Join Countway Library and the HMS Department of Global Health and Social Medicine for an author talk.

Join us for an engaging discussion with Dr. Theresa S. Betancourt, author of the newly released Shadows into Light: A Generation of Former Child Soldiers Comes of Age. In this conversation, Dr. Betancourt will share insights from her 22-year-long research on the intergenerational impacts of war-affected youth in Sierra Leone. Her study reveals a remarkable story of resilience, as former child soldiers navigate their personal journeys, highlighting the crucial role of family and community. Through vivid personal stories, Shadows into Light offers a profound look into the deep psychological and developmental effects of war and violence, while also expanding our understanding of resilience in the aftermath of conflict and how services strengthening initiatives might be crafted to leverage naturally occurring sources of strength and culturally-informed interventions to supporting the healing for children exposed to war-related separation and violence. 

Theresa Betancourt:

Theresa S. Betancourt ScD, MA, is the inaugural Salem Professor in Global Practice at the Boston College School of Social Work and Director of the Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA). Her work focuses on the psychosocial impact of adversity on children and families, resilience, and mental health services research. She is Principal Investigator of an intergenerational study of war-affected youth in Sierra Leone and leads implementation science research in Rwanda to examine strategies for scaling and sustaining quality in an evidence-based home visiting intervention to promote early childhood development and prevent violence (Sugira Muryango). Using community-based participatory research methods, she has co-developed similar family strengthening interventions for resettling refugee families in the U.S. raising school-age children. Dr. Betancourt has also served as an advisor for UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee, Amnesty International, the US Institute of Peace, and the World Health Organization, and served as an expert of the International Criminal Court.

Serhat Yildirim: (Moderator)

Serhat Yildirim, MD, is a Fulbright and Fayat Scholar currently pursuing a Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery at Harvard Medical School. He obtained his medical degree from Ghent University in Belgium.  Dr. Yildirim’s research focuses on global mental health in conflict-affected settings. Under the mentorship of Professor Theresa Betancourt, his thesis investigates the availability of mental health services for Yazidi children formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG) in northern Iraq – a decade after the genocide by ISIS. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Yildirim is affiliated with the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University and the Department of Public Health at Ghent University. He has also contributed to international initiatives, including the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the European Health Parliament. Beyond research, he has actively engaged in humanitarian missions across the MENA region, working at the intersection of global health, migration, and human rights.