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Institute for the Developing Mind

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“Neuroscience is such an exciting frontier. Neuro-imaging has opened a window to us so that we can look into brain processes that we never knew existed.”

- Roberta G. Williams, MD

Research is the key to improving care and treatment of children with neurological difficulties.  The CHLA-USC Institute for the Developing Mind (IDM) is being developed to engage in innovative translational and clinical research programs.  

One field alone cannot solve neurological problems, but the interface between these fields may offer amazing improvements for children.  Having one central source for clinical assessment and treatment on the hospital’s campus will allow multiple disciplines to collaborate closely in developing a comprehensive diagnosis and plan.
 

Focus

The focus of the CHLA-USC Institute for the Developing Mind is to harness the potential of:

  • the clinical care we give to patients
  • our neuroscience research designed to gain new knowledge
  • our education of the next generation of pediatricians and subspecialists 

The IDM brings together the knowledge and expertise of many programs throughout our hospital:

We are also collaborating with the University Park Campus, Keck Medicine and the Viterbi School of Engineering, all at the University of Southern California.
 

Immediate Goals

Currently, we are actively fundraising to support the work of the Institute.  Additional support will allow us to recruit a national leader in translational research to serve as the Institute’s Director. 

Translational research will allow us to move new discoveries from the laboratory to the stage where they can be used to improve care for children as quickly as possible.  Early efforts to build this new Institute and to find a new Director are being led by Roberta G. Williams, M.D., Vice President of Academic Affairs. 
 

Work Underway and Planned

The initial stages of the work that the hospital has planned will focus on creating an excellent diagnostic tool to help us diagnose children earlier than ever before.  The scope of our ongoing strategy is described below.

  1. Diagnostic Services for Learning Difficulties & Cognitive Delays
    We will offer our first set of clinical services on a very limited basis beginning in May when the Institute for the Developing Mind Clinical, Diagnostic and Research Center Boone Fetter Clinic is opened.
  2. Autism Research
    Under the direction of Michele D. Kipke, PhD, we are collaborating with the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California to test the use of robots as an interventional method for children with autism.  
  3. Neuroscience Research
    Our neurobiologists at the Saban Research Institute are asking fundamental questions about how the brain develops and grows, and are devising new ways to peer inside its deepest recesses.
  4. Research Diagnostic and Intervention Lab
    A new laboratory will develop tools and technologies to diagnose children with autism earlier than ever before to encourage the best possible outcomes.  It will also develop tools for use in schools and pediatrician offices to diagnose children as early as possible.

If you are interested in learning more about the IDM and the vision for this unique and necessary collaboration, please email Melany Duval, Associate Vice President Major and Planned Gifts.