at 615-322-8240 or stephanie.comer@vanderbilt.edu.
Media contacts: Stephanie Comer, (615) 322-8240
stephanie.comer@vanderbilt.edu
Melanie Catania, (615) 322-NEWS
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu
