NeURoscience | Vol 11 | 2021

NEUROSCIENCE University of Rochester | Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Vol. 11 - 2021

Seeing the future of science and care PG 4

F R O M T H E D I R EC TO R ’ S D E S K

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here is no scientist working in neuroscience today who hasn’t had moments of doubt, perhaps even despair, about the feasibility of what it is we do.

Can we ever figure out the complexities of the human mind, the inner workings of the brain, using the self-same device to try to understand itself in some ever-iterative loop? It is in these times of doubt that I am reminded of the words of the late David Hubel, vision scientist extraordinaire and Nobel prize winner (1981) for his work on the structure and function of the visual system:

John J. Foxe, Ph.D. Kilian J. and Caroline F. Schmitt Chair in Neuroscience

Director, The Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience

Professor & Chair, Department of Neuroscience

On the cover From left: Krystel Huxlin, Ph.D., Susana Marcos, Ph.D., and David Williams, Ph.D., stand together in a lab in the Center for Visual Science at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Photo: John Schlia Photography

“The brain is a tissue. It is a complicated, intricately woven tissue, like nothing else we know of in the universe, but it is composed of cells, as any tissue is. They are, to be sure, highly specialized cells, but they function according to the laws that govern any other cells. Their electrical and chemical signals can be detected, recorded and interpreted and their chemicals can be identified; the connections that constitute the brain’s woven feltwork can be mapped. In short, the brain can be studied, just as the kidney can.”

It is a hopeful message for neuroscience, and it is perhaps à propos to quote one of vision sciences greatest practitioners as we dedicate the cover story of this issue of NeURoscience to celebrate the extraordinary history of one of the most successful centers at the university, a center that has transformed our understanding of vision and provided discoveries that have revolutionized how we see.

The Center for Vision Science (CVS) was founded almost 60 years ago with just a few investigators. Today, nearly 40

Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Executive Committee John Foxe, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Neuroscience Bradford Berk M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Cardiology Robert Dirksen, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology Diane Dalecki, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering Jennifer Harvey, M.D., Chair, Department of Imaging Sciences

researchers across multiple departments are members. You’ll learn about the life-changing discoveries made at CVS and its global reputation, including how it has attracted leading investigators such as its new director, Susana Marcos, Ph.D. Professor Marcos, the first woman to lead CVS, arrives at URMC with a remarkable list of accomplishments, translating her work and discoveries about the retina from the bench to industry.

It is hard to believe as I write this note to you that 2022 is just two short months away, but here we are, and as a community we’ve persevered through another tough pandemic year, taking care of each other and somehow producing amazing science.

As you’ll read in the coming pages, 2022 will bring the start of a groundbreaking clinical trial for children with Batten disease – a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

It will also bring us to the second half of the school year, where our researchers continue to generate important data for our ongoing project with Mary Cariola Center to better understand the impact of COVID-19 in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) community.

Yet there is still much to enjoy of the year we are in. I continue to be in awe of the dedication our faculty, students, and staff have to our mission and, as always, look forward to what will be discovered next.

In Science,

John J. Foxe, Ph.D.

Robert Holloway, M.D., M.P.H., Chair, Department of Neurology Paige Lawrence, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Environmental Medicine Hochang (Ben) Lee, M.D., Chair, Department of Psychiatry Shawn Newlands, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., Chair, Department of Otolaryngology Webster Pilcher, M.D., Ph.D., Chair, Department of Neurosurgery Duje Tadin, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER | ERNEST J. DEL MONTE INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE

NEUROSCIENCE Editor/Writer Kelsie Smith Hayduk Kelsie_Smith-Hayduk@ urmc.rochester.edu Contributor Mark Michaud Feature Photography John Schlia Photography J. Adam Fenster Designer Beth Carr

NEWS BRIEFS

Appetite for survival: Brain signal alerts roundworms to changing food supply Microscopic roundworms may hold the key to understanding what is happening in the brain when the instinct of an animal changes in order to survive. Investigators found that a signaling system in the brain changes to redirect the behavior of an animal when their survival is at risk because there is not enough food.

