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Teen pregnancy prevention strategies are program theme
Michael Gurian Dr. Edward Smith Tamara Kreinin Dr. Judith R. Vicary Dr. Carl A. Kallgren III	More than 200 educators, counselors, legislators, school administrators, researchers, health care professionals, social services providers, clergy and others in the field of adolescent development gathered at Penn State for the third annual conference on Teen Pregnancy: Public Issue, Personal Challenge. Conference participants explored innovative teen pregnancy prevention programs and services aimed at empowering young men and women to make healthy choices about their sexuality. The program also featured presentations on approaches for involving parents in teen pregnancy prevention education programs, ways to engage adolescent boys and men in pregnancy prevention efforts, and strategies to build community teen pregnancy prevention coalitions and initiatives. Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development sponsored the conference with the Pennsylvania Coalition to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The Penn State Children, Youth and Families Consortium also collaborated on the program. Among the presenters were: Michael Gurian, psychotherapist, educator and author of the best-selling book The Wonder of Boys, was the featured speaker for the conference. He discussed “Why Boys Are the Way They Are.” Dr. Edward Smith, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, presented a session on program evaluation with graduate student Susan Potter. Smith is directing a four-year project to evaluate Pennsylvania’s abstinence education programs, funded by a $572,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. He is evaluating programs serving 13,000 youth at 24 sites throughout the state. Tamara Kreinin, director of state and local affairs for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in Washington, D.C., gave an update on her organization’s activities. Dr. Judith R. Vicary, professor of behavioral health at Penn State, and her team of graduate students, presented their research on the “Outcomes of Teen Sexuality and Pregnancy.” Dr. Carl A. Kallgren III, associate professor of psychology at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, discussed Erie County’s comprehensive plan for reducing teen pregnancies, with colleagues Charlotte Berringer, Erie County Department of Health, and Judith M. Lynch, Erie County executive. Interest in the Teen Pregnancy conferences is growing. The first conference drew 100 participants, and the second attracted 140 participants. The fourth conference in the series is planned for Nov. 9 and 10. An outreach program of the College of Health and Human Development and the Penn State Children, Youth and Families Consortium