CHIBOW ESRs Present Preliminary Results at Chicago Conference

From 7-11 November 2017, ESRs Kimberley Anderson and Sophie Roupetz travelled to Chicago, to attend the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, 33rd Annual Conference. Here they were joined by CHIBOW Director of Training, Heide Glaesmer, from the University of Leipzig.

The conference, which promised a full programme focusing on psychological trauma and research in this field, with a special emphasis on this year’s theme: from self to cells, included presentations by many prolific researchers, who gave updates on their work, and advice on treating clinical populations.

Kimberley and Sophie were among the poster presenters at the conference, outlining preliminary results from their PhD projects on children born of sexual violence during and after WWII, and during conflicts of the present day. Dr Glaesmer also presented some large-scale data on German Occupation Children, gathered by researchers at the University of Leipzig on her poster, from which Sophie recruited her interview partners.

Set at the picturesque Palmer House Hotel in Chicago’s main ‘Loop’, both ESRs were able to attend many different sessions on the subject of trauma, and were particularly drawn to the panels that presented qualitative data and those with a focus on refugees and displaced persons.

The opening Key Note speech was given by Lifetime Achievement Award winner Prof. Joop de Jong of Amsterdam University, and the meeting closed with a spectacular performance by Modern Warrior Live - a musical drama of a combat veteran’s story.

Photo take from website: ©Modern Warrior Live

link to video

Kimberley and Sophie were able to make new contacts working in similar fields and take away many considerations for their own research, and both hope to make it back to the conference in the future, with the final results of their PhDs.

“I enjoyed the atmosphere at the conference so much. It’s a great space to get up-to-date with the research in my field, and really learn from the best. The sessions were incredibly broad so there was much to explore. It is energising to be surrounded by like-minded people who can teach so much about the process of research, in a sometimes challenging field.”

- Kimberley

“Although social media is of high importance to connect with researchers working in your field, I do see to meet and chat with presenters in person and sharing results still as of incomparable value.”

- Sophie

For a copy of Kimberley’s poster, please send an email to k.anderson@reiniervanarkel.nl

For a copy of Sophie’s poster, please send an email to Sophie.Roupetz@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.