2026 Lurie Autism Institute Symposium

Join us on Thursday, May 7, 2026 for the inaugural 2026 Lurie Autism Institute Annual Symposium, which will convene thought leaders in autism research to advance understanding of autism as a biologically and clinically heterogeneous condition across the lifespan.

Centered on the theme “Advances in the Biological Basis of Heterogeneity in Autism Across the Lifespan,” the symposium will showcase cutting-edge discoveries illuminating the diverse genetic, molecular, neural, and developmental mechanisms that shape autism from early childhood through adulthood.

The symposium will bring together investigators, clinicians, and trainees from the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue that bridges basic, translational, and clinical science. A central objective is to promote lifespan-oriented perspectives, catalyze new collaborations, and accelerate precision approaches to diagnosis, stratification, and intervention.

Info: Susan L. Furth, MD, PhD – Chief Scientific Officer, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Michael Ostap, PhD – Senior Vice Dean & Chief Scientific Officer, University of Pennsylvania

Info: Frances E. Jensen, MD – Chair, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania; Symposium Co-Chair

Info: Mustafa Sahin, MD, PhD – Chair, Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital; Bronson Crothers Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School.

Info: James J. Dowling, MD, PhD – Director, Penn Neurogenetics Therapy Center, University of Pennsylvania

Info: Translational Advances in Autism: Moderator: Frances E. Jensen, MD; Panelists: Mustafa Sahin, MD, PhD; James Dowling, MD, PhD; Eric Marsh, MD, PhD

Info: Olga Troyanskaya, PhD – Professor, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University; Director, Princeton Precision Health

Info: Ethan Goldberg, MD, PhD – Associate Professor of Neurology, Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Departments of Neurology & Neuroscience, The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Director, The Center for Brain Research in Development, Genetics, and Engineering (BRIDGE), Director, The Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative (ENGIN).

Info: Advancing Genotype-Phenotype Correlations to Inform Therapeutic Innovation: Moderator: Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD; Panelists: Olga Troyanskaya, PhD; Judith Miller, PhD, MS; Ethan Goldberg, MD, PhD

Info: Kelsey Martin, MD, PhD – Executive Vice President, Autism & Neuroscience, Simons Foundation

Info: Erynn Gordon, MS, CGC, Founder/President, Ripple Genetics Consulting; Board Member, Association for X and Y Chromosome Variations

Info: Hakon Hakonarson, MD, PhD – Director, Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Symposium Co-Chair

Info: Matthew State, MD, PhD – Professor & Chair, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, UCSF

Info: Michael J. Gandal, MD, PhD – William & Noreen Hetznecker Associate Professor in Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania

Info: Multi-Omic Approaches for Discovery Science: Moderator: Hakon Hakonarson, MD, PhD
Panelists: Matthew State, MD, PhD; Maja Bućan , PhD; Michael J. Gandal, MD, PhD

Info: Marc Fuccillo, MD, PhD and Julia Parish-Morris, PhD

Info: Presented by Daniel Rader, MD – Chair, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania,
Interim Director, Lurie Autism Institute

Info: Hakon Hakonarson, MD, PhD; Frances Jensen, MD, PhD; Daniel Rader, MD

Info: Daniel Rader, MD

Info: An Evening Reception Fostering Partnership across Autism Research, Clinical Care, and Advocacy

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Host or Publisher Children's Hospital of Philadelphia