Douglas Portman, Ph.D., lead author of the study published in Current Biology of females in this and professor of Biomedical Genetics, species) produce conducted the experiments in C. a pheromone that elegans – a microscopic roundworm allows worms to that has been used by scientists monitor how crowded for decades to understand their environment is and the basic organization and how much food there is function of the central to go around. When food nervous system and how becomes scarce the aversion it impacts behavior. circuit is triggered in the animal Researchers and it becomes repelled by the found C. elegans pheromone. hermaphrodites “The key thing we identified is a (the equivalent molecular mechanism whereby an instinctive response can be suppressed under particular environmental conditions, namely, abundant food,” said Portman. “Adaptively it makes sense that an animal’s instinctive response would have this kind of flexibility.”

This underlying repulsive mechanism to the pheromone is present in both hermaphrodites and males, but researchers found that in males, the mechanism is overridden by another circuit that causes males to be attracted to the pheromone. A subtlety that could provide an understanding of how the neural circuits work that cause this change in behavior.

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NEWS BRIEFS

The memory changes of menopause Menopause can mess with your memory. A new study from researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has identified four profiles of cognitive function that may help investigators understand why memory declines for some women and not others. These findings add to the mounting evidence of the memory changes that can happen when menopause approaches and could lead to better guidance and treatment for patients experiencing memory issues.

“If we understand what goes on cognitively for women during this time, we can help normalize the experience,” said Miriam Weber, Ph.D., associate professor of Neurology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, who is the first author of the study.

The study, published in the journal Climacteric, looked at data from 85 women ages 40-60 who were approaching or at the beginning of menopause. Women self-reported menopausal symptoms, had hormone levels measured, and took cognitive tests biannually for up to nine years. The data led investigators to identify four profiles of cognitive function a woman may experience: normal cognition, weakness in verbal learning and memory (the ability to learn new information and retain it over

time), strength in verbal learning and memory, and strength in attention and executive function (the ability to multitask).

Researchers found that women experiencing a strength profile (strength in either verbal learning and memory or attention and executive function) had fewer depressive symptoms and hot flashes, while those experiencing cognitive weakness reported more sleep disturbances and symptoms of depression.

Weber’s previous work found that some women approaching menopause experienced declines in working memory – the ability to take in new information and manipulate it in their heads – and a woman’s ability to keep and focus attention on a challenging task. But these declines were not directly linked to hormones, according to Weber’s studies.

Silence and sound: The perfect timing to preserve hearing A combination of sound and silence may be a key in helping slow the progression of permanent hearing loss. In a study published in the journal eNeuro, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) found intermittent broadband sound played over an extended period of time preserved sensory cells in the ear, while also rewiring some of the central auditory system in the brain, helping preserve the ability to sense the timing of sounds.

“By showing that the detection of sound is being preserved in the brain, we're saying it's not just the hair cells in the ear, there's some connectivity in the central auditory system in the brain that is vital to hearing too,” said Adam Dziorny, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and Biomedical Engineering, and first author of the study. “This isn’t a cure, but it could be a step that may lead to a treatment in the future.”

For 12-hour periods, researchers played a mix of broadband sound with gaps of silence for mice with sensorineural hearing loss – the most common type of hearing loss in humans caused

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by damage to hair cells or the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. Previous studies have shown the presence of broadband sound preserves structure and function of sensory cells in the ear. In this study, Dziorny explains, the gaps of silence allowed researchers to presume that rewiring was occurring in the brain itself within the central auditory system. These gaps are what preserved the mouse’s ability to sense the timing of sound.

“Past research has shown that the brain is capable of modifying its signaling to both the frequency and loudness of sounds. This study shows that the brain can also be trained to modify temporal aspects as well,” said Anne Luebke, Ph.D., associate professor of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering at URMC and coauthor of this study. Researchers see these findings as an important step toward demonstrating that children with sensorineural hearing loss have the potential to preserve function using an augmented acoustic stimulus.

