The Boggs Center Coordinates Annual Memorial Lecture in Honor of Lawrence T. Taft, MD, MPH, FAAP

Friday, October 24, 2025

Rutgers Health Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds. “Focusing on What Really Matters Through the Lends of Early Relational Health” by Junlei Li, PhD, Saul Zaentz Faculty Chair in Early Childhood Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Annual Memorial Lecture in honor of Lawrence T. Taft, MD, MPH, FAAP sponsored by The Boggs Center on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Photo of Junlei Li, PhD.

The Boggs Center coordinated a Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds lecture by Junlei Li, PhD, Saul Zaentz Faculty Chair in Early Childhood Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on Wednesday, October 22nd. The lecture, centered on early relational health, was held in honor of Lawrence T. Taft, MD, MPH, FAAP, who was instrumental in establishing the Department of Pediatrics at RWJMS (formerly UMDNJ) and served as the Department’s first chair. Early relational health focuses on fostering simple, ordinary interactions that occur through caregiving, play, and shared experiences. These warm, positive interactions support physical, emotional, and cognitive development and also buffer the toxic effects of childhood adversity.