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Brazelton Institute 2019 Highlights

A New Beginning for the Brazelton Institute

While we continue to expand NBAS and NBO trainings and coordinate research studies in our network sites across the globe, the most significant milestone for the Brazelton Institute in 2019 has undoubtedly been the appointment of Lise Johnson as Associate Director. While Lise and I are working together to foster academic initiatives with a view to refining our understanding of the NBO and the NBAS in both clinical and research settings, Lise also joins me in overseeing administrative activities at the Brazelton Institute, including local and international training, Training of Trainers, mentorship, the universal curriculum and the international network. Above all, Lise’s appointment helps transform the Brazelton Institute sustainability strategy into a reality. Dr. Lise Johnson Dr. Johnson’s duties at the Brazelton Institute will include overseeing local and international training, providing mentorship and coaching, training of trainers, curriculum development, and cultivating the international network. She is an author of the Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system Handbook and has been trained on the NBAS. Currently, Dr. Johnson serves as the Principal Investigator for a Health Resources and Services Administration-funded randomized controlled trial examining the use of the NBO to support first time mothers of late preterm newborns. Dr. Johnson brings over 30 years of experience in general pediatrics to her new role as Associate Director, 19 of which have been devoted to newborn care as Medical Director for Well Newborn Care at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Johnson earned her undergraduate degree in Health and Society from Brown University, and her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, where she is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics teaching and supervising both students and residents. Lise also serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Health Learners, a nonprofit organization that collaborates with the Zambian Ministries of Health and Education to provide a novel model of school-based health care for primary school children in the slums of Lusaka, Zambia. Research and Presentations: NBO Three Year study with Lise Johnson as PI: “The Impact of a Relationship-Based Newborn Intervention on Postpartum Maternal Depression and Anxiety - the BABY AMOR Project”. Lise Johnson is the PI. of this three-year follow-up study, which was Funded by HRSA R40 (2019). Jessica Bartlett is PI for Child Trends on this study.

Presentations and Publications:

  • At the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting (PAS), Baltimore, Maryland, April 29th 2019, Jayme L. Congdon presented a paper on the NBO: Jayme L. Congdon J. Kevin Nugent, Beth M. McManus, Michael Coccia and Nicole R. Bush. The Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system for Research: Associations with Salivary Cortisol and Maternal Report of Temperament.

  • Blanchard, Y., McManus, B., Murphy, N., Nugent, J. K. The Effect of a Newborn Behavioral Observation System (NBO) Model of Care in Early Intervention (EI). Presented at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy Annual Conference (APPTAC), Disneyland, CA., November 15-17, 2019.

  • Nugent, J. Kevin (2019). Historical Perspectives: Berry Brazelton: Le Magnifique. NeoReviews, 20 (11) e615-e621; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/neo.20-11-e615

NBO and NBAS training and meetings

NBO Trainings were presented in the US at Harvard Medical school and in the state of Massachusetts in response to an invitation from the Perinatal Substance Use Initiative, Division of Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood, Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition, Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Training was also offered by Jayne Singer in LSU, New Orleans. NBO training was offered internationally in Shanghai, China; Tipperary, Ireland; San Salvador, El Salvador; Lima, Peru; Brest, France. NBO Trainer Mentoring took place in Norway, while Australia Keynote addresses by Lise and Kevin in Chenzhen and Shanghai; in Oslo, Norway, Dublin, Ireland, Tipperary Ireland, Seoul, Korea and Montreal by Kevin. Grand Rounds by Lise and Kevin at Brigham and Women’s, and by Kevin at Royal Women’s, Melbourne.

Sarah Strong writes: The University of Wisconsin Infant, Early Childhood and Family Mental Health Capstone Certificate Program NBO Training site was launched at the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin launched in September, 2018. Dr. Kevin Nugent trained the following five apprentice NBO Trainers at this site, all of whom are experienced clinicians who have received culturally sensitive, relationship-focused Infant Mental Health Endorsement, and include practitioners trained in psychology, clinical social work, mental health counseling, nursing, lactation consultation and occupational therapy. Roseanne Clark, PhD, IMH-E® Gretchen Becker Crabb, LPC-IT, OTR/L, CLC, IMH-E® Janna Hack, LCSW, IMH-E® Sarah Strong, LCSW, IMH-E® Julie Winkelmann, RN, IBCLC, IMH-E® UW NBO Training Team Over the past year, pairs of apprentice trainers from the UW NBO Training Team have provided four NBO Trainings in Wisconsin. The first training was provided for the Infant, Early Childhood and Family Mental Health Capstone Certificate Program with direct observation, consultation and guidance from Dr. Nugent. The following three NBO Trainings for Home Visitors across the State of Wisconsin were provided independently by the apprentice NBO Trainers with oversight and reflective processing with Dr. Nugent by videoconferencing. As the UW NBO Training Site completes its first year of development and the training of the five NBO Trainers, next steps include the planning of three additional NBO Trainings in Wisconsin for 2020, continued collaboration with the Brazelton Institute and continued development of the UW NBO Training Site.

Timeline: September 20-22, 2018 The University of Wisconsin-Madison launches the development of an NBO Training Site. In-person training of five apprentice NBO Trainers at the UW Department of Psychiatry with Dr. Kevin Nugent. December 5-6, 2018 Two apprentice NBO Trainers from the UW NBO Training Team hold their first independent NBO Training near Milwaukee, Wisconsin for Home Visitors, including two days of in-person training and three NBO Training Calls by videoconferencing in the months that followed to support practitioners’ practice of the NBO, with oversight from Dr. Nugent and reflective processing with Dr. Nugent and the UW NBO Training Team. April 3-4, 2019 Two additional apprentice NBO Trainers from the UW NBO Training Team hold a second independent NBO Training in Marshfield, Wisconsin for Home Visitors, including two days of in-person training and three NBO Training Calls by videoconferencing in the months that followed to support practitioners’ practice of the NBO, with oversight from Dr. Nugent and reflective processing with Dr. Nugent and the UW NBO Training Team. August 8-9, 2019 Two apprentice NBO Trainers from the UW NBO Training Team hold a third independent NBO Training for Home Visitors near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including two days of in-person training and three NBO Training Calls by videoconferencing in the months that followed to support practitioners’ practice of the NBO, with oversight from Dr. Kevin Nugent. September 20, 2019 The newly developed NBO Training Site at the University of Wisconsin celebrates completion of a year-long process with the Brazelton Institute and Dr. Nugent of training NBO Trainers, and plans for next steps. January 23-24, 2020 Two NBO Trainers from the UW NBO Training Site will independently provide NBO Training for the Infant, Early Childhood and Family Mental Health Capstone Certificate Program.

NBO Training at Parent-Infant & Child Institute, Napa, CA. The new NBO Training team at Napa consists of Rachel Talamantez, EdD; Mary Beth Steinfeld, MD; Sharon Zone, MSW, LCSW; Stephanie Paravicini, PsyD; Colleen Paul, MA, MFT and Dr. Kristie Brandt. The Napa NBO Training Team is Looking Forward to our Biennial Network pre-WAIMH meeting in Brisbane in June 2020.

Brisbane: While our last Biennial NBAS and NBO International Trainers Network meeting took place in Florence and was graciously hosted by Gherardo Rapisardi, the city of Brisbane will host the next pre-WAIMH Congress network meeting on June 5-6th, 2020. Lise Johnson and Kevin Nugent will work alongside Susanne Nicolson and Campbell Paul in organizing the meeting. The Biennial meeting will take place at the Mater Research Institute at The University of Queensland, made possible courtesy of Associate Professor Samudragupta Bora.