The subject of school violence has been widely studied, but an upcoming conference at Upstate will address the issue from a scholarly, multidisciplinary perspective.

The 5th annual Forensic Psychiatry Conference is free and takes place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9 in the auditorium at Hutchings Psychiatric Center, 810 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. People involved in mental health, medicine, nursing, health professions, education, social work or community advocacy are invited. (Reserve your seat by Aug. 6 by calling 315-464-8668 or 800-464-8668.)

The conference is lead by nationally recognized forensic psychiatrist James L. Knoll, IV, MD, and a panel of experts from Upstate Medical University, Upstate's Golisano Children's Hospital, Binghamton University and Syracuse University.

“We‘ve brought together educators and practitioners from the State University of New York system and neighboring schools to discuss promising new research and evidence-based projects,” says Knoll. “The information that we impart will bring us closer to preventing violence from occurring in our schools.” Knoll is director of the Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Forensic Fellowship Program and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Upstate and Central New York Psychiatric Center, and editor-in-chief of Psychiatric Times.

Knoll says that the workshop will cover a wide-range of topics including the NYSAFE Act; parenting as prevention in raising nonviolent children; school shootings and mental illness stigma; clinical correlates of school violence perpetrators; gun safety guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics; violence risk assessment of youth and the return to school assessments; and violence in video games.

“Those who attend the conference will have a better understanding of the complexities involved in school violence -- from gun laws to family dynamics, to personality traits of those at risk for violence," says Knoll. "They will also walk away with strategies that, when used effectively, can be successful in preventing violence from erupting in our schools."