UC Davis MIND Institute

Thank you to our new Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences Mark Rosenblatt for stopping by the MIND Institute last week!

Our faculty, staff and trainees enjoyed sharing details about the MIND Institute’s research studies, patient care and training programs, and learning more about Vice Chancellor Rosenblatt’s vision for the health system. We also enjoyed giving Rosenblatt a tour of the MIND Institute and the research labs.

We are looking forward to great things ahead!

Image descriptions:
Image 1: From left, Vice Chancellor Mark Rosenblatt and MIND Institute Director Aubyn Stahmer, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, walk down a hallway of the UC Davis MIND Institute during a tour.

Image 2: MIND Institute faculty walk with Vice Chancellor Mark Rosenblatt outside the MIND Institute during a tour.

Image 3: MIND Institute faculty member and Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Verónica Martínez Cerdeño talks with Vice Chancellor Mark Rosenblatt at the MIND Institute.

Image 4: Vice Chancellor of Health and Human Sciences Mark Rosenblatt speaks at a podium at the MIND Institute auditorium with a projection screen displaying a research slide.

Image 5: A diverse group of adults in the MIND Institute auditorium attentively listening during a talk from Vice Chancellor Mark Rosenblatt in a conference room with round tables covered in red cloths.

Image 6: From left, Vice Chancellor Mark Rosenblatt and MIND Institute Director Aubyn Stahmer, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UC Davis MIND Institute.

Now recruiting research participants for a distractibility study!

Researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento and the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain in Davis are investigating attention and distraction, focusing on how mind-wandering, external factors (e.g., noise and digital devices), and different settings affect teenage attention. Join our study to uncover how distractions in the classroom impact your teen’s focus!

Who can participate?
Teens ages 12 to 18 years old:
▪ Typically developing
▪ ADHD diagnosis or suspected ADHD
▪ Are permitted to use a smartphone-based app
What does the study involve?
▪ Participants respond to daily prompts about their attention over two weeks
▪ Participants complete tasks in a virtual classroom using a VR headset
▪ Cognitive and behavioral evaluations
▪ NO invasive procedures, imaging, or blood draws
What else should I know?
▪ Teen participants will receive up to $75 for their time, and parents will receive $25 for study completion.
▪ Weekend and evening appointments are available!

Learn more and sign up: https://studypages.com/s/quantifying-distraction-and-attention-in-teens-in-academic-settings-q-data-769500/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSBlwhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe00lNwxYGh9RNOHyxb5hASPzHmeab7fWCywedaJ5zAQ4YqGk_F1y3Er8cJY4_aem_z1Nv7zlJyeSRGEKfW45x9Q

Image description:
Three children in a classroom gather around another child using a VR headset and holding both hands in front of them, with one finger held up on one hand and several on the other.

Congratulations to Cynthia Reynoso Trujillo, a licensed clinical social worker at the MIND Institute, and her colleagues, on their recent presentation at the recent Pediatric Academic Societies Conference! Reynoso Trujillo, along with Rocio Franco, a licensed clinical social worker from the CAARE Center, pediatrician Serena Yang and UC Davis medical student Ellie Kim presented on the impact of the UC Davis Health Mobile Clinic.

The clinic on wheels delivers specialty medical and mental health services directly to schools, mental health organizations and other community agencies across the region. This unique model is making a real impact in our communities!

Read more about the Mobile Clinic: https://health.ucdavis.edu/mind-institute/news/headlines/uc-davis-pediatric-mobile-clinic-brings-specialty-care-to-children-and-families-across-sacramento-region/2026/04

Image description:
From left, Serena Yang, Cynthia Reynoso Trujillo, Rocio Franco and Ellie Kim stand on either side of a large poster titled “Pediatric Specialists on Wheels: A Program Evaluation of a School-Based Pediatric Specialty Mobile Clinic.” All four are dressed in business attire for their presentation at the conference.

Looking for a good video podcast? Check out Science MINDS, which explores the human side of science. It's hosted by Olivia Surgent, a postdoctoral scholar at the MIND Institute.

In this episode, Surgent talks with Matthew Mosconi, a professor in the Department of Clinical Child Psychology at the University of Kansas. They discuss how Mosconi's experience as a preschool teacher early in his career sparked a lot of the questions he still asks today. Mosconi focuses on autism subtypes and also does work around FXTAS, the neurodegenerative condition associated with fragile X.

