MacArthur Fellow Studies Complexities of the Developing Brain

Damien Fair, PA-C, PhD, Professor in the Division of Clinical Behavioral Neuroscience in the Department of Pediatrics, collaborates with many University of Minnesota faculty, educational colleges, and colleagues to study the human brain. Recently, he has been studying the development of pediatric brains over time as the children grow using noninvasive techniques. Dr. Fair and colleagues’ research has recently started to show the complexity and individuality of many behavioral problems associated with conditions such as autism and ADHD. They are beginning to understand that brain operations are very specific to the individual person and in order to effectively treat patients, researchers and physicians need to better understand the inner workings and characteristics of the brain contributing to these conditions. 

Dr. Fair was recently awarded one of the twenty-one MacArthur Fellowships in 2020, distributed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for researchers that display exceptional creativity and the potential to contribute additional creative work. The fellowship consists of a $625,000 no-strings-attached award that can be put towards further research pursuits. With additional professorships in the Institute of Child Development and College of Education and Human Development, Dr. Fair will continue to pursue investigating and mapping the complexities of the human brain, collaborating with fellow researchers to provide useful discoveries and research that could improve our current policies and treatments. To read the full article and more about Dr. Fair’s work, please follow this link.