Our Presenter

Kimara Gustafson, M.D., M.P.H., is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, Department of Pediatrics. Her training includes MD and MPH (focus area Maternal and Child Health) from the University of Minnesota.  Her professional areas of interests include special health care needs of adoptive children and children who have experience in the foster care system, socio-emotional trauma impact on development, racial and cultural social identity development for trans-racially adoptive or foster care children, and racial discrimination among historically marginalized youth in the United States. As her work continues to evolve, she is now exploring additional tools and methods to continue to best support, encourage and empower children and their families to ensure they can reach their fullest potential. Additional passions include mentorship, coaching and providing professional support to those around her. 

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Positive Identity Development for Transracial/Transcultural Composed Families

The main goals of the talk will be to describe/define the Paradox of Transracial/transcultural composed families.  We will review Racial Identity Development Through the Early Life Ages and how it can potentially impact later childhood and early adult stages. We will then discuss how to continue to move from the “color-blind” to a “positive racial/cultural identity formation” model for the child and broader family system.