The interview was recorded on the balcony outside the Purple Tree Cafe at the MIND Institute. The café employs people with disabilities and is open to the public from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It serves handcrafted vegan baked goods, organic teas, flavored coffee and espresso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5JWDr0HEws

Image description: From left, Olivia Surgent and Matthew Mosconi record the video podcast discussion over coffee at a small round table on an outdoor balcony at the MIND Institute with glass doors behind them.

Major congrats to MIND Institute Program Coordinator Nicki Rodriguez, who recently graduated with a Master of Science in Child Life from Azusa Pacific University! Her thesis project “Supporting Siblings Through Grief and Loss: A Child Life Approach to Bilingual and Inclusive Program Development” focused on creating supportive, developmentally appropriate resources for siblings and families.

Way to go!!!

Image description: Nicki Rodriguez, wearing a black graduation cap and gown and purple flower necklace and holding her diploma, stands outside on a set of stairs with a red congratulatory banner in the background after her graduation ceremony.

Do you have experience with and knowledge about neurodevelopmental disabilities like autism or Down syndrome? Consider joining the Partnership for Inclusive Research, or PAIR, at the UC Davis MIND Institute!

PAIR partners will meet three times per year to share ideas and give input about what matters to them and their communities. You will get training to become PAIR partners and be paid for your time. The first training sessions will be held in early June, and the first formal meeting will take place later this summer.

Interested? Email [email protected]

Image description:
Group of five adults, including two in wheelchairs, engaged in a casual discussion around tables in a bright indoor space with large windows.

Join us tomorrow (May 13) at the UC Davis MIND Institute for our final Distinguished Lecturer Series presentation of the season. Kelsey Martin of the Simons Foundation will present "The Evolving Landscape of Autism Research."

WHEN: Wednesday, May 13, 4:30-6 p.m. (light refreshments begin at 4 p.m.)
WHERE: UC Davis MIND Institute, 2825 50th St., Sacramento, CA
This event is free and open to all. No registration is needed. Seating is first come, first served. Parking is available in the MIND Institute lot.

Event details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1951498159106272/

Image description: A blue and white graphic with an artistic rendering of a brain in the background features a photo of Kelsey Martin, MD, PhD of the Simons Foundation, Keynote speaker. Text reads "Distinguished Lecturer Series, The Evolving Landscape of Autism Research, May 13, 4:30-6 p.m., Refreshments start at 4 p.m. MIND Institute Auditorium, Free event, open to all, no registration needed. Seating is first come, first served. Please join us! UC Davis Health, MIND Institute.

Congratulations to the MIND Institute's Catrina Calub, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences! She received the Junior Faculty Research Award in the inaugural Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Awards. The award recognizes exceptional promise and productivity in early-career research that advances the field of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

Congrats to Calub and the other winners of these inaugural awards!

Image description: Catrina Calub, wearing a black shirt, black pinstripe pants and glasses, sits in a chair behind a round table, holding her glass award, in a conference-style room of round tables with blue tablecloths and gold chairs. A handful of other people are seated behind her at other tables.

What's the outlook for autism research? After recently serving as scientific program chair at the International Society for Autism Research, INSAR's 2026 conference and meeting with many of the world's top autism researchers, the MIND Institute's Christine Wu Nordahl shares her take. Nordahl is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and directs the Autism Phenome Project, a major long-term study that seeks to identify subtypes of autism.

Spoiler alert: Despite challenges, she's optimistic.

Autism research in 2026: Strong and diverse, despite funding uncertainty MIND Institute researcher Christine Wu Nordahl recently served as scientific program chair for the INSAR conference and shares her take on what’s next for autism research.

Happy National Nurses Week to the incredible nurses at the UC Davis MIND Institute!

Thank you for the compassion, dedication, and exceptional care you provide to our patients and families each and every day. Your commitment makes a lasting impact on the lives of so many, and we are grateful for all that you do.



Image description:
Three nurses wearing blue scrubs stand outdoors next to a tree on a grassy area outside the MIND Institute with green leaves and trees in the background. Two nurses stand to the left of the tree and one nurse stands to the right, each with one hand resting on or near a hip. One nurse is wearing a visible badge with an RN designation.