Kelly Beck, assistant professor of psychiatry, School of Medicine, won the Research Brilliance Award from YourMomCares, a charity founded by mothers of celebrities who are committed to improving stigma surrounding child mental health.
YourMomCares partnered with UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation to have a “Shark Tank”-style competition called “ShrinkTank,” for promising early career researchers working to improve child mental health. Beck won the $100,000 award, which was announced this week.
Her project, the Schools Unified in Neurodiversity (SUN) Project, partners with school districts to make schools more inclusive and safer for children who are neurodivergent.
“We have incredible support from the educational community in Pittsburgh,” Beck said. “Our team is made up of leaders from Upper St. Clair School District, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh Public Schools, ACLD Tillotson School, Penn Trafford School District, Autism Urban Connections, Inc., and local autistic advocates.”
Upper St. Clair School District pioneered the SUN program last year, demonstrating its commitment to supporting students who are neurodivergent.
“Our partnership with Upper St. Clair was very successful, which has now led to our expanded funding by YourMomCares,” Beck said. This project aligns with her other research, which partners directly with the community to study the impact of social adversity on heightened suicide risk in people with autism.