CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Department of Paediatrics at Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Pimpri, Pune, in association with the Maharashtra Adolescent Health Academy (MAHA-AHA), successfully hosted the First West Zone and First Maharashtra State Conference on Adolescent Health, titled ADOLESCON 2025. With the theme “Empowering Adolescents: Transforming Futures,” the two-day event witnessed participation from over 500 attendees (256 in person and 261 online), including health experts, educators, parents and PG students, for multi-disciplinary discussions on adolescent health and development.
The conference opened with a Youth Workshop, inaugurated by Dr. A. Rekha (Dean, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Pimpri, Pune), who was felicitated as the Chief Guest. Other dignitaries including Dr. Jayant Pandharikar (EB, West Zone, Central IAP) and Dr. Shailaja Mane (Professor and HOD of Paediatrics, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Pimpri, Pune) shared insights on the importance of adolescent-focused healthcare. The first day featured several impactful programs. A special paediatric workshop for postgraduate students from Paediatric provided academic and clinical exposure in adolescent health. A School Health Program, coordinated by Dr. Shradha Salunkhe, was conducted at Global International School, engaging over 150 students in sessions on mental well-being, social media behaviour, and decision-making.
Another key initiative was Empower Yuva, a session led by Dr. Sangeeta Lodha, which addressed key aspects of youth wellness, including physical, digital, sexual, and psychosocial health. The program was interactive and focused on empowering adolescents with tools for better self-awareness and resilience. Simultaneously, a session titled “Parenteening: for Parents of Teenagers” was conducted for parents, with a turnout of around 120–150 attendees, addressing practical parenting strategies and enhancing parent-adolescent communication. The event was led by Dr. Jayant Pandarekar.
The Youth Workshop included over 40 expert-led sessions, conducted in hybrid mode, covering essential topics such as psychosocial development, identity formation, hormonal changes and behavioural concerns like delayed puberty and peer influence. Speakers such as Dr. Mahesh Sulakshane, Dr. Vinita Pande and Dr. Kiran Vaswani focused on mental health, suicide prevention, reproductive health and adolescent violence etc.
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