PSU lecture series to feature pediatric mental health specialist Dr. Beril Bayrak Bulucu

PLYMOUTH — Plymouth State University will host the first Saul O. Sidore lecture of its 2024-25 series on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., when Dr. Beril Bayrak Bulucu will present “Cultivating Resilience: A broad perspective on trauma, resilience and early childhood mental health.” The free lecture will explore various aspects of resilience, trauma and trauma prevention from an interdisciplinary perspective. It will take place in Smith Recital Hall of the Silver Center for the Arts on the PSU campus.

The lecture will be preceded in the Silver Center by an opening reception from 6–7 p.m. for PSU’s Museum of the White Mountains’ “Echoes of Resilience: Unveiling Stories of Devastation, Survival, and Hope” exhibition.

In her lecture, Bayrak Bulucu, a pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, will explore how biology, childhood development, physical and mental health, and environmental factors directly influence a person’s ability to build resilience. She will discuss the importance of early childhood relationships in developing resilience, while also exploring how storytelling can help create meaning and foster resilience at both individual and community levels.

Bayrak Bulucu has more than 20 years of experience in primary care and a background in infant mental health. As an infant mental health clinical mentor, she offers national and international training in infant and early childhood mental health and trauma prevention.

In addition to her clinical work, Bayrak Bulucu is also a co-founder of the Zeru Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting underserved communities, especially women, parents and children through education and leadership programs. She is actively involved in earthquake relief projects in Turkey, her native country, which focuses on trauma-informed caregiver training and fostering community-wide collaborations for disaster relief.

The Sidore lecture series committee is sponsoring the “Echoes of Resilience” exhibition, which showcases stories uncovered by the Zeru Foundation during their visits to communities that were impacted by the earthquakes that stuck Turkey and Syria in February 2023. The exhibit features artifacts and narratives that showcase the spirit of those affected by the earthquakes.

Named for humanitarian and New Hampshire businessman Saul O. Sidore, the lecture series brings a variety of speakers to PSU to address critical issues and events in politics, society and culture, on topics that reflect Sidore’s interests. The Saul O Sidore Lecture series is open to the public, but reservations are recommended. Unless otherwise noted, lectures take place in the Smith Recital Hall in the Silver Center for the Arts in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

The “Echoes of Resilience” exhibition will be on display until Saturday, Nov. 9.

For more information, visit campus.plymouth.edu/sidore