2012 Interdisciplinary Training Conference in Developmental Disabilities

Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Location: Loews Annapolis Hotel, Annapolis, MD

Application due date: January 16, 2012

**This Conference will be followed on March 7-9 by the Gatlinburg Conference on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

About the Conference & Who is Invited

We are now accepting applications from advanced graduate students (i.e., those at the dissertation stage), postdoctoral fellows, and early-career scientists studying developmental disabilities to participate in the third annual Interdisciplinary Training Conference in Developmental Disabilities (ITCDD). The ITCDD is funded by the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Branch of NICHD and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research of the NIH.

The ITCDD is designed to (1) accelerate the professional and scholarly development of scholars-in-training who are studying developmental disabilities; (2) promote the integration of behavioral science and neuroscience in the approaches taken by these scholars-in-training; and (3) provide ongoing mentoring and support to these scholars-in-training.

The day-long ITCDD will consist of scientific presentations from leading scholars whose research exemplifies the integration of behavioral science and neuroscience approaches, panel discussions on interdisciplinarity and professional development, and presentations and workshops on NIH extramural funding and support for research training. Opportunities for interaction with other early career scholars and with more established scientists will be infused throughout the day. Participants will also be matched with established scholars, who will be available for post-conference mentoring.

Speakers

• Deborah J. Fidler, PhD (Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University), "The Down syndrome behavioral phenotype: A developmental approach."
• Tarik F. Haydar, PhD (Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine), "Brain Development in Down Syndrome: Insights from Mouse Models."

How to Apply

Participation in the ITCDD requires submission of the following materials

1. a curriculum vitae
2. a one-to two-page description of the applicant's research interests in which the need for additional interdisciplinary training is clearly articulated
3. a letter of support from the primary mentor. Please send this material as a single PDF attachment to Len Abbeduto.

Accepted Applicants

Only a limited number of applicants will be accepted. Accepted applicants will receive up to $1,000 in approved travel costs. Accepted applicants will also have the opportunity to attend the Gatlinburg Conference, which will follow the ITCDD. Information about the Gatlinburg Conference can be found at http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/gatlinburg/.

More Information

For additional information about the ITCDD, please contact Leonard Abbeduto, PhD or Vittorio Gallo, PhD.