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University of Illinois at Chicago
Department of Psychiatry (M/C 747)
Institute for Juvenile Research
1747 W. Roosevelt Road, Rm. 155
Chicago, IL 60608

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Dr. Cook is Director of the Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Earl M. Bane Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.  His program of research focuses on genetics, neurochemistry, and development of new pharmacological treatments of autism.  He has authored or co-authored 220 publications, been continuously funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health for over 20 years, and has extensive international collaborations, including the Autism Genome Project.  He is a member of the Scientific and Professional Advisory Board of the dup15q Alliance.

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Seaside Therapeutics, Inc.
840 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
UNITED STATES

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Dr. Carpenter is Co-Founder, President and CEO of Seaside Therapeutics.  He has over 25 years experience in medicine, basic science and clinical research and pharmaceutical drug development including leading several research and development teams to submit successful INDs and NDAs. His experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries include President and CEO of Sention, VP of Clinical Research & Development and Regulatory Affairs at Adolor Corporation and member of Astra Pain Control?s Global Therapeutic Area Team.  Prior to joining industry, he held academic faculty appointments at Virginia Mason Medical Center and Wake Forest University where he specialized in anesthesiology and pain medicine.  Dr. Carpenter has served as editor-in-chief or on the editorial boards of several medical journals and is the author of more than 70 peer reviewed articles.  He currently serves as a member of National Advisory Mental Health Council for NIMH.  In 2010 he received the Pioneer Award from the FRAXA Research Foundation for his efforts to translate basic science discoveries into novel therapeutics for individuals with fragile X syndrome.

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Department of Neurology/ Program in Neurobiology
F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center
Boston Children's Hospital
320 Longwood Ave
CLS 13036
Boston, MA 02115
UNITED STATES

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Takao Hensch focuses on how neuronal circuits in the brain are shaped by experience during 'critical periods' in early postnatal life. Integrating molecular, cellular and systems neuroscience, primarily in the developing visual cortex, Hensch has revealed specific, local inhibitory (GABAergic) circuits that trigger a proteolytic reorganization of anatomical connections, which ultimately consolidate plasticity. Inappropriate excitatory-inhibitory balance may underlie devastating developmental brain disorders, such as epilepsy and autism. Translational research at Children's Hospital and the successful reactivation of plasticity in adulthood may lead to novel strategies for recovery of function, therapy and lifelong learning.

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MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine
Room 1001A, Research II
Sacramento, CA 95817
UNITED STATES

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Jacqueline N. Crawley, Ph.D., is the Robert E. Chason Endowed Chair in Translational Research at the MIND Institute, and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, at the University of California Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento, California, USA.  Her research program focuses on understanding the consequences of genetic mutations in causing the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, and discovering medical treatments for the diagnostic symptoms of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.  Mouse models are used as preclinical tools for investigating the causes of autism and for evaluating targets for therapeutic intervention.  Dr. Crawley received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Maryland, and conducted postdoctoral research in Neuropsychopharmacology at Yale University School of Medicine.  From 1983-2012 she served as Chief of the Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience at the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program at NIH in Bethesda, Maryland.  She has published over 230 papers and 90 reviews, and serves on 16 editorial boards and numerous scientific advisory committees.  Honors include the Distinguished Scientist Award in Behavioural Genetics, Myers Lifetime Achievement Award in Behavioral Neuroscience, NIMH Director?s Award, and Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease Distinguished Scholar Award.  Her sole author book, What's Wrong With My Mouse? Behavioral Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice, is widely used by the biomedical research community.

Address
Brain Research Institute
Laboratory
695 Charles E Young Dr South
Los Angeles, CA 90095
UNITED STATES

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Dr. Daniel Geschwind holds the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Human Genetics and is a professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine. He is director of the Neurogenetics Program and the Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART) and co-director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics.

Dr. Geschwind obtained an A.B. in psychology and chemistry at Dartmouth College and his M.D./Ph.D. at Yale School of Medicine, prior to completing his internship, residency, and postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA. He joined the UCLA faculty in 1997.

Dr. Geschwind's laboratory conducts research in three primary areas of neurogenetics: autism and language; focal neurodegenerative syndromes; and the structural/molecular basis of human cognitive specializations. Utilizing a multi-pronged approach, he studies normal human and animal model brain patterning to diseases in which language and social communication are disrupted, such as autism. His laboratory has forged important collaborations with investigators to use evolutionary comparisons to further the genetic evaluation of human brain development and patterning, including work with songbirds and non-human primates. He also provides scientific oversight for Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), the largest collection of multiplex autism families in the world.