UNC School of Medicine's Laura Klinger, PhD, distinguished professor in psychiatry, Jason Stein, PhD, associate professor of genetics, and Joseph Piven, MD, distinguished professor of psychiatry, were awarded two grants from the NIH's Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI).
These research programs, which will research autism service needs and the genetic-environmental factors that affect autism risk, demonstrate the breadth and depth of autism expertise within the new Carolina Institute for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities.
Improving Mental Health Through Service
Laura Klinger, PhD
Outcomes for autistic adults are often characterized by low rates of employment and community participation, and high rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality.
Klinger, who is a clinical psychologist and executive director of the UNC TEACCH Autism Program, will examine the service use and needs of autistic adults to understand how the act of connecting autistic adults with jobs and other service opportunities affects mental health, quality of life, and community participation.
The project's goal is to inform public health and service system design and implementation to address the care needs of the rapidly growing numbers of autistic adults.
Klinger's project will be carried out in collaboration with autistic adults, family members, and service providers from across the country and research collaborates across six sites including UNC, Drexel University, George Washington University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Wisconsin, and Children's National Medical Center over the next three years.
Genetic and Environmental Factors in Autism Risk
Jason Stein, PhD
Research has shown that autism risk is influenced by both genetics and environmental factors, such as exposure to air pollution, pesticides, or heavy metals.
Stein, who is an expert on genetics and brain development at the UNC Neuroscience Center, will study human-derived brain models from autistic and non-autistic children derived from a large longitudinal study led by Piven to determine if short and long-term exposure to six common environmental toxicants influence autism risk.
The goal of the ADSI is to explore novel contributors and/or to characterize the collective contributions of numerous factors to the causation of autism and their potential role in increasing the prevalence of autism, as well as an understanding of the service needs for autistic people across the lifespan.
The NIH funded 13 research projects through its $50 million initiative - with two of the awards going to the UNC School of Medicine.
