On September 18, 2017, the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health held its first annual Encore Conference. The Encore conference provided an opportunity for participants to learn about work related to school and/or child health that CSCH affiliates had presented previously at external conferences. It included a poster “encore” session (sharing work already presented in another setting) and active networking.

The conference was open to all people that were CSCH affiliates (faculty, postdocs, students, community partners) and reflected the truly multidisciplinary nature of the Collaboratory, with affiliates in attendance from six different UConn schools and colleges, 17 different UConn departments, two UConn Centers, and five community organizations/schools. Following a welcome from CSCH Steering Committee member Jennifer McGarry, affiliates were given the opportunity to peruse posters, network, and find collaborators for those interested in making seed grant pitches. Participants then reconvened to hear 12 different groups of people make 3-minute pitches for a CSCH seed grant competition. Using an online voting tool, participants then voted for the favorite pitches. The top five winners will move on to stage 2 and were:

1. Drs. Rebecca A. Campbell (Curriculum and Instruction), Ruth Lucas (Nursing), Miriam Valdovinos (Social Work)
Pitch: Migrant Advocates Broker Healthcare Access: Breastfeeding and Domestic Violence Implications?

2. Drs. Rory McGloin (Communication, UConn) and Jaci Van Heest (Kinesiology, UConn)
Pitch: Gearing up! Using Exergaming to Impact Health in Overweight Children

3. Dr Carolyn Lin (Communication), Dr. Valerie Duffy (Allied Health Sciences), and Sue Peters (Director of School Health Center for New Haven Public Schools)
Pitch: Clinical and mobile-technology engagement to improve student well-being and attendance

4. Dr. Lisa Sanetti (Educational Psychology)
Pitch: Piloting the Healthy Workplace Participatory Program to address Educator Stress

5. Students Frank Amaefuna and Samuel Schick (Physiology and Neurobiology)
Pitch: Concussion App in High School

Final stage 2 winners will be announced in November 2017.