The Marino Autism Research Institute (MARI) is a joint partnership with four universities recognized as leaders in the field of autism research: Vanderbilt University-Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), The University of Southern California, the University of Miami, and Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. Programs supported by MARI have included research and education in genetics, electrophysiology, and brain imaging, as well as clinical and educational initiatives. The focus of this research has evolved to studying transition services designed to develop best-practice curriculum to address issues that our teenagers and young adults will face in entering the workforce and adulthood.
MARI is the first philanthropically funded ‘virtual institute’ designed to sponsor cross-university collaborative research and community outreach on autism. Mary Partin, CEO of the Dan Marino Foundation, says: “Dan and Claire Marino and the Foundation’s Board of Directors believe that this collaboration between two exceptional centers at national universities will provide a powerful means to address key questions about the nature of autism and to accelerate the discovery of new strategies for treating and preventing autism.”
MARI has brought together distinguished researchers in psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and special education from universities who conduct cutting edge research to answer key questions regarding the causes of autism, the earliest behavioral and biological markers of autism, and the development of creative, evidence-based treatments designed to improve the lives of children with autism and their families.
The Marino Autism Research Institute Scientific Symposium was held at Vanderbilt University on April 22, 2008 to provide researchers with a platform to discuss the role of environment in increasing autism risk. Below is the link to the lectures that were presented at this symposium.
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center © 2013