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER | ERNEST J. DEL MONTE INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE

NEWS BRIEFS

Researchers aim to better understand COVID-19 in students with intellectual and developmental disabilities Researchers at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester are working to better understand how COVID-19 impacts students and staff in schools that serve students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The $4 million project, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of DiagnosticsUnderserved Populations (RADx-UP), will allow researchers to work with students and staff at the Mary Cariola Center School in Rochester to study how COVID-19 spreads in the vulnerable population the agency serves.

“Understanding how to best test this population and how COVID spreads in group settings is imperative to keeping those with an IDD safe,” said John Foxe, Ph.D., Director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, and co-principal investigator of the study. “Ultimately, this study will have major implications for schools across the United States and specifically for schools that serve vulnerable students.”

Foxe is one of three principal investigators leading this study.

John Foxe, Ph.D., shares details of the study during a press conference at Mary Cariola Center on October 5, 2021.

Martin Zand, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of Clinical & Translational Science Institute and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research at the Medical Center, and Stephen Dewhurst, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Research at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, are also principal investigators.

According to the NIH, a non-vaccinated person with intellectual and developmental disabilities is four-times more likely to contract COVID-19 and eight-times more likely to die from the virus than someone without an IDD. It is also a population that is difficult to test with effective procedures.

This study will allow researchers to rapidly identify initial infections, antigen levels, and through isolating and contacttracing stop the spread of infection in school settings. In addition to researchers testing on all three Mary Cariola School campuses, they will also utilize a dedicated vehicle to travel between the school and students' homes, to test and track anyone who tests positive.

Last spring, the NIH designated the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience as one of 16 Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers in the county.

Neuroscience Graduate Program alumnus Monique Mendes, Ph.D., delivers remarks for the class of 2020 on October 2, 2021

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I want to leave you with the greatest piece of knowledge I have so far — over the past 28 years of my life — that got me to this point. It is plainly to be selfless, err on the side of kindness, and, most importantly, take risks.”

- Monique Mendes, Ph.D. '18M (M.S.), '20M (Ph.D.) University of Rochester photo // J. Adam Fenster

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F E AT U R E

From left: Krystel Huxlin, Ph.D., Susana Marcos, Ph.D., David Williams, Ph.D.

Seeing the future of science and care at the Center for Visual Science For nearly 60 years, the Center for Visual Science (CVS) at the University of Rochester has been a hub for vision science, where optics, ophthalmology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, and other disciplines are transforming our understanding of vision and how we treat vision disorders. More than 40 labs make up CVS, which are comprised of faculty and trainees from Neuroscience, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the Flaum Eye Institute, Neurology, the Institute of Optics, Psychiatry, and Biomedical Engineering.

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UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER | ERNEST J. DEL MONTE INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE

THE FOUNDATION OF EXCELLENCE Renowned visual scientist Robert M. Boynton, Ph.D., had a goal­— to create a center dedicated to excellence in vision research that would provide a space for investigators from any discipline to collaborate in the field of vision science. The location, the University of Rochester, an academic center two miles up the Genesee River from the heart of a city internationally recognized for its global role in optics innovation, due in great part to the technologies emerging from Kodak, Bausch + Lomb, and Xerox. In 1963, nearly a decade after coming to Rochester, Boynton realized this goal in founding CVS — he would be the Center director until 1971.

“His fundamental interest was visual perception and color vision in particular. But the idea that those sorts of interests could lead to this whole new field in which we’re able to measure aberrations more accurately would have just thrilled him,” said David Williams, Ph.D., William G. Allyn Professor of Medical Optics at the University. Williams was the sixth director of CVS, serving from 1992 until June 2021. It was a serendipitous role, as Williams first met Boynton on the other side of the country when he was a graduate student at the University of California San Diego. Boynton joined the faculty there in 1974. Williams spent many hours with Boynton, who volunteered as a subject in his Ph.D. thesis experiments.

