The fellowship is situated within the Health Equity through Autism Research Translation (HEART) Lab, directed by Dr. Rebecca McNally Keehn. The HEART Lab focuses on reducing autism and neurodevelopmental health disparities through the development and evaluation of innovative models of care both within the US and globally. Our team of scientists, health care clinicians, caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, autistic advocates and learners are passionate about applying cutting-edge research methods to solve real-world health problems and improve the lives of children, their families, and the health care clinicians and systems that care for them. Our areas of research focus include: understanding disparities in autism services to drive new methods for improving health care access and equity; building capacity of primary care to improve equitable access to autism evaluation in partnership with Indiana’s Early Autism Evaluation Hub system; cultural adaptation of autism evaluation tools for use in resource-constrained local and global communities; integration of clinical and biobehavioral approaches to advance early autism diagnosis.

Fellows will build a primary focus in one or two of the areas below while gaining exposure to cutting edge translational and health services research methodologies. All areas of focus offer the opportunity to contribute to NIH-funded research studies.

- Innovative primary care health service models. We partner with a statewide network of primary care practices working to lower the age of autism diagnosis.

We have an ongoing multi-site clinical trial designed to optimize primary care clinician training in autism diagnosis as well as an international study of autism persistence. Fellows can build skills in implementation science and clinical trial methodology as well as quality improvement and mixed-methods approaches.

-Application of eye-tracking biomarkers for clinical diagnosis.

Our team developed and is testing a model in which trained primary care clinicians diagnose autism in toddlers, supported by eye-tracking biomarkers. Fellows can build skills in to biomarker development and validation, diagnostic accuracy, and clinical decision support.

- Global autism health.

Through partnership with AMPATH-Kenya, we study autism outcomes and neurobehavioral markers in young children born to mothers with HIV in Western Kenya. Fellows will build skills in cultural adaptation of diagnostic and caregiver-report measures, screening and diagnostic accuracy, eye-tracking in low-resource settings, and community-engaged research capacity building.

Two appointment tracks are available: a 100% research track and a 50:50 clinical/research track. Research track (100% research). Suited to candidates in cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, global health, implementation science, data science, or related fields. No clinical activities are required. Fellows will be mentored by Dr. Brandon Keehn, Professor of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences and Psychological Sciences at Purdue University.

Clinical/research track (50% clinical, 50% research). Suited to clinical/school psychologists seeking clinical licensure hours and research expertise. Clinical activities include developmental evaluations of toddlers in primary care research clinics, research-reliable ADOS-2 administration, and interdisciplinary diagnostic clinics serving toddlers through young adults. Fellows receive weekly supervision from a licensed psychologist and live supervision in clinic, supporting hours toward licensure. Research focus is flexible and dependent upon the candidate’s background and professional goals.

Indiana University is a multi-campus public research institution, and a world leader in professional, medical, and technological education with an annual operating budget of
$2.1 billion. IUSM is the largest medical school in the United States with a student body that includes over 43% women and 36% ethnic minorities. IUSM scientists and physicians were awarded over $217million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2021, setting a school record for research funding for the sixth straight year. Additionally, IUSM provides an interdisciplinary and interactive scientific environment with many multidisciplinary centers and state-of-the-art core facilities.
Indianapolis is a diverse, centrally located city that lies within 3 driving hours of other major population centers such as Chicago, Cincinnati, and Louisville. It is 14th largest city in the United States and is growing and thriving economically thanks to a strong corporate base anchored by the life sciences. Indiana is home to one of the largest concentrations of health sciences companies in the nation, which contribute over $44 billion annually to the local economy. Our dynamic downtown is a bustling commercial center, entertainment destination and residential neighborhood. The growing residential base is supported by rich amenities and quality of life – the city possesses a variety of professional sports, arts venues and outdoor recreation areas. For additional information on life in Indy, visit https://medicine.iu.edu/indianapolis.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
IUSM is committed to being a welcoming campus community and we seek candidates whose research, teaching, and community engagement efforts contribute to robust learning and working environments for all students, staff, and faculty. We invite individuals who will join us in our mission to improve health equity and well-being for all throughout the state of Indiana.

PhD or MD/PhD in cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, global health, implementation science, data science, or related fields

Rebecca McNally
mcnallyr@iu.edu