WASHINGTON (Aug. 15, 2016)  - Dr. Joseph Wright, a leading pediatrician at Howard University, spoke at the Federal Bullying Prevention Summit Kick-Off event at the White House on Aug. 11. He discussed what schools, states, and communities are doing to create safe environments for kids.

Dr. Wright is professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the Howard University College of Medicine. He served as inaugural chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Violence Prevention Subcommittee and lead author of the Academy’s policy statement on the role of the pediatrician in bullying and violence prevention.

 “The exposure of all children to the effects of bullying as a victim, perpetrator or bystander is pervasive and needs to be fully appreciated and addressed,” Dr. Wright said. “While we are still gaining a complete scientific understanding of the depth of the health and behavioral health consequences of bullying behavior, for the sake of our children, we simply can no longer afford to accept or tolerate its presence in our society.”

As a leading pediatrician, Dr. Wright and has been recognized as an effective advocate throughout his career. As pediatrics chairman at Howard University, he is charged with advancing child health research and clinical services for children as well as expanding advocacy initiatives. Dr. Wright joined Howard University in 2014.

The Federal Bullying Prevention Summit focuses on the strategies schools, students, parents, and community members can use to ensure that all students, particularly those who may be discriminated on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and religion, have supportive educational environments within which to learn.  This year’s federal summit is placing special emphasis on the issues facing transgender youth, students with disabilities, as well as Muslim and Sikh students.

For media inquiries, contact Sholnn Freeman, Howard University communications, sholnn.freeman@howard.edu