Keynote Address

Sufna John, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. She specializes in infant and early childhood mental health, supporting families within the child welfare system, workforce development in infant and early childhood systems, and cross-system collaboration to support families who have experienced trauma. She supports the work of several organizations dedicated to improving the lives of young children who have experienced trauma - leading workgroups, providing training, and developing resources for ZERO TO THREE, the National Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC), and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). She leads several statewide, cross-system collaborative efforts including serving as Co-Director of the Arkansas Building Effective Services for Trauma (ARBEST -https://psychiatry.uams.edu/arbest/) and Clinical Director of the Arkansas Trauma Resource Initiative for Schools (TRIS - https://www.tris-ar.org/) programs. She is passionate about partnering with various child-serving systems (e.g., child advocacy centers, education, child welfare) to promote equitable and trauma-informed practices
for caregivers and young children.

Credentials: Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology

Allison Smith, Ph.D., is a Licensed Child Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She is a clinician at the UAMS Child Study Center, providing outpatient mental health treatment and psychological testing services. Clinically, Allison specializes in the treatment of early childhood traumatic stress. Allison is a nationally certified therapist in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and is nationally rostered in Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). She is also affiliated with the Arkansas Building Effective Services for Trauma (ARBEST) program and focuses on research and scholarly projects to enhance access to evidence-based mental health supports for Arkansan children and families who have experienced trauma. 

Credentials: Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology