“Future research needs to focus not only on the biological markers of autism but also include data about functioning, participation, and environmental barriers and facilitators.”
Dr. Olaf Kraus de Camargo// Developmental Pediatrician
MacART is laying the foundation for creating a systematic way of linking scientific research on autism at McMaster University to clinical practice at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
The physical proximity of McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences, and McMaster University has a number of characteristics that provides the rare opportunity for collaborative research. Taking advantage of existing university and clinical infrastructure and cross-appointments for clinicians at the university, autism experts from these organizations are coming together to integrate autism research into clinical practice.
The focus of MacART members’ research is in the areas of basic science, clinical practice, clinical research, epidemiology and statistical modelling, knowledge translation and exchange, and social science research. By promoting the collaboration of stakeholders across disciplines, MacART is reducing barriers to implementing research in clinical practice, with the goal of advancing autism care through meaningful research.
MacART members are now supervising more than 50 research trainees at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels, and are engaged in the mentoring of junior and intermediate faculty members.
In the future, we intend to establish research and clinical training programs for students in McMaster’s undergraduate medical, health sciences, and psychology programs, and for residents and fellows in Pediatrics and Psychiatry.
By training and mentoring emerging researchers and practitioners, we will help to solidify their understanding of and commitment to using basic science to inform their clinical practice, and to use their clinical experience to help formulate research questions. It is our belief that involving these learners in MacART educational activities will promote their use of practices that advance autism care through meaningful research.
Community
“Our scientists are working collaboratively with local clinicians to generate the evidence needed to improve autism services. This symposium is a great example of McMaster’s community engagement efforts.”
Dr. Patrick Deane // President & Vice-Chancellor // McMaster University
The community engagement component of MacART strives to work with stakeholders and involve them as partners in every step of the research process. By doing so, the questions that drive research begin to change. They become more meaningful because they address the real day-to-day challenges faced by children and their families, and the clinicians supporting them.
MacART aims to increase participation and involvement of members of the McMaster and Hamilton communities in the research process. With community members driving the research, new and relevant knowledge can be produced to bridge the research-to-practice gap in autism and advance autism care through meaningful research.
Policy
“People whose lives are connected to the challenge of autism can share knowledge – from clinicians to educators to parents – and what an amazing opportunity that is. We have a real opportunity to translate challenges into research, and research into practice that will help families living with Autism.”
Rob MacIsaac // President & CEO // Hamilton Health Sciences
Policies should be created using the best available evidence that make positive impacts on the lives of Autistic individuals, along with their families.
MacART’s founder, Dr. Stelios Georgiades, serves on both federal and provincial advisory committees about Autism supports/service funding. Along with the wide-ranging expertise of its many autism experts, MacART is set to act as a highly credible source of evidence-based information to influence and inform public policy about the provision and funding of autism diagnosis, services, and family supports.
MacART will continue to find ways to collaborate with policymakers to both learn more about the policymaking process, and to contribute our expertise and knowledge to inform policymaking, in order to advance Autism care through meaningful research.
“Future research needs to focus not only on the biological markers of autism but also include data about functioning, participation, and environmental barriers and facilitators.”
Dr. Olaf Kraus de Camargo// Developmental Pediatrician
MacART is laying the foundation for creating a systematic way of linking scientific research on autism at McMaster University to clinical practice at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
The physical proximity of McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences, and McMaster University has a number of characteristics that provides the rare opportunity for collaborative research. Taking advantage of existing university and clinical infrastructure and cross-appointments for clinicians at the university, autism experts from these organizations are coming together to integrate autism research into clinical practice.
The focus of MacART members’ research is in the areas of basic science, clinical practice, clinical research, epidemiology and statistical modelling, knowledge translation and exchange, and social science research. By promoting the collaboration of stakeholders across disciplines, MacART is reducing barriers to implementing research in clinical practice, with the goal of advancing autism care through meaningful research.
MacART members are now supervising more than 50 research trainees at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels, and are engaged in the mentoring of junior and intermediate faculty members.
In the future, we intend to establish research and clinical training programs for students in McMaster’s undergraduate medical, health sciences, and psychology programs, and for residents and fellows in Pediatrics and Psychiatry.
By training and mentoring emerging researchers and practitioners, we will help to solidify their understanding of and commitment to using basic science to inform their clinical practice, and to use their clinical experience to help formulate research questions. It is our belief that involving these learners in MacART educational activities will promote their use of practices that advance autism care through meaningful research.