“I was doing psychophysical experiments on the short wavelength cones in the eye and Bob was very interested in that, so I spent many hours in a dark room testing his vision.

But little did I know back then that I would be the director of the place that he founded.”

Boynton’s vision helped lay the foundation for the hub of basic vision science at the University. In the ensuing six decades, CVS continues to be dedicated to its core mission of advancing our understanding of the complex intersection of optics and neuroscience that comprises human vision. This commitment has allowed for substantial growth and

David Williams, Ph.D. Photo by J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester

expansion, translating research into viable technologies used in the optics and vision industry. “In the last quarter-century CVS has made significant inroads into clinical applications of vision science,” said Williams.

This includes findings made in Williams’ lab that have successfully made the leap from bench to industry. His lab developed an automated method to accurately measure aberrations in the eye, allowing for the development of better corrective lenses — both in glasses and contacts. Williams’ research also helped develop laser refractive correction surgeries commonly known as LASIK. His introduction of adaptive optics to the eye also opened a new window to study the retina in which researchers can look at single cells in a living eye and even observe the signals these nerve cells send to the brain.

NEW LEADERSHIP CVS recently welcomed a new director and seventh leader.

Susana Marcos, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert in the optics of the eye and the interactions of light with the retina, took the helm in July. She is the first woman to hold the position in the Center’s storied history. Originally from Spain, Marcos was well aware of the work happening in Rochester long before taking on this new role. “There is a lot of exciting technology going on at CVS, I think one of the flagships of CVS is the great interdisciplinary research,” said Marcos. “This combination of exciting research in an academic environment, the clinical side, and the opportunities for intern disciplinarily and a rich corporate environment are all the right ingredients for successes.”

Marcos’ strong interest in neuroscience and in driving vision research toward clinical applications will help mold the future of CVS. “I think that you're going to see a renaissance in CVS under Susana Marcos’ leadership,” said Williams. “She is perfectly Susana Marcos, Ph.D. positioned to carry on the effort to fast-track research to industry. She's very well trained in optics and optical engineering, especially in the context of the visual system. She has corporate partners and research contracts that allow her to translate the fundamental work that both corporations and clinicians care about.” Building on fostering multidisciplinary collaborations in vision science both internally at the University and internationally, Marcos is looking to bolster the Center’s global reputation. She will also

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pursue strengthening the alumni network, recruiting talented students, and sourcing seed funding to develop a pilot program that would foster cross-disciplinary research. She aims to also develop a model that accelerates CVS research to industry.

Marcos has spent much of her career developing optical technology with applications in the visual system of the eye. Before coming to Rochester, she was the director of the Visual Optics and Biophotonics Lab, and the director of the Institute of Optics at Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IO-CSIC) in Madrid, Spain. She is a co-founder of 2EyesVision SL and a co-inventor of the SimVis technology that allows patients to ‘try on’ multifocal corrections before putting in contact lenses or having an intraocular lens implantation.

TRAINING FUTURE SCIENTISTS Krystel Huxlin, Ph.D., associate director and co-director of training for CVS, and the James V. Aquavella professor and director of research in Ophthalmology, was first introduced to CVS as a trainee. As a postdoc, her interest lied heavily in neuroscience, but while working in the lab of William H. Merigan, Jr., Ph.D., she became immersed in CVS, which changed the trajectory of her research. “The real beauty of it was that it gave me access to a much wider set of approaches, expertise, and the opportunity to collaborate. I really started to branch out into asking questions that were more optical in nature,” said Huxlin. “It made all of the difference, and seeded much of the research I am pursuing today.”

