I remember my enthusiasm when I first stumbled upon the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study. Coming from a healthcare background and frustrated by the lack of focus on upstream prevention, I remember how excited I was to learn about this “new” way of thinking about health and behavior–a way that focuses on root causes.
My oldest graduated elementary school yesterday and I will admit that I shed more than a few tears at his end-of-year ceremony as the entire school community literally “clapped out” the sixth grade. Someone told me to make sure I bring my sunglasses and I am grateful for that advice.
Sitting on my bookshelf in my office is a framed copy of Time Magazine from April 14, 1997. On the cover is a picture of Ellen DeGeneres with the headline “Yep, I’m Gay,” When President Obama awarded Ellen the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2016, he said “It’s easy to forget now just how much courage was required for Ellen to come out on the most public of stages 20 years ago.”
You know an issue has momentum when Oprah is talking about it! In a 60 Minutes segment aired in March 2018, Oprah talks about the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and a trauma-informed approach. She described the story as one that had “more impact on me than practically anything I’ve ever done.”
Anyone who attended last year’s ACEs Conference hosted by the Center for Youth Wellness knows there was an exceptional line-up of speakers. From Nadine Burke-Harris and her welcoming remarks to Bryan Stevenson’s closing keynote, there were many inspirational examples of work being done to push the ACEs movement “from awareness to action.”
I am a huge Samantha Bee fan and have been ever since she was on The Daily Show. I watch her weekly show Full Frontal religiously and am so inspired by her feminist approach to political commentary and comedy. Plus, she’s just batshit funny.
As she describes in her TED Talk from 2015, when Nadine Burke Harris stumbled into the world of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), it made her rethink her entire approach to practicing medicine. After finishing her residency, she went to work for California Pacific Medical Center and together they opened a clinic in Bayview-Hunter’s Point in San Francisco.
Getting Started: A Guide from Trauma to ResilienceStill wondering what this all means and what you can do about it? Download our custom PDF now and have your questions answered now!