On April 24, Brooklyn College President Michelle J. Anderson and Professor Jacqueline Shannon will join leading clinicians, researchers, advocates, community leaders, and students for the Second Annual Perinatal Mental Health Summit, a day-long event focused on advancing maternal and reproductive mental health care for parents, infants, and families.
Titled “Relational Beginnings: Advancing Perinatal Mental Health for Parents, Infants, and Families,” the summit focuses on perinatal grief and the postpartum experience, as well as maternal and paternal mental health, with attention to the importance of father support. It also highlights dyadic and reflective group interventions informed by relational and attachment-based approaches, and culturally responsive, trauma-informed care with a focus on Latina mothers and families in underserved families.
This event will again be co-hosted with United for Brownsville and held at the Greg Jackson Center for Brownsville, one of New York City’s communities most impacted by disparities in maternal health, and underscores Brooklyn College’s commitment to addressing the perinatal mental health crisis through education, community partnership, and workforce development.
Last year’s event drew more than 200 community members, clinicians, educators, students and others and was held in partnership with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, the New York City Health Department, and United for Brownsville. The landmark event featured more than a dozen interdisciplinary health and mental health experts and served as a crucial platform to address one of the most urgent health care challenges facing Brooklyn and the nation today. Details on that event can be found here. Register for the Second Annual Perinatal Mental Health Summit here.
The summit will be preceded by a Presidential Lecture Series event on April 23 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, featuring Michelle J. Anderson and Liz Dozier, Founder and CEO of Chicago Beyond, who has spent her career working tirelessly to support communities by disrupting inequity. More details and registration can be found here.
Second Annual Brooklyn College Perinatal Mental Health Summit in Brownsville
What:
Second Annual Brooklyn College Perinatal Mental Health Summit: Relational Beginnings: Advancing Perinatal Mental Health for Parents, Infants, and Families
When:
Friday, April 24, 2026
8:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where:
The Greg Jackson Center for Brownsville
519 Rockaway Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11212
Program highlights
- Welcome Remarks from Michelle J. Anderson, President of Brooklyn College
- Opening Remarks by midwifery and maternal health leader Helena A. Grant
- Keynote Address by Dr. Solimar Santiago-Warner, focusing on Perinatal Grief and the Postpartum Body
- Panel: Fathers Matter: Perinatal Mental Health, Partnership, and Early Relationships
- Featuring experts from Seleni Institute, Bellenbaum Consulting, and Montefiore Einstein Hospital
- Presentation: Dyadic psychotherapy and reflective groups led by Silvia Juarez-Marazzo and Paola Amaya-Rodriquez at Chances for Children
- Panel: Latina Mothers and Perinatal Mental Health: Barriers, Culture, and Pathways to Care
- Featuring voices of Latina perinatal clinicians from Mount Sinai Hospital and the Hispanic Federation
- Closing Remarks by Dr. Ashanda Saint-Jean, Associate Professor of OB/GYN, New York Medical College
