Focus Group: Neurodiversity and Mental Health

The Neurodiversity and Mental Health focus group aims to support neurodevelopmental research across the Donders Institute to enhance innovative, interlinked, robust and relevant science. Through four theme-based meetings of researchers together with national and international stakeholder organisations and projects such as SUNNI, Kentalis and ADHD Europe, this focus group plans to 

  • initiate collaborations and stimulate new research and funding bids
  • harmonise research projects
  • increase opportunities for scientific triangulation  
  • establish co-creation with stakeholders

We invite all researchers across the  Donders Institute Network to participate in the event, attending, discussing and/or presenting research. 

During each meeting, there is an opportunity to present research to fellow researchers and stakeholders (6 slots), followed by round table discussions featuring each presenter to initiate collaboration and co-creation, accompanied by coffee and cake

To register (attend and/or give a short presentation) for one or more sessions of interest, please click on the ‘Registration’ link in the side panel.

Organisers

The focus group is led by

Beate St Pourcain – Population Genetics of Human Communication

in collaboration with the following groups and PIs:

Clyde Franks – Imaging Genomics
Corina Greven – Positive Developmental Psychopathology
Jan Buitelaar – Neuropsychiatric and Developmental Disorders
Martine Hoogman – Strengths, positive aspects and resilience factors in neurodevelopmental conditions
Sabine Hunnius – Baby Research on Action, Interaction & Neurocognition 
Simon Fisher – Neurogenetics of Speech and Language
Stephanie Forkel – Clinical Neuroanatomy of Language

For more information, please contact Beate.StPourcain [at] mpi.nl (host) or Rafael.Zampakas [at] mpi.nl (Rafael[dot]Zampakas[at]mpi[dot]nl) (student assistant).

This initiative is made possible by the Donders Research Stimulation Fund to Beate St Pourcain and co-applicants.

 

Meetings

  1. Tuesday June 10, 2025: ‘Modelling dimensions of mental health’ (registration)
  2. Tuesday September 23, 2025: ‘Developmental milestones in mental health’ (registration)
  3. Tuesday October 28, 2025: ‘ADHD’ (registration)
  4. Tuesday November 25, 2025: 'Autism' (registration)

 

Time: 13:00-16:00
Place: Room 163, Ground Floor, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen.

 

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