April 2026
The Indiana LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) program at IU School of Medicine offers interdisciplinary, graduate-level leadership training for healthcare, education, and related professionals. Participants improve care for individuals with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities through didactic seminars and clinical experiences.
The LEND leadership awards spotlight those with exceptional leadership, innovation, and service in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities. We are excited that the following HEART Lab and EAE leadership team members were recognized at the 55th Anniversary and Awards Celebration:
- Mary Ciccarelli, MD: Dr. Morris Green Distinguished Leadership Award
- Angela Paxton: Family Leadership Recognition Award
- Patrick Forgey: Self-Advocate Leadership Recognition Award
June 2026
Rebecca McNally Keehn, PhD, was recognized as one of Indy’s Best and Brightest in Health & Life Sciences. Junior Achievement of Central Indiana award recognizes the city’s most outstanding young professionals for their professional achievements and philanthropic impact on the community.
April 2026
The HEART Lab attended the annual Purdue Autism Research Conference (PARC) at Purdue University. We presented as part of the "Advances in Autism Diagnosis from Early Childhood Through Adolescence"symposium. Two of our undergraduate research assistants, Malak Belkacemi and Sanjana "Sam" Veeraraghavan, shared posters highlighting their hard work throughout the academic year.
April 2026
The HEART Lab celebrated 25 years of Children’s Health Services Research (CHSR) at a special conference!
Presentations highlighted research projects, team members through the years, and the early days of the EAE Hub Network. It was a great day to see familiar faces and celebrate what the division has done to support Hoosier children and families.
March 2026
In partnership with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, we received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to conduct a three year study on autism persistence to better understand diagnostic stability from early childhood to grade school.
March 2026
The Riley Children’s Annual Gala spotlights Riley children and families, raises funds for important causes such as improving equitable access to Riley Hospital services, and supports groundbreaking research. On March 7, 2026, our team participated in the gala’s Experience Riley, an immersive experience where innovative research was shared with the community. It was rewarding to share the success of our EAE Hub Network and demonstrate how eye-tracking biomarkers could further support the early autism diagnostic process.
September 2025
We were honored to have participated in Riley Children's Foundation’s Riley X / Riley Homecoming. In September 2025, more than 60 dance marathon college students and alumni learned about the EAE Hub Network and caught a glimpse of how eye-tracking biomarkers could further support the autism diagnostic process in primary care clinics.