Mercy College of Health Sciences will host their 15th Annual Research Symposium virtually on Monday, April 5. This year’s topic is Child Trafficking: Issues and Challenges.

The virtual event consists of an array of experts who will be speaking and then participating in a Q&A session that follows the event. Dr. Stephen P. O’Meara, who served as an Assistant Iowa Attorney General, is scheduled to speak. Dr. O’Meara has also served as a major-case-litigator with emphasis on child abuse and neglect, mental health, organized-crime drug trafficking, and human trafficking.

Teresa Davidson ARNP, MSN, MA will also speak and is the Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator at Mercy Medical Center. Davidson is co-founder and current president of Chains Interrupted, an organization fighting against the evils of human trafficking.

The event’s keynote speaker is Dr. Jordan Greenbaum who is a child abuse physician. Dr. Greenbaum is also the Medical Director of the Global Health and Well-being Initiative with the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and serves as the Medical Director of the Institute on Healthcare and Human Trafficking at the Stephanie Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The event is sponsored by the Mercy College of Health Sciences Research Advisory Council and co-sponsored by the Mercy College Alumni Association.

“Among institutions of higher education nationwide, Mercy College has been a leader in promoting awareness of, and responding to, the societal evil of human trafficking. Our Research Symposium, featuring world and statewide experts, is a tremendous opportunity for us to focus on the issues and challenges concerning child exploitation,”
stated Dr. Joe Moravec, member of the Mercy College Research Advisory Council.

The Research Symposium webinar is free to all attendees. Registration is limited to the first 500 registrants and is open through April 5.

About Mercy College of Health Sciences
Mercy College of Health Sciences is the only private Catholic college in central Iowa and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Located in downtown Des Moines, Mercy College prepares graduates for service and leadership in the healthcare community with a wide range of bachelor, associate, and certificate programs. Mercy College’s liberal arts and sciences education develops compassionate caregivers and leaders. Visit www.mchs.edu or call (515) 643-3180 to learn more.