Since he first began studying the brain in stroke patients using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, cognitive neuroscientist Damien Fair has become a star in the field of pediatric and adolescent brain development. His work has led to a greater understanding of mental health disorders and the impact of trauma, including intergenerational trauma, on the young brain.
Last fall, Fair was named as one of the 2020 MacArthur “genius” award winners for his work in mapping network connectivity in individual brains to understand how they develop, an honor that comes with a no-strings-attached, $625,000 grant. He has not decided exactly how he’ll use the grant funds, but is planning to team up with his wife Rahel Nardos, a urogynecologist and the director of the women’s global health department at the University of Minnesota, to combine their expertise on infant brain development and maternal health. They also hope to do work on capacity building in marginalized communities across the world and diversify the workforce in STEM fields.
Fair is the director of the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain at the University of Minnesota. The Imprint talked to him about the growing base of knowledge we have about the child brain, and what the implications are for child welfare policies. The interview has been edited for brevity.
A focal point of your work has been understanding ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders. What do we know today about these disorders that we didn’t know 10 or 20 years ago?
To read the article: https://imprintnews.org/child-...in-damien-fair/52300
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