Human Development Colloquium: Nathan Fox (HDQM)
Big Data/Big Science Come To Developmental Science: The Healthy Brain and Child Development Study
Abstract: The Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study is a national initiative funded primarily by the National Institute of Drug Abuse to examine brain and behavioral development in a large cohort of infants starting in the prenatal period with recruitment of the pregnant persons and following the infants until they are seven years of age. There are multiple foci in the recruitment initiative including emphasis on prenatal exposure to substances, particularly opioids, and detailed description of the context in which families live. There are also multiple foci in assessment of the family and the child including brain imaging (MRI and EEG), biospecimens from both mother and child, cognitive and social development at multiple age points across the seven years and descriptions of maternal background and characteristics. This is the largest study to follow over 7000 infants across the United States. Among the many unique aspects of this study are the roles of investigators in identifying measures and assessments.
Bio: Nathan A. Fox is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology. He conducts research on the effects of early experience on brain and behavioral development in infants and children. He has studied the biological bases of social and emotional behavior developing methods for assessing brain activity in infants and young children during tasks designed to elicit a range of emotions. His work is funded by the National Institutes of Health where he was awarded a MERIT award for excellence of his research program. He is one of three Principal Investigators on the Bucharest Early Intervention Project. Dr. Fox was awarded the Distinguished Scientific Investigator Award from the National Association for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Psychological Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was editor of Infant Behavior and Development and served as Associate Editor of Psychophysiology, Developmental Psychology and the International Journal of Behavioral Development. He is a founding member of the National Scientific Council for the Developing Child.
