Childhood violence symposium set

"Guns in the Hands of Children" will be the subject of the 6th annual Childhood Violence Symposium April 15, sponsored by the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the University Inn & Conference Center, 2401 N. Forest Road, Getzville. Children's Hospital of Buffalo, part of Kaleida Health, will be co-sponsor. The registration fee is $50 for physicians, which includes five hours of continuing medical education credit, and $35 for non-physicians.

Morning sessions will be devoted to lectures, while the afternoon will feature six workshops. The symposium is intended for parents and professionals working directly with children.

Lecture times and topics are:

- 8:35-9:30 a.m.: "Epidemiology of Firearm Injuries: An Update," M. Denise Dowd of Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo.
- 9:30-10:15 a.m.: "Firearm Injury Prevention for Children and Adolescents," Murray Katcher, University of Wisconsin Medical Center
- 10:45-11:30 a.m.: "The Role of Firearms in Homicides and Other Serious Crimes of Violence Committed by Juveniles," Charles Ewing, professor of law, UB Law School, and author of "Kids Who Kill."
- 11:30 a.m. to noon: "Dealing Effectively After the Homicide," Laura Davis-Jackson of Buffalo, president of D.E.A.T.H.

Topics of afternoon workshops will be "Straight Talk About Risks Programs," "Legislative Efforts Within New York State," "Guns in Schools," "Survivors of Firearm Injuries," "Media's Role in Firearm Injuries" and "Preventing Unintentional Injuries." Workshops will be led by the guest lecturers, plus David Bass, director of the Center to Prevent Hand Gun Violence; Mary Lou Rath, New York State senator; Barbara Hohlt and Katrina Johnstone, chair and vice president, respectively, of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, and Esther Miller of WGRZ-TV.