Spotlight on Emerging ADHD Researchers
Zuali Malsawma
Attention Magazine February 2021
Download PDF
Outstanding new ADHD researchers contribute to our increasing knowledge of ADHD. CHADD is honored to present its 2020 Young Scientist Research Awards to two deserving, emerging researchers: Whitney Fosco, PhD, and Lauren Oddo, MS. They were selected from a pool of highly qualified applicants by respected members of CHADD’s professional advisory board.
These award recipients presented exceptional academic records and a substantial number of published and ongoing research studies. Each selected one study for the reviewers to examine for significance, rigor of methodology-design, clarity of problem, adequacy of literature review as well as data analysis, and contribution of new knowledge. Their submissions received the highest overall ratings among the applications received, and they provide summaries of their winning research papers here.
Whitney Fosco, PhD
Groups did not differ in their overall, average connectivity, but they did differ in the stability of connectivity. Youth with ADHD had stable and fairly high connectivity throughout the scan. Youth without ADHD demonstrated a gradual increase in connectivity over time, reaching a similar strength of connectivity as their peers with ADHD by the end. Further, stronger connectivity was associated with worse and/or more inconsistent performance on a reaction-time task. These preliminary findings suggest that considering how brain network connections vary across time may help refine our understanding of the neurobiology of ADHD and linkages between brain functioning and behavior.
Whitney Fosco, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo, SUNY in 2018. Her research aims to elucidate mechanisms of pharmacological and psychosocial treatment response in youth with ADHD.
Lauren Oddo, MS
Lauren Oddo, MS, is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research applies longitudinal methodology and novel technologies to improve the outcomes of youth with ADHD during high-risk transitional periods for the development of depression, alcohol and drug misuse, and related health risk behaviors.
Zuali Malsawma, MS, the health sciences librarian at CHADD’s National Resource Center on ADHD, manages the Young Scientist Research Awards program.
Other Articles in this Edition
I Don’t Speak to You That Way. Please Show Me Some Respect!
Is Exposure to Nature Related to ADHD Symptoms?
Addressing Barriers and Disparities: Black Americans and ADHD
Ten Ways You Can Help Your Child Succeed Socially When They Return to School
Help Your Child with Screen Resistance or Anxiety in Distance Learning
Promoting Resilience Among Children and Teens During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Your Lifestyle Will Determine Your Future
Evidence-Based Coaching for Adults with ADHD