A Spotlight on the 2022 Conference Keynotes
Joseph Piven, MD will be the Opening Keynote Speaker on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022, presenting What Can Studies of Early Brain Development in Autism Tell Us About Intervention and Detection in Infancy? Joseph Piven, MD received his MD degree from the University of Maryland in 1981 and completed training in general and child and adolescent psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He continued in research training in the genetics of neurobehavioral disorders, during a postdoctoral John Merck Fellowship at Johns Hopkins. He was on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa from 1990 through 1999. Dr. Piven is currently Thomas E. Castelloe Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, a comprehensive institute for services, research and training in neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Piven is an active clinician. He is director of one of 15 NICHD-funded Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers.
Karen Francis, PhD will be the Keynote Speaker on Thursday, September 29th, 2022, presenting It's Time to Deliver: DEI Strategy Leading to Action. Dr. Karen Francis is Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer of AIR. In this role, she leads AIR’s overall DEI efforts through the implementation of the DEI framework and strategic pillars focused on workforce and work environment; cultural and linguistic competence; identity, brand and thematic research; and growth and sustainability to advance AIR’s mission. Additionally, Dr. Francis focuses on developing internal and external partnerships to drive AIR’s global DEI presence. She provides oversight for the DEI Office, employee resource groups, the DEI Council and the Cultural and Linguistic Competence Workgroup. She partners with senior leadership and staff across AIR to drive organizational accountability around inclusivity, equity and fairness at all levels.
Michael J. Guralnick, PhD will be the Keynote Speaker on Friday, September 30th, 2022, presenting A Framework for the Design of Inclusive Community-Based Early Intervention Programs. Michael J. Guralnick, Ph.D., is Director of the Center on Human Development and Disability (CHDD) and Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics at the University of Washington. Comprised of both a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and a Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, the CHDD is one of the largest interdisciplinary research, training, and service centers in the United States addressing issues directly related to developmental disabilities.
