The
First Biennial Adoption Conference
October 21, 2000
The
Adoption Journey: Psychological, Socio-Political, and Legal
Challenges
The
First Biennial Adoption Conference took place in 2000 at
the St. John's University Queens Campus. This conference
addressed the psychological, sociological, socioeconomic,
sociopolitical, and legal implications of adoption for the
adoption triad (adopted persons, birth families, and
adoptive families). Through that conference, mental health
and human service providers were charged with the task of
bringing much needed attention to the adoption triad
experience. Keynote speakers were: Dr. Betty Jean Lifton,
Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, and Dr. Ronald Nydam.
The
Second Biennial Adoption Conference
September 21, 2002
The
Lifelong Adoption Journey: Through the Eyes of the
Adopted
The
Second Biennial Adoption Conference took place in 2002
again at the St. John's University Queens Campus. At that
conference, we continued the dialogue from the first
conference, and we explored the lifespan adoption issues
and concerns of adopted persons were examined based on the
experiences of four panels of adopted persons who were also
psychologists, social workers, business people, adoption
advocates, journalists, and filmmakers. Distinguished
panels of professionals and adopted persons were speakers
including Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, Dr. Betty Jean Lifton,
Reverand Thomas Bosnan, Dr. Douglas Henderson, Penny Callan
Partridge, and Dr. Amanda Baden.
The
Third Biennial Adoption Conference
October 15 and 16, 2004
The
Dynamics of Adoption: A Three-Way
Mirror
The Third Biennial Adoption Conference was the first in our
series to be held at the St. John's University Manhattan
Campus as well as the first to include an evening film
screening on the Friday evening prior to the full-day
conference held on a Saturday. Montclair State University
became a co-sponsor of the event for the first time. In
this conference, we facilitated a dialogue that allowed
conference attendees to hear directly from adoptive
parents, birthparents, and adoptees as well as from
therapists with expertise in adoption who will assist in
better understanding the dynamics that occur within
adoption triads. Representatives of the adoption triad
explored the overt and the covert dialogue that occurs
between adoptive parents and birthparents throughout
adoptees’ lives. Keynote speakers were Dr. Joyce Maguire
Pavao and Dr. Joseph Crumbley.
The
Fourth Biennial Adoption Conference
October 13 and 14, 2006
Families
Without Borders? Adoption Across Culture and
Race
The
Fourth Biennial Adoption Conference was also held at the
St. John's University Manhattan Campus and was again
co-sponsored by Montclair State University as well as by
other organizations. This was the first conference to run
for two full days as well as one of the first academic and
research-based conferences to solely address issues of
transracial adoption. This conference focused on
transracial and transcultural adoption. Our continually
growing conference featured two days of speakers, workshops
and presentations as well as a screening and discussion of
several films Friday evening. Keynote speakers were Dr.
Ruth G. McRoy, Hollee McGinnis, Susan Harris O'Connor, Dr.
Amanda Baden, and Dr. John Raible.
The
Fifth Biennial Adoption Conference
October 24 and 25, 2008
Identity
and the Adopted Teen: Surviving the Crucible of
Adolescence
The Fifth Biennial Adoption Conference, although sponsored by St. John's University, was held on the campus of New York University, a co-sponsor of the conference. The conference was again a two-day event and was co-sponsored by Montclair State, the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University, and the School of Social Work Institute for Families at Rutgers University. This conference addressed adoption during adolescence, one of the most important stages of development. This well-recognized and important conference featured two days of speakers, workshops, and presentations. Keynote speakers were: Dr. Hal Grotevant, Dr. Gerald Mallon, Debbie Riley, and Holly Van Gulden.