AUCD Weekly: August 15, 2023

August 16, 2023

The AUCD Weekly will be taking a summer break next week, August 23. 

The newsletter will resume on August 30. 

Announcements

AUCD Welcomes Rodney Samaco, PhD as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer

• John Tschida, the Executive Director of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, announced today that Rodney Samaco, PhD has been hired as AUCD’s Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer (CSBDO). Dr. Samaco will serve in this key leadership role to develop new business models, procure resources, spearhead research initiatives and uncover new opportunities as part of AUCD’s Strategic Plan.

2023-2024 Emerging Leaders Opportunities Application Deadline Extended!

Deadline: August 18, 2023

• AUCD is accepting applications from current trainees for (3) AUCD Emerging Leaders Interns and (5) Council Trainee Representatives. Applications for the 2023-2024 academic year are now open and close on Friday, August 18th! Please contact Mollie Blafer, mblafer@aucd.org, for any questions.

Funding

Foundation for Prader-Willi Research - Research Applications

Deadline: September 8, 2023

Award Ceiling: $150,000

• The Foundation for Prader-Willi Research addresses the many issues related to Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), including childhood obesity, developmental delay, psychiatric disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. Funding priorities identified by the foundation include genotype to phenotype: understanding PWS genetics/how the loss of PWS-critical region genes leads to the phenotype; neurobiology of hunger/feeding behavior in PWS; neurobiology of cognitive deficits, maladaptive behavior, and mental illness in PWS; clinical care research: evaluation of existing drugs and interventions to improve health and quality of life in PWS; therapeutics development for PWS-genetic therapies; novel pharmaceuticals; and drug repurposing for PWS.

Special Olympics - Rosemary Collaboratory - USA: Leveraging Research and Advocacy to Make Health Systems More Inclusive of People with Intellectual Disabilities

Deadline: October 29, 2023

Award Ceiling: TBD

• Through this Request for Proposal (RFP), Special Olympics Inc. (SOI) will identify consultants to assess a health system1 in their state using a framework and tool that will be provided by SOI and develop an advocacy plan for achieving a change in a health system2 in their state that stands to improve health access or outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Resources

Cognitive Function in Down Syndrome-associated Alzheimer's Focus of Grant

• Nearly every person with Down syndrome eventually develops Alzheimer's disease. Yet, people with the syndrome routinely are excluded from Alzheimer's clinical trials, with the help of an $11 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Associate Professor of Neurology Jason Hassenstab, Ph.D., from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis IDDRC, is looking to address this. 

National Institute of Mental Health: Digital Toolkit for Back to School

• Returning to school can be exciting and challenging for children and teens. During August, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will highlight resources on stress and anxiety, strategies for coping, and guidance about when to seek help from a health care provider. Share these resources to help parents, teachers, caregivers, and students navigate this stressful time and focus on overall mental well-being.

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Weekly news items may be submitted for consideration 

via the AUCD Promotion Request Form. 

Submissions are due on Monday each week.