Traumatic events, in the form of natural and technological disasters, domestic violence, crime and terrorist acts, are all too common in the lives of people living in New York City and around the world. The impact of these traumatic events, occurring from early childhood to old age, can be viewed from various perspectives, notably biological, psychological and social. This roundtable will bring together experts from the fields of psychoanalysis, psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience, who will together seek to integrate disparate models of understanding the traumatic phenomena. The goal of the discussion will be to develop a clearer understanding of how various traumatic events alter life trajectory through persisting effects on the brain, mind and community, and how distinctly different interventions can each be therapeutic.

Claude M. Chemtob, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and researcher specializing in trauma in adults and children. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and directs the Child and Family Resilience Program. His primary research and clinical focus is on child and family response to disaster and terrorism.

Marylene Cloitre, Ph.D., is Director of the Institute for Trauma and Resilience and Cathy and Stephen Graham Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University Child Study Center.

Spencer Eth, M.D., is Professor and Vice-Chairman in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at New York Medical College. He serves as the Medical Director of Behavioral Health Services at Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, whose Manhattan campus was the closest trauma hospital to Ground Zero. For the last 20 years, Dr. Eth has studied and treated children, Vietnam veterans, and others struggling with issues of trauma and grief.

Leonard Shengold, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and former Director of the Psychoanalytic Institute at the New York University School of Medicine. He is the author of Soul Murder: The Effects of Childhood Abuse and Deprivation and seven other books. His latest book is Haunted by Parents.

Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She is an active researcher in the field of post-traumatic stress and has authored more than 150 articles and edited several books on this topic.

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