International Society for Autism Research

International Society for Autism Research
Name	International Society for Autism Research
Abbreviation	ISAR
Formation	2000
Type	Professional society
Headquarters	Baltimore, Maryland
Location	United States
Region served	International
Leader title	President

International Society for Autism Research The International Society for Autism Research was founded as a professional association linking researchers, clinicians, and institutions focused on autism spectrum disorder, bringing together stakeholders from Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Medical School, University College London, University of California, Los Angeles, and Karolinska Institutet to foster collaboration. Its activities include organizing conferences attended by delegates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Toronto, University of Cambridge, and University of Oxford, and publishing findings that inform practice at organizations such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, European Commission, and Wellcome Trust. The society aligns with professional bodies like American Academy of Pediatrics, Royal College of Psychiatrists, American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, and Society for Neuroscience.

History

The society emerged in 2000 following meetings among researchers affiliated with Yale University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, McGill University, and University of Melbourne who sought an international forum distinct from American Psychiatric Association, International Society for Developmental Psychopathology, British Psychological Society, European Society for Developmental Psychology, and International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. Early leadership included investigators formerly connected to National Institute of Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, London, Toronto Western Hospital, Karolinska Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine and collaborated on initiatives with funders such as Simons Foundation, Gates Foundation, NIHR, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Over time the society expanded ties to centers like Salk Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, RIKEN, and National University of Singapore.

Mission and Objectives

The society's mission emphasizes advancing scientific knowledge through partnerships among investigators at Princeton University, Brown University, University of Chicago, Duke University, and University of Washington while promoting translation with entities such as RAND Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Seattle Children's Hospital, and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Objectives include fostering interdisciplinary exchange across teams from MIT Media Lab, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University of Edinburgh, ETH Zurich, and Imperial College London and supporting trainees linked to University of British Columbia, McMaster University, University of Sydney, Monash University, and Seoul National University.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises researchers, clinicians, and students from institutions including University of Michigan, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Ohio State University with governance via an elected board with ties to American Medical Association, Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences (UK), and Institute of Medicine. Committees collaborate with editors of journals like Nature Neuroscience, The Lancet Psychiatry, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Molecular Autism, and Autism Research and coordinate with networks such as European Autism Interventions–A Multicentre Study, Autism Speaks, Autistica, Autism-Europe, and National Autistic Society.

Annual Meeting and Conferences

The society's annual meeting convenes investigators from Society for Research in Child Development, International Meeting for Autism Research, Gordon Research Conferences, Cold Spring Harbor Conferences, and European College of Neuropsychopharmacology attendees and rotates among venues like Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Manchester Central, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Vancouver Convention Centre, and Amsterdam RAI. Programming features symposia chaired by researchers affiliated with Scripps Research, Weill Cornell Medicine, University of Zurich, Karolinska Institutet Solna, and Toyama University and includes workshops with partners such as Autistic Self Advocacy Network, National Institute for Health Research, Australian Autism Research Council, Canadian Autism Partnership, and Singapore Neuroscience Society.

Research and Publications

The society supports peer-reviewed dissemination through conferences and collaborations with journals including Nature, Science, Cell, The Lancet, and PNAS and specialty outlets like Autism, Molecular Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, and Frontiers in Neuroscience. Sponsored research spans genetics groups at Wellcome Sanger Institute, Broad Institute, Genome Research Limited, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and NHGRI and neuroimaging consortia involving Human Connectome Project, ENIGMA Consortium, UK Biobank, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, and Allen Institute for Brain Science.

Advocacy and Educational Activities

Advocacy efforts link researchers with advocacy organizations such as Autism Speaks, Autistica, Autism-Europe, National Autistic Society, and Autistic Self Advocacy Network while educational outreach partners include UNICEF, UNESCO, Department of Health (UK), HHS (United States), and European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety. Training initiatives collaborate with distance-learning providers at Coursera, edX, Open University, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and King's College London and promote evidence translation to clinics at Boston Children's Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, SickKids Hospital, and Mount Sinai Hospital.

Awards and Recognition

The society confers honors and awards recognizing investigators from institutions like Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, San Diego, University of California, San Francisco, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and Weizmann Institute of Science and coordinates prize selection with panels including members of Royal Society of Canada, Australian Academy of Science, Francis Crick Institute, Max Planck Society, and National Academy of Medicine. Awards highlight contributions in genetics, neuroimaging, intervention research, and lifespan outcomes and are often announced alongside prizes from Guggenheim Fellowship, MacArthur Fellows Program, Wellcome Trust Investigator Awards, NIH Director's Pioneer Award, and ERC Advanced Grants.

Category:Autism research organizations