Public Health and Autism Science advancing Equitable Strategies across the life course (PHASES)
What is the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) program?
The ACE program supports large-scale studies to better understand diagnosis, causes of, and interventions for autism. The National Institutes of Health first awarded ACE grants in 2007, and holds a new competition every five years.
Who are the recipients?
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a total of $100 million over the next five years to support nine Autism Centers of Excellence (ACEs), including Drexel University's A. J. Drexel Autism Institute. Research funded by this program will be led by Diana Robins, PhD, director of the Autism Institute, and Diana Schendel, PhD, professor and leader of the Modifiable Factors in Autism Epidemiology research program in the Autism Institute.
Learn more about the researchers.
Diana Robins, PhD
Diana Schendel, PhD
What is the main focus of the research?
The researchers are leading a project titled "Public Health and Autism Science advancing Equitable Strategies across the life course" (PHASES). PHASES employs a public health research framework to examine health determinants, health services delivery and health inequity- especially in under-represented diverse populations - and the impact of these forces on autistic people's health outcomes. The researchers are studying these issues in people on the autism spectrum during three key stages of the life course: early detection and diagnosis in toddlers, led by Robins; patterns of co-occurring health conditions and health services use in adolescence and young adulthood, led by Schendel; and mental and physical health in older adulthood, led by Lindsay Shea, DrPH, leader of the Policy, Analytics and Community research program in the Autism Institute.
"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of A.J. Drexel Autism Institute as the nation's first autism spectrum disorder research center to apply a public health lens toward understanding the causes of autism and its associated challenges, and then developing more effective treatments, resources, and strategies for welcoming autistic people into society and ensuring that they have the resources and supports to live their lives with dignity and purpose. I can think of no greater validation or accelerant of the Autism lnstitute's pioneering research than to receive this major award from the National Institutes of Health."
Drexel University President John Fry
Data Core Seminar Series
Autism Public Health Lecture 2024
PHASES Trainees
Autumn Austin, 2022-present, PhD Student, Discipline: Clinical Psychology
Kylie McLean, 2023-present, Postdoctoral Fellow, Discipline: Social Work
Hannah Register, 2024-present, PhD Student, Discipline: Clinical Psychology
Megan Bragg, 2022-2024, Postdoctoral Fellow, Discipline: Epidemiology
Marissa Patti, 2022-2024, Postdoctoral Fellow, Discipline: Epidemiology
Philip Smith, 2022-2024, Postdoctoral Fellow, Discipline: Epidemiology
Tamara Garfield, 2022-2023, PhD Student, Discipline: Public Health
Meghan Carey, 2022-2024, PhD Student, Discipline: Epidemiology
Summer Scholars
Alejandro Amador Deulofeu is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Medical Anthropology and Global Health major on the pre-med track with minors in bioethics and chemistry. Mentors: Elizabeth McGhee Hassrick, PhD and Olivia McMullin.
Sydney (Syd) Defreitas is a senior Psychology Major and African American Studies Minor at The College of New Jersey. Mentor: Wei Song, PhD.
Maya Gerlach is a senior at Howard University and is a Psychology major with a minor in Sports Administration. Mentor: Maci Brown, MA, BCBA.
Madeline (Maddie) Ryan is a senior at Penn State University majoring in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology while minoring in Psychology. Mentor: Diana Schendel, PhD.
Drexel College of Medicine Students
- Tyler Beccari (2022-present)
- Alex Roth (2022-present)
- Christopher Morici (2022-present)
- Chaeyeon Kim (2022-2023)
- Jason Kim (2023-present)
- June Hoang (2023-2024)
- Jaclyn Lo (2023-2024)
- Samuel Kou (2023-2024)
PHASES Community Advisory Board Members
Andrea Wieckowski, Ashley Miller, Aubyn Stahmer, Autumn Austin, Brian Freedman, Chele Abraham-Montgomery, Christian N Roberson, Constance R Roberson, Dan Vader, Diana Robins, Diana Schendel, Eileen Thompson, Elisabeth Sheridan, Elizabeth McGhee-Hassrick, Giacomo Vivanti, Issac R Roberson, Jen Plumb, Karen Lindgren, Kimberly (Kim) Young, Lenora Osborne, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, Olivia McMullen, Phil Smith, Pricila Mullachery, Rachel Vecchione, Sarah Dufek, Zach Inkeles
Want to learn more?
Read the Press Release
NIH'S ACE Program