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Celebrating and Supporting Our Local Community On the first weekend in April, we kicked off Earth Month with our annual COMBO Playdate, a joyous block party packed with fun, free, meaningful offerings for families in our community: activities specially designed to support children’s development, and resources and experiences that support the whole family’s health and…
Dedicated to celebrating the resilience of our community, the 2nd annual COMBO Playdate was a smash hit. Click here to read about this family-centered event, and how this year’s fun and educational activities, giveaways, and prizes were designed to address the priorities families shared with us.
Within a month of my arrival to Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2018, I was introduced to Dr. Martha G. Welch, founding director of the Nurture Science Program (NSP). We had an immediate meeting of the minds – and an instant emotional connection, realizing we shared a common goal: to bring emotional connection into the lives…
After leading the Nurture Science Program with vision, dedication and passion for 14 years, Dr. Martha Welch, MD, DFAPA, is stepping aside as Director. Dr. Welch, co-founded the program in 2008. She will continue to contribute to the program, and will assume the title of Founding Director Emeritus. The Nurture Science Program is well positioned…
Emergent research has made it abundantly clear that our relationships shape the quality of our lives. As a result, relational health is receiving a lot of attention in the child and public health sectors. At the Nurture Science Program we look at relational health through the lens of emotional connection.
Preliminary results from the COVID-19 Mother-Baby Outcomes (COMBO) Initiative at Columbia University show that one of the most affected aspects of the mother-baby relationship has been breastfeeding.
The COVID-19 Mother-Baby Outcomes (COMBO) Initiative in collaboration with NSP has responded in real time to the growing need for information about how this pandemic is affecting vulnerable populations, and to the even greater need to support at-risk families.
Dr. Welch is a researcher, neuroscientist, and professor, and has been a thought leader and pioneer in the treatment and understanding of emotional, behavioral, and developmental health throughout her clinical and academic career.
In 2020, the Nurture Science Program will reach milestones in research on Family Nurture Intervention in the NICU, Family Nurture Intervention for preschool families, and studies on the use of WECS and WECS+.
Intuitively, we recognize that emotional connection touches the heart. New research findings bring together Polyvagal Theory and the Calming Cycle Theory to better explain how our bodies are affected by our experiences and our relationships.