Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Confluence between Research and Community-Based Treatment Programs

Dr. Leventhal is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in both General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association.  Dr. Leventhal has years of distinguished service to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and, recently received a medal on the occasion of the Academy’s 50^th anniversary recognizing him as one of the major contributors to the field of child and adolescent psychiatry in the past half century.  Among his many other awards and honors is the National Board of Medical Examiners Edith Levitt Award for Distinguished Service. Dr. Leventhal has played a leadership role in national and regional efforts to promote children’s mental health research and to create comprehensive, cutting-edge systems of care for children’s mental health. These efforts include membership on the Board of The Northwestern University Child and Family Justice Center and, Directorship of the State of Illinois Autism Project. He is also highly regarded more broadly in the field of medicine as a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Illinois State Medical Board.

Dr. Leventhal is an internationally-renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is widely recognized for his leadership and expertise in fostering scientific career development, training, and broad-based collaborative research networks that span from molecular genetics to community service and public health. His direction and vision have led to the creation of outstanding clinical research programs that have developed and shaped scientific approaches to the study of early emerging childhood disorders. These include the Laboratory of Developmental Neuroscience, directed by Edwin H. Cook, Jr., M.D., and the Program on Developmental Mechanisms of Psychopathology, directed by Lauren S. Wakschlag, Ph.D.  His extraordinary talent at fostering career development and, the passion he conveys about the importance of children`s mental health research, have been largely responsible for launching the careers of countless distinguished clinical scientists, around the country and around the world. He is a powerful advocate for children`s mental health and has greatly enhanced the lives of children and families through his exceptional devotion to clinical care and his broad-based influence on policy and practice.

Dr. Leventhal`s work has included innovative initiatives to advance translational research on the causes and prevention of mental disorders in children and adolescents, focusing on disruptions in brain development that interfere with social functioning, including the molecular genetics of autism and the prenatal origins of disruptive behavior disorders.  His wide-ranging scientific contributions are reflected in his current efforts to develop an international network of basic and clinical scientists designed to elucidate the origins of mental disorders in the first years of life as well as research programs in pediatric psychopharmacology, bullying, school-based prevention, epidemiology and the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism.