Purdue HHS faculty members appointed as director, associate director of Purdue Autism Research Center

Written by: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu

Bridgette Kelleher, associate professor of psychological sciences

Bridgette Kelleher, an associate professor of psychological sciences, has been appointed as the new director of the Purdue Autism Research Center (PARC), and Brandon Keehn, an associate professor of speech, language and hearing sciences, is the new associate director of the center. The leadership transition became effective August 1.

PARC was established as an official university center in 2019 as a collaborative hub that encompasses faculty from Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, College of Science, College of Education, and College of Veterinary Medicine. The nationally recognized center is designed to generate innovative scientific solutions to societal needs related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neurodevelopmental disabilities. It aims to advance scientific discovery through interdisciplinary research; mentor the next generation of scientists, practitioners and leaders; and partner with advocates, families and communities to create societal impact.

As part of PARC, Kelleher and Keehn were awarded the Purdue University Focus Award in 2019 for furthering Purdue’s commitment to disability accessibility and diversity with their outstanding contributions. Kelleher and Keehn also won the Discovery Park Big Ideas Challenge 2.0 competition in 2019 for their project “From Cell Cultures to Community Cultures: Bringing a Personalized Health to Autism.”

Brandon Keehn, associate professor of speech, language and hearing sciences

Under their leadership, PARC will continue to foster innovation and progress as the societal need for clinical support, acceptance and inclusion around ASD grows.

Kelleher’s research focuses on behavioral and biological markers of risk and resilience in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. She is currently principal investigator (PI) of a project investigating telehealth-based methods for assessing ASD and neurogenetic syndromes. In addition to this, Kelleher’s Neurodevelopmental Family Lab is also working on a study to understand how to implement telehealth-based support to best serve caregivers of children with disabilities.

Keehn’s research in the Attention and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (AtteND) Lab aims to learn more about attentional strengths and weaknesses in those with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders using eye-tracking and brain imaging techniques. He is currently PI of a project investigating integration of clinical evaluation and assessment of biobehavioral markers in primary care settings to improve ASD diagnosis accuracy.

For more information, contact Bridgette Kelleher at bkelleher@purdue.edu.