The Ellison Medical Foundation has pledged up to $8,584,268 over a four year period to support a multifaceted project on the origins of autism and dyslexia. The project will undertake longitudinal studies of functional brain development in children at risk of having autism or dyslexia compared to normal children, and will examine how effective therapies affect brain function and structure. If these studies identify markers for diagnosing and tracking these disorders through brain imaging, the project will look for parallel genetic markers. Dr. Kanwisher will lead the autism component and Dr. Gabrieli will lead the dyslexia component.

The Ellison Medical Foundation has awarded $100,000 to support joint training in Psychiatry and Neurology at Columbia University. This will be done via training retreats for residents from each of these departments at Columbia University in order to synergize understanding of particular disorders within both the psychiatric and neurological realms. Follow-up case presentations will focus on the nature of the patient's illness and the nature of the disorder with discussion leading to an integration of the perspectives from both disciplines. The cross-disciplinary clinical training will provide a basis for further integrative activities in education, clinical care, and research.