Award Description
The Donald J. Cohen Fellowship in Developmental Social Neuroscience provides recent college graduates with the opportunity to spend two years engaged in state-of-the-art clinical and basic research with children and families affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Cohen Fellows are directly mentored by the program directors and are involved in a highly active and productive community of clinical research scientists who study ASD. Previous Cohen Fellows have led a wide range of research projects and have gone on to PhD, MD, and MD/PhD programs in specialties such as clinical, developmental, and basic science.
Cohen Fellows guide a research project in the Social Neuroscience and/or Neuroimaging Research Cores from the point of data collection through analysis and publication of results. Over the course of two years, fellows gain in-depth research and clinical experience through work with infants, toddlers, and school-age children spanning the full autism spectrum. Fellows also complete an intensive summer training seminar covering clinical research in ASD (one week), ASD grand rounds meetings (twice a month), social neuroscience lab meetings (weekly), training tutorials in relevant statistical softwares, and ongoing didactic practica.
Donald J. Cohen (1940-2001) was a nationally and internationally renowned child psychiatrist who positively impacted the lives of children and families all over the world. More information about his life and work can be found here.
Sponsor Institution: Marcus Autism Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Emory University School of Medicine
Program Directors: Ami Klin, Warren Jones, Sarah Shultz
For more information on the Faculty at the Marcus Autism Center, visit our website.
Award Amount:
$38,000 in the first year, $39,000 in the second year (with full healthcare coverage across both years)
Eligibility Requirements:
College graduates who will have received a bachelor's degree by the start of the fellowship are eligible to apply.
The Cohen Fellowship provides an opportunity to engage in translational research within a clinical setting. Candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds with a keen interest in translational research, ASD, and child development are encouraged to apply. Research experience and experience with infants and toddlers or children with ASD are valued by the selection committee.
Please note that this fellowship is not offered concurrently with graduate studies. However, for fellows leaving the program, we do hope that the fellowship will serve as an important stepping-stone towards future career goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please refer to the FAQ page for questions regarding this fellowship and the How to Apply page for more information on application.
Research at the Marcus Autism Center
Marcus Autism Center is the largest center for clinical care of children with ASD and their families in the US, seeing more than 5,000 patients per year. The center also works in partnership with Emory National Primate Research Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Georgia Institute of Technology. These partnerships enable a multidisciplinary and translational approach to ASD research, spanning projects in behavioral neuroscience, neuroimaging, molecular and population genetics, and treatment.
The directors of the fellowship program lead the social neuroscience, spoken communication, and neuroimaging research cores within Marcus Autism Center. These research cores use eye-tracking technology, neuroimaging, computational modeling, and behavioral neuroscience methods to better understand the causes and developmental mechanisms underlying ASD and to develop new tools to improve early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of ASD.
For additional questions, please contact the Marcus Fellowship Committee at marcus.predoc-fellowships@emory.edu or (404) 785-9554.