While Violence, Abuse and Trauma Tear Communities Apart, IVAT Brings Leading Experts Together

Newswise — Football Hall of Fame member Herschel Walker is the author of the dramatic memoir, Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Walker played for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles, retiring in 1997 having gained more yards than anyone in professional football history. By writing his book, Herschel took the brave step of putting a public face on DID, working to reverse some public stereotypes of the disorder. A successful businessman, Herschel has long given back to communities, and regularly speaks to children and underserved groups about positive lifestyle choices. And yes, he does do 1000 sit-ups before breakfast!

Christine Brautigam, Chief, Women's Rights Section, Division for the Advancement of Women in Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations joined the UN in 1993. She was part of the team that organized the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, in 1995. A lawyer by training, Ms. Brautigam has focused on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and eliminating violence against women. Ms. Brautigam worked on an in-depth study of violence against women that was presented to the General Assembly of the United Nations in October 2006.

As Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), United States Department of Justice, Jan E. Langbein guides and evaluates OVW's grant program process and supports the Director on policy issues concerning implementation of the Violence Against Women Act. For over 20 years, Ms. Langbein has been an activist in efforts to end violence against women. Since 1991 and prior to joining OVW, she served as Executive Director of Genesis Women's Shelter in Dallas.

Eric Hickey, PhD, IVAT Board Chair and Director of the Center for Forensic Studies at Alliant International University comments, "By presenting the latest innovations and research related to violence, abuse and trauma, we intend to make a difference today and tomorrow in our communities. With leaders like Herschel, Christine, and Jan, along with many other experts at the conference, we feel confident that many will benefit--not only potential victims, but also first responders: our police, fire, social workers and more."

About IVAT: IVAT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for those affected by violence, abuse, and trauma by providing professional training and information dissemination on a local, national, and international level. http://www.ivatcenters.org

About Alliant International University: Alliant International University is a private nonprofit WASC-accredited university celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. Founded in San Diego as Balboa College, Alliant now includes the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and the former United States international University (USIU). CSPP counts roughly half the licensed psychologists in California as its alumni and is celebrating its 40th anniversary. USIU has tens of thousands of alumni worldwide. www.alliant.edu