·
Muszynski was one of the college’s most
vocal and visible supporters of research
and worked tirelessly to promote research
opportunities for medical students at the
regional campuses across the state.
·
Research Advisory Committee process
Saluting Muszynski’s research role
When Michael Muszynski stepped down
For his final five years, he led the college’s
to ensure that research involving human
subjects was “ethical, squeaky-clean and
followed sound scientific principles.”
Muszynski
·
He played a vital role in launching the Network
for Clinical Research and Training and the
doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the school’s college’s two pilot studies with the University
in May as dean of the Orlando Regional research growth. That person is Myra Hurt, of Florida on sports-related concussions and
Campus, he won high praise for his 15 years of who helped establish not only the research adolescent health risk assessments.
mentoring third- and fourth-year students. But program but the college itself.
long before he became a campus dean, he was
As Muszynski prepared to retire in May,
“Creating and building a research network
a respected researcher in pediatric infectious complete with his Professor Emeritus is really difficult – sometimes akin to walking
diseases. plaque, Hurt compiled her list of his greatest through molasses,” Muszynski once wrote. “There
contributions to the College of Medicine’s are remarkably gifted community faculty, research
research record. Among them: staff and leaders … who made it happen.”
Even though Muszynski rose to become
associate dean for clinical research, at least one
They wouldn’t have gotten nearly as far as
key figure at the College of Medicine thinks he
they did, Hurt said, without Muszynski.
Coaching parents on early development – and early warning signs
Despite decades of work by Amy Wetherby’s
team to detect autism spectrum disorder
spectrum disorder.”
Using Baby Navigator, parents can start
sooner, it’s still often detected too late. One interventions right away at home to support the
problem, this director of the Autism Institute growth of their child’s social communication
has discovered, is that almost nobody wants to skills. They can learn what to look for.
be the bad guy who tells parents that their child
might have autism.
“Nobody wants to diagnose,” she says impatiently.
Baby Navigator reflects the National Institutes
of Health-funded research that Wetherby’s
team has done on early detection of autism.
illustrations, video clips and a screening tool for
children 9-18 months of age, and register for
parenting classes, all online for free.
Wetherby’s favorite part of Baby Navigator is the
new Autism Navigator Lookbook – 16 Early Signs
of Autism by 16 Months. It’s loaded with photos
so everyone can see what to look for in toddlers.
“We have new milestones we want to teach
“This is why the average age of diagnosis is 4 years! It also incorporates the online courses and everybody that are much more precise,” she
But we know how to pick it up early. tools developed with funding from the Florida said. “They’re about social communication
“Think about childhood leukemia. Imagine if I Legislature. And thanks to an anonymous donor, growth. We have pictures. We have videos.
said to you, ‘Average age of diagnosis is 4 years, but much of that information is becoming available We’ve taken our growth charts down to 6
we know how to detect it by 1½.’ That would be on various PBS stations. Parents can access photo months. We’re trying to lead the nation.”
Shutterstock
considered alarming. Why is it not alarming that
we’re not picking up autism earlier?”
Yet she doesn’t give up. Earlier this year, her
team unveiled its latest creation: a website called
Baby Navigator.
“Baby Navigator is for parents to easily access
the online resources that we’ve developed,”
Wetherby said. “It has two purposes: to provide
information on early development, and to
provide information about early signs of autism
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