Students and faculty at IFTA 2024
By School of Behavioral Health - August 27, 2024

This past April, students and professors from the Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health traveled to Toyama, Japan to represent our school at the International Family Therapy Association Congress. We were able to catch up with Cassie Haro, a student in the PhD in Systems, Families, & Couples program to ask her about her experience going to Japan and presenting her research to family scientists and marital & family therapists from across the globe.

As an active student and working therapist, going to Japan presented some challenges—especially because the trip was in the middle of the academic quarter! "Attending an international conference like IFTA required a lot of planning and coordination for me because I still had classes to attend back home and had to be mindful of the 16-hour time difference between California and Japan," Cassie shared. "Fortunately, my professors were supportive and accommodating. I will never forget attending my Advanced Family Theory class online from the roof of my hotel and seeing the views of pale pink cherry blossoms scattered throughout the city before me. A memory of my academic career I will always cherish."

This support went beyond Cassie's professors: fellow students and members of the Department of Counseling & Family Sciences stepped up to help all of the IFTA-bound students prepare for their presentations. "It was my first time presenting at a conference, and I worked hard to create a presentation that I hoped would be interesting and valuable to the field of family therapy. I was pleased with how it turned out and grateful to my academic advisor, who helped me navigate my first conference experience. My fellow LLU PhD classmates also presented their work at IFTA, and their dedication to their specific research topic was inspiring and showcased LLU's vision of transforming lives through education, healthcare, and research."

But it wasn't all poster sessions and PowerPoints for Cassie and the other LLU community members who went to Toyama. Everyone had an opportunity to experience the culture and flavors that Japan had to offer.

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Student Cassie Haro at IFTA 2024

Photo: Cassie Haro

"It was my first time visiting Japan, and what better way to experience a country than by trying its delicious foods. The ramen was out of this world, and each region of Japan has its own version of the soup, so of course, it was my mission to eat as much ramen as possible. In Toyama Prefecture, where IFTA took place, I had a Black Soy Sauce Raman that had won the 'Tokyo Ramen Show' five times! It was delicious and truly unique."

LLU regularly sends students like Cassie to conferences both at home and abroad, presenting new research about topics ranging from the healthcare needs of diverse populations to cutting-edge interventions in fields from medicine to dentistry to marital & family therapy. The keen interest in research and sharing knowledge is just one way that the students and faculty at LLU continue our mission "To Make Man Whole."

Written by Peter Epstein, MS, Systems, Families, & Couples PhD student