Two experts in field of autism selected as members of the prestigious Institute of Medicine

Washington, D.C.  –  Pat Levitt, PhD and Matthew W. State, two prominent experts in the field of autism have been selected as newly elected members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM).  The IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the health sciences. The 70 new members were announced on Oct. 21 at the institute’s 43rd annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

The IOM serves as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analyses and recommendations on issues related to human health.

Pat Levitt, PhD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, published a paper on the impact of oxidative stress on the severity of autism symptoms and hopes to use his research to develop better diagnostic criteria and personalized treatments for children. Levitt says,

“I hope that our research on the role of genetic and environmental factors that impact brain development will contribute to a better understanding of the causes, and possible preventions, of disorders impacting children, such as autism.”

Matthew W. State, Oberndorf Family Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry,UC San Francisco, is a leading child psychiatrist and an internationally recognized authority on the genetic bases of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and Tourette syndrome.