Lerner Elected to Board of Directors of International Society for Autism Research

Matthew Lerner, associate professor of psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology, and research director of the Stony Brook Autism Initiative, was recently elected to the board of directors of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR).

INSAR, the leading global professional scientific organization dedicated to advancing the science of autism, announced the results of the international election of its new board members at its recent annual meeting held in Stockholm, Sweden, which featured cutting edge discoveries in autism science and announcements of annual awards. Lerner was also elected as treasurer of the organization.

“I am thrilled to be elected treasurer of the International Society for Autism Research,” Lerner said. “I was elected to this role on the promise to be a good steward of the resources of INSAR, and to leverage those resources to support the next generation of autism scholars, scientists, and self-advocates.” 

Lerner’s accomplishments stem from research focusing on understanding and helping children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which he practices as director of the Social Competence and Treatment Lab, also called the “Lerner Lab.” He also studies the development, evaluation, and dissemination of novel, evidence-based approaches for ameliorating social challenges of neurodiverse people across the lifespan.

Lerner has received several acknowledgments and awards, including the Biobehavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS) from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Early Career Research Contributions Award from the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and the David Shakow Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Clinical Psychology from the Society of Clinical Psychology (APA Division 12). He is a past recipient of the Richard “Dick” Abidin Early Career Award and Grant from the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, and has been listed as one of the top autism researchers in the world in an analysis of autism research over the last decade. 

“I believe that a well-run board is truly a whole greater than the sum of its parts, which rises only by closely listening to its membership — much the way many of our labs and scholarly communities function most effectively when we listen and follow the lead of those who are most affected by our work,” Lerner said. “My hope is to work in a similar fashion to advance a progressive, inclusive, and rigorous future for autism science.” 

INSAR is a cross-disciplinary organization spanning biomedical autism research (including neuroscience and genetics) as well as social science research (including psychology, intervention research and cross-cultural perspectives).