title: Academy on Violence and Abuse: highlights of proceedings from the 2011 conference, "toward a new understanding".
abstract: In April 2011, the Academy on Violence Abuse (http://www.avahealth.org/) convened a network of experts for its second annual conference, "Developing the Science of Violence and Abuse: Toward a New Understanding." The conference served as a forum for highlighting the growing body of research regarding the biological consequences and adverse health consequences of abuse. In doing so, it underscored an important scientific premise: By evaluating the impact of violence and abuse from birth to death, one can better evaluate the social, behavioral, psychological, and biological context and pathways that result in the morbidity, mortality, and quality of life of all affected individuals and communities. In this article, we summarize content presented by the conference's keynote speakers and provide citations that speakers have submitted to support their statements.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Firearm and Injury Center at Penn, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Cronholm
authors.forename: Tasneem
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ismailji
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mettner
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes; D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans
keywords: child abuse; cultural contexts; domestic violence; elder abuse; violence exposure