Community
“Our scientists are working collaboratively with local clinicians to generate the evidence needed to improve autism services. This symposium is a great example of McMaster’s community engagement efforts.”
Dr. Patrick Deane // President & Vice-Chancellor // McMaster University
The community engagement component of MacART strives to work with stakeholders and involve them as partners in every step of the research process. By doing so, the questions that drive research begin to change. They become more meaningful because they address the real day-to-day challenges faced by children and their families, and the clinicians supporting them.
MacART aims to increase participation and involvement of members of the McMaster and Hamilton communities in the research process. With community members driving the research, new and relevant knowledge can be produced to bridge the research-to-practice gap in autism and advance autism care through meaningful research.
Policy
“People whose lives are connected to the challenge of autism can share knowledge – from clinicians to educators to parents – and what an amazing opportunity that is. We have a real opportunity to translate challenges into research, and research into practice that will help families living with Autism.”
Rob MacIsaac // President & CEO // Hamilton Health Sciences
Policies should be created using the best available evidence that make positive impacts on the lives of Autistic individuals, along with their families.
MacART’s founder, Dr. Stelios Georgiades, serves on both federal and provincial advisory committees about Autism supports/service funding. Along with the wide-ranging expertise of its many autism experts, MacART is set to act as a highly credible source of evidence-based information to influence and inform public policy about the provision and funding of autism diagnosis, services, and family supports.
MacART will continue to find ways to collaborate with policymakers to both learn more about the policymaking process, and to contribute our expertise and knowledge to inform policymaking, in order to advance Autism care through meaningful research.
A new paper by members of our team published in BMC Health Services Research describes a program evaluation of a pilot mobile developmental outreach clinic for Autism in Ontario. MacART collaborated with our colleagues from the South Asian Autism Awareness Centre (SAAAC) on this evaluation of the Mobile Developmental Outreach Clinic (M-DOC) – a program led by SAAAC […]
April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day – an internationally recognized day to continue raising awareness of autism spectrum disorder, and to promote acceptance and inclusion for the over 75 million autistic people across the globe. In Canada, the latest statistics (PHAC, 2022) tell us that 1 in 50 children and youth aged 1 to
We would like to send congratulations to MacART co-director, Dr. Stelios Georgiades, on being appointed as the inaugural chairholder of the new McMaster Children’s Hospital Chair in Autism and Neurodevelopment. This prestigious new position has been established through the support of Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster
The federal government has committed to work with provinces, territories, self-advocates, families and stakeholders toward the creation of a National Autism Strategy. The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) has been selected by the Public Health Agency of Canada to conduct an autism assessment that will inform the government ahead of the creation of this national
The McMaster Autism Research Team would like to announce a change in the makeup of our leadership team. Dr. Caroline Roncadin, Clinical Director of the Autism Program at McMaster Children’s Hospital, will be succeeding Dr. Terry Bennett as the new Co-Director of MacART. “Terry has been with MacART since the beginning,” says MacART Founder
We are pleased to share the good news that some of our MacART members have recently received new funding and appointments. MacART co-director Dr. Terry Bennett has been appointed as the Jack Laidlaw Chair in Patient Centred Health Care for a five-year term. This is the Chair previously held by Chuck Cunningham, which focuses on
April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day – a day to recognize all those individuals around the world who live on the autism spectrum. Here in Canada, 1 in 66 children are currently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); globally, more than 70 million people live with autism. Usually autism-friendly events and activities would be
Dr. Stephen Gentles, a postdoctoral fellow with both MacART and Autism Ontario, researches the social psychological needs and responses of parents of children with autism as they navigate intervention. His recently-published paper, “Coming to understand the child has autism: A process illustrating parents’ evolving readiness for engaging in care” discusses parents’ perspectives navigating and becoming
Researchers at McMaster University are seeking qualified applicants for a post-doctoral research opportunity in the autism field. Applicants will be eligible for a 12 to 24 month Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Stelios Georgiades and Dr. Eric Duku. The position is based at the well-known Offord Centre for Child Studies in Hamilton,
On Wednesday October 9th 2019, the McMaster Autism Research Team (MacART) was pleased to take part in the 3rd annual Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre Research Symposium – an event to highlight some of the exciting research being done by clinicians and researchers to help bridge the research-to-practice gap. MacART and Offord Centre team members.