Krystel Huxlin, Ph.D. Photo by J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester

Huxlin’s research encompasses visual recovery after stroke, and corneal wound healing — corneal damage and scarring is one of the major causes of blindness and there are currently no effective treatments. The latter propelled her work from the bench to industry. She and fellow vision scientist Wayne Knox, Ph.D., are developing a non-surgical alternative to laser refractive correction. The process known as LIRIC (Laser-Induced Refractive Index Change) changes the refractive index within the corneal matrix and it does so without a wound or surgical intervention. “It is so important to have good industry partners to take something from the bench to actual product. But it is key that the science does not get ignored during the years it can take to refine a product and get it to the point where it is commercially viable and clinically relevant.”

From left: Huxlin, Williams, and Marcos

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UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER | ERNEST J. DEL MONTE INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE

“

There are research opportunities here that aren’t available anywhere else in the world. My research here has benefited enormously from the interdisciplinary nature of CVS." - Sara Patterson, Ph.D., postdoctoral trainee

The collaborative approach of the research and training at CVS launched Huxlin’s career and research around the world.

The reputation of CVS attracts students from diverse research backgrounds, like Sara Patterson, Ph.D., who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She had her eyes set on the Center when she was looking for a postdoctoral position, and she landed in David Williams’ lab where she is studying the fovea, a small region of the retina that mediates most conscious vision and is a primary target for future vision restoration treatments.

“There are research opportunities here that aren’t available anywhere else in the world,” Patterson said. “My research here has benefited enormously from the interdisciplinary nature of CVS. The subject of the foveal retina for my postdoctoral research was a natural extension of my graduate work but the techniques I'm now using are completely new to me and span from neuroscience to optical engineering.

There is no other vision science community with this breadth of expertise.”

Trainees make up the majority of the people working in the labs within CVS. This arm of the Center is led by Duje Tadin, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, and Huxlin. Postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students have access to a broad range of basic and clinical problems in vision — this includes an emphasis on neuroscience and linking visual performance and underlying neural mechanisms. Trainees are also encouraged to be involved beyond the bench, and help to shape the environment where they learn. “I'm currently the postdoctoral representative on the CVS Executive Committee. I've also found opportunities to get involved in planning the annual retreat and a new postdoctoral seminar series,” said Patterson. “After my postdoc, I hope to find a faculty position and start my own lab. From this perspective, the opportunities to learn exactly what is involved in creating a successful vision research community are invaluable.”

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S T U D E N T S P OT L I G H T

Sean Lydon is a first-year in Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP). The United States Army Veteran’s research interests lie in neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, preclinical indications and disease progression. He first became interested in this area of study as an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. “Preclinical research in Sean Lydon dementia is important because many of the interventions we have now are more effective in the early stages,” Lydon said. “It feels good to be doing research that may ultimately help improve patients’ quality of life, particularly in a disease that impacts so many people.”

Lydon’s first rotation is in the lab of Gail Johnson, Ph.D., where the research focus is on the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration, pathogenic processes in Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and spinal cord injury.

Lydon’s journey to pursue a career in neuroscience research was not direct. In 2011, he enlisted in the United States Army. He served a nine-month tour in Afghanistan the

Lydon in Afghanistan during 2012 deployment with U.S. Army.

following year. In 2014, he left the armed forces as an E-4 (Specialist) to pursue academia. “My interest shifted. It was scary to make the change, but once you do it the mystery is removed and it becomes easier with time,” Lydon said.

Lydon graduated from Washington University with a B.S. in Psychology and completed a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Pennsylvania. While at the University of Pennsylvania, he also worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Department of Neurology where he managed various research projects including the development of a smartphone-based intervention that targets apathy in patients with frontotemporal dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease.

“No one is prepared for the life-changing event of spinal cord injury, stroke, or traumatic brain injury,” said Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D., former University of Rochester Medical Center CEO. “In an instant, your world is turned upside down, and the future, if you can even picture one, looks terrifying.” In a new book titled “Getting Your Brain and Body Back” Berk reflects on his own spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic. He details his experience­— as a doctor and a patient — to create a user’s manual for those suffering from the physical and mental health consequences of acute neurological injury.

