Mission:
Aware of the fact that an increased number of individuals
in our society are looking at adoption as a legitimate way
to form their families; and aware of the fact, as well, of
the many fundamental and unanswered questions raised by
these individuals as they face the numerous and complex
challenges associated with the adoption experience, for
which they were unprepared; and finally, aware of the fact
that the professional and academic community has been
ill-prepared to address these questions adequately, St.
John’s University decided to create a structure where
answers to the many challenges affecting the lives of
members of the adoption triad are systematically addressed.
It was in this context that The Adoption Initiative was
created as a structure within the Office of Post-graduate
Professional Training and Development Programs, (link to
the webpage for the Office) specifically for the purpose of
encouraging and promoting in the professional and
scientific community a better and more profound
understanding of the most critical adoption issues
affecting our society at large. More specifically, The
Adoption Initiative seeks to create a dynamic structure
where scholars, professionals, researchers and other
individuals interested in advancing our understanding about
all the aspects of the adoption experience are brought
together routinely to discuss their most recent
contributions in this regard.
Concerned with the fact that the lack of awareness and
understanding by the professional and academic community
about the fundamental challenges that tend to affect the
lives of so many members of the adoption triad is likely to
remain unchanged (due to the fact that most graduate
programs, for the most part, do not include discussions of
adoption issues in their training curricula), The Adoption
Initiative seeks to work closely with other academic
institutions to encourage more active discussion of
adoption issues in graduate and professional training
programs.
Aware also that the questions and challenges raised by
members of the adoption triads are so numerous and complex
that requires a multidisciplinary effort, The Adoption
Initiative encourages and seeks active participation from
members from the various disciplines that are interested in
engaging in our effort. It is clear that only by such a
participation, more comprehensive answers to the various
questions may be possible.
Biennial Conference Structure:
To accomplish our goals we have established over the last
10 years a conference structure that seeks to address
critical issues affecting the adoption community in a
meaningful and comprehensive manner. It is a
multidisciplinary conference structure that seeks to
address the issues covered from a multicultural and
multiethnic perspective. The fact that these conferences
are organized by representatives of the academic and
professional community, as well as members of the adoption
triad ensure that the conference topics/themes selected are
most relevant to the adoption community (see information
about previous conferences-link to previous conferences).
The conference, which is now also co-sponsored by Montclair
State University, was recently restructured to a two-day
event in response to the increased interest from the
community.
Awards and Recognition:
In an effort to promote further research in Adoption, a
scholarship and a recognition award will be given at the
biennial conference. A scholarship will be given to a
current graduate student who is conducting research on an
adoption related topic and a recognition award will be
given to a recent doctoral graduate (past 3 years) with a
dissertation focusing on the same. An award will be granted
to the selected research initiative and the dissertation
recipient will be invited to present at the Adoption
Initiative's annual meeting. For the latest application
information please, go to call-for-papers
information.
Publications:
To ensure a wider dissemination of information covered in
our conferences, special journal issues (link to previous
publication) are prepared with those manuscripts that are
academically acceptable to the journal referees.
Additionally, conference tapes (link to tapes with
information as to how to purchase them) are also prepared
and made available to the community at large. Finally, we
started the process of preparing books that can be used as
textbook for advanced undergraduate courses and graduate
courses. One such a book is the Handbook of Adoption (link
to description of the book and how to purchase) that was
recently published by Sage based on some of the journal
information and including invited chapters from prominent
scholars and professionals in the field of adoption.
Upcoming Events:
The Adoption Initiative is part of larger structure that is
also involved in organizing educational programs for
professionals in the community. We have also partnered with
other groups/ institutions that routinely offer
adoption-related discussions for members of the triad.
Several of these programs are offered throughout the
metropolitan area, particularly in our Manhattan Campus, at
St. John’s University. For a listing of coming events,
including the adoption conference, please check our link to
these events (e.g., Save-the-Date link)
How to Register for these Events
Those interested in any of the events sponsored by the
Office of Postgraduate Clinical and Professional Programs
and more specifically by the Adoption Initiative are
encouraged to download the registration sheet and, once
completed, fax it to our office at (718) 990-5485 or make
direct inquiry to our office by calling (718)990-5460.