MARI Scientific Symposium: Environment and Autism Etiology

Register for the MARI Scientific Symposium here.

At no point is the interaction between genes and environment more critical than during development, where even minor chemical disturbances can have profound, long-term effects on the brain. With over 80,000 compounds registered for use in the US, and complex genetics, interdisciplinary efforts are needed to address the gene-environment puzzle in autism. This symposium will provide a platform to discuss the role of environment in increasing autism risk and impacting the diversity of behavioral and medical symptoms. Basic scientists, clinicians and trainees are encouraged to attend.

Participants include:

• Michael Aschner, Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics; Professor of Pharmacology; Gray E. B. Stahlman Professor of Neuroscience; Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Investigator, Vanderbilt University
• Darryl B. Hood, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Neurotoxicology, Meharry Medical College
• Pat Levitt, Ph.D., Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair; Professor of Pharmacology; Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Investigator, Vanderbilt University
• Peter Mundy, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of California, Davis
• Craig J. Newschaffer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University
• Mark Noble, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center
• Isaac N. Pessah, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biosciences; Director, Children's Center for Environmental Health and Disease Prevention, University of California, Davis
• Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Theodore Slotkin, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology; Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Professor in Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center
• James Sutcliffe, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics; Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Investigator, Vanderbilt University

Founded in 2005, The Marino Autism Research Institute (MARI) is a virtual institute, which fosters innovative collaborative research endeavors between investigators.