Press Alert | Caregiving Youth: A Call to Action for Research, Education and Policy
A Lecture and Panel Discussion
When: Monday, September 22, 2025 – 9:00 to 11:00 AM (Breakfast begins at 8:30 AM)
Where: Johns Hopkins University – School of Nursing, Carpenter A and via Zoom
In 1998, Dr. Connie Siskowski established what is now the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) with its successful Caregiving Youth Project and Caregiving Youth Institute. She has received numerous awards for her work, including an Ashoka Fellowship, Purpose Prize, Distinguished Alumna Award (Johns Hopkins University), Top Ten CNN Hero, a star on Boca Raton’s Walk of Recognition, and a faculty appointment to the RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council.
Presenter:
Dr. Connie Siskowski, RN, PhD
Panelists:
Eliana Perrin, MO, MPH
Catherine Ling, PhD, MN
Kate Miller, PhD
Registration: Click here to register to attend in person or online
About Dr. Siskowski
Connie Siskowski, RN, Ph.D., Founder, and President of AACY, is an alumna of Johns Hopkins University, New York University, and Lynn University (Ph.D. in 2004). She was inspired to establish the American Association for Caregiving Youth after caregiving for her grandfather at 11 years old and then went on through her academic research to discover that family health situations often have detrimental academic effects on children. She is determined to lessen caregiver isolation by honoring their struggles and advocating for U.S. youth who may be considering dropping out of school or life due to having a family member they must care for. Through her work with AACY, she is dedicated to diminishing Caregiving Youth suffering and assisting them with the challenges they face daily. Her mission is for all caregiving youth to be acknowledged and respected so that no child must drop out of school or life due to out-of-turn family caregiving responsibilities.
In June 2009, Dr. Siskowski was awarded a lifetime Ashoka Fellowship. In October 2009, she became one of 10 Purpose Prize winners, a national endeavor honoring persons over 60 who initiated an innovative solution for social change. In September 2010, the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association presented her with the Distinguished Alumna Award. In 2011, AACY won the Palm Beach County Medical Society’s Heroes in Medicine Award for Community Outreach; later that year, Bethesda Hospital Foundation named Dr. Siskowski a Woman of Grace. In May 2012, she was named a CNN Hero, and in September 2012, was named one of the Top Ten CNN Heroes for 2012. She serves on the RAISE Family Caregiving Council of Health and Human Services faculty, among other local and national boards and committees.
Dr. Connie, as she is fondly called, has also published many research papers and been interviewed by hundreds of local and national publications.
