New Autism Center of Excellence links many partners

Governor Nathan Deal praised the power of partnerships in announcing that the National Institutes of Health has awarded $8.3 million to Emory University as initial funding for the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE).  The Center, one of only three in the nation, is a collaboration of Emory University, the Marcus Autism Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory.  Other collaborators include the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Georgia Tech.

GRA Eminent Scholar Ami Klin, director of the Marcus Autism Center, will lead the ACE in its research, which will focus on early diagnosis and treatment of autism and related disorders.  “It’s a unique community of scientists, but it’s also truly a city-wide commitment to tackle this public health issue in an unprecedented, concerted fashion,” Klin said. “What really makes this effort so different is the fact that all these institutions have come together to face this enormous challenge.”

Mike Cassidy, president and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance said, “What Ami and his team are about is transformational.  They are embracing what Ami calls ‘the science of clinical care.’  With Ami’s new view on science, coupled with the support of Bernie and Billi Marcus, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, the Woodruff Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the state of Georgia, and many others, the Marcus Center is now poised to create a brighter future for children and their families.” 

Read more about plans and goals here> and how the center happened>