Latest News from Fernandez Lab

Four new research projects have been funded through a new social media pilot research award made possible through a generous donation to Yale Child Study Center. Several pilot studies have been launched to investigate the impacts of social media on child and adolescent mental health and development.

In a groundbreaking study, researchers have linked rare “de novo” genetic mutations—copy number variants (CNVs)—to pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Approximately 70 members of the Yale Child Study Center community recently gathered together in a hybrid format—both in-person and by Zoom—to celebrate 46 YCSC faculty and staff members being honored for their respective years of service at Yale University, from five up to 40 years.

A genome-wide analyses in Nature Genetics identified 30 independent loci associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder, highlighting genetic overlap with other psychiatric disorders and implicating putative effector genes and cell types contributing to its etiology. Marco Galimberti, PhD, associate research scientist, is co-first author.

The results of the second round of Yale Child Study Center postdoctoral scholar travel awards were announced on January 10, 2025, with kudos to award recipients Rebecca Etkin, Stella Jackman-Ryan, and Brianna Cairney.

Yale Child Study Center Assistant Professor Emily Olfson is one of four 2024 Young Investigator Award recipients from the Tourette Association of America (TAA). Each awardee will receive $150,000 over two years to support their Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorder research.

Recently released study findings from researchers at the Yale Child Study Center and Yale Department of Psychiatry indicate that rare genetic changes that are spontaneous – and not inherited from parents – may contribute to the underpinnings of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Lyndsey Chong, Elizabeth Edgar, and Max Rolison were selected as recipients of the third annual Yale Child Study Center Trainee Pilot Research Awards. The awards provide research funding for trainees currently enrolled in a YCSC training program for initial pilot research projects relevant to child mental health.

The Yale Child Study Center honored forty trainees in the class of 2024 at an annual departmental commencement event on June 21, 2024. YCSC Professor Michael Bloch delivered a keynote speech, and the event was followed by a reception for graduates and their families.