James J Hudziak

Known internationally for his work in the psychiatric genetics of child and adolescent behavior Dr. Hudziak is the Director of the VCCYF at Fletcher Allen Health Care and University of Vermont’s College of Medicine. He is Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Pediatrics at UVM; having previously trained at the University of Minnesota for medical school and Washington University in St. Louis for general psychiatry and a child fellowship. He holds a special professorship at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam at Sophia Children’s Hospital and is an Adjunct Professor in Child Psychiatry at Dartmouth College of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis Missouri. Dr. Hudziak has published over 130 peer-reviewed publications from these, and other investigations. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Chair of the Health Promotion and Prevention Committee, and was named Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. He has won the medical student teacher of the year award three times, resident academic teacher of the year, and in 2010 was awarded UVM highest honor, the University Scholar Award. He holds NIMH, Dutch and National Healthcare Group – Singapore (NHG) grants for his research in genetic epidemiology of childhood disorders. His funded studies include phenotypic, endophenotypic, and molecular genetic studies of child psychopathology. He has a number of studies in sports concussion (ice hockey) using his experience in neuroimaging and genetics. Dr. Hudziak combines research from his work here at the University of Vermont (UVM) as well as from his international collaborations with Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, and the Montreal Neurologic Institute in an attempt to explain how environmental factors influence genetic function, and ultimately brain development, this research focuses on the science of genetic and environmental influences on developmental psychopathology and wellness with special emphasis on the Vermont Family Based Approach (VFBA), a health care reform model he pioneered at UVM and Fletcher Allen. Dr. Hudziak is the creator of a health promotion and illness prevention treatment program entitled, The Vermont Family Based Approach: The Approach is the direct result of his 20+ years in genetics and neuroscience and is based on the simple fact that the best way to promote health in children and families is to help the family. All families deserve and need to have the basic understanding of how to promote health. The VFBA has at is core, Family Wellness Coaches, who work with families on developing strategies to raise healthy children. These coaches are expert in nutrition, exercise, parenting techniques, music training, and reading programs. They are skilled at identifying strengths in families and coaching to those strengths. In addition, Focused Family Coaches work with all family members to make sure that all emotional behavioral problems are identified and treated regardless of the age of the family members. Dr. Hudziak’ s approach is being used in clinics around the world and it is his goal to have it used more broadly in the State of Vermont. He argues simply: “All health emerges from good emotional behavioral health, and our program embraces the responsibility of promoting health in families”.