The Center for Discovery Hosts Groundbreaking Conference on World Autism Awareness Day

NEW YORK, April 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow on World Autism Awareness Day, The Center for Discovery will host a groundbreaking conference, "A New Landscape for Autism: The Science of Safe and Healing Environments." The conference is being held at the Wells Fargo Headquarters in midtown Manhattan. This collaborative and innovative event will bring together leading architects, tech experts, and healthcare professionals, along with families, community leaders, and policy makers to explore the science and research behind designing safe and healing environments for those with autism and other complex conditions.

The conference will feature nine internationally known speakers and panel members – all focusing on designing housing for the future – and will address the current housing crisis, the need for smarter and more intuitive technology, the significance of data in design, and using built environments to improve healthcare systems.  The renowned lineup of speakers includes:

• Patrick H. Dollard, President & CEO at The Center for Discovery and internationally recognized expert in the development of new models of care
• Dr. Theresa Hamlin, Associate Executive Director at The Center for Discovery and author of Autism and the Stress Effect
• Dr. Gari D. Clifford, Chair of Biomedical Informatics at Emory University and Georgia Tech where he is leaving the development of their newly announced Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Empowerment Program
• Jennifer R. DuBose, Associate Director of the SimTigrate Design Lab and principal research associate in the College of Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology
• Dr. John Coles, Senior Research Scientist in Healthcare Informatics at CUBRC, Inc., and leading researcher for The Center for Discovery on using data to improve patient outcomes
• Jody Baldwin, Mid-Atlantic Branch Manager of Envise, a building technology integrator
• Gary S. Mayerson, Founder of Mayerson & Associates, the very first civil rights firm in the nation dedicated to representing individuals with autism and related developmental disorders
• Alex Stark, Yale-trained architect and internationally recognized consultant, advisor, and teacher on issues of creativity, efficiency, and design
• Robin Guenther, Principal of Perkins+Will, Senior Advisor to Health Care Without Harm, and foremost expert in sustainable healthcare design

"We are working to amplify our collective understanding of what is needed to support individuals with complex conditions now and into the future. For this conference, we're bringing together researchers, data scientists, architects, attorneys, and others to think about housing and healing environments that can support independence and ensure safety and happiness. We need actionable intelligence that will allow us to better understand the problems we're facing and allow us to create new solutions – healthy, smart, and intuitive solutions," said Dr. Theresa Hamlin, Associate Executive Director at The Center for Discovery.

About The Center for Discovery:
The Center for Discovery (TCFD) is a leading provider of healthcare and education services for more than 1,200 children and adults with complex conditions, medical frailties and Autism Spectrum Disorders, located 90 miles northwest of New York City. Named a Center of Excellence in 2016, TCFD has long been a leader in developing new models of care for individuals with complex conditions. On 1,500 acres of land in Sullivan County, TCFD houses school campuses, residences, medical and research facilities, organic and biodynamic farmland, and leased private businesses. Deeply focused on an individual's personal potential and possibilities, rather than a disability, TCFD strives to create better care and unique and challenging opportunities for the most vulnerable populations. For more information about TCFD, please visit https://thecenterfordiscovery.org/.

For more information: Michael Rosen | mrosen@tcfd.org

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SOURCE The Center for Discovery