Dr. Susan Widmayer ’68, Health Care Advocate for Children, to Give Sower’s Seed Lecture, Thursday, October 2

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Susan M. Widmayer, Ph.D., '68

Trinity graduate Susan M. Widmayer, Ph.D., ’68, founder and executive director of the Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, will present the fourth annual Sower’s Seed lecture on Thursday, October 2, at 6:00 p.m. in Notre Dame Chapel. Widmayer, who is a licensed psychologist, will reflect on how she has brought health care to thousands of infants, children and adolescents with special health care needs. Her talk will be followed by a light reception and a spoken word presentation by Trinity students.

The Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center provides extensive developmental follow-up, medical care, comprehensive case management and early intervention services to more than 11,000 medically fragile infants, children and adolescents with disabilities and chronic illnesses in Broward County. The Center, founded by Widmayer in 1983, is the only non-university site in the nation for pediatric HIV/AIDS clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Widmayer has made substantial contributions toward the understanding of child health and development, conducting and publishing extensive studies. She mobilized local, state and federal funds to establish the Comprehensive Pediatrics AIDS Project at the Center in 1991.

Widmayer has received many awards, the most recent of which are the Outstanding Mother of 2007 awarded by the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County, the Advocate of Distinction Award, Florida’s Voice on Developmental Disabilities in 2007 and the Sun-Sentinel Publisher’s Community Service Award for Outstanding Community Leadership in 2006.

Established by Kelly Snider Dunn ’64 and her family, the Sower’s Seed program highlights alumnae who have incorporated the Catholic traditions of service and social justice that are central to the Trinity experience into their lives. The mission and teachings of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are a special gift at Trinity, and through the generosity of the Sower’s Seed Fund, Trinity is able to share these gifts with new generations of Trinity students. This lecture series plants seeds of perspective, inspiration, and invitation as the Trinity community explores the experiences of Trinity graduates who have led lives in the service of others.

During the week of the Sower’s Seed Lecture, several programs will focus on health care issues:

Forum on Health Care Access
Monday, September 29, 12 Noon, Social Hall
Meet members of the Metro DC community as they talk about the health care access issues affecting the uninsured, underinsured and undocumented residents of D.C., Maryland and Virginia.  Learn how you can be part of the solution.

Health Fair
Wednesday, October 1, 12 Noon to 6:00 p.m., O’Connor Auditorium
Learn helpful tips about holistic living from local and campus resources.

Feature Presentation: Dr. Susan Widmayer ’68
Thursday, October 2, 6:00 p.m., Notre Dame Chapel

AIDS Walk
Saturday, October 4, 8:30 a.m.
In honor of Dr. Widmayer’s work with families whose lives are affected by HIV and AIDS, and the District of Columbia’s ongoing AIDS crisis, Trinity will participate in this year’s 5K walk. In Trinity attire, meet at Freedom Plaza at Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street in downtown Washington, D.C.

TRINITY Magazine Profile of Susan Widmayer ’68: Bringing Humanity to Broward County

Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center

Sower’s Seed Lecture Series

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