Events
Bi-Monthly Symposia
Bimonthly symposia are presentations by leading professionals designed to incorporate the interests of researchers and healthcare professionals in New Jersey along with the areas of critical needs identified by the autism community and the NJACE. The topics in these speaker series will be deliberately curated to address areas ranging from the causes of autism to the latest innovative approaches to management.
Morgan Firestein, PhD, is an Associate Research Scientist in the Division of Developmental Neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center. Using a psychobiological approach, Dr. Firestein’s research aims to identify and study prenatal risk factors for autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders with the overarching goal of facilitating early diagnosis and intervention. Building upon an ecological systems framework, Dr. Firestein will discuss her recent and current research, which examines how maternal, fetal, and placental extracellular vesicles and steroid hormones contribute to early brain development and shape long-term neurobehavioral outcomes.
When? February 14th, 2025 at 3pm
Sarah Haney McDevitt, PhD, is a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Senior Behavior Analyst in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. McDevitt has conducted research on the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders and has authored book chapters in addition to publications in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Dr. McDevitt has served as a guest reviewer for various peer-reviewed journals and currently serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Her current research interests include the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders with an emphasis on caregiver training, social validity of feeding interventions, and factors that influence the generalization and maintenance of intervention outcomes.
When? February 28th, 2025 at 4pm
PAST – Susan. L. Hyman, MD, is a world-renowned developmental pediatrician, professor and researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Hyman has more than three decades of experience in the field of autism spectrum disorders, specializing in the management of autism and the potential environmental, medical and genetic causes of autism. Dr. Hyman is the former chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on autism. Her recent research has focused on medical comorbidities, effective behavioral treatments and on the diet and nutrition of children with autism.
PAST – Adriana Di Martino, MD, is an internationally recognized autism researcher and the founding research director for the Autism Center at the Child Mind Institute. Dr. Di Martino specializes in research aiming to understand the neurobiology of autistic individuals using brain imaging and improving our understanding of overlaps in the neural bases of other neurodevelopmental conditions that commonly co-occur with autism, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Annual NJACE Conference - September 6th, 2024
The NJACE annual conference aims to bring together leading local and national researchers and physicians in the field of autism and related areas. The conferences’ agenda will include a variety of presentations, panel discussions and workshops on timely and engaging topics in autism that capture the diverse interests and expertise of the attendees and broader research and practice communities. Continuing education units will be available in a variety of fields.
Practica/Workshops
Workshops are designed to be both didactic and interactive, providing professionals with an opportunity to learn from experts in the field of autism. Each workshop will have clearly defined learning objectives for the targeted audience and will cover a critical area of need.
Practica are unique opportunities offered through the NJACE, in which participants can engage in extended, hands-on training in a specialized setting, such as a community-based program or hospital. These opportunities are tailored to individualized learning objectives for participants.
Please use this survey to tell the NJACE more about what type of practica or workshops you would be interested in.
PAST – Grant Writing Workshop led by Dr. Wayne Fisher
Dr. Wayne Fisher serves as the Henry Rutgers Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Director of the Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services (RUCARES) at the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. Dr. Fisher has dedicated his career to studying the assessment and treatment of severe destructive behavior through research, collaboration, and service delivery. Dr. Fisher has maintained near-constant funding for his research for over 25 years.
From this grant writing workshop, participants gained a comprehensive understanding of the grant writing process, including:
- Identifying funding opportunities
- Developing compelling proposals
- Managing grant budgets
Participants had the opportunity to network with others to build relationships and foster collaborative partnerships.