YCSC Connections
Featuring updates, news you can use, events, and more from the Yale Child Study Center.
Chair's Message
As we enter a new academic year and look back upon the past 12 months, so much has changed while it may be that quite a lot feels the same. We continue to navigate yet another uptick in COVID cases, along with ways to continue to meet and gather in person and virtually. And, as I addressed at this week’s opening Grand Rounds session, we work together to stay grounded through it all – from the changes in our academic and medical systems to those in our personal lives, and in our world. We also continue to celebrate good news within our communities, including that shared on Tuesday and in this newsletter.
Indeed, we continue to hold onto gratitude as we forge forward to support and lift one another up despite continued challenges in our "new normal" of behavioral health crises, tragedies, and natural disasters affecting far too many, while also continually working to improve the lives of children and families. Thank you all, as ever, for your role in moving this work forward.
I do hope you will find this newsletter – and its new format – both engaging and helpful, and please be sure to save the date for our upcoming annual meeting on November 8th! More to come on that very soon.
Linda Mayes, MD
Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology; Chair,
Yale Child Study Center
Departmental News & Updates
New Grand Rounds “On Leadership” Lecture Series at Yale
A new quarterly leadership-focused lecture series, Exploring and Enhancing Leadership in the Academy, will be launched at the Yale Child Study Center this October. The series has been coordinated by YCSC Assistant Professor Daryn H. David, PhD in collaboration with YCSC Chair Linda Mayes, MD and the center’s Grand Rounds committee.
12 Sep 2023Welcoming new YCSC community members: September 2023
All new YCSC faculty, staff, and trainees are invited to share their bios upon joining the YCSC. Two new community members are introduced this month, Elizabeth Davidson and Adriana Schütz.
14 Sep 2023Yale Department of Psychiatry and Child Study Center Staff Spotlight September 2023
In the latest edition of a spotlight series launched in February to feature integrated business operations (IBO) and administration staff at the Yale Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry, meet IBO Associate Director of Faculty Affairs and Staff Administration Michael Winter.
7 Sep 2023McMahon Elected to Fellow Status by American Psychological Association
Thomas J. McMahon, PhD, professor emeritus of psychiatry and in the Child Study Center, was one of the 132 fellows elected by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Board of Directors and Council of Representatives.
30 Aug 2023ASF Announces Recipients of the 2023 Suzanne Wright Memorial Research Accelerator Grants
YCSC Hilibrand Postdoctoral Fellow Jason Griffin, PhD was selected as a recipient of a Suzanne Wright Memorial Research Accelerator Grant from the Autism Science Foundation.
Source: Autism Science Foundation5 Sep 2023Picciotto to Direct Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
Marina Picciotto, PhD, Charles B. G. Murphy Professor of Psychiatry and Professor in the Child Study Center, of Neuroscience and of Pharmacology, has been appointed director of the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, the largest doctoral program in the biological and biomedical sciences at Yale.
7 Sep 2023
Save the Date: Annual Meeting of the Associates
News You Can Use
Excessive Screen Time Linked to Developmental Delays in Babies, Says New Study
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics (JAMA Pediatrics) and led by YCSC Associate Research Scientist David Lewkowicz found a link between screen time in babies and developmental delays in communication, problem-solving, social, personal, and fine motor skills.
Source: tinybeans.com23 Aug 2023Schools To Research The Impact of Their Environments on Students
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced grant support for two university-led programs, including the YCSC Education Collaboratory, led by Assistant Professor Christina Cipriano.
Source: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Blog23 Aug 2023From Trash to Triumph: The Mount Growmore Initiative
In this episode of the People Places Planet Podcast, Senior Research Scientist Suzi Ruhl joins Debbie Sims, David Cash, and Bill Coleman with podcast host Georgia Ray to discuss the evolution of Bridgeport, Connecticut's once-neglected Mount Trashmore into the thriving Mount Growmore agricultural and wellness campus.
Source: People Places Planet Podcast30 Aug 2023Where is the love? Musical recognition crosses cultures — with an exception
In a new study, Yale researchers found that some musical themes are universally recognizable by people everywhere. Love songs, however, were harder to pinpoint.
Source: Yale News7 Sep 2023Yale researchers find 2 types of autism, underscoring the need for different treatments
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine’s Child Study Center have discovered at least two different types of autism. The findings, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, suggest a need for more than just one drug to treat symptoms.
Source: Connecticut Public Radio7 Sep 2023The Meso-Expression Test Advances the Measurement of Emotional Intelligence
A team of researchers from the Yale School of Medicine and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania developed a novel way to assess individuals’ emotion perception ability that diverges from the dominant approaches.
8 Sep 2023Boys Will Be the Boys We Give Them Permission to Be
YCSC Center for Emotional Intelligence faculty address "Barbie, Pink and Blue, and the Gendering of Emotion."
Source: Psychology Today9 Sep 2023
Upcoming Grand Rounds
- Sep 202319Tuesday
Rethinking Diagnostic Constructs in ASD
Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds
Speaker: Evdokia Anagnostou, MD
- Oct 20233Tuesday
Yale Child Study Center Gesell Lecture: "Health Disparities: A Psychosocial Perspective"
Speaker: Edith Chen, PhD
- Oct 202310Tuesday
First Annual Academic Progression Celebration
Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds
Speakers: Linda Mayes, MD, Tara Sanabria Davila, LCSW
- Oct 202317Tuesday
Stigma in the Mirror
Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds
Speaker: Javeed Sukhera, MD, PhD
- Oct 202330Monday
Exploring and Enhancing Leadership in the Academy
Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds "On Leadership" Series Kick-off
Speaker: Pamela Sutton-Wallace
In the Media
Heartbreaking: Music really is a universal language — except for love songs
In a study led by YCSC Assistant Professor Adjunct Sam Mehr, participants universally identified dance tunes and lullabies, but struggled with love songs. This may be because love songs can encompass a broad spectrum of emotions, from happiness to jealousy.
Source: StudyFinds8 Sep 2023Supporting the mental health of young people
In this Oxford University podcast episode, YCSC community faculty member Claudia-Santi F. Fernandes joins Oxford Professor Belinda Lennox and other guests to examine how to best help support the mental health of young people.
Source: Futuremakers: 'Brain and Mental Health'8 Sep 2023Yale autism study’s findings could help scientists develop treatment options
YCSC researchers comment on recent study findings indicating that Autism spectrum disorder may be associated with an imbalance of excitatory neurons in the brain, which could have implications for future treatment options.
Source: New Haven Register3 Sep 2023Mount Trashmore to Mount Growmore
Senior Research Scientist Suzi Ruhl addresses the evolution of Bridgeport, Connecticut's once-neglected Mount Trashmore into the thriving Mount Growmore in this blog post co-written with Environmental Law Institute Intern Alex Alvarez.
Source: Vibrant Environment Blog30 Aug 2023More Screen Time Linked to Delayed Development in Babies, Study Finds
One-year-olds exposed to more than four hours of screen time a day experienced developmental delays in communication and problem-solving skills at ages 2 and 4, according to a study published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics.
Source: The New York Times21 Aug 2023