Lunch & Learn – From Science to Support: Turning Research into Everyday Emotional Wellness Tools

How can we turn complex research on child mental healthinto simple, practical tools families and providers can actually use? In this virtual Lunch & Learn, Bryn Loftness, researcher and founder of Biobe, will share how her team translates cutting-edge biobehavioral science intotools that nurture children’s emotional wellness—starting with SproutFoundations, a 50-strategy toolkit developed for families and pediatric settings. Participants will learn about the science behind these tools, see them in action through a few quick examples, and explore Biobe’s free online decision framework for matching strategies to common emotional or behavioralchallenges. Bryn will also share real-world stories and early successes from families and clinicians using these approaches and provide follow-up materials for continued learning and application.

Learn more about Biobe at www.biobe.org and about Bryn at www.brynloftness.com.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this virtual session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe how evidence-based research on child emotional wellness is translated into practical, family-friendly tools.
2. Identify how Biobe’s Sprout Foundations toolkit can support early emotional health and care coordination across home and clinical settings.
3. Practice 1–3 actionable techniques for supporting children through worries, outbursts, and attention challenges.
4. Explore Biobe’s free online decision framework for matching strategies to common emotional or behavioral needs.
5. Hear real-world examples and early success stories of how families and clinicians are applying these approaches.
6. Access follow-up materials and resources for continued learning and application after the event.

Speaker Bio

Bryn C. Loftness is a researcher, founder, and PhD candidate in Complex Systems & Data Science at the University of Vermont, where her work focuses on pediatricmental health, biobehavioral sensing, and translational design. She co-founded Biobe, a Vermont-based company that transforms scientific research into practical, family-centered tools supporting children’s emotional wellness—beginning with SproutFoundations, a 50-strategy toolkit designed to strengthen emotional regulation and resilience.

An Editor’s Pick TEDx speaker with more than 40,000views, Bryn is known for translating complex science into accessible, human-centered stories. Her multidisciplinary work bridges technology, psychology, and community engagement, and she collaborates with NAMI Vermont, visiting middle and high schools across the state to help students and educators build understanding and reduce stigma around mental health. Her advocacy, research, and entrepreneurial efforts have been supported by theNational Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, UVM SPARK, Vermont Ventures, and the LaunchVT program. Her mission is to make evidence-based tools approachable and actionable—empowering families, educators, and clinicians to act early and collaboratively in supporting children’s mental health.