Stephen Hooper, PhD, will serve as the interim director of the new UNC Carolina Institute for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Dr. Hooper is a longstanding faculty SOM member in the departments of psychiatry and health sciences.
The new institute joins together the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, the UNC TEACCH Autism Program, and the Program on Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry. Bringing together these programs and resources creates a comprehensive program addressing clinical, research and training issues relevant to individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.
“Patients across the Carolinas will benefit from this new institute, a shining example of the kind of collaboration that helps the UNC School of Medicine tackle the world’s most complex health problems while bringing vital care and services to the people and families who need them most,” said UNC School of Medicine Executive Dean Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH.
Key research, clinical, and training units in the SOM pertaining to neurodevelopmental disabilities across the lifespan could be additional collaborators in the future.
Dr. Hooper recently served as associate dean and chair of the Department of Health Sciences. He also has appointments in the School of Education and as a Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Dr. Hooper has been at the UNC School of Medicine for 38 years, serving in various leadership roles across different units in the SOM since his arrival in 1987. He is a pediatric neuropsychologist with research focused on increasing the understanding of neurobiological bases of childhood conditions, including phenotypical presentations in intellectual and developmental disabilities, and interventional science.