Autism Phenome Project | UC Davis MIND Institute

Dr. Amaral received his undergraduate education at Northwestern University and graduated with a degree in Psychology. He then moved to the University of Rochester where he received a joint PhD in Neuroscience and Psychology. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Washington University. He then moved to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where he remained for 13 years. During this period, he was also an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego. Dr. Amaral joined the University of California, Davis in 1995 as a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Neuroscience. He is also a core scientist at the California National Primate Research Center. Dr. Amaral was the Beneto Foundation Chair and Research Director of the MIND Institute from 1998 to 2018. He also serves as Director of Autism BrainNet. Dr. Amaral started the Autism Phenome Project in 2006 with the collaboration of numerous MIND Institute faculty and staff, and the project has become the largest, single-site, longitudinal analysis of young children with autism. Dr. Amaral is the Director of the UC Davis Autism Center of Excellence. In 2015, he became Editor-in-Chief of Autism Research, the journal of INSAR. In 2019, Amaral was elected to the prestigious US National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Nordahl received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and graduate degree in neuroscience from UC Davis. She began her career at the MIND Institute as a postdoctoral fellow and has been working on the Autism Phenome Project (APP) since the beginning of the project, spearheading efforts to develop pediatric neuroimaging protocols to acquire MRI scans in infants and toddlers during natural sleep, without the use of sedation or anesthesia. Dr. Nordahl joined the MIND Institute faculty in 2011 and is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She initiated the Girls with Autism - Imaging of Neurodevelopment (GAIN) Study in 2014 to focus on autism in females. She is also the Principal Investigator of the BRAIN Study, a part of the MIND Institute Autism Center of Excellence. Together with her team, she founded NeuroTeens in 2021, a social support group for neurodivergent girls and nonbinary teens.

Dr. Solomon is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, the MIND Institute, and the Imaging Research Center. She also is a licensed clinician with a broad background in clinical assessment and psychosocial intervention for higher functioning individuals with autism. In 2007, she received a K08 Career Development Award to use cognitive neuroscience methods including fMRI to study higher cognition. From 2012-2012, Solomon served as an appointee of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to the InterAgency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). Dr. Solomon’s ultimate goal is to apply what she learns through her neuroscience investigations to the development of interventions – the area where she began her career at the MIND, and one she continues to develop as the Director of the MIND social skills training group program. She is fortunate to have received philanthropic funding for this program from Joyce and Jim Teel for the Thomas P. Raley Foundation. An Endowed Chair from the Oates Family Foundation and funding from the UC Davis Behavioral Health Center of Excellence has permitted her to further develop intervention programs for autistic adults.

Dr. Heath is a program manager at the UC Davis MIND Institute. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Southern Oregon University and her PhD in Human Genetics from the University of Pittsburgh, working with cell and animal models of neurodegenerative disease, before moving into autism research. Her role serves as a bridge between project leaders, collaborators, the research team, and participating families. She oversees the operations of several multi-disciplinary autism research studies including the Autism Phenome Project (APP) and the GAIN Study. Her role serves as a bridge between project leaders, collaborators, the research team, and participating families.

She also serves on the MIND Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, aids with sharing research findings through the IDDRC (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center) Scientific Dissemination efforts, and is an alum of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program. She has ADHD and is passionate about promoting self-advocacy for neurodivergent individuals. Across all these domains, her work is aimed at bridging the gap between those with lived experience and the policy makers, clinicians, and researchers whose work directly affects the lives of those individuals.

Our BCBAs assist with our MRI process to help children feel comfortable with the MRI environment and have a successful scan. Not all children will need this assistance, but families who choose to have a BCBA assist with the MRI will work with one BCBA throughout the process.

Christina Forgét

Christina Forgét is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who serves individuals diagnosed with autism and related development disabilities in school and clinic-based settings. She graduated with a Masters of Science Degree in Behavior Analysis from the California State University, Stanislaus in 2009. Christina has been a part of the Autism Phenome Project since 2016. As a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, Christina uses evidence-based strategies to support participants through the MRI process. In addition to her work on our studies, she trains and supports educators in a local school district to use evidence-based practices in the classroom, with intentions to improve academic, social and behavioral outcomes for students ranging in age from 5 to 22 years. She is a participating member with the California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN) from 2016 to present.

Our research team analyzes the data we collect through the study. This includes people at different levels of their career and education, including graduate students, fellowship trainees, and professional researchers. Most of these individuals work "behind the scenes." However, some help with our MRI process, and families may meet them during an MRI visit.

Joshua Lee, PhD

Dr. Josh Lee is an Assistant Professional Researcher at the MIND Institute. As a developmental neuroscientist, his research characterizes processes of brain development in individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Dr. Lee received his Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of California, Davis in 2016 where he conducted research on typical and atypical development of the hippocampus and episodic memory. As a post-doctoral fellow at the UC Davis MIND Institute Autism Research Training Program, Dr. Lee conducted research examining the development of autistic neurophenotypes in males and females. Dr. Lee has expertise in longitudinal statistical analysis, high-resolution structural MRI imaging, and resting-state functional MRI. Dr. Lee is currently pursuing research to elucidate elevated coincidences between autism and gender diverse identity, an under-served intersection. In addition to his analytical role on the study, Dr. Lee also operates MRI scan sessions for the APP and GAIN studies.

Derek Sayre Andrews, PhD

Dr. Derek Andrews joined the MIND Institute in 2017 as a postdoctoral scholar after receiving his PhD in Neuroimaging from King’s College London, UK. Dr. Andrews’s research focuses on the analysis of magnetic resonance images of the brain to increase our understanding of the biological basis of autism. As a member of the MIND Institute, he has published studies identifying brain measures associated with different autism symptom trajectories over childhood as well as co-occurring anxiety and sleep problems in autistic children.

Einat Waizbard-Bartov, MA

Einat Waizbard-Bartov is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology. Einat earned her BA in behavioral sciences at Ben-Gurion University (Israel) and her MA in clinical psychology (child focused) at the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yafo (Israel). Before coming to the US, Einat worked at the Autism Research Lab in the department of Psychology at Bar-llan University (Israel). Einat is a licensed clinical psychologist in Israel and a certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. As part of her clinical work, she conducted clinical assessments and provided individualized interventions, parent trainings and facilitated social skills groups for preschoolers, young children, and adolescences, both neurotypical and diagnosed with ASD. Her current research interests include the core symptoms of ASD, change in developmental trajectories over time and the female autism phenotype.

These members of our team help with specific parts of our study. Most of these individuals work "behind the scenes," but families may sometimes see them during visits.

Melissa Regester, B.S.

Melissa Regester joined the research team in 2017 as a Lab Assistant. She is responsible for processing and managing inventory of biospecimens from APP participants. She maintains a specialized database system to track available quantity and quality of processed materials like DNA and blood cells and helps coordinate sharing materials with research collaborators. She has also undergone training at the MIND Institute to assist the pediatric phlebotomist during blood draws to ensure participant and staff safety. In addition to her role on the research team, Melissa maintains the MIND Institute Biorepository and manages operations for the MIND Institute Bioscience Building.