The Genetic Influences on Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk
- Speaker
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Elise Robinson, Sc.D.Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
Presidential Lectures are free public colloquia centered on four main themes: Biology, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Neuroscience and Autism Science. These curated, high-level scientific talks feature leading scientists and mathematicians and are intended to foster discourse and drive discovery among the broader NYC-area research community. We invite those interested in the topic to join us for this weekly lecture series.
For decades, scientists have known that genetic factors contribute to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Ongoing research is identifying the genes responsible, and recent studies have produced an unprecedented volume of genetic associations to ASDs.
In this lecture, Elise Robinson will provide an overview of these findings. She will discuss both rare and common genetic risk factors. She will also outline challenges to the interpretation of these findings as well as the next steps in understanding the role genetics plays in autism.
About the Speaker
Robinson is an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She is also an affiliated faculty member with the Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Robinson’s research focuses on the genetic epidemiology of behavior and cognition. She is interested in using genetic data to understand the biology of neurodevelopmental variation and to study differences within and between neuropsychiatric disorders. She received a Sc.D. in psychiatric epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health and completed postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute.