Geneva Centre International Symposium on Autism 2010
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Keynote 1 & 2 - From Early Identification to Best Outcomes: An Overview of Implications Current Research and Practice
Program Code:
040
Date:
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Time:
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
EST
SPEAKER
(S):
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Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. is Research Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chief Science Officer at Autism Speaks. Dawson also holds the positions of Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at University of Washington.
Dawson received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, specializing in neurodevelopmental disorders. She has been licensed as a clinical psychologist since 1980.
From 1996-2007, Dawson was Founding Director of the University of Washington Autism Center, designated an NIH Autism Center of Excellence, where she lead a multi-disciplinary autism research program focusing on genetics, neuroimaging, diagnosis, and treatment, and oversaw a treatment center for children and adolescents with autism. Dawson has published extensively on autism spectrum disorders, focusing on early detection and intervention, brain dysfunction (electrophysiology), and genetic studies. In collaboration with Sally Rogers, Dawson developed and empirically-validated the Early Start Denver Model, a comprehensive early intervention program for young children with autism. Dawson has testified before the U.S. Senate on behalf of individuals with autism and played a key role on the Washington State Autism Task Force.
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Nancy Minshew, M.D., is the director of the NIH Autism Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh, director of Pitt’s Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network site and a professor of psychiatry and neurology at Pitt’s School of Medicine. As an internationally known expert in the cognitive, neurological and genetic bases of autism, Dr. Minshew’s groundbreaking research has put the University of Pittsburgh on the map as a national leader in this ever-evolving field. Her research for more than 25 years has focused on increasing the understanding of the cognitive and brain basis of autism, which has led to the conceptualization of autism as a disorder of information processing and brain connectivity. Dr. Minshew received her medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine and was trained as a behavioral child neurologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
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Description
Outline of Presentation:
Dr Geraldine Dawson and Dr. Nancy Minshew open the Symposium with an in-depth view of current research, from early identification to best outcomes in adults. Their presentations will include current findings on genetic links, sibling studies and cognitive development. By combining their expertise, Drs. Dawson and Minshew will ensure that participants receive an overview of the most current issues in the field of autism and are well prepared for the balance of sessions being presented at the conference.