Autism Expert, Catherine Lord, to Lead the New Institute for Brain Development

Catherine Lord, an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of autism, has been chosen as the director of the new Institute for Brain Development in White Plains, New York. The institute, scheduled to open in 2012, is a collaboration of New York Presbyterian Hospital, the Columbia University Medical Center, and the Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Lord will also become a member of the faculty at the Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Currently, Dr. Lord is a professor in the department of psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics and senior research professor in the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan. She is also director of the Autism and Communications Disorders Center at the university. With the departure of Dr. Lord, the University of Michigan center will close.

Dr. Lord is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Michigan, she taught at the University of Chicago, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Alberta School of Medicine, and the University of Minnesota.