Scientific Workshop Summary: Risk Factors January 18, 2008
The workshop chair, Daniel Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D. said that participants at the Risk Factor workshop began with a brief, general discussion but then divided into two groups-one that focused primarily on genetics and another that dealt with epidemiology and environmental issues. The research initiatives developed concerned topics such as: 'deep phenotyping' of relatively homogeneous groups with known risk factors/etiology for ASD; risk factors during preconception, prenatal, and perinatal periods; the interplay of genetic and environmental factors and susceptibility to these factors; developmental trajectories of ASD across the lifespan; special populations for whom an exposure(s) could provide information on ASD risk; development of better genomic databases and bioinformatics systems; and use of prevalence assessment systems to analyze time trends in ASD prevalence.
Presentations of the Workshop Chairs to the Strategic Planning Workgroup (February 2008)
Risk Factors Workshop Participants
| Daniel Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D. Chair Professor of Neurology University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine |
Craig Newschaffer, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatics Drexel University School of Public Health |
| Laura Bono SafeMinds |
Isaac Pessah, Ph.D. Professor, Molecular Biosciences University of California, Davis |
| Maja Bucan, Ph.D. Professor of Genetics University of Pennsylvania |
Joseph Piven, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Lisa Croen, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist Kaiser Permanente Division of Research |
Matthew State, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor Yale School of Medicine, Child Study Center |
| Cindy Lawler, Ph.D. Scientific Program Director, Extramural Division National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |
Ezra Susser, M.D., Dr. P.H. Professor and Chair, Epidemiology Columbia University |
| David Ledbetter, Ph.D. Human Genetics Emory University School of Medicine |
Edwin Trevathan, M.D., M.P.H. Director, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| Eric London, M.D. Director, Autism Treatment Research Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities |
Christopher Walsh, M.D., Ph.D. Chief, Division of Genetics, Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School |
