News

Kuruvila, Maharaj receive Advanced Practice Provider Excellence Awards

Snoben Kuruvila, D.M.S., M.P.A.S., PA-C, CAQ-Psy, won Outstanding APP in Scholarly Endeavors.

Shalini Maharaj, M.P.A.S., PA-C, was awarded Outstanding APP in Inpatient Clinical Practice.

UT Southwestern’s APP Recognition Committee reviews nominations and selects individuals whose work exemplifies excellence in clinical care, community service, leadership, scholarship, and teaching. Read the story on Center Times Plus to learn more about their accomplishments and impact.

D’Mello Lab awarded NIH grant to study the organization of language in autism

Anila D’Mello, Ph.D., has received an NIH-National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders grant to investigate the neural basis of semantic language difficulties in autism spectrum disorder, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social communication and language. Language difficulties impact autistic individuals’ ability to communicate, learn, and engage socially. A particularly consequential language challenge in ASD is understanding and accessing word meaning, known as semantics. Because understanding the meaning of words is fundamental to communication, differences in this ability can be particularly consequential to how people understand, express, and use language in social situations. A team including Dr. D’Mello as principal investigator, and UC Berkeley Co-Investigators Dr. Jack Gallant, Ph.D. and Dr. Rich Ivry, Ph.D., will conduct precision functional MRI in autistic and non-autistic adults while they attend to naturalistic stories. The study will investigate how the autistic brain responds to the meaning of thousands of different concepts, from dozens of categories, and how individual differences in the brain’s response relates to social behaviors.

Special Grant Incentive Award

Sherwood Brown, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., has been selected as a recipient of UT Southwestern's Special Grant Incentive Award, which provides funding of $10,000. Dr. Brown's sponsor agency is the NIH-National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Hypothesis Fund Grant

Janko Gospocic, Ph.D., has been awarded a grant from the Hypothesis Fund for "Decoding Neuronal Rejuvenation Through Epigenetic Mechanisms," to build on his studies with the Harpegnathos saltator ant species, investigating new ways to reverse brain aging.

Educational Outreach Program Award

Elif Ozan, M.D., a second-year resident in the Research Track of the Psychiatry Residency program, has been awarded an Educational Outreach Program Award from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Participants are exposed to the field of child and adolescent psychiatry, including research opportunities, access to mentors, and various networking opportunities. and receive reimbursement for travel expenses to the AACAP annual meeting.