Speaker:Kelsey Martin, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, SFARI, Simons Foundation Neuroscience Collaborations 

This presentation will provide a history and overview of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), the nation’s largest private funder of autism research. SFARI’s activities include convening, grantmaking and resource-building all aimed at increasing the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum. Dr. Martin will review advances made in elucidating the genetic architecture of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and will provide examples of research that is beginning to provide insights into specific features of ASD. A focus of her talk will be on the power of community-participatory research, which brings the autism community together with autism researchers. Learn more and register. 

About the speaker
Kelsey C. Martin, M.D., Ph.D., is the executive vice president of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) and the Simons Foundation Neuroscience Collaborations. She also is a professor of biological chemistry and psychiatry at UCLA, where her research lab studies the molecular and cell biology of long-term memory, with a focus on how experience alters gene expression to change connectivity between neurons. Dr. Martin served as dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA from 2015-2021. She received her B.A. in English from Harvard University and her M.D. and Ph.D. at Yale University and did post-doctoral research training with Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel at Columbia University. Dr. Martin is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.

Successful Completion of this activity, which includes participating in the educational offering, participating in the evaluation process and completing the verification of attendance, enables the learner to satisfy the requirements for continuing education. Learn more about continuing education credit for this event.