IJR Academic Centers for Excellence
Academic Center of Excellence in Autism
Interdisciplinary Studies of Insistence on Sameness (IS) in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Director: Edwin H. Cook, Jr., MD
This project is investigating the pathophysiology and treatment of insistence on sameness in autism. Over 1000 families are expected to participate in the next 5 years. The focus over the of the project is on the genetics, neurobiology, cognitive and affective processes, and pharmacology of insistence on sameness (IS) in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Learn More
Chicago Center on Youth Violence Prevention Academic Center for Excellence
Director: Deborah Gorman-Smith, PhD
The Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention brings together researchers, community representatives, practitioners and policy makers committed to understanding and reducing youth violence in poor, inner-city communities in Chicago—communities with some of the highest rates of youth violence in the country. The core work of the center is guided by the perspective that the most effective way to combat youth violence is to coordinate empirical "pre-intervention" work designed to understand the risk and development of such violence and to rigorously evaluate preventive interventions conducted both under tightly controlled conditions (i.e., randomized control efficacy trials) and in real world settings (i.e., effectiveness trials). Learn More
Academic Center for School Mental Health Services
Director: Marc Atkins, PhD