Monday, May 23, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
'U' Autism Center to close after director resigns
In wake of closure,
new program to
develop in 2012
By CLAIRE HALL
Daily Staff Reporter
Catherine Lord, director of the
University of Michigan Autism and
Communication Disorders Center,
will be leaving the University this
fall to open a new autism center in
New York City.
Her departure will conse-
quently lead to the closure of the
center, primarily built around
her research. Despite the loss of
UMACC, the University will still
be working toward developing
autism research programs in the
future, and current research ini-
tiatives funded by the federal gov-
ernment will continue after she
leaves.
According to information
provided to The Michigan Daily,
by the University, the University
Health System will look to develop
a new "comprehensive and multi-
disciplinary program to evaluate
children with autism" in 2012 in
response to the loss.
The new program will come
in addition to those that current-
ly exist for patients with autism
using the University Health Sys-
tem, which include a number of
clinics within the Department of
Pediatrics and the Department of
Psychiatry.
Additionally, Lord said the two
federally funded studies currently
being conducted by UMACC will
continue following her departure
so as not to disrupt patients' treat-
ment. Other UMACC patients,
Lord said, will be introduced to
other services available in the Ann
Arbor area.
Lord said she thinks it's unfor-
tunate that the University is shut-
ting down UMACC because it will
end the care it currently provides
for children with autism and their
families, adding that she feels the
center serves an important need
for the community. "I think we do
serve a particular need because on
campus there really isn't another
center that provides family-ori-
ented care for kids and families
and adults," she said.
The new autism center that
Lord will establish in New York,
the Institute for Brain Develop-
ment, is scheduled to open its doors
in late 2012. The Institute will
operate in collaboration with New
York Presbyterian Hospital, the
home of Wiell Cornell Medical Col-
lege and Columbia University Col-
lege of Physicians and Surgeons,
Lord said.
Lord said the Institute will also
benefit from having the ability to
hire junior faculty. This isa signifi-
cant change from UMACC, where
Lord herself was the only faculty
member on staff. She said she was
pleased that the New York center
will be supported by a group rather
than just one individual.
Lord added that she resisted
the move to New York at first, but
eventually the opportunity to set
up a new autism center persuaded
her. She said the fact that her chil-
dren have established careers in
New York City made the timing
seem right.
Lord also said the new Insti-
tute will have more funding and
research opportunities compared
to what is available at the Univer-
sity, though they will have similar
initiatives.
"Hopefully we'll be more inte-
grated into the medical system,
and then also we will have philan-
thropic support so we'll be able to
subsidize some things that we just
can't do here in Michigan," Lord
said.
Donor funding will allow the
New York center to provide more
support and assistance for families
with members who have autism
and other developmental disor-
ders, Lord said. She explained that
such programs can be difficult to
sustain in Michigan because they
aren't usually covered by health
insurance.
In addition to her work at the
center, Lord will continue teaching
in New York at Teachers College,
Columbia University's Graduate
School of Education.
"Although that's not going to
be my main job, I really want to
keep in touch with teaching," Lord
said.
Lord will only be teaching
graduate students, though she said
she would like to work with under-
graduates again in the future.
"We hope we can affiliate
with undergraduate programs just
because the undergraduates here
at (the University) have been so
important to us," Lord said. "We
just have an army of undergradu-
ates who help us do almost every-
thing that we do."
Despite her departure, Lord
said it has been a joy to teach at the
University and to be a part of both
the psychology department and
UMACC.
"I think this is an amazing
university," Lord said. "It's been a
wonderful experience."
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'U' sponsors sustainability conference
Haley Goldberg
copydesk@michigandaily.com
Copy Chief
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nations
.S. and China about environmentally friendly
ollaborate on technology and governmental
policies in relation to poverty,
ture initiatives climate change, water conserva-
tion, alternative energies and pol-
lution.
By CECE ZHOU David Sandalow, assistant sec-
Daily StaffReporter retary for policy and internation-
al affairs at the U.S. Department
sbers of the world's two of Energy, opened the conference
energy-consuming coun- by explaining the significance
net at the University this of past agreements between the
nd to discuss and highlight U.S. and China, including the
ss in global sustainability 1979 Agreement on Cooperation
een technology. in Science and Technology and
essors, professionals and, the seven clean energy initia-
ts from the United States tives announced by U.S. Presi-
ina participated in the 2011 dent Barack Obama and China's
Sustainability Conference, President Hu Jintao in November
versity-sponsored sympo- 2009.
held at Rackham Audito- Dr. Xiangli Chen, president of
hat focused on developing General Electric China Technol-
rships between the two ogy Center, explained how sus-
s and fostered discussion tainability has caused companies
like his own to work not just for
their own gain but to increase
collaboration with others around
the globe in order to make a posi-
tive impact on the world and to
encourage growth.
Many speakers emphasized
that the key to sustainability is a
correct combination of technol-
ogy and government policies. In
a plenary discussion, Ma Jun,
founding director of the insti-
tute of Public and Environmen-
tal Affairs and author of "China's
Water Crisis," talked about the
necessity of keeping people
informed about the state and pur-
pose of sustainability projects.
"At this point, the businesses
will not talk about their green
products and green strategies,"
Jun said. "We need companies
to come with a full disclosure of
their data, the performance of
their products, as well as the dis-
charge data of not just the manu-
facturing but the whole cycle ...
all the way down to disposal. This
whole life cycle process."
Jun said he thinks the biggest
obstacle is that corporations need
to be motivated to do their part to
use funding for sustainable initia-
tives, and that it's important for
the general public to encourage
them to do.
"We created all these goals
and standards but enforcement
remains to be weak ... Our envi-
ronmental challenges cannot
wait for that ... I believe that we
need public participation to sup-
plement (the) lack of motivation,"
he said.
J. Carl Ganter, director and
co-founder of Circle of Blue - a
group of journalists, scientists
See CONFERENCE, Page 7
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