The Rutgers Board of Governors today awarded the Karmazin and Lillard Chair in Adult Autism to Vanessa Hus Bal, associate professor in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) and U-M Clinical Psychology Alumna, whose unique research emphasizes a life span perspective in the understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adulthood.

Internationally recognized for her scholarly contributions and leadership, Bal has established herself as a scholar with a unique and specific focus on adults with autism, examining both biological and behavioral approaches that may be useful in screening and diagnostics. She has served in working group leadership positions for the International Meeting for Autism Research and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Center and has over 20 awards and honors for her work.

The endowed professorship addresses the much-needed intervention and research for adults with autism spectrum disorders from both academic and training perspectives and positions Rutgers as a global leader in issues related to autism.

Bal earned her master’s degree in neuroscience from the University of Oxford and her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Michigan.  She also completed a clinical psychology internship at the University of Michigan and a postdoc in human genetics at the University of California, San Francisco.

Read the full article at Rutgers Today.