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UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER | ERNEST J. DEL MONTE INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE

NEWS BRIEFS

Dr. Jonathan Mink receives Child Neurology Society’s highest honor Jonathan W. Mink, M.D., Ph.D., the Frederick A. Horner M.D. Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Neurology, and Chief of Child Neurology at University of Rochester Medical Center, has been awarded the Child Neurology Society’s (CNS) 2021 Hower Award.

The award is the organization’s highest honor and is given annually to a child neurologist recognized as an outstanding teacher and scholar, and for making high levels of contributions to the field and the CNS. Mink served as president of CNS from 2017 to 2019.

In his early career, Mink studied the neurobiological basis of Movement Disorders and developed the prevailing model of how the basal ganglia of the brain contribute to motor control. Since moving to the University of Rochester in 2001, he has focused on clinical research on Movement Disorders, including Tourette syndrome and Batten disease. Mink is a dedicated teacher and mentor and many of his students have gone on to become child neurologists and physician-scientists.

He is currently the director of the University of Rochester Batten Center, co-director of the University of Rochester Tourette Center of Excellence, and co-director of the University of Rochester Intellectual and Developmental Diseases Research Center.

He was recognized at the society’s annual meeting, where he delivered the Hower Award lecture entitled, “On Mentors and Protégés: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants and Following

Footsteps into the Future.”

“Receiving the Hower Award is a tremendous honor,” Mink said. “I have had the privilege to learn from so many giants and to learn even more from the students, residents, and fellows I have mentored. Each protégé has led me to explore new questions and new directions. The contributions recognized by this award would have not been possible without their inspiration and partnerships.”

The Child Neurology Society is the preeminent non-profit professional association of pediatric neurologists in the United States, Canada, and worldwide.

From left: Erika Augustine, M.D., Aimee Morris, M.D., Ph.D., Jennifer Vermilion, M.D., stand with their former professor, Jonathan Mink, M.D., Ph.D., as he receives the 2021 Hower Award from Philip Pearl, M.D. (right), president of Child Neurology Society.

URMC to lead first gene therapy study for CLN5 Batten disease The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) will serve as the lead study site in the U.S. for an investigational treatment being developed by Neurogene Inc. for CLN5 Batten disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

“This trial will move research Jonathan W. Mink, forward in developing a potentially M.D., Ph.D. disease-modifying treatment for CLN5 disease, providing hope to individuals and families where currently none exists,” said Jonathan W. Mink, M.D., Ph.D., the Frederick A. Horner M.D. Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Neurology, and Chief of Child Neurology at URMC. The Medical Center is home to the University of Rochester Batten Center (URBC), which is led by

Mink and is one of the nation’s premier centers dedicated to the study and treatment of Batten disease.

The planned open-label phase 1/2 clinical trial will evaluate a one-time treatment via intracerebroventricular (ICV) and intravitreal (IVT) routes of administration. The treatment, called NGN-101, uses an adeno-associated virus to deliver a healthy version of the CLN5 gene directly to the central nervous system and the eye. Animal studies have demonstrated that the treatment has the potential to halt the key features of disease progression, including vision, motor, cognitive, and behavioral declines.

Neurogene’s NGN-101 was recently cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials and has received Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. and European regulatory agencies. URMC anticipates enrolling the first study participants in the first half of 2022. rochesterbatten.urmc.edu NEUROSCIENCE | VOL 11, 2021

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Visit us online: delmonte.urmc.edu Follow us on Twitter @URNeuroscience

Remembering a Pioneer: Tristram Smith, Ph.D. Tristram Smith, Ph.D., was a pioneer in Autism research, revered for the development of behavioral interventions that changed the landscape of care for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Smith’s work and dedication are credited, in part, with URMC’s designation as an Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Right: Jenny Katz, Ph.D., helps John Foxe, Ph.D., unveil the bench dedicated to her late husband, Smith.

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