Northwest Health Foundation Announces 2007 Hatfield Fellow.

Oregon Health and Science University Receives $150,000 to Support Assistant Professor Trevor Hall's Autism Research

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Northwest Health Foundation announced today that Trevor Hall, Psy.D, an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and director of the Neuropsychology Program at OHSU's Child Development and Rehabilitation Center, is the first recipient of the Mark O. Hatfield Research Fellowship. The fellowship program was established in 2005 to honor the legacy of former U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield, founding Board Chairman of the Northwest Health Foundation and an advocate for medical research and the health sciences in Oregon and nationally.

Former Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts served on the fellowship selection committee. "Dr. Hall is a promising autism researcher," said Roberts. "But what makes him ideal for the Hatfield fellowship is his dedication to improving the lives of children with autism and their families, specifically in the areas of assessment, categorization and treatment. My fellow advisors and I were also impressed by Dr. Hall's unflagging commitment to help establish the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center at OHSU as a regional leader in autism research and services."

Oregon Health and Science University will receive $150,000 over two years to directly support Dr. Hall's research into the role of cholesterol metabolism in the development of autism. This research is based on the finding by investigators at OHSU and elsewhere of a high prevalence of autism in children with Smith-Lemli Opitz syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by abnormal cholesterol metabolism. Dr. Hall aims to confirm a relationship between cholesterol metabolism and autism, which would shed light on the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and might also lead to new screening protocols and treatment interventions. More than 1.5 million individuals in the U.S. have been diagnosed with an ASD. In Oregon, one in 120 children has autism.

The purpose of the Mark O. Hatfield Research Fellowship is to advance the research career of health practitioners serving Oregon and southwest Washington communities. It is also hoped that the fellowship program will increase the intellectual resources of research institutions. Under the program, the fellow's sponsoring institution agrees to provide in-kind administrative support and fiscal management of the award, and to protect 50-75 percent of the fellow's time from clinical and teaching responsibilities. The institution must also identify at least one qualified mentor to advise the fellow on his or her research project and career development.

Each fellowship applicant was evaluated by an advisory committee comprised of Foundation staff and board members, experts in autism research and community members, several of whom are parents to a child with autism. After careful consideration the committee recommended Dr. Hall, who was unanimously approved by the Foundation's Board of Directors.

The Northwest Health Foundation plans to release a request for applications for the 2008 Mark O. Hatfield Research Fellowship program in December. As in 2007, the focus of the fellowship will be autism.

For more information about the Northwest Health Foundation and the Mark O. Hatfield Research Fellowship program, please visit the Foundation's Web site at www.nwhf.org.

Founded in 1997, the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF) is an independent, charitable foundation committed to advancing, supporting, and promoting the health of the people of Oregon and southwest Washington. Embracing its role as the community's partner for better health, the Foundation achieves its mission primarily through grantmaking and support for advocacy efforts that influence public policy. See www.nwhf.org.