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Welcome to the new IJR website

We are very excited about the new leadership in the Department of Psychiatry and the Institute for Juvenile Research. We are in an excellent position to merge the new genetics and neuroimaging research with psychosocial research recommended by the new 2009 National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine’s report entitled “Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities.” Dr. Bell has been working on this for the past three years. As this is new thought and science, we have a great deal of work to do to put this vision that will lead the future into place. We are working night and day to continue the great work that has gone on at the Institute for Juvenile Research for the past 100 years. With the help of University of Illinois at Chicago’s current leadership - President Dr. Michael J. Hogan and Chancellor Dr. Paula Allen-Mears; with the assistance of community collaborators like the Colbeths; with the guidance and wisdom of our faculty at the Institute for Juvenile Research; and with our patients who teach us - the Institute of Juvenile Research will continue its mission of “the scientific advancement of children’s mental health with emphasis on integrating research training and service,” a mission that it has been a strong steward of over the last century. 

 

Annar Kumar, M.D., Head of the Department of Psychiatry
Carl C. Bell, M.D., Director – Institute for Juvenile Research,
Department of Psychiatry
College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago


IJR Success Stories

The Institute for Juvenile Research Turns 100

The Institute for Juvenile Research (IJR) will commemorate its 100th year anniversary on
Friday, October 1, 2010. The celebration is sponsored by the College of Medicine's
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and co-sponsored by gifts
from Douglas and Margaret Colbeth, the Arnold L. Gilberg, MD, PhD Lecture and the Department of Children and Family Services of Chicago. The Institute for Juvenile Research predates the University. Read More

Tackling the big problems of Autism

Ed Cook, MD, Director, Academic Center of Excellence in Autism, IJR

“The advantage of being at IJR is being able to bring a diverse set of talents together to tackle the big problems.”

The Autism Center of Excellence, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and led by Dr. Edwin Cook, is focusing some of the best minds in child mental health on unraveling the mystery of why children with autism respond so differently to the same treatments. For many autistic children, proper medications and behavioral interventions can make a world of difference. But for about one-third of autistic children, success remains stubbornly elusive. Read More

It taught me you just don’t quit ...

Jaleel Abdul-Adil, PhD, Associate Director, School Age Program IJR

What excites Jaleel Abdul-Adil about IJR beyond the intellectual challenge is that it brings all the power of proven interventions and innovations to families like that of a young boy and his aunt who showed up at IJR. They were desperate for help and had few options left. The boy, abused as a child, had bounced among foster homes and eventually landed with his aunt. He set fires, he pulled knives, he wanted to run away—and he was only seven.

IJR was committed to finding a strategy for this boy and his family. Abdul-Adil and his colleagues combined family therapy with individual therapy. They decreased the number of medications he was taking and used a more up-to-date and tailored regime. “It taught me the importance of an ecological approach—one that takes into account the home, family, and school. It’s the whole story that matters.” For Abdul-Adil, his work at IJR is more than just compassion, it’s about accountability. “I’m a participant provider. I have my own kids and I know how tough it is. I am part of the community I serve, part of the culture of the neighborhood. My reputation follows me.” Read More