Three experts from one of our FY19 OVC Grantees, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, will be sharing the data and findings from their recently concluded OVC project, in the hopes that it will enlighten other grantees and strengthen future efforts in the opioid/addiction crisis crime victims field.
Kay Connors, LCSW-C, Instructor, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Department of Psychiatry, Project Director of the Baltimore-Network of Early Childhood Services Transformation, National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Category III Center and Executive Director of the Taghi Modarressi Center for Infant Study and Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Child Mental Health. Mrs. Connors has over 38 years of experience as a clinical social worker working with children, families and communities impacted trauma. Ms. Connors has provided evidence-based, mental health treatment to children and families in a variety of settings, including hospital, residential treatment, private practice and clinic, home, school-based programs. She specializes in infant and early childhood mental health and assessment and treatment for families impacted by trauma. Ms. Connors directs clinical and training programs, including the UMSOM’s HealthySteps site, supervises staff, and is a co-investigator in research grants. Ms. Connors leads innovative learning projects, including Breakthrough Series Collaboratives and evidence-based learning collaboratives. She is a National Child Parent Psychotherapy Trainer, a Master ACE Interface Trainer and director of Maryland’s Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate Program and Fussy Baby Maryland.
Olawunmi Ibraheem is a Research Project Coordinator and Community Health Worker at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She demonstrates the knowledge to present health education materials and conduct outreach. She has a strong ability to focus on the community members’ behaviors, systems, environments, and policies affecting health at various levels. She is passionate about promoting advancement of the Black community, advocacy, and ensuring individuals in insufficiently served communities have access to proper and adequate health services. Her goal is to contribute to the reduction of health disparities present in underserved communities.
Brijan Fellows is a licensed clinical social worker in Baltimore, Maryland. Ms. Fellows has been working in the field of early childhood mental health for over 18 years and is additionally certified in perinatal mental health through Post-Partum Support International. Ms. Fellows is the clinical program director for the Secure Starts Clinic at the Taghi Modarressi Center for Infant Study at the University of Maryland, Baltimore's School of Medicine, which is a community-based outpatient mental health clinic serving children aged 0-6 years and their families. Under Ms. Fellows’ leadership, the clinic has successfully achieved and maintained its CARF accreditation status with high marks in safety protocols, clinical training, and attention to continuous quality improvements. The clinic has also been recently awarded and recognized for its commitment and dedicated partnership to both the YMCA Head Start and Chrysalis House Inc in Baltimore City. In addition to clinic administration and oversight, Ms. Fellows supervises and trains clinicians and students who provide early childhood mental health consultation to both early learning centers and primary care medical programs. She is a rostered Child Parent Psychotherapy supervisor, certified in Trauma focused Cognitive Behavioral therapy and is a Maryland state Facilitated Attuned Interaction trainer. Additionally, she provides training and consultation to childcare resource centers, refugee serving agencies and mother-baby recovery homes in and around the Baltimore area.