Northstar School’s annual “Gifts of Hope” fundraising brunch brings together Northstar friends and supporters to celebrate the work of the school and all that we can accomplish when we align our resources in support of our children and the future of our community.

GIFTS OF HOPE
Annual Northstar Supporters’ Brunch 
Sunday, December 4, 2016, 10:00 am
with DR. RANIA AWAAD (Zaytuna College) ANNA RAINVILLE along with a presentations by Northstar students at the Fremont Marriott Hotel 46100 Landing Parkway, Fremont, 94538 (Map)

DETAILS
Complimentary Brunch (must pre-register)
Pre-registered childcare available (ages 3-10): $10 per child
Program includes brunch, performance by students, presentation of new campus, and keynote address by Dr. Rania Awaad.

EVENT SOLD OUT

Rania Awaad, M.D., is a practicing Psychiatrist based at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is a Clinical Instructor in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and pursues her clinical practice through the department’s community psychiatry track. She is also a researcher and the Director of the Stanford Muslims and Mental Health Lab where she mentors and oversees multiple lines of research focused on Muslim mental health. She completed her psychiatric residency training at Stanford Hospital and Clinics where she also pursued a postdoctoral clinical research fellowship with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Her research and clinical work are focused on the mental health needs of Muslims. She has been the recipient of several awards and grants for her work.

Through community partnerships established by the Stanford Department of Psychiatry, she is currently the Psychiatric Director of the El Camino Women’s Medical Group (Mountain View and San Jose) where she pursues her interest in women’s mental health. Additionally, through another community partnership with the Stanford Department of Psychiatry, she serves as the Clinical Director of the Bay Area branch of the Khalil Center (Santa Clara), a spiritual wellness center pioneering the application of traditional Islamic spiritual healing methods to modern clinical psychology.

Dr. Awaad also has an interest in refugee mental health and has traveled to Amman, Jordan multiple times with the Care Program for Refugees (CPR) sponsored by Al-Alusi Foundation, a local non-profit organization. She has worked on developing and presenting a “train the trainers” curriculum to aid workers and therapists in Amman working with Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Dr. Awaad is passionate about community mental health and lectures widely nationally and internationally, particularly in communities where mental health is highly stigmatized. Recently, she was invited by President Obama to present her work on Muslim Mental Health at a convening at the Department of Health in DC. Dr. Awaad received this invitation as a leader who is nationally recognized for her work on the mental health needs of Muslim populations.

Locally, she hosts a monthly meeting at Stanford for Bay Area Muslim Mental Health Professionals (BAMMHP) that facilities mentorship and networking opportunities for mental health professionals, paraprofessionals and students interested in working with the Muslim population. Her other interests include psycho-spiritual well-being and interfaith work as it relates to mental health. In this vein, Dr. Awaad co-teaches a course to Stanford Psychiatry residents entitled, “Culture and Religion in Psychiatry.”

Prior to studying medicine, Dr. Awaad pursued classical Islamic Studies in Damascus, Syria and holds certification (Ijaza) in Qur’an, Islamic Law and other branches of the Islamic Sciences. She is a Professor of Islamic Law at Zaytuna College, an American Muslim Liberal Arts College in Berkeley, CA. In addition, she serves as the Director of The Rahmah Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Muslim women and girls.

Anna Rainville has taught in public and Waldorf Schools for over thirty years, and has been a class teacher at the Waldorf School in Lexington, Massachusetts and at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula. She has taught in the Public School Institute at Rudolf Steiner College for teachers interested in integrating the arts and Waldorf methods and travels nationally as a mentor and teacher.  Her book, “Singing Games for Families, Schools and Communities,” includes dances for all ages which she presents in workshops and community gatherings coast to coast. For her work in early childhood, she was chosen outstanding teacher of the year by the California Kindergarten Association. Anna is delighted to share her love for history, grammar and music in middle school and high school blocks.

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For more info: email events@northstarschool.org, or call 510-